Primary Stages is an Off-Broadway theater company dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and sharing the art of playwriting. We operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater relies on nurturing 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 David Ives' All in the Timing (original 1993 production and its recent hit revival); Kate Fodor's Rx; Charles Busch's Olive and the Bitter Herbs; A. R. Gurney's Black Tie; Horton Foote’s Harrison, TX and Dividing the Estate (Two 2009 Tony Award® nominations); Michael Hollinger’s Opus; Brooke Berman’s Hunting and Gathering; 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; 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 (1993), Opus, In the Continuum
