St. Ann's Warehouse is a performing arts institution in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It began when the St. Ann's and the Holy Trinity Church on Montague Street was converted into a venue for

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

in 1980. Initially known as ''Arts at St. Ann's'', proceeds from the stage's performances were used to aid in renovating the building. In 2000 it relocated to a former spice milling factory in

Dumbo, Brooklyn Dumbo (or DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one situated between the Manhattan Bridge, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which ...

, where it has served as a stage for musicians such as

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released ten studio albums as a solo artist. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects, often d ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

and

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

. Theatrical shows have included the

Bertholt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

musical

The Seven Deadly Sins The seven deadly sins is a classification of vices used in Christian teachings. Seven deadly sins may also refer to: Art * ''The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things'', a 1485 painting by Hieronymus Bosch * ''The Seven Deadly Sins of Modern ...

, starring

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

. The current building can accommodate audiences of up to 1500 people. St. Ann's Warehouse moved to the historic Tobacco Warehouse in

Brooklyn Bridge Park Brooklyn Bridge Park is an park on the Brooklyn side of the East River in New York City. Designed by landscape architecture firm Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the park is located on a plot of land from Atlantic Avenue in the south, un ...

in 2015.

Origin and inception

The original home of Arts at St. Ann's (now St. Ann's Warehouse) was the National Historic Landmark St. Ann's and the Holy Trinity Church on Montague Street in

Brooklyn Heights Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south ...

. For 21 years, St. Ann's presented a broad array of concert and theater performances in the church's

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

sanctuary. In addition, the organization raised approximately $4 million for the building's restoration, including its historic stained glass windows, reportedly the first made in America. Beginning in 1980, much of St. Ann's early programming was based on classical music — choral and opera programs, noonday organ recitals, performances by Tashi, The Academy of Ancient Music, and others. St. Ann's had a surprising and defining early success with its staging of the first American puppet opera, Amy Trompetter's production of Rossini's ''The Barber of Seville'', with the Brooklyn Opera Society in 1983. Trompetter's production was revived on its 20th anniversary at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2003. In 2007, it played again to sold-out houses in a new German version at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten, the capital city of

Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...

. The

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) is an American organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music in New York City and around the world. It is the largest organization of its kind in the country for chamber m ...

offered preview concerts at St. Ann's from 1981–1983, which then led to Bach Cantata Sundays. The seven-year cantata series proved instrumental in forming St. Ann's genre-defying approach to music programming and helped build the reputation of The Orchestra of St. Luke's, then a new band. In 1985,

Bread and Puppet Theater The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, based in Glover, Vermont. The theater was co-founded by Elka and Peter Schumann. Schumann is the artistic direc ...

was invited to stage Bach's ''Cantata #4'' ("Christ lag in Todesbanden") as part of the series. By 1988, the program included the American Premiere of

's ''The Falklands Suite''. The following year, St. Ann's and the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...

instigated the reunion of Cale and

by commissioning

Songs for Drella ''Songs for Drella'' is a 1990 studio album by Lou Reed and John Cale, both formerly of the American rock band the Velvet Underground; it is a song cycle about Andy Warhol, their mentor, who had died following routine surgery in 1987. Drella was a ...

, their celebrated song cycle in remembrance of Andy Warhol.

History

1990s

''The Seven Deadly Sins'' lead to the sextet, ''Hudson Shad'', and the award-winning production of Susan Feldman's ''In the Time of the Comedian Harmonists'' (1992), which went on to enjoy a long life as ''Band in Berlin'', co-directed by Pat Birch, Associate Director and Choreographer Jonathan Cerullo, including a brief stint on Broadway in 1999. On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, ''Rolling Stone'' dubbed St. Ann's "the guiding light in New York's avant-rock scene." In 1991, Willner and St. Ann's presented the first of its thematic multi-artist performances, ''Greetings'' from Tim Buckley, which inspired the late

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (raised as Scott Moorhead; November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997) was an American musician. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, he attracted a cult following in the early 1990s performing at venues in ...

. This was followed by several Halloween programs, including ''Nevermore: Readings from Edgar Allan Poe'' and the ''Harry Smith Project'' in 1999, which featured Nick Cave, Van Dyke Parks, Rufus Wainright, Thurston Moore, and others. St. Ann's enjoyed further success with thematic concerts led by music director Peter Holsapple, including ''Bryter Layter: Music of Nick Drake'' (1997), ''Listen Listen: Music of Sandy Denny'' (1998) and ''Songs of the Century'' (1999) with Beth Orton and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Other events that took place in the old building were St. Ann's commissions of Bill Frisell Plays For Buster Keaton (1992–1993), scores for six of the master's silent films; ''August Wilson & the Blues'' (1996), which brought together the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright with the musician Olu Dara, and David Greenberger's ''The Duplex Planet Radio Hour'', produced for WNYC-FM in 1994. St. Ann's finally closed the door on St. Ann's Church in 2000 with Roy Nathason's jazz suite, ''Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill'', featuring Elvis Costello and Deborah Harry, and cartoonist Art Spiegelman's ''Three Panel Opera: Drawn to Death''.

2000s

After moving to an old spice milling factory at 38 Water Street in Dumbo shortly after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in 2001, Arts at St. Ann's became St. Ann's Warehouse. Highlighted by performances that mix theater and rock and roll, the programming featured multiple collaborations with

The Wooster Group The Wooster Group is an experimental theater company based in New York City known for creating numerous original dramatic works. It gradually emerged from Richard Schechner's The Performance Group (1967–1980) during the period from 1975 to 198 ...

: ''To You, The Birdie'' (2002), ''Brace Up!'' (2003), ''House/Lights'' (2005), ''The Emperor Jones'' (2006) and ''Hamlet'' (2007), Ridge Theater's ''Jennie Richee'' (2003), ''Decasia'' (2004);

's final New York appearances (2002), David Bowie (2002),

(2004), as well as intimate concerts with

Laurie Anderson Laura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson (born June 5, 1947) is an American avant-garde artist, musician and filmmaker whose work encompasses performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and sculpting,Amirkhanian, Cha ...

and Lou Reed (2002), Oscar Wilde's ''Salome: The Reading'' (2002) with Al Pacino, directed by Estelle Parsons, and the 20th anniversary production of Amy Trompetter's puppet opera, ''The Barber of Seville'' (May 2003), conducted by Kristjan Järvi with the Absolute Ensemble. In 2004, St. Ann's and Artistic Director, Susan Feldman, were honored by the Village Voice Obie Committee with the Ross Wetzsteon Memorial Award for the development of new work, recognizing St. Ann's Warehouse as "a sleek venue where its super-informed audience charges the atmosphere with hip vitality." Productions included Mabou Mines' ''DollHouse'', directed by Lee Breuer;

Dan Hurlin Dan Hurlin (born 1955) is an American puppeteer and performance artist. Life and work Performance works include: ''No(thing so powerful as) Truth'' (1995); ''Constance and Ferdinand'' (1991) with Victoria Marks; ''Quintland (The Musical)'' (1992 ...

's lyrical puppet masterwork, ''Hiroshima Maiden'',

Cynthia Hopkins Cynthia Hopkins is an American performance artist, composer, and musician. Review of Hopkins' performance of ''Accidental Nostalgia'' at the Edinburgh Festival. Performance work She has written, composed, and performed five works of performance ...

' alt-country opera ''Accidental Nostalgia'', and ''Turning'' with live video by Charles Atlas and music by Antony of

Antony and the Johnsons Anohni and the Johnsons (previously known as Antony and the Johnsons) is a music ensemble originally based in New York City that presents the work of English singer-songwriter Anohni and her collaborators. The band released its self-titled de ...

. In 2005 St. Ann's welcomed London's

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

with its productions of Sarah Kane's ''4.48 Psychosis'', directed by the James MacDonald, and Poland's TR Warszawa production of ''Risk Everything'' directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna. That year, St. Ann's produced a series of live, onstage "sound plays" with Sirius Satellite Radio, South Bank Centre, and UCLA Live!, called ''Theater of the New Ear'', a collaboration between composer Carter Burwell and filmmakers Charlie Kaufman and the Coen Brothers' ''Sawbones, Hope Leaves the Theater''. "Sawbones" featured

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi (,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself. It is not uncommon for people to pronounce his name or instead. ; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his work as an acclaimed character actor. Mul ...

John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He rose to prominence in television before becoming an acclaimed and popular film actor. Goodman has received List of awards and nominations received by John Goodman, various acc ...

Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards. Harden's breakthrough came in 1990 with the Coen brothers' film '' Miller's ...

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character actor, character roles—eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productio ...

, John Slattery, Brooke Smith, and "Hope" featured Hope Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Meryl Streep. A second Charlie Kaufman play, "Anomalisa", which played at UCLA Live! only starred Jennifer Jason Leigh], Tom Noonan, and David Thewlis. St. Ann's celebrated its 25th anniversary with a new presentation of Roy Nathanson's ''Fire at Keaton's Bar & Grill'', featuring Deborah Harry, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Antony, Chocolate Genius, Nellie McKay, Theo Bleckmann, Dan Zanes, and others. In 2006/2007, St. Ann's produced two World Premieres: Lou Reed's ''Berlin'', directed by

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings"—with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been a ...

, which traveled to the Sydney Festival, Australia and subsequently toured 14 European cities in summer 2007; and Part 2 of

' Accidental Trilogy, ''Must Don't Whip 'Um''. St. Ann's received four Drama Desk Award nominations for its productions of Les Freres Corbusier's ''Hell House'' and Daniel Kramer's ''Woyzeck'' in 2006. The season ended with Hal Willner's ''Rogues Gallery Live'', a gala benefit concert, featuring Bryan Ferry, Gavin Friday, Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Janine Nichols, Jennie Muldaur, Kembra, Baby Gramps, Antony, and others. In 2009, a plan was announced to convert and move to a Tobacco Warehouse at 45 Water Street, but those plans were delayed by legal disputes. Beginning with the Fall 2012 season, St. Ann's moved to a 19,000 square foot industrial space at 29 Jay Street. In Fall 2013, they were able to break ground on the Tobacco Warehouse site, which opened in Fall 2015. Recent years have seen St. Ann's Warehouse activate two found warehouse spaces as popular, versatile theaters in DUMBO, where the organization has established itself as an international center for such innovative companies as the

National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...

, Kneehigh and Druid Theaters, Poland's TR Warszawa, as well as American masters,

and

Mabou Mines Mabou Mines is an experimental theatre company founded in 1970 and based in New York City. Founding and history Mabou Mines was founded by David Warrilow, Lee Breuer, Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne Akalaitis, and Philip Glass, at the house of Akalaiti ...

. It has become an artistic home to such theater makers as

Enda Walsh Enda Walsh (born 1967) is an Irish playwright. Biography Enda Walsh was born in Kilbarrack, North Dublin on 7 February 1967. His father ran a furniture shop and his mother had been an actress. He is the second youngest of six children. Walsh ...

("The Walworth Farce", "Penelope", "Misterman" with Cillian Murphy);

John Tiffany John Richard Tiffany (born ) is an English theatre director. He directed the internationally successful productions '' Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'', '' Black Watch'' and '' Once''. He has won 2 Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, a Drama De ...

and

Steven Hoggett Steven Hoggett (born 30 November 1971) is a British choreographer and movement director. He has won an Olivier Award as well as an Obie Award, has been nominated four times for a Drama Desk Award and three times for a Tony Award. Early life ...

(the acclaimed "

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

" and " Let the Right One In"), director Emma Rice ("Brief Encounter", "Tristan & Yseult") and Grzegorz Jarzyna, whose outdoor "Macbeth" was staged in a former Tobacco Warehouse on the waterfront. In 2014, St. Ann's began the development of that same Tobacco Warehouse as a permanent home for the next fifty years. The new St. Ann's Warehouse opened its doors in Fall 2015. The Marvel Architects-designed structure won a 2016 American Institute of Architects New York Chapter Design Award.

Taylor Mac Taylor Mac Bowyer (born August 24, 1973) is an American actor, playwright, performance artist, director, producer, and singer-songwriter active mainly in New York City. In 2017, Mac was the recipient of a "Genius Grant" from the John D. and Cath ...

presented ''

A 24-Decade History of Popular Music ''A 24-Decade History of Popular Music'' is a musical and performance art work by American actor, playwright, and cabaret performer Taylor Mac. ''A 24-Decade History of Popular Music'' has received acclaim and numerous awards, including the Edwa ...

'' in which judy presents a 24-hour performance that covers popular music in the United States from 1776–2016. This presentation received a Special Citation from the

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

s presented by the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

.St. Ann's Warehouse
"Taylor Mac 24 Decade History of Popular Music"
This production was also a finalist for the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

Notable productions

The Intersection of Theater and Rock and Roll

Throughout its existence, St. Ann's has presented a wide variety of concerts, including rock, jazz, world and roots music especially, and using its rising reputation to introduce new and overlooked artists to growing audiences. Among the most memorable performances include: ''Les Mysteres Des Voix Bulgares'' (1988), Aaron Neville's first solo shows (1988–1989), Marta Sebestyen with ''Muzikas'' (1989), Richard Thompson, Dr. John, Garth Hudson, Vic Chesnutt, Peter Blegvad, Victoria Williams, Jimmy Scott, Robin Holcomb, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Del McCoury, and the World Saxophone Quartet with ''Fontella Bass''. Aaron Neville,

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

and Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris,

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...

, and

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 30 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he had his ...

performed benefit concerts. Rare performances by Terry Allen, Michael Ventura and Butch Hancock, John Cale and Bob Neuwirth, Jeff Buckley and Mary Margaret O'Hara also took place, as well as St. Ann's production of David Byrne's orchestral music for "The Forest" at Town Hall in 1992. St. Ann's has also featured blues artists. In 1989, The Mississippi Delta Blues Festival featured some rare New York performances. The Piano Blues Who's Who (1990) explored the rhythmic distinctions between New Orleans and Chicago blues traditions. A celebration of the Music of the Mississippi Hill Country, featuring Lucinda Williams and

Othar Turner Othar "Otha" Turner (June 2, 1907 – February 27, 2003) was one of the last well-known fife players in the vanishing American fife and drum blues tradition. His music was also part of the African-American genre known as Hill country blues. Ea ...

, among others, was the debut performance at St. Ann's Warehouse in 2001. St. Ann's has also long been a patron of puppetry. For years, Bread and Puppet Theater appeared annually.

' director

Lee Breuer Esser Leopold "Lee" Breuer (February 6, 1937 – January 3, 2021) was an Obie Award-winning and Pulitzer-, Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony-nominated American playwright, theater director, academic, educator, filmmaker, poet, and lyricist. Breuer taugh ...

staged the first Peter and Wendy at St. Ann's in 1992. Janie Geiser and Dan Hurlin were the prime movers behind The Lab, St. Ann's experimental haven for artists working in puppet theater. The Lab will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017. Now under the direction of Matt Acheson, The Lab concludes each spring with Labapalooza!, a mini-festival of new works developed by Lab participants. Between its years at the Church and in the warehouses in DUMBO, St. Ann's programming has continued at the intersection where theater meets Rock and Roll. Whereas Music led the programming in the Church, Theater has taken the lead in the warehouses. However, while the balance may have shifted and the canvas expanded, the rock and roll heart of the programming remains at the center of St. Ann's sensibility and its artists.

References

NY Times

The Village Voice

Alliance for the Arts

New York Magazine

St. Ann's Warehouse

External links

* {{Coord, 40.70400, -73.9865, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Theatre companies in New York City Music venues in Brooklyn Theatres in Brooklyn Brooklyn Bridge Park 1980 establishments in New York City