Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established writers. The company has two

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 th ...

theaters, their main stage, the Tony Kiser Theater at 305 West 43rd Street on the corner of Eighth Avenue near the Theater District, and the McGinn/Cazale Theater at 2162

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

at 76th Street on the

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

. In April 2015, the company bought the Helen Hayes Theater, a

Broadway theater Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

History

Second Stage Theater was founded in 1979 to produce "second stagings" of contemporary American plays, later expanding to new works as well. In 1982 they secured a permanent venue with the McGinn–Cazale Theater. In 1999, the company opened a new 296-seat theater at 43rd Street, designed by Dutch architect

Rem Koolhaas Remment Lucas Koolhaas (; born 17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. He is often cited as a r ...

. The Second Stage Theater Uptown series was inaugurated in 2002 to showcase the work of emerging artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theater at 76th Street.

Helen Hayes Theater

It was announced on April 18, 2015, that the sale of Helen Hayes Theater, a 597-seat Broadway theater located at 240 West 44th Street, to Second Stage had been completed. The sale price was $24.7 million. The first Second Stage production at The Hayes Theater was

Lobby Hero ''Lobby Hero'' is a play by Kenneth Lonergan. It premiered Off-Broadway in 2001. Production history ''Lobby Hero'' premiered Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, on March 13, 2001, and closed on April 15, 2001, reopening at the John Houseman ...

, by

Kenneth Lonergan Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He is the co-writer of the film '' Gangs of New York'' (2002), and wrote and directed '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), ''Margaret'' (2011), and ...

, starring

Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera (; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor and musician. He started his career as a child actor, voicing the character of Brother Bear on the children's television show ''The Berenstain Bears'' and portraying a young Chuck B ...

and Chris Evans during early 2018, after renovations and upgrades. Second Stage is one of only four nonprofit theater companies that own and operate theaters on Broadway. The company continues to lease and operate its original theaters on the Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan.

Awards and honors

The company's more than 125 citations include six 2016

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for ''

Dear Evan Hansen ''Dear Evan Hansen'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a book by Steven Levenson. The musical follows Evan Hansen, a high school senior with social anxiety, "who invents an important role for himself in a ...

'' including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Steven Levenson), Best Original Score ( Pasek & Paul), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical ( Ben Platt), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (

Rachel Bay Jones Rachel Bay Jones (born November 8, 1969) is an American actress and singer. She has played the roles of Catherine in the 2013 Broadway revival of '' Pippin'' and Evan Hansen's mother, Heidi Hansen, in ''Dear Evan Hansen''. The latter earned he ...

), and Best Orchestrations ( Alex Lacamoire), three 2009

for ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managin ...

'' including Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical ( Alice Ripley), Best Original Score Written for the Theatre ( Tom Kitt and

Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Early life Yorkey ...

), and Best Orchestrations (Tom Kitt and

Michael Starobin Michael Starobin (born January 25, 1956) is an orchestrator, conductor, composer, arranger, and musical director, primarily for the stage, film and television. He won Tony Awards for the orchestrations of ''Assassins'' (2004) and ''Next to Norma ...

), the 2007

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Actress in a Play ( Julie White) for ''

The Little Dog Laughed ''The Little Dog Laughed'' is a 2006 comedy play by Douglas Carter Beane. The four characters are an actor, Mitchell, his acerbic agent Diane, a hustler named Alex, and Alex's girlfriend Ellen. When Mitchell and Alex become involved in a physic ...

'', 2002

for Best Director of a Play (

Mary Zimmerman Mary Zimmerman (born August 23, 1960) is an American theatre and opera director and playwright from Nebraska. She is an ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company, the Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illi ...

for ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' ( la, Metamorphōsēs, from grc, μεταμορφώσεις: "Transformations") is a Latin narrative poem from 8 CE by the Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his '' magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the ...

''), the 2002

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

for Outstanding Body of Work, 28 Obie Awards including a 2017 Special Citation by the Obies for

Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series '' Nu ...

's ''Notes from the Field'',Obie Awards
2017 Winenrs
seven

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

s, two

Clarence Derwent Award The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom. Clarence Derwent (23 March 1884 – 6 A ...

s, 12

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

s, nine

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre s ...

s, 17 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 23

AUDELCO AUDELCO, the Audience Development Committee, Inc., was established in 1973 by Vivian Robinson to honor excellence in African American theatre in New York City. AUDELCO presents the Vivian Robinson/AUDELCO Recognition Awards (also known as Viv awar ...

Awards. In 2010 ''

'' received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.History and Mission
, Second Stage Theater, retrieved January 8, 2018 In the following table, the seasons correspond to the year of the play's production; the ceremonies are traditionally held in the same or the following year as the production. Entries with a blue background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees. Winners
Nominees

References

Notes

External links

*
Lortel Archives
* * {{Off-Broadway theatres, state=collapsed Off-Broadway Theatre companies in New York City Broadway theatre