TheatreWorksUSA is a professional, not-for-profit

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

for young and family audiences founded in 1961. The company is based out of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, but has touring productions that run through forty-nine states as well as parts of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. Plays and musicals produced by Theatreworks have reached over 90 million children, teachers and families since the company's founding.

Free Summer Theatre

Since 1989 TheatreWorksUSA's Free Summer Theatre has provided young people and families with original, professional theatre free of charge. Each summer, tickets are distributed to

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

in over 200 social service and youth programs throughout the

five boroughs 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

. To date, over 300,000 children have attended free productions of some of the company's most popular shows, including ''

Junie B. Jones ''Junie B. Jones'' is a children's book series written by Barbara Park and illustrated by Denise Brunkus. Published by Random House from 1992 to 2013, the story centers on "almost six-year-old" Junie B. Jones and her adventures in kindergarten an ...

'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

'', and '' Sarah, Plain and Tall''. According to its own literature, TheatreWorks believes "all children should experience the excitement of going to the theatre, regardless of their financial circumstances." Roma Torre, a

NY1 NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The channe ...

reporter, has said the following of the program: TheatreWorksUSA's production of '' The Civil War'' made its Off-Broadway debut at the Lucille Lortel Theatre for the 2013 Free Summer Theatre program. ''The Civil War'' ran from July 15, 2013, until August 16, 2013.

Managed artists

In addition to their plays and musicals, TheatreWorksUSA offers educational presentations by artists and groups, for school and public performances. Included are historical productions, as well as stories, songs and dance from many cultures featuring authentic artists who entertain as well as teach about their traditions.

Alumni artists

TheatreWorksUSA has a history of giving young actors, writers, directors, and designers their first professional job. Amongst the alumni are four-time

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 c ...

winning director

Jerry Zaks Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing '' The House of Blue Leaves'', ''Lend Me a Tenor'', and '' Six Degr ...

, Robert Jess Roth (''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

''), Michael Mayer (''

Thoroughly Modern Millie ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is a 1967 American musical- romantic comedy film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay, by Richard Morris based on the 1956 British musical ''Chrysanthemum'', follows a naïve yo ...

''), Gabriel Barre; writers

Marta Kauffman Marta Fran Kauffman (born September 21, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. She is best known as the co-creator of the NBC sitcom ''Friends'' with her longtime friend, David Crane. Both Kauffman and Crane were also executive pr ...

and David Crane (TV's ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Li ...

''),

Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens (born October 1, 1948) is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years. She won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle ...

and Stephen Flaherty (''

Ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott J ...

'', ''

Once on This Island ''Once on This Island'' is a coming-of-age one-act stage musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. It is based on the 1985 novel ''My Love, My Love; or, The Peasant Girl'' by Rosa Guy, a Caribbean-set retelling ...

''),

Jason Robert Brown Jason Robert Brown (born June 20, 1970) is an American musical theatre composer, lyricist, and playwright. Brown's music sensibility fuses pop-rock stylings with theatrical lyrics. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for his work on ''Parad ...

(''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

''), Larry O'Keefe ('' Bat Boy: The Musical''), Double EGOT winner Robert Lopez and

Jeff Marx Jeff Marx (born September 10, 1970) is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. He is best known for creating the Broadway musical ''Avenue Q'' with collaborator Robert Lopez. Early life Marx grew up in Hollywood, Florida. He attended ...

('' Book of Mormon, Avenue Q''); Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Disney's '' Frozen'', with Lopez); and Tony-winning actors

Roger Bart Roger Bart (born September 29, 1962) is an American actor and singer. He won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his performance as Snoopy in the 1999 revival of '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. Bart received his second Tony Award n ...

, Chuck Cooper, John Lloyd Young, and John Glover. Esteemed performers

Jesse Tyler Ferguson Jesse Tyler Ferguson (born October 22, 1975) is an American actor. From 2009 to 2020, he portrayed Mitchell Pritchett on the sitcom '' Modern Family'', for which he earned five consecutive nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstandin ...

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he w ...

, Daphne Rubin-Vega,

Henry Winkler Henry Franklin Winkler, OBE (born October 30, 1945), is an American actor, comedian, author, executive producer, and director. After rising to fame as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series '' Happy Days'', Winkler has ...

, Kathryn Boule and

Judy Kuhn Judy Kuhn (born May 20, 1958) is an American actress and singer, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film '' Pocahontas'', including her r ...

also got their start with Theatreworks.

Awards

TheatreWorksUSA has won many awards in its long history. Some of these honors include: *2010

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. F ...

Nominee for Outstanding Lyrics for ''Click, Clack, Moo''. *2010

Lucille Lortel Lucille Lortel (née Wadler, December 16, 1900 – April 4, 1999) was an American actress, artistic director, and theatrical producer. In the course of her career Lortel produced or co-produced nearly 500 plays, five of which were nominated for ...

Award Nominee for Outstanding Musical and Outstanding Choreography for ''Click, Clack, Moo''. *2008

Award Nominee for Outstanding Revival, Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Costumes for ''

Seussical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', '' Gertrude McFuzz'', and ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' while in ...

''. *2008

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 ...

Nominee for Outstanding Revival of a Musical for ''

''. *2005

Award Nominee for Best Musical and Best Choreography for ''

''. *2001 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award for "artistic vision and commitment to the support and development of theatre artists." *1996

given by New York theatre critics for Theatreworks' "35 years of providing quality entertainment to children and their parents. *1996

Award given by Off Broadway theatres and producers, for "Outstanding Special Achievement." *1996 Staw Hat Award for Best Play awarded to ''The Color of Justice''. *1984

AUDELCO AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awa ...

Award at the Twelfth Annual Black Theatre Awards for ''Play to Win'', a musical about

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

breaking the color barrier in major league

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

. The award was for "best writing of a new show by black authors for the non-commercial theatre."

Chelsea Studios

In 2000, TheatreWorksUSA established Chelsea Studios, a rehearsal studio in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.Facebook - Chelsea Studios
/ref> In addition to providing rehearsal space for TheatreWorksUSA's productions, Chelsea also rents its studios out to casting agents, touring productions, exercise classes, and various other clients.

References

External links

TheatreWorksUSA's home pageChelsea Studios
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatreworks Usa Theatres in New York (state) 1961 establishments in New York (state) Non-profit organizations based in New York City Arts organizations established in 1961 Children's Theatre companies in New York City