Access Theater

The fourth floor of this former textile warehouse in Tribeca building was converted into an intimate 64-seat theater in 1992 by artistic director Jackie Christy to provide a space in which to promote the work of emerging writers. Under the leadership of producing director Margaret Perry, the theater puts on two to three productions a year.

380 Broadway, 4th Floor
Phone: (212) 966-1047
http://www.accesstheater.com

Castillo Theatre

As it has for more than 20 years, Castillo Theatre today produces cutting-edge political performances designed to explore contemporary topics in ways that are both thought-provoking and entertaining. A program of the non-profit All Stars Project, Inc. -- a non-traditional theatrical production house which promotes human development through performance -- Castillo is funded entirely through membership, ticket sales and donations from thousands of supporters.

500 Greenwich Street
Phone: (212) 941-8340
http://www.castillo.org

Collective Unconscious

Founded in 1995, Collective Unconscious is an experimental theater located on the Lower East Side that provides theater, rehearsal, and gallery space to local visual and performance artists at low rental rates. Its members include the artistic directors of several ongoing performance groups, including the Play Practice workshop, Collective Unconscious Sub-Group Network 23, Collective Unconscious Sub-Group IFAM, and Tribeca Lab Theater.

145 Ludlow Street
Phone: (212) 254-5277
http://www.weird.org

CSV Cultural Center

A nonprofit, multi-cultural, multi-arts center dedicated to providing opportunities for emerging and established artists in all disciplines, CSV Cultural Center features a 140-seat theater on its second floor, which showcases the work of independent Latin American theater company Latea, as well as seven other theater companies. Additionally, CSV provides studio space for 70 visual artists and houses the offices of the Bliseum (The Museum for the Blind). Construction of a puppet theater and gallery is planned on the second floor, and first-floor development plans call for an additional performance space, a café, and two small film theaters. The organization was founded by novelist Ed Vega and actors Mateo Gomez and Nelson Landrieu.

107 Suffolk Street
Phone: (212) 260-4080
http://el.net/csv/index.html

Dixon Place

Calling itself an “artistic laboratory with an audience,” Dixon Place is dedicated to supporting the creative process, presenting original works at all stages of development. Programming includes literary, performance, and dance series, as well as festivals and special events.

258 Bowery Street, 2nd Floor
Phone: (212) 219-0736
http://www.dixonplace.org

DowntownNYC!

A broad-based coalition made up of theater companies, performing artists, galleries, museums, restaurants, businesses, and pre-existing organizations and associations, DowntownNYC! publishes a website designed to promote downtown arts and culture as well as establish a network for downtown arts organization.

http://www.pps.org/wtc/place?place_id=3

The Flea Theater

This small Tribeca performance space is home to resident company the Bats, led by artistic director Jim Simpson. The theater was founded in 1996 to create, as its website proclaims, “a joyful hell in a small space.” Past productions have won the Flea two Obie Awards and a Drama Desk Award for Distinguished Achievement. The theater presents three main stage productions each year, along with the work of emerging artists, several mini-festivals, and a series of dancers and choreographers at various stages of development.

41 White Street
Phone: (212) 226-0051
Box Office: (212) 226-2407
http://www.theflea.org/index.htm

Greenwich Street Theatre

A small, intimate Soho venue producing exciting, innovative new work, the Greenwich Street Theater has come to be known in recent years as one of New York's leading small theaters. Notable past productions have included Joe Penhall's "Some Voices," Naked Angels’ "Fear: An Issues Project," starring Amy Irving, and the premiere of Gregory Murphy's "The Countess," which went on to become the longest-running drama off Broadway for the 1999-2000 season

547 Greenwich Street
Phone: (212) 946-1042

Henry Street Settlement and Abrons Art Center

A celebrated Lower East Side community resource founded in 1893 by social work pioneer Lillian Wald, the Henry Street Settlement provides a range of social services and arts programming to the community. Its multidisciplinary Abrons Arts Center features four theaters, including the renovated, national historic landmark Harry De Jur Playhouse, a recital hall, an experimental theater, and an amphitheater. Henry Street’s facilities, which also include two art galleries, dance and visual arts studios, classrooms, practice rooms, rehearsal spaces, and an outdoor sculpture garden, are used by local public and private schools, youth projects, literacy programs, and amateur and professional performing arts groups.

465 Grand Street
Phone: (212) 766-9200
http://www.henrystreet.org/site/PageServer
Email: info@henrystreet.org

Manhattan Children’s Theatre

Devoted to producing affordable, high-quality productions of literary classics and new works, the Manhattan Children’s Theatre is designed to delight both children and families. In addition to producing a series of main stage productions each year, the theater also hosts a range of events and provides acting classes for children. In addition, private performances of current shows can be arranged for birthday parties or other special occasions. In September 2005, the theater moved to a new, larger street-level space just around the corner from its original location at 380 Broadway.

52 White Street
Phone: (212) 226-4085
http://www.mctny.org/index.html

Manhattan Ensemble Theatre

Calling itself a “writers’ theater,” Manhattan Ensemble Theater (MET) is dedicated to creating new American plays derived from a range of narrative sources, including fiction, journalism, film, and memoir. In its 140-seat auditorium, MET presents three to four American or New York premiers each year.

55 Mercer Street
Phone: (212) 925-1900
http://www.met.com
Email: info@met.com

The Mazer Theatre

The Mazer Theater, which first opened in 1889, counts Mark Twain, Sholom Aleicham, and Zero Mostel among the acclaimed performers it has hosted on its stage. Today a member of the Educational Alliance, located in Chinatown, the Mazer is committed to supporting local communities and fostering cultural diversity through its presentation of dance, drama, and musical performances by established and emerging artists. Tickets for performances at the 199-seat theater never exceed $12, and the theater also presents occasional free events.

197 East Broadway
Phone: (212) 780-2300

Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts

Pace University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts features a 743-seat theater, the largest theater in Lower Manhattan, and has been an important part of the community for more than 25 years. Since 2001, the center has also been home to the National Actors Theatre, founded in 1991 by the late actor Tony Randall. Recent productions at Pace have included such stars as Al Pacino, Len Cariou, Billy Crudup, Christopher Durning, Roberta Maxwell, Chazz Palminteri, and John Goodman. The center is also an active partner with the Tribeca Theater Festival, the Tribeca Film Festival, the River-to-River Festival, and the New York International Fringe Festival.

1 Pace Plaza
Phone: (212) 346-1715
http://appserv.pace.edu/execute/home_culture.cfm

National Actors Theatre

Founded in 1991 by the late actor Tony Randall, the National Actors Theatre moved to its current home at Pace University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts in 2001 as part of an effort to aid in the revitalization of Lower Manhattan. The unique National Actors Theatre–Pace University partnership -- the theater is the only professional theater to be housed in a New York City university -- is designed to benefit downtown residents, employees, and students by providing greater access to the performing arts as Lower Manhattan rebuilds. In addition to regular classical productions, the National Actors Theatre also offers acting, production, and administrative internships for students at Pace’s Dyson College of Arts and Sciences.

1 Pace Plaze
Phone: (212) 239-6200
http://www.nationalactorstheatre.com/

Ohio Theatre

Founded in 1980 by William Hahn and Charles Magistro, the 75-seat Ohio Theatre presents performances by a range of theater companies, including Adobe Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, Drama Dept., The Foundry Theatre (Melanie Joseph), New Georges, Ping Chong & Co., Target Margin, The Talking Band, Doug Varone & Dancers.

66 Wooster Street
Phone: (212) 352 3101
http://www.sohothinktank.org
Email: thinksoho@aol.com

Soho Playhouse

Housed in an old movie theater, the Soho Playhouse features a 200-seat theater showcasing a range of off-Broadway productions, as well as a gallery and a newly renovated downstairs cabaret called the Huron Club, which served as a popular nightclub for the Tammany Hall politicians, including infamous New York Mayor Jimmy "Beau James" Walker.

15 Vandam Street
Phone: (212) 691 1555

Soho Repertory Theatre

The Soho Repertory Theatre, which calls itself a “hothouse for the development of unconventional plays,” regularly features the work of new artists. Founded in 1975 by artistic directors Marlene Swartz and Jerry Engelbach, the theater presents mainstage productions and provides workshops and writer/director labs that focus on stage performance.

Phone: (212) 941-8632
http://www.sohorep.org
Email: sohorep@sohorep.org

Tenement Theater

Just up the street from the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, once home to more than 10,000 immigrants, the Tenement Theater has moved into another historical site -- an 1860s pub. Formerly Schneider's Saloon, which was originally built in 1863, the Tenement Theater captures the era so often portrayed in the dramas that grace its stage. The theater, which is a collaborative project between production group Todo Con Nada and the Tenement Museum, has featured year-round performances since opening in 1998.

http://www.tenement.org/prog_theater.html
97 Orchard Street
Phone: (212) 431-0233
Email: lestm@tenement.org

TriBeCa Playhouse

Founded by artistic director Jeff Cohen in 1995, the Worth Street Theater Company started in a tiny storefront at West Broadway and Worth Street. Though the group’s home base has moved to the larger Tribeca Playhouse on Reade Street in 1998, the name stayed to commemorate its humble beginnings. Known for its self-described “bold, innovative initiatives in developing new plays, reviving modern plays and revitalizing classics with an eye for cultural diversity,” WSTC has a mantle full of awards and nominations, including a Lucille Lortel Award and an Obie.

http://www.worthstreettheaterco.org/
111 Reade Street
Phone: (212) 571-1576
Email: jeff@worthstreettheaterco.org

TriBeCa Performing Arts Center

A producing/presenting/rental organization aimed at providing multi-disciplinary performances with a culturally diverse focus. Tribeca Performing Arts Center also commissions and supports the growth of emerging theater, music and dance artists by providing rehearsal space and technical and administrative support, as well as producing the performances of new work.

http://www.tribecapac.org/
199 Chambers Street
Phone: (212) 220-1460
Email: boxoffice@tribecapac.org

WalkerSpace Theatre

Good things can come in small theaters, and WalkerSpace proves it. Every season offers an assortment of theatrical events, including a recent revival of J.P. Miller’s Days of Wine and Roses, which was originally produced on television in 1958 and later made into a 1963 movie starring Jack Lemmon. Seating is first come, first served, so be sure to get there early.

46 Walker Street
Phone: (212) 982-1055