The Flea Theater, founded in 1996, is a

theater 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 ...

in the

TriBeCa Tribeca (), originally written as TriBeCa, is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. Its name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street". The "triangle" (more accurately a quadrilateral) is bounded by Canal Stree ...

section 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 ...

. It presents primarily new American theater and provides a venue for film stars to act on a very small (74-seat) stage, as well as a smaller black box theater for experimental and new works. The theater was founded by Jim Simpson,

Mac Wellman Mac Wellman, born John McDowell Wellman on March 7, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio, is an American playwright, author, and poet.Kyle Chepulis. The Flea earned early acclaim for original productions of post-

9-11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

play ''

The Guys ''The Guys'' is a play by Anne Nelson about the aftereffects of the collapse of the World Trade Center. A film version of the play was released in 2002 and starred Sigourney Weaver and Anthony LaPaglia. History In the play, Joan, an editor, he ...

'' and political works by

A. R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. He is known for works including '' The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), and '' T ...

. According to the New York Times, “Since its inception in 1996, The Flea has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances. Under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, The Flea is one of New York’s leading off-off-Broadway companies."

History

Founded in 1996, the award-winning Flea Theater was originally formed to create, according to the theatre's website, “a joyful hell in a small space”. The Flea receives over 17,000 visitors each year. In March 2015, The Flea announced that Niegel Smith would be taking over for Jim Simpson as its new artistic director. Production highlights include ''Oh the Humanity and Other Exclamations'', by Pulitzer finalist

Will Eno Will Eno (born 1965) is an American playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. His play, '' Thom Pain (based on nothing)'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2005. His play ''The Realistic Joneses'' appeared on Broadway in 2014, wher ...

, starring

Marisa Tomei Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She came to prominence as a cast member on '' The Cosby Show'' spin-off '' A Different World'' in 1987. After having minor roles in a few films, she came to international attentio ...

and

Brian Hutchison Brian Hutchison is an American actor based in New York City. He has appeared on such network shows as '' Blue Bloods'', '' Madam Secretary'', ''Chicago Med'', '' Jessica Jones'', '' Elementary'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Godfath ...

. This collection of five short plays extended through winter 2008. Another recent Flea hit was ''Mrs. Farnsworth'', a political comedy written for The Flea by renowned playwright

, which was performed by

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...

and

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

. ''Mrs. Farnsworth'' won rave reviews and returned to The Flea for an encore in the fall. For two years in a row, The New York Times named a Flea production as one of the best Off-Broadway shows of the season—''O Jerusalem'' in 2003 and ''Mrs. Farnsworth'' in 2004. Recent productions include ''The Great Recession'': six plays commissioned by The Flea exploring the impact of the current economic crisis on the younger generation written by Thomas Bradshaw,

Sheila Callaghan Sheila Callaghan (born 1973) is a playwright and screenwriter who emerged from the RAT ( Regional Alternative Theatre) movement of the 1990s. She has been profiled by ''American Theater Magazine'', "The Brooklyn Rail", ''Theatermania'', and ''Th ...

, Erin Courtney, Will Eno,

Itamar Moses Itamar Moses (born 1977) is an American playwright, author, and television writer. Biography Moses grew up in a Jewish family in Berkeley, California, earned his bachelor's degree at Yale University, and his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramati ...

and

Adam Rapp Adam Rapp (born June 15, 1968) is an American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, musician and film director. His play ''Red Light Winter'' was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2006. Early life Rapp was born in Chicago to Mary Lee (née Baird; die ...

;

Jonathan Reynolds Jonathan Neil Reynolds (born 28 August 1980) is a British politician. He has served as Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Industrial Strategy since 2021. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he has been Member of Parliame ...

's ''Girls in Trouble''; and

Bathsheba Doran Bathsheba "Bash" Doran is a British-born playwright and TV scriptwriter living in New York City. Life Bathsheba Doran, nicknamed "Bash", grew up in London and studied at Cambridge University. Her mother is the Elizabethan historian, Susan Doran. ...

's ''Parents’ Evening''.

New Works

The Flea produces several original major productions each year. Flea artists have been honored with two OBIE Awards, an Otto Award and, in May 2004, The Flea was given a Drama Desk Award for Distinguished Achievement commending its dedication to adventurous theater.

Awards and Recognition

In 2010, The Flea was awarded 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 ...

's National Theatre Company Grant.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flea Theater Theatre companies in New York City Off-Off-Broadway Tribeca Arts organizations established in 1996 1996 establishments in New York City

History

New Works

Awards and Recognition

See also

References

External links