St. Ann's Warehouse is a performing arts institution in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. Formerly the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on Montague Street, in 1980 the site was converted into a venue for classical music. Initially known as ''Arts at St. Ann's'', proceeds from the stage's performances were used to aid in renovating the building. In 2000 it relocated to a former spice milling factory in

Dumbo, Brooklyn Dumbo (or DUMBO, short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The area known as Dumbo used to be known as Gairville. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhatta ...

, where it has served as a stage for musicians such as

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor. Known for his baritone voice and for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, C ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and se ...

and

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...

. Theatrical shows have included the

Bertholt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

musical The Seven Deadly Sins, starring

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

. The current building can accommodate audiences of up to 1500 people. St. Ann's Warehouse moved to the historic Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2015.

1980s

The original home of Arts at St. Ann's (now St. Ann's Warehouse) was the National Historic Landmark Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on Montague Street in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, an ...

. For 21 years, St. Ann's presented a broad array of concert and theater performances in the church's Gothic Revival sanctuary. In addition, the organization raised approximately $4 million for the building's restoration, including its historic stained glass windows by William Jay Bolton, which were the first made in America. From its inception, St. Ann's has earned a reputation as a consistent innovator, forging multi-disciplinary theatrical collaborations, thematic multi-artist concert presentations, and new works for puppet theater. Beginning in 1980, much of St. Ann's early programming was based on classical music — choral and opera programs, noonday organ recitals, performances by Tashi, The Academy of Ancient Music, and others. St. Ann's had a surprising and defining early success with its staging of the first American puppet opera, Amy Trompetter's production of Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville'', with the Brooklyn Opera Society in 1983. Trompetter's production was revived on its 20th anniversary at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2003. In 2007, it played again to sold-out houses in a new German version at the Festspielhaus St. Polten just outside Vienna, Austria. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, under Artistic Director Charles Wadsworth, offered preview concerts at St. Ann's from 1981–1983, which then led to Bach Cantata Sundays under the direction of the Society's cellist, Fred Sherry. The seven-year cantata series proved instrumental in forming St. Ann's genre-defying approach to music programming and helped build the reputation of The Orchestra of St. Luke's, then a new band. In 1985,

Bread and Puppet Theater The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, based in Glover, Vermont . The theater was co-founded by Elka and Peter Schumann. Peter is the artistic directo ...

was invited to stage Bach's ''Cantata #4'' ("Christ lag in Todesbanden") as part of the series. By 1988, the program included the American Premiere of

's ''The Falklands Suite''. The following year, St. Ann's and the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

instigated the reunion of Cale and

by commissioning Songs for Drella, their celebrated song cycle in remembrance of Andy Warhol. Intrigued by the range and ambition of St. Ann's performances, artists began to take increasing interest and helped to further St. Ann's international reputation under the leadership of founding Artistic Director Susan Feldman and Program Director Janine Nichols. In 1989, record producer Hal Willner brought Marianne Faithfull to St. Ann's for a pair of concerts: a retrospective released by Island Records as "Blazing Away" and "definitive" performances as Anna in the Brecht/Weill masterwork, ''The Seven Deadly Sins'' (NY Times).

1990s

''The Seven Deadly Sins'' lead to the sextet, ''Hudson Shad'', and the award-winning production of Susan Feldman's ''In the Time of the Comedian Harmonists'' (1992), which went on to enjoy a long life as ''Band in Berlin'', co-directed by Pat Birch, Associate Director and Choreographer Jonathan Cerullo, including a brief stint on Broadway in 1999. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, ''Rolling Stone'' dubbed St. Ann's "the guiding light in New York's avant-rock scene." In 1991, Willner and St. Ann's presented the first of its thematic multi-artist performances, ''Greetings'' from Tim Buckley, which inspired the late

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

. This was followed by several Halloween programs, including ''Nevermore: Readings from Edgar Allan Poe'' and the ''Harry Smith Project'' in 1999, which featured Nick Cave, Van Dyke Parks, Rufus Wainright, Thurston Moore, and others. St. Ann's enjoyed further success with thematic concerts led by music director Peter Holsapple, including ''Bryter Layter: Music of Nick Drake'' (1997), ''Listen Listen: Music of Sandy Denny'' (1998) and ''Songs of the Century'' (1999) with Beth Orton and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Other events that took place in the old building were St. Ann's commissions of Bill Frisell Plays For Buster Keaton (1992–1993), scores for six of the master's silent films; ''August Wilson & the Blues'' (1996), which brought together the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright with the musician Olu Dara, and David Greenberger's ''The Duplex Planet Radio Hour'', produced for WNYC-FM in 1994. St. Ann's finally closed the door on St. Ann's Church in 2000 with Roy Nathason's jazz suite, ''Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill'', featuring Elvis Costello and Deborah Harry, and cartoonist Art Spiegelman's ''Three Panel Opera: Drawn to Death''.

2000s

After moving to an old spice milling factory at 38 Water Street in Dumbo shortly after the

September 11 attacks 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 commerc ...

in 2001, Arts at St. Ann's became St. Ann's Warehouse. Highlighted by performances that mix theater and rock and roll, the programming featured multiple collaborations with

The Wooster Group The Wooster Group is a New York City-based experimental theater company known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged from Richard Schechner's The Performance Group (1967–1980) during the period from 1975 to 1980, a ...

: ''To You, The Birdie'' (2002), ''Brace Up!'' (2003), ''House/Lights'' (2005), ''The Emperor Jones'' (2006) and ''Hamlet'' (2007), Ridge Theater's ''Jennie Richee'' (2003), ''Decasia'' (2004);

's final New York appearances (2002), David Bowie (2002),

(2004), as well as intimate concerts with

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

and Lou Reed (2002), Oscar Wilde's ''Salome: The Reading'' (2002) with Al Pacino, directed by Estellle Parsons, and the 20th anniversary production of Amy Trompetter's puppet opera, ''The Barber of Seville'' (May 2003), conducted by Kristjan Järvi with the Absolute Ensemble. In 2004, St. Ann's and Artistic Director, Susan Feldman, were honored by the Village Voice Obie Committee with the Ross Wetzsteon Memorial Award for the development of new work, recognizing St. Ann's Warehouse as "a sleek venue where its super-informed audience charges the atmosphere with hip vitality." Productions included Mabou Mines' ''DollHouse'', directed by Lee Breuer; Dan Hurlin's lyrical puppet masterwork, ''Hiroshima Maiden'', Cynthia Hopkins' alt-country opera ''Accidental Nostalgia'', and ''Turning'' with live video by Charles Atlas and music by

Antony Antony may refer to: * Antony (name), a masculine given name and a surname * Antony, Belarus, a village in the Hrodna Voblast of Belarus * Antony, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom ** Antony House, Cornwall, United Kingdom * Antony, ...

Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro lab ...

. In 2005 St. Ann's welcomed London's

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

with its productions of Sarah Kane's ''4.48 Psychosis'', directed by the James MacDonald, and Poland's TR Warszawa production of ''Risk Everything'' directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna. That year, St. Ann's produced a series of live, onstage "sound plays" with Sirius Satellite Radio, South Bank Centre, and UCLA Live!, called ''Theater of the New Ear'', a collaboration between composer Carter Burwell and filmmakers Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers' ''Sawbones, Hope Leaves the Theater''. "Sawbones" featured

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, a ...

Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. She is the recipient of accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards. Bor ...

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produ ...

, John Slattery, Brooke Smith, and "Hope" featured Hope Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Meryl Streep. A second Charlie Kaufman play, "Anomalisa", which played at UCLA Live! only starred Jennifer Jason Leigh], Tom Noonan, and David Thewlis. St. Ann's celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a new presentation of Roy Nathanson's ''Fire at Keaton's Bar & Grill'', featuring Deborah Harry, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Antony, Chocolate Genius, Nellie McKay, Theo Bleckmann, Dan Zanes, and others. In 2006/2007, St. Ann's produced two World Premieres: Lou Reed's ''Berlin'', directed by

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings" — with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been ...

, which traveled to the Sydney Festival, Australia and subsequently toured 14 European cities in summer 2007; and Part 2 of Cynthia Hopkins' Accidental Trilogy, ''Must Don't Whip 'Um''. St. Ann's received four Drama Desk Award nominations for its productions of Les Freres Corbusier's ''Hell House'' and Daniel Kramer's ''Woyzeck'' in 2006. The season ended with Hal Willner's ''Rogues Gallery Live'', a gala benefit concert, featuring Bryan Ferry, Gavin Friday, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Janine Nichols, Jennie Muldaur, Kembra, Baby Gramps, Antony, and others. Recent years have seen St. Ann's Warehouse activate two found warehouse spaces as popular, versatile theaters in DUMBO, where the organization has established itself as an international center for such innovative companies as the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

, Kneehigh and Druid Theaters, Poland's TR Warszawa, as well as American masters,

and Mabou Mines. It has become an artistic home to such theater makers as

Enda Walsh Enda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright. Biography Enda Walsh was born in Kilbarrack, North Dublin on February 7, 1967. His father ran a furniture shop and his mother had been an actress. He is the second youngest of six children. Wa ...

("The Walworth Farce", "Penelope", "Misterman" with Cillian Murphy); John Tiffany and

Steven Hoggett Steven Hoggett (born 30 November 1971) is a British choreographer and movement director. He has won an Olivier Award as well as an Obie Award, has been nominated four times for a Drama Desk Award and three times for a Tony Award. Early life ...

(the acclaimed "

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regim ...

" and " Let the Right One In"), director Emma Rice ("Brief Encounter", "Tristan & Yseult") and Grzegorz Jarzyna, whose outdoor "Macbeth" was staged in a former Tobacco Warehouse on the waterfront. In 2014, St. Ann's began the development of that same Tobacco Warehouse as a permanent home for the next fifty years. The new St. Ann's Warehouse opened its doors in Fall 2015. The Marvel Architects-designed structure won a 2016 American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Design Award.

Taylor Mac Taylor Mac Bowyer (born August 24, 1973) is an American actor, playwright, performance artist, director, producer, and singer-songwriter active mainly in New York City. In 2017, Mac was the recipient of a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Cat ...

presented ''A 24-Decade History of Popular Music'' in which judy presents a 24-hour performance that covers popular music in the United States from 1776–2016. This presentation received a Special Citation from the Obie Awards presented by 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 ...

.St. Ann's Warehouse
"Taylor Mac 24 Decade History of Popular Music"
This production was also a finalist for the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were ...

The Intersection of Theater and Rock and Roll

Throughout its existence, St. Ann's has presented a wide variety of concerts, including rock, jazz, world and roots music especially, and using its rising reputation to introduce new and overlooked artists to growing audiences. Among the most memorable performances include: ''Les Mysteres Des Voix Bulgares'' (1988), Aaron Neville's first solo shows (1988–1989), Marta Sebestyen with ''Muzikas'' (1989), Richard Thompson, Dr. John, Garth Hudson, Vic Chesnutt, Peter Blegvad, Victoria Williams, Jimmy Scott, Robin Holcomb, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Del McCoury, and the World Saxophone Quartet with ''Fontella Bass''. Aaron Neville,

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

and Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris,

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and Vivian Liberto Cash Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife. Although she is often classified as a country art ...

, and Jackson Browne performed benefit concerts. Rare performances by Terry Allen, Michael Ventura and Butch Hancock, John Cale and Bob Neuwirth, Jeff Buckley and Mary Margaret O'Hara also took place, as well as St. Ann's production of David Byrne's orchestral music for "The Forest" at Town Hall in 1992. St. Ann's has also featured blues artists. In 1989, The Mississippi Delta Blues Festival featured some rare New York performances. The Piano Blues Who's Who (1990) explored the rhythmic distinctions between New Orleans and Chicago blues traditions. A celebration of the Music of the Mississippi Hill Country, featuring Lucinda Williams and Othar Turner, among others, was the debut performance at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2001. St. Ann's has also long been a patron of puppetry. For years, Bread and Puppet Theater appeared annually. Mabou Mines' director

Lee Breuer Esser Leopold Breuer (February 6, 1937 – January 3, 2021) was an American playwright, theater director, academic, educator, filmmaker, poet, and lyricist. Breuer taught and directed on six continents. Career Breuer was a founding co-artistic ...

staged the first Peter and Wendy at St. Ann's in 1992. Janie Geiser and Dan Hurlin were the prime movers behind The Lab, St. Ann's experimental haven for artists working in puppet theater. The Lab will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017. Now under the direction of Matt Acheson, The Lab concludes each spring with Labapalooza!, a mini-festival of new works developed by Lab participants. Between its years at the Church and in the warehouses in DUMBO, St. Ann's programming has continued at the intersection where theater meets Rock and Roll. Whereas Music led the programming in the Church, Theater has taken the lead in the warehouses. However, while the balance may have shifted and the canvas expanded, the rock and roll heart of the programming remains at the center of St. Ann's sensibility and its artists.

References

NY Times

The Village Voice

Alliance for the Arts

New York Magazine

St. Ann's Warehouse

External links

* {{Coord, 40.70400, -73.9865, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Theatre companies in New York City Music venues in Brooklyn Theatres in Brooklyn Brooklyn Bridge Park 1980 establishments in New York City