59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) is thrilled to welcome Primary Stages (Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Shane D. Hudson, Executive Director) as the new resident company, launching their 2020-2021 season in 59E59’s Theater A in the fall.
says 5959 Theaters’ Artistic Director Val Day. “Under the leadership of Andrew Leynse, Primary Stages artistic vision is well-matched with 59E59’s programming mission. In recent years, they have successfully produced a myriad of New York premieres by playwrights whose voices and stories I know our audiences would have received enthusiastically.”
Day continues, “This residency with Primary Stages is a natural extension of what 59E59 Theaters was built to do: we create an artistic home for nonprofit theater companies and provide practical, sustainable support which allows companies to reach greater creative heights and by extension, amplify the reach of their work.”
“I first met Val Day when she was an agent at William Morris and she has a strong background in working with early-career artists. She has an intimate understanding of writers: who they are, what kind of work they do, and how the work needs to be supported. We’re both adamant about finding ways to set our playwrights up for success and making their work shine, so when she approached me about Primary Stages returning to 59E59, I leaped at the opportunity,” says Primary Stages Artistic Director Andrew Leynse.
“59E59’s audiences are sharp: they have a depth of experience about the art form and want to be challenged. It’s an electric environment to be producing theater in when you have a group of people who are willing to take the leap into a new piece with you,” he continues.
59E59 Theaters is committed to curating innovative and invigorating work never-before-seen by New York audiences. Providing a space for emerging and established not-for-profit theater companies to reach new audiences, 59E59 partners with these producing theater companies by giving them highly-subsidized rental rates, as well as production, marketing, and press support. Companies also receive 100% of their net box office sales.