Mission
Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York assists our nearly 300 member theatres in managing their theatre companies effectively so they may realize their rich artistic visions and serve their diverse audiences well. Over the years, A.R.T./New York has earned a reputation as a leader in providing progressive services to our members - from shared office and rehearsal spaces, to the nation's only revolving loan fund for real estate, to technical assistance programs for emerging theatres - which have made our organization an expert in the needs of the New York City nonprofit theatre community.
HISTORY
Below are a few highlights from our 39 years in business. The names of current programs are in bold.
1972
Forty-nine Off Off Broadway theatres, including AMAS Musical Theatre, Classic Stage Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Repertorio Espanol and Theatre for the New City join together to form the Off Off Broadway Alliance (known as OOBA).
1978
OOBA receives a special Drama Desk Award in recognition of our service to, and the achievements of, the Off Off Broadway theatre community.
1982
The name Off Off Broadway Alliance changes to Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, more popularly know as A.R.T./New York.
1984
The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation awards a special grant which allows A.R.T./New York to usher its members into the computer age. In addition to installing computer terminals at some of our largest member theatres, A.R.T./New York hires a designated IT professional to train the staff, trouble-shoot, and solve problems.
1986
The Real Estate Project provides a full-time real estate broker on staff to work with members seeking office, rehearsal and performance spaces in a very “tight” market. The knowledge A.R.T./New York gains from this real estate project prepares the organization to address the field's future real estate needs in 1993 and again in 2000 and 2003.
1990
Thanks to a grant from the Katherine Dalglish Foundation, A.R.T./New York launches The Chelsea Theatre Festival and offers month-long discounts to over a dozen theatres in the Chelsea neighborhood.
1991
ITT Corporation provides major underwriting for the first citywide Passports to Off Broadway campaign offering half-price tickets to participating theatres. The project was promoted by an all-star radio campaign and promotions with the City, IBM, and Chase Manhattan Bank.
The Elizabeth Steinway Chapin Real Estate Loan Fund is created, with a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to provide low-interest loans of up to $200,000 for the purchase and/or renovation of performance spaces. This is the only such loan fund in the country and has made over $4 million in loans to 42 theatres (to date).
1992
Thanks to a three-year grant from the Joyce Mertz Gilmore Foundation, A.R.T./New York launches the Nancy Quinn Fund for the fastest growing sector of our membership, theatres with budgets below $100,000. The Nancy Quinn Fund makes $25,000 in grants to dozens of theatres while dozens more participate in workshops on fund-raising, audience development, publicity and financial management.
1996
A.R.T./New York launches The Theatre Leadership Institute, with an initial grant from the Emma Sheafer Charitable Trust. Today, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Theatre Leadership Program provides long-term individualized consulting to theatres experiencing rapid growth, changes in leadership, or other issues unique to the field.
1998
The JPMorgan Chase Fund for Small Theatres is created for companies with budgets between $100,000 and $500,000. Theatres in this group are often in the midst of rapid growth, but find that growth hampered by lack of available funding.
2000
A.R.T./New York purchases South Oxford Space, a 19,000 sq. ft. Federal Style building in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The building provides subsidized office space along with two rehearsal studios, a performance/meeting space, wireless internet access, and shared kitchen and gallery space.
2001
After the attack on the World Trade Center, A.R.T./New York provides unprecedented citywide financial support including nearly $3 million in cash grants to theatre companies with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In April 2001 A.R.T./New York receives a $1,000,000 grant for The Bridge Fund, which allows A.R.T./New York to make low-interest cash-flow loans of up to $25,000 and provide lines of credit of up to $50,000. In November 2001, The Mellon Foundation awards $2.7 million for A.R.T./New York to re-grant to theatres that experienced financial and structural losses as a result of the attacks. Within three months of the attack, $254,000 was awarded to organizations most adversely affected through grants from the September 11 Fund and Altria.
A.R.T./New York’s advocacy on behalf of our members includes the publishing of a white paper entitled New York City’s Not-for-Profit Theatres in a Post 9/11 Era; an additional $250,000 in financial support from the City of New York.
2002
A.R.T./New York is awarded a special Obie Award in recognition of our services on behalf of the theatre community.
A.R.T./New York signs a 20-year lease on Spaces at 520, a 32,000 sq. ft. shared office and rehearsal space facility in midtown Manhattan. This space provides affordable office space to 22 companies, as well as five rehearsal studios, a kitchen, shared office equipment and storage. Hundreds of theatres rent subsidized rehearsal studios, which operate 7 days a week.
At the behest of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, A.R.T./New York administers The New York City Theater Grant Program, which awards two-year artistic programming grants.
2003
A.R.T./New York administers the New York Times Company Foundation Fund for Mid-Size Theatres which awards general operating grants to companies with annual budgets between $500,000 and $5 million.
2004
A.R.T./New York creates the Edith Lutyens and Norman Bel Geddes Design Enhancement Fund, to enable set, lighting, costume, sound and video designers to work on a scale commensurate with their talent.
2006
New York City grants A.R.T./New York funding to begin work on two theatres spaces at the Archstone-Clinton complex on West 53rd Street and 10th Avenue in Manhattan.
2008
After three years of careful planning A.R.T./New York signs a lease on two theatres and related spaces in the Archstone-Clinton condominium development. The A.R.T./New York Theatres are the most ambitious project the organization has undertaken in its history.
A.R.T./New York receives the Mayor’s Award for Arts & Culture.
2009
A.R.T./New York is awarded one of The Rockefeller Foundation's Cultural Innovation Fund Awards. The grant of $150,000 will allow us to research and develop new, sustainable business models to enable nonprofit theatres to survive and thrive.
2010
A.R.T./New York is awarded the Tony Award for Excellence.
