Welcome to the ‘Hood, Ars Nova!
The Village has always been, and remains, a hotbed of artistic creativity. Theater artists and companies continue to thrive here, as more and more emerge or find new homes in the neighborhood. This week, we welcome the upstart Ars Nova to the scene!
Last year, Greenwich House, the Barrow Street institution, put out a formal request for proposals for theatrical companies to occupy its historic 199-seat theater. Ars Nova, the daring Off-Broadway company that has nurtured the career of Lin-Manuel Miranda and shows including “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812,” was the chosen company. They will begin using the performance space beginning in the New Year.
Founded in 2002, Ars Nova’s current home is in Hell’s Kitchen. Dubbed by The New York Times as a “fertile incubator of offbeat theater,” Ars Nova aims to blur genres and subvert the status quo. They claim to be “the stomping ground and launching pad for visionary, adventurous artists of all stripes.” The creative environment in the company welcomes emerging artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines while serving as a creative home and laboratory — a place to meet collaborators, test ideas, develop new work, earn industry recognition and launch unique voices and careers.
Ars Nova was honored with a 2015 OBIE Award and a 2015 Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle for our sustained quality and commitment to the development and production of new work.
Notable past productions include: Rags Parkland Sings The Songs of The Future created by Andrew R. Butler, directed by Jordan Fein; The Lucky Ones, created by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher, directed by Anne Kauffman; “Outstanding Musical” Lortel Award-winner KPOP, created by Jason Kim, Max Vernon, Helen Park and Woodshed Collective, directed by Teddy Bergman; “Best New American Theatre Work” OBIE Award-winner, Underground Railroad Game by Jennifer Kidwell and Scott R. Sheppard with Lightning Rod Special, directed by Taibi Magar “Outstanding Musical” Lortel Award-winner FUTURITY, by César Alvarez with The Lisps, directed by Sarah Benson; Small Mouth Sounds by Bess Wohl, directed by Rachel Chavkin; JACUZZI by The Debate Society, directed by Oliver Butler; Jollyship the Whiz-Bang by Nick Jones and Raja Azar, directed by Sam Gold; the world premiere of boom by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, directed by Alex Timbers; At Least It’s Pink by Bridget Everett, Michael Patrick King, and Kenny Mellman, directed by King; Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail’s first New York production, Freestyle Love Supreme by Anthony Veneziale and Miranda, directed by Thomas Kail; and finally, the Tony Award-winning smash-hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 by Dave Malloy, directed by Rachel Chavkin.
We are excited to see what groundbreaking work the company will bring to the Village in the years ahead!