The Thirteenth Street Repertory Theatre (13th St Rep) is an

off-off Broadway Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...

theater in New York City founded in 1972 by Edith O'Hara. It is home to the longest running play in Off-Off Broadway history,

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio and ...

's '' Line'' which began its run at the 65-seat venue in 1974. The theater is presently under the leadership of Artistic Director Joe John Battista, who mounts premiere productions, experimental plays, and revivals. 13th Street Rep ran its first contracted Off Broadway show in July 2018, the acclaimed BAHR production of Jerry Small's ''Before We're Gone'', directed by Battista. Other recent productions include a revival of

Tom Eyen Tom Eyen (August 14, 1940 – May 26, 1991) was an American playwright, lyricist, television writer and director. He received a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for ''Dreamgirls'' in 1981. Eyen is best known for works at opposite end ...

Women Behind Bars ''Women Behind Bars'' is a camp black comedy play by Tom Eyen, parodying the prison exploitation films produced by Universal, Warner Bros. and Republic Pictures during the 1950s. Plot Set in the Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Villag ...

directed by Joe John Battista and featuring in the ensemble Amy Stiller as Gloria.

History

The theatre is in the basement level of a townhouse located at 50 West 13th Street, parts of which date back to the late 1700s. There exists a trap door in what was formerly a carriage house, now the theater's backstage dressing room, that leads down to a cellar dating back to the Pre–Civil War Era. That cellar was a Greenwich Village way station on the Underground Railroad. In the 1940s, 50 West 13th Street was a popular ceramics studio and hub for artists. From the early 1960s, the building's basement level became a performance space called The 13th Street Theatre, one of many small Off-Off Broadway venues that were springing up in the early years of the Off-Off Broadway Movement. ''The Drunkard'', the first musical by then 19-year old composer

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow ( ; born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer with a career that spans over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Brandy (Scott ...

, performed at the space on weekends from 1964 to 1970, promising its audiences "free beer or root beer" during its two shows a night. In 1972, Edith O'Hara, a theater maker, former newspaper reporter, and schoolteacher from Idaho, founded the 13th Street Repertory Theatre at 50 West 13th Street as a place for actors, directors, playwrights, and designers to develop and create theater arts in a supportive environment. Her earliest production in New York was Kenn Long and Jim Crozier's musical ''Touch'', whose score went on to earn a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

nomination. She championed one of the first productions on the subject of same sex marriage, Bill Solly and Donald Ward's '' Boy Meets Boy'', which afterwards became a hit and moved to a commercial run. In 1974, she presented

's expressionistic comedy ''Line'', which famously went on to become the longest running play in Off-Off Broadway history. Its final performances were directed by Jay Michaels and co-produced by Mary Elizabeth Micari, using the show's original production scheme. Performer and TV personality

Brother Theodore Theodore Isidore Gottlieb (November 11, 1906 – April 5, 2001), mostly known as Brother Theodore, was a German-born American actor and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness monologues which he called "stand-up tragedy". His st ...

performed his "stand up tragedy" act there on and off for over twenty years. The long running hit show, The Accidental Pervert, about a boy’s coming of age via a childhood studded with perpetual pornography, ran at the 13th Street Repertory Theatre from 2012-2015. It starred Andrew Goffman and was directed by Charles Messina. In addition to the presentation of new theater works, O'Hara has stressed the importance of entertaining young audiences and educating young artists. She spearheaded a program for young people called Mama Hare's Tree, which continues today as the Kid City Theater after school musical program, presently run by Wendy Tonken. For Edith O'Hara's leadership and artistic contribution she has received citations from President

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, Governor

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

, and Mayor

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

. O’Hara, who in 2016 celebrated her one hundredth birthday, has two daughters,

Jill O'Hara Jill O'Hara (born August 23, 1947) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1969 for creating the role of Fran Kubelik in '' Promises, Promises'', a role made famous by Shirley ...

and

Jenny O'Hara Jenny O'Hara (born February 24, 1942) is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is best known for Dixie in ''My Sister Sam'' (1986–1988), Janet Heffernan in ''The King of Queens'' (2001–2007), and Nita in ''Big Love'' (2006– ...

who are Broadway and film actors. Her son is singer/songwriter Jack O'Hara, a founding member of the country rock band Eggs Over Easy.

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 three ...

, while giving a talkback after a revival performance of his play ''Outcry'' at 13th Street Rep, sat on the edge of its platform and proclaimed that the future of New York Theater is to be found on the small stage. Current Artistic Director Joe John Battista leads 13th Street Rep in the spirit of the Off-Off Broadway Movement, making it an artistic home where new and classic works may be incubated and presented in artistic freedom, with innovation, and experimentation.

References

External links

Official website
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509092844/http://www.13thstreetrep.org/ , date=2008-05-09
Facebook
Off-off-Broadway