Everything about Off-off-broadway totally explained
Off-Off-Broadway refers to theatrical productions including
plays,
musicals or
performance art pieces performed in
New York City in smaller theatres than
Broadway productions and
Off-Broadway productions.
Off-Off-Broadway theaters are defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats. The shows range from professional and successful productions by established artists like
Richard Foreman's
Ontological-Hysteric Theater in the
East Village, or
The Flea Theater in
TriBeCa, to extremely small amateur performances, and take place all over New York City.
History
Off-Off-Broadway began in 1958 as a reaction to Off-Broadway, and a "complete rejection of commercial theatre". Among the first venues for what would soon be called "Off-Off-Broadway" (a term supposedly coined by
critic Jerry Tallmer of the
Village Voice) were coffeehouses in
Greenwich Village, particularly the
Caffe Cino, operated by the eccentric
Joe Cino, who early on took a liking to actors and playwrights and agreed to let them stage plays there without bothering to read the plays first, or to even find out much about the content. Also integral to the rise of Off-Off-Broadway were
Ellen Stewart at
La MaMa, and
Al Carmines at the Judson Poets' Theater, located at
Judson Memorial Church.
The term "
Indie Theater" was coined by Kirk Wood Bromley in his acceptance speech at the 2005
New York Innovative Theatre Awards. There is currently a movement to rebrand Off-Off-Broadway as "Indie Theatre". The New York Innovative Theatre Awards (the IT Awards) are given annually to honor artistic excellence in the Off-Off-Broadway theatre. For many years, Off-Off-Broadway theatres were part of
OOBA, the
Off-Off-Broadway Alliance, which then became
ARTNY, the
Alliance of Resident Theatres in New York.
An Off-Off-Broadway production that features members of
Actors Equity is called an Equity Showcase production. The Union maintains very strict rules about working in such productions, including restrictions on price, the length of the run and rehearsal times. Professional actors' participation in showcase productions isn't infrequent, and in fact comprises the bulk of stage work for the majority of New York actors.
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Notable theatre companies and venues
This is a list of notable Off-Off-Broadway theatre companies and venues.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Off-off-broadway'.
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