Ensemble studio theatre

Ensemble Studio Theatre—commonly known as EST—was founded in 1968 by Curt Dempster on the belief that extraordinary support yields extraordinary work. Now with nearly 600 ensemble artists, EST has been under the artistic direction of William Carden since 2007. The company received two 2013 Drama Desk Award nominations for Finks by Joe Gilford and a 2014 Drama Desk nomination for Bobby Moreno’s performance in Year Of The Rooster by Eric Dufault, who won the 2014 NY Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for a new playwright debut. Hand To God, which originated at EST, was nominated for five Tony Awards for its Broadway run. In May of 2015, EST received a special Drama Desk Award for its “unwavering commitment to producing new works.” For more information, visit ESTnyc.org.