The Astor Place Theatre is an

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

house at 434

Lafayette Street Lafayette Street ( ) is a major north–south street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It originates at the intersection of Reade Street and Centre Street, one block north of Chambers Street. The one-way street then successively runs throu ...

in the

NoHo NoHo, short for "North of Houston Street, Houston Street" (as contrasted with SoHo), is a primarily residential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded by Mercer Street (Manhattan), Mercer Street to the west, the Bowery ...

section of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York City. The theater is located in the historic

Colonnade Row Colonnade Row, also known as LaGrange Terrace, is a group of 1830s row houses on present-day Lafayette Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. They are believed to have been built by Seth Geer, although the project has been ...

, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildings, of which only four remain. Bruce Mailman bought the building in 1965. On January 17, 1968, the theater opened with

Israel Horovitz Israel Horovitz (March 31, 1939 – November 9, 2020) was an American playwright, director, actor and co-founder of the Gloucester Stage Company in 1979. He served as artistic director until 2006 and later served on the board, ex officio and ...

's ''

The Indian Wants the Bronx ''The Indian Wants the Bronx'' is a one-act play by Israel Horovitz. Gupta, the Indian of the title, has just arrived in New York City from his native country to visit his son and speaks only a few words of English. While waiting for a bus to T ...

'' starring newcomer

Al Pacino Alfredo James Pacino ( ; ; born April 25, 1940) is an American actor. Known for his intense performances on stage and screen, Pacino is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. His career spans more than five decades, duri ...

. Since then, it has gained a reputation for introducing works by aspiring and often

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

playwrights A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Ben Jonson coined the term "playwrigh ...

, including

Tom Eyen Tom Eyen (August 14, 1940 – May 26, 1991) was an American playwright, lyricist, television writer and director. He received a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for ''Dreamgirls'' in 1981. Eyen is best known for works at opposite end ...

(''

Women Behind Bars ''Women Behind Bars'' is a camp black comedy play by Tom Eyen, parodying the prison exploitation films produced by Universal, Warner Bros. and Republic Pictures during the 1950s. Plot Set in the Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Villag ...

'', ''

The Dirtiest Show in Town ''The Dirtiest Show in Town'' is a musical revue with a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Jeff Barry. Overview An attack on air pollution, the Vietnam War, urban blight and computerized conformity, the show is filled with sex, nudity, and ...

'') and

John Ford Noonan John Ford Noonan Jr. (October 7, 1941 – December 16, 2018) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He is best known for his Off-Broadway hit two-hander comedy ''A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking''. Noonan's first major ...

('' A Couple White Chicks Sitting Around Talking''). Established writers like

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

('' Bad Habits''),

A.R. Gurney Albert Ramsdell Gurney Jr. (November 1, 1930 – June 13, 2017) (sometimes credited as Pete Gurney) was an American playwright, novelist and academic. Gurney is known for plays including ''The Dining Room'' (1982), '' Sweet Sue'' (1986/7), '' T ...

(''

The Dining Room ''The Dining Room'' is a play by the American playwright A. R. Gurney. It was first produced Off-Broadway at the Studio Theatre of Playwrights Horizons, in 1981. Synopsis The play is a comedy of manners, set in a single dining room where 18 s ...

'', '' The Perfect Party'') and

Larry Shue Larry Howard Shue (July 23, 1946 – September 23, 1985) was an American playwright and actor, best known for writing two oft-performed farces, '' The Nerd'' and '' The Foreigner''. An Alley Theatre essayist wrote in a 2024 retrospective, "Playw ...

('' The Foreigner'') also have premiered plays here. The musical revue, ''

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris ''Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'' is a musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel. Brel's songs were translated into English by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, who also provided the story. The original 1968 Off-Broadway product ...

'' enjoyed a successful run in 1974. Starting in 1991, the theater has served as home to the

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in New York City in 1987. It is known for its stage productions that incorporate many kinds of music and art, both popular and obscure. Its performers, known as Blue Men, have their ...

, which purchased the theatre in 2001 and performed there until February 2, 2025. No Guarantees Productions—a company led by Christine Schwarzman, who is married to the businessman

Stephen A. Schwarzman Stephen Allen Schwarzman (born February 14, 1947) is an American businessman. He is the chairman and CEO of the Blackstone Group, a global private equity firm he established in 1985 with Peter G. Peterson. Schwarzman was chairman of President Do ...

—leased the theater in May 2025 with plans to host dramas there.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Off-Broadway theaters

Astor Place Theatre The Astor Place Theatre is an off-Broadway house at 434 Lafayette Street in the NoHo section of Manhattan, New York City. The theater is located in the historic Colonnade Row, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildin ...

1968 establishments in New York City

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

NoHo, Manhattan