Our mission is inextricably linked to our history as an American original of the theater world: to cultivate an urban artist colony, perpetuate our groundbreaking heritage and engage audiences as partners in creating theater that illuminates contemporary issues and, at its best, transforms the spirit.

Description:
A landmark in Greenwich Village’s cultural landscape, Cherry Lane Theatre serves as a vital lab for the development of new American works and the cultivation of a diverse, multigenerational audience. Our focus is the playwright as central to the dramatic event and the text as intrinsic to theatrical innovation and excellence. Indeed, as New York’s oldest, continuously running Off-Broadway theater, the Cherry Lane has helped to define American drama, fostering quality theater that is daring and relevant, for 80 years.

In 1924, a group of artists, colleagues of Edna St. Vincent Millay, converted a box factory into a theater they called Cherry Lane Playhouse. It fueled some of the most groundbreaking experiments in the chronicles of the American stage. The Living Theatre, Theatre of the Absurd, and the Downtown Theater movement all took root at the Playhouse, and it proved fertile ground for scores of 20th century dramaturgy’s seminal voices. Out of a small edifice poured a large succession of plays by a decades-spanning parade of then-nascent writers whose works have lent brilliance and distinction to the American and international literary and dramatic treasuries.

History:
In 1996, Angelina Fiordellisi, felt the palpable resonance of this heritage and made a commitment to revive that spirit and provide opportunities for the bold new voices of today. She revitalized Cherry Lane Theatre and within one year founded a resident non-profit company. Her vision is based on sustaining a community of playwrights and supporting theater artists, both seasoned and emerging in craft, to work together in revealing the social consciousness of an ever-changing world. In this way, CLT company serves the cultural needs of our larger community of New York City, while developing a dedicated, returning audience. It is Cherry Lane 's guiding tenet that "live" theater be accessible, articulate and provide a social mirror through which we gain greater understanding of ourselves, our families, our government and our global community. We challenge ourselves to explore the horizons of theatrical content and form, to expand our creative boundaries, and to discover the future of American drama.

Contact person: Joanna Gottlieb, Development Director, (212) 989-2020 ext. 26, (email)

Address:

38 Commerce Street New York, NY 10014 (See a map)

Directions:

BY TRAIN: The 1 train is the most easily accessible to the Cherry Lane Theatre. Get out at the Christopher Street stop and walk three blocks south on Seventh Avenue to COMMERCE STREET (also called CHERRY LANE, on the West Side. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: 1/Christopher Street,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5   Nearest Bus Stop: M20/Christopher St. & 7th Ave, 5 minute walk