Transport Group Theatre Company is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

theatre company in New York City that stages new works and revivals of plays and musicals, with a focus on American stories told in visually progressive way.

History

Transport Group was founded in 2001 by co-Artistic Directors Jack Cummings III and Robyn Hussa. Since 2007, Transport Group was helmed by Cummings as artistic director and Lori Fineman as executive director. Denise Dickens replaced Fineman in 2019. Through its first eight years, Transport Group was a resident theatre company at The Connelly Theatre; an off-Broadway venue in Manhattan's East Village. Transport Group has produced several

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...

productions including the

OBIE Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

winning '' The Boys in the Band, ''which seated the audience in chairs around the play's living room set in a Chelsea penthouse, and the first New York revival of

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', ''Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and ''See Wha ...

's '' Hello Again, ''in which round banquet tables doubled as both the audience seating and the actors' playing space. Transport Group has also produced works at The Duke Theatre in Times Square and at The Gym at Judson in the West Village. In 2007, Transport Group received a special Drama Desk Award for its "breadth of vision and presentation of challenging productions." Transport Group is the winner of 5

OBIE Awards The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...

, a 2018 Special Citation from the

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jone ...

, has been nominated for nearly 40

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

s, as well as many

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1922, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing. Each May, the awards ...

s, Off-Broadway Alliance, and

Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

, among others. Transport Group was the recipient of a special Drama Desk award for its "breadth of vision and presentation of challenging productions." Adam Mathias won the Drama Desk award for Outstanding Lyrics in 2011 for ''See Rock City & Other Destinations''. Also in 2011, Transport Group's production of the Douglas Carter Beane/Lewis Flinn musical ''

Lysistrata Jones ''Lysistrata Jones'' is a musical comedy adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy ''Lysistrata''. The book is by Douglas Carter Beane and the score is by Lewis Flinn. After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run with Transport Group Theatre Company ...

'' transferred to Broadway and was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

. The

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

awarded Transport Group with a National Theatre Company Grant in 2011.

Production history

2002: ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

'' ''by

Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...

; The Connelly Theatre 2003: ''Requiem for William'' by

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

; The Connelly Theatre 2004:

First Lady Suite ''First Lady Suite'' is a chamber musical by Michael John LaChiusa. The musical contains four separate segments about four of the First Ladies of the United States of America and the people surrounding them. They are: Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eise ...

, words & by

; The Connelly Theatre 2005: ''The Audience'' conceived by Jack Cummings III; The Connelly Theatre 2005: ''Normal'', book by Yvonne Adrian, lyrics by

Cheryl Stern Cheryl Stern is an American Broadway actress. Education Stern is a graduate of Northwestern University. Career Stern worked as a backup performer for comedian Jackie Mason and was in his comedy musical Laughing Room Only. In 2009, she starr ...

, music by Tom Kochan; The Connelly Theatre 2006: ''

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

'' by

John Cariani John Edward Cariani (born July 23, 1969) is an American actor and playwright. Cariani is best known as the unwavering forensic expert Julian Beck in ''Law & Order''. On stage, he earned a Tony Award nomination for his role as Motel the Tailor in t ...

; The Connelly Theatre 2006: '' All The Way Home ''by

Tad Mosel Tad Mosel (May 1, 1922 – August 24, 2008) was an American playwright and one of the leading dramatists of hour-long teleplay genre for live television during the 1950s. He received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' All the Way H ...

; The Connelly Theatre 2007:''

The Dark at the Top of the Stairs ''The Dark at the Top of the Stairs'' is a 1957 play by William Inge about family conflicts during the early 1920s in a small Oklahoma town. It was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play in 1958 and was made into a film of the same name in 196 ...

''by

; The Connelly Theatre 2007: ''Crossing Brooklyn'', music by Jenny Giering and

Jonathan Larson Jonathan David Larson (February 4, 1960 – January 25, 1996) was an American composer, lyricist and playwright most famous for writing the musicals ''Rent'' and '' Tick, Tick... Boom!'', which explored the social issues of multiculturalism, ...

, book & lyrics by Laura Harrington; The Connelly Theatre 2008: ''Marcy in the Galaxy'', music & lyrics by Nancy Shayne, book by

Michael Patrick King Michael Patrick King (born September 14, 1954) is an American director, writer, and producer. He is best known for directing and writing for ''Sex and the City'' and its film adaptations, and for co-creating the television comedies '' The Comeb ...

; The Connelly Theatre 2008: ''Bury the Dead'' by

Irwin Shaw Irwin Shaw (February 27, 1913 – May 16, 1984) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for two of his novels: ''The Young Lions'' ( ...

; The Connelly Theatre 2009: ''Being Audrey'', music & lyrics by Ellen Weiss, book by James Hindman, additional book and lyrics by

2010: '' The Boys in the Band ''by

Mart Crowley Edward Martino Crowley (August 21, 1935 – March 7, 2020) was an American playwright best known for his 1968 play '' The Boys in the Band''. Biography Crowley was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. After graduating from The Catholic University of ...

; 37 West 26th Street, Manhattan 2010: ''See Rock City & Other Destinations'', music by

Brad Alexander Brad Alexander (born February 2, 1971) is an American composer for television and musical theater. He was Lead Composer for the 2019-2020 animated series ''Clifford The Big Red Dog'' ( Scholastic/PBSKids/Amazon) and wrote the music for ''See Rock ...

, book & lyrics by Adam Mathias;

The Duke on 42nd Street The New 42nd Street is a not-for-profit organization based in Manhattan, New York City. In 1990, the New 42nd Street was formed to oversee the redevelopment of seven neglected and historic theatres on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Aven ...

2011: '' Hello Again'', words & music by

; 52 Mercer Street, Manhattan 2011: ''

'', music & lyrics by Lewis Flinn, book by

Douglas Carter Beane Douglas Carter Beane is an American playwright and screenwriter. Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, Beane now lives in New York. His works include the screenplay of ''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! J ...

; The Gym at Judson 2011: ''The Patsy'' by Barry Conners; starring

David Greenspan David Greenspan (born 1956) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of six Obies, including an award in 2010 for Sustained Achievement. Life Greenspan was born in 1956 in Los Angeles, California. He holds a B.A. in Drama fro ...

directed by Jack Cummings III;

2011: ''Jonas'' by

;

2011: ''Queen of the Mist'', words & music by

; The Gym at Judson 2012:'' House for Sale ''by

Jonathan Franzen Jonathan Earl Franzen (born August 17, 1959) is an American novelist and essayist. His 2001 novel ''The Corrections'', a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, was a Pulitzer Pr ...

, adapted for the stage by

Daniel Fish Daniel Fish is an American theater director based in New York City. Early career Daniel Fish graduated from Northwestern University with a BS in performance studies. From 1989 to 1993 he worked as the assistant director to Michael Kahn at the Sha ...

;

2013: ''The Memory Show'', book & lyrics by Sara Cooper, music by Zach Redler;

2014: ''Almost, Maine'', by John Cariani; The Gym at Judson 2014: ''I Remember Mama'', by John Van Druten; The Gym at Judson 2015: ''Three Days To See: A Reawakening of Helen Keller in Her Own Words,'' conceived by Jack Cummings III; Theatre 79 2015: ''Once Upon A Mattress,'' book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller, Marshall Barer, lyrics by Marshall Barer, music by Mary Rogers;

Abrons Arts Center The Henry Street Settlement is a not-for-profit social service agency in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City that provides social services, arts programs and health care services to New Yorkers of all ages. It was founde ...

2017: ''

Picnic (play) ''Picnic'' is a 1953 Play (theatre), play by William Inge. The play was premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway theatre, Broadway, on 19 February 1953 in a Theatre Guild production, directed by Joshua Logan, which ran for 477 performances. ...

,'' by

, The Gym at Judson 2017: '' Come Back, Little Sheba,'' by

, The Gym at Judson 2017: ''

Strange Interlude ''Strange Interlude'' is an experimental play in nine acts by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. O'Neill began work on it as early as 1923 and developed its scenario in 1925; he wrote the play between May 1926 and the summer of 1927, and complete ...

,'' by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earlier ...

; starring

; "Irondale Theatre Center" 2018: ''

Summer and Smoke ''Summer and Smoke'' is a two-part, thirteen-scene play by Tennessee Williams, completed in 1948. He began working on the play in 1945 as ''Chart of Anatomy'', derived from his short stories "Oriflamme" and the then-work-in-progress "Yellow Bir ...

,'' by

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the thre ...

;

Classic Stage Company Classic Stage Company, or CSC, is a classical Off-Broadway theater. Founded in 1967, Classic Stage Company is one of Off-Broadway's oldest theaters. Its 199-seat theatre is the former Abbey Theatre located at 136 East 13th Street between Third a ...

2018: ''Renascence'', book by

Dick Scanlan Dick Scanlan (born 1960) is an American writer, director, and actor. Early life Scanlan was born on April 14, 1960, in Washington D.C. and grew up in suburban Maryland. Career Publications Scanlan has written articles that have appeared in ''The ...

, music by Carmel Dean; lyrics from the poetry of

Edna St. Vincent Millay Edna St. Vincent Millay (February 22, 1892 – October 19, 1950) was an American lyrical poet and playwright. Millay was a renowned social figure and noted feminist in New York City during the Roaring Twenties and beyond. She wrote much of he ...

;

2019: ''The Trial of the Catonsville Nine (play)'', by

Daniel Berrigan Daniel Joseph Berrigan (May 9, 1921 – April 30, 2016) was an American Jesuit priest, anti-war activist, Christian pacifist, playwright, poet, and author. Berrigan's active protest against the Vietnam War earned him both scorn and admir ...

, adapted by Jack Cummings III;

2020: ''Broadbend, Arkansas,'' Libretto by

Ellen Fitzhugh Ellen Fitzhugh is an American musical theatre lyricist and librettist. She is most notable for lyrics to the Broadway musical ''Grind'', for which she was nominated for the 1985 Tony Award for Best Original Score. Other musicals include ''Herringbo ...

Harrison David Rivers Harrison David Rivers (born September 11, 1981) is an American playwright. Rivers' work has won him thRelentless Award a GLAAD Media Award, a McKnight Fellowship for Playwrights, a Jerome Foundation Many Voices Fellowship, an Emerging Artist of ...

, Music and Additional Lyrics by Ted Shen, directed by Jack Cummings III;

2020: '' The Unsinkable Molly Brown'', Music and Lyrics by

Meredith Willson Robert Reiniger Meredith Willson (May 18, 1902 – June 15, 1984) was an American flutist, composer, conductor, musical arranger, bandleader, playwright, and writer. He is perhaps best known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for the 195 ...

, Book and New Lyrics by

, Based on the Original Book by Richard Morris, Meredith Willson's Music Adapted by Michael Rafter, Directed and Choreographed by

Kathleen Marshall Kathleen Marshall (born September 28, 1962) is an American director, choreographer, and creative consultant. Life and career Born in Madison, Wisconsin, she graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1980 and S ...

;

2022: ''The Patsy'' by Barry Conners; starring

directed by Jack Cummings III;

2022: '' A Delicate Balance'' by

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as ''The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (1966) ...

produced in partnership with NAATCO; directed by Jack Cummings III; The Connelly Theatre. This historic production was the first time the play was done Off-Broadway and the first time with an all-Asian American cast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport Group, The Off-Broadway theaters Theatre companies in New York City Arts organizations established in 2001 2001 establishments in New York City Site-specific theatre Theatre company production histories