Theater For the New City

If you were looking for a venue that is more of the true spirit of NYC, this is the one for you. I saw a show here that was also more of the «underground NYC» variety that is so lacking unless you are very good at knowing where to look or have resources to take you there. Definitely check them out as small, local theaters need money & shouldn’t be dying out.

Home of the quintessential «off off» East Village theater-​going experience.
I’ve been here a number of times to see shows in their various spaces, and it’s always been an amusing experience. Take the time to explore, as there’s quirky art all over (some permanent, some rotating.)
The theaters themselves aren’t particularly plush, but it would likely kill the vibe if they ever tried to make them so. This is also home to some of the cheapest in-​theater drinks I’ve ever encountered. Too bad I’ve yet to see a show with an intermission there — so you have to arrive early to take advantage!

I wish I could like this place because I like the concept and the history but I have to say I have yet to see a play here that wasn’t badly writtten, directed and acted. Can’t they do better here?

If Unilocalers can’t appreciate Theater for the New City, then something’s wrong with Unilocalers, not TNC. Bad reviews here are not untrue but they are, perhaps, beside the point. This is a New York institution and people living here, especially those living close by, should visit. If you know someone in a production here — as I have several times over the years, most recently in Nicholas Nickelby — you should take the occasion to support them and check the place out. You may find the venue as inspiring as the play itself.

This is an off-​off Broadway theater that puts on low-​budget shows. I went to see a $ 9 play called Blind Angels. The theater is itself is reminiscent of a high school/​college theater wing… very unimpressive entry with a smallish sitting area with some beat up furniture and artwork of locals hanging on the walls. The inside of the actual theater/​stage that we were in was a small auditorium with elevated rows like a movie theater… there were about 12 – 15 rows of seating with 10 seats per row. The seats are not assigned, so we grabbed the third row, middle seats. Felt like we were right in the action of the play. Very intimate, but great for seeing the one room stage from every seat. I actually prefer this type of venue. The play itself was excellent. I would return to the venue at some point to see another show there. Also nice location in the East Village, close to a subway stop.

I appreciate the mission of this theater, but I felt let down by the actual space. I went to see a friend in a piece for the Dream Up Festival and was very disappointed by the promotion of the festival. Maybe I didn’t look hard enough, but I didn’t see anything in the lobby telling me what the rest of the festival pieces were, there was no schedule posted on the wall, etc. Considering the low cost of tickets ($ 15 for the show I saw), I would have been willing to see something else, but I don’t feel like I should have to bring up the website and sift through the listings when I’m already in the theater where the pieces are playing! Snare your customers while they are in your space!
After reading through the reviews, it seems like the theater has moved homes several times. As someone who has moved a lot, I know you can sometimes get lazy about what things look like. However, when you are a place of business and you want your patrons to feel at home, having some signage on the walls indicating which theater is which, what is playing in said theaters, where the bar is, etc. would be extremely useful and nice.
Finally, I know the theater is operating on a shoe-​string budget, but holy cow was that lobby muggy. If you can’t afford air-​conditioning, I’m sure you can at least afford a few fans to move around the air! Thank goodness the show was in the basement black box (but ladies, beware, VERY STEEP stairs to get to said black box) — the basement coolness was far better than the swamp of a lobby.
I’ll be back if theater friends are in shows there, but otherwise… not so much.

Came here to see «King Executioner,» a puppet rendering of a Polish magical-​realist novel performed by Czechoslovak-​American Marionette Theater. The theater itself had that charming DIY, work-​in-​progress feeling. It was slightly less charming when the SO almost fell because of an unstable hand railing, and a minute later we spilled coffee (purchased in the lobby) all over my backpack because there was nowhere to put it. I would recommend not selling refreshments unless you can provide some minimal infrastructure for enjoying it inside the theater.
Anyway, enough griping about indie theater – this is a labor of love. The show was imperfect (a compressed magical realist novel is not the best source material for a 70-​minute puppet show IMO), but had some lovely directorial touches. Performers were enthusiastic. The best part was the 3-​piece klezmer band, who were integrated into the show. I would definitely come back to check out other marionette performances, but I strongly recommend that they raise the stage for it – it was impossible to see them at regular level from the back rows.

I hate to have to write a negative review for the Theater For the New City, but one too many a crappy play has driven me over the edge. A few plays back I’d decided that I would only go to see a play here if there was video footage available of the actual work with current actors. That’s not always possible and I’ve suffered as a result. Out of the 10 to 12 works I’ve seen here, 3 to 4 were great, another 2 or 3 were mediocre, and the rest were a complete waste of time and money.
It’s true, I’m sorry. Please follow my advice and only go here if you’ve been referred by someone who has discerning taste or if you have seen footage from the work. Sadly, it’s the only way to know whether or not it will be good. There are certain venues in New York where, no matter what, the show’s gonna be worth it. Unfortunately, this is not one of them. Do your homework first — then go see a play at Theater For the New City.

Good set up. Excellent staff. Saw a play called «Just Sex» here and everyone did a bang up job.

Theatre for the New City has had several homes; the first was the ballroom of the Jane-​West hotel (now the Hotel Riverview.) Crystal Field, the director, has done amazing things, and is truly a pillar of the community; the Theatre hosts the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, the Village Halloween Costume Ball, and does lots of street theater productions when the weather is good.
The theater was forced to leave its home at 166 Second avenue – once a Baptist tabernacle, as the stonework outside still proclaims, now an Urban Outfitters store – and found the former First Avenue Retail Market, which as a non-​profit they were able to rent for a dollar a month. When a developer decided to build a condo atop the Market, there was much protest, but fortunately there hasn’t been much clash between the theater’s patrons and the upscale occupants of the condo tower. There have been plans to make the building a «green» building, and I’m not sure of the progress on that at this point.
This is a true community theater with a lot of local talent. Because I live so close, I’ve been painfully aware when I’ve missed something I meant to catch (like «Nonviolent Executions» by Steve Ben-​Israel («my Christian name».) I’ve seen productions several of my friends have produced, directed, or acted in, and I love this place. Damn, I love my neighborhood.

So, please take my review with a grain of salt… I only saw one show here last night, and maybe I’ll be back. The show, «My Boyfriend Is A Zombie» was great… good music, dancing and a cute story.
My review, though is a heads-​up for first timers (as we were) at this theatre. Please note that they have several theaters and shows going on at the same time. They do not put up signs or anything indicating which show is where. They also oversell some shows, so when you get there and get your tickets, don’t wait for them to announce the opening of the house… go find your theatre right away or you will not get a seat or may be turned away, even if you have purchased tickets in advance. In our case, they just put a few more chairs in for us, but not after we kind of got mad.

Lower East Side Festival For the Arts was hosted at this multi-​functional venue, who as a prolific poet myself, I recited two poems on a warm Memorial Day 2010 Saturday afternoon. After being badly damaged this ill-​fated May 2010 month, I needed to release my sorrows from all the crying for pain, not crying for vain in extreme words:
Damaged goods
When the gargantuan storm is over
Access the damage
We are all damage in some form
We are acceptors
Damaged goods
Bruises are sustain
Yet repairable
Rebuild able
Not a total loss
The spirit is now healed
To make the deal
The heart is ready, able, and willing
To bend for your will
Damaged goods
The storm has not obstruct success of the future
My spirit is alive
To dive
Awaiting
Hoping
Gushing for sincere love
Damaged goods
Lock the door to the past and disembark
Where a new chapter is to embark
So throw away the keys along with memories of the past
Where a new deal is to be passed
This theatre host events for all ages and is kid friendly as well. Theatre For the New City, a multi-​venue to host open-​mic poetry readings, live bands for emerging and established artists including film shown serves the Lower East Side community and beyond. N.B. Theatre patrons and visitors beware: dilapidated chairs are held up by massive layers of duct tape.
Despite of the numerous events and activities held at this venue in one day, the reception lobby area is not very organized as it displays the previous day’s schedule of events as the staff did not remove/​replace to display the current day’s schedule of events/​activities.