NYTW BLOG

On March 11, 2020, Sanctuary City unknowingly played its final performance to audiences. The next day Broadway theatres (and NYTW) announced a shutdown in response to the rising transmission rates of the coronavirus in NYC. Sanctuary City was in previews for only a week before the closure, which was originally planned for 30 days, but extended nearly 18 months. Over that period, the set and lights remained intact at the Lucille Lortel Theater and the company stayed in contact, eager to return to the play.  On September 8, 2020, the cast and crew performed the play for the first time to a live audience since the closure.

September 20, 2021 by Aaron Malkin, NYTW Literary Director and Dramaturg

In March 2020, NYTW and Poetic Theater Productions quickly transitioned the Open Mic Night series into the virtual space. From the very first virtual Open Mic Night, artists from across the globe were chiming in every month to share poetry, music, dance, theatre, and movement in response to themes that spoke to the political and cultural moment. With the reopening of public spaces after more than a year, NYTW and Poetic Theater Productions wanted to find a way to finally provide space for some of these artists to come together, meet, and perform live in-person. Why not perform outside on the streets of New York?

September 1, 2021 by Gaven Trinidad, Jeremy Karafin, and Frank Murdocco

As we make a return to live performance and NYTW staff heads back to our offices, we are proud to announce the Fellows that will be joining us this September as part of the 2050 Administrative Fellowship for the 2021/22 Season.  

“This vital program has been a tremendous source of talent and energy in our community over the last several years. While ultimately the right call, it was a painful decision to forgo having a new cohort of Fellows last year, and their absence was deeply felt. We could not be more excited to be welcoming these eight talented young people to the Workshop in September!” said Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker. 

August 24, 2021 by NYTW

For 30 years, our Summer Residency at Dartmouth College has been the beating heart of our Workshop activity. Our Workshop is not about readying work for production, but about giving artists the space to experiment and ask the challenging questions about their work. For three weeks each August, our Artistic Staff and a group of artists gather in the Upper Valley, working on particular projects, building community, and finding respite from the demands and frenetic energy of routine in NYC (and beyond).

August 11, 2021 by Aaron Malkin, NYTW Literary Director and Dramaturg

Star of SEMBLANCE Nikiya Mathis pens a Career Dispatch where she digs into her experience during the pandemic and why rest is not a luxury, but a critical part of the revolution.

August 6, 2021 by By Nikiya Mathis for BACKSTAGE

In less than one week, we will welcome audiences back to East 4th Street for the first time in over 500 days, and as writer/director Whitney White says, “It’s not gonna look like anything you’ve seen before!” Whitney and star of SEMBLANCE Nikiya Mathis sit down with Rebecca Ibarra to chat about the filmed theatrical presentation that begins our 2021/22 season.

July 28, 2021 by Rebecca Ibara for WNYC

NYTW Literary Director and Dramaturg Aaron Malkin sits down with WNYC’s Rebecca Ibarra  to chat about the 2021/22 & 2022/23 seasons!

July 21, 2021 by Rebecca Ibara for WNYC

Many of you took the time to tell us “What the Workshop Means to Me” at the end of 2020 and it lifted our spirits and reminded us of the incredible community that surrounds us. As we close out this unprecedented season, we asked the staff to join us in letting you know What YOU Mean to the Workshop! 

June 15, 2021 by NYTW

Pull up a chair and chat with Lileana Blain-Cruz: NYTW Board Member, Usual Suspect, and director of the world-premiere production of Dreaming Zenzile, which arrives at NYTW in 2022.

June 12, 2021 by NYTW

We’re proud to announce the complete 2021/22 Season as well as initial work for the 2022/23 Season!

“As we considered our return to live performance, we realized that in addition to the interrupted commitments we’d made, the artists in our community had not stopped creating—there was even more work that demanded our attention,” said Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker.

June 7, 2021 by NYTW