Primary Stages is an Off-Broadway theater company dedicated to inspiring, supporting and sharing the art of playwriting. Under the leadership of Founder and Executive Producer Casey Childs, Artistic Director Andrew Leynse and Managing Director Elliot Fox, we operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater relies on nurturing individual playwrights and giving them the artistic support needed to create new work.
Since our founding in 1984, we have produced more than 100 new plays, including A. R. Gurney's Black Tie; Horton Foote’s Dividing the Estate (Two 2009 Tony Award nominations); Michael Hollinger’s Opus; Brooke Berman’s Hunting and Gathering (one of New York Magazine’s Top Ten Plays of 2008); Terrence McNally’s Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams (starring Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes) and The Stendhal Syndrome (featuring Isabella Rossellini and Richard Thomas); Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter’s In the Continuum (which went on to tour the U.S., Africa and Scotland); David Ives’ All in the Timing (the most produced play in the US in the 2005/2006 Season); and Conor McPherson’s St. Nicholas (which marked the playwright’s U.S. debut).
In 2008, Primary Stages was honored with the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, which encompasses much more than the plays we produce for the stage. Primary Stages supports playwrights and develops new works through commissions, workshops, readings and our two flagship programs – The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group and the Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA). Through these programs, Primary Stages advocates for our artists, helping them make important—and often transformative—connections within the theater community.
*Production photos from: Dividing the Estate, All in the Timing, Opus, In the Continuum
