Manhattan Theatre Club

The Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), which has evolved from a small Off-Broadway company into a major theatrical organization, was founded in 1970 by Albert E. Jeffcoat, Margaret Kennedy, Philip Barber and A. Joseph Tandet with the goal of reinvigorating the New York theater scene.

Inspired by work of the Arts Theatre Club of London and the Theatre Guild, the company produced and nurtured numerous American playwrights from 1970-1972 in its original site at the National Bohemian Hall at 321 East 73rd Street. This location was comprised of three separate venues: the Cabaret, complete with stage, tables, and licensed bar; Stage 79, a three-quarter-round tiered amphitheatre; and Stage 73, a 174-seat Off-Broadway house (1972-1973 Fact Sheet). In 1972, Lynne Meadow, a young director who had directed one production for the company, was hired as Artistic Director. In 1975, Barry Grove was hired as Managing Director. Due to their working relationship, one of the most long-standing in the non-profit community, the Manhattan Theatre Club developed a reputation for the high quality of its productions and attracted a large subscriber base. In order to expand, the organization moved to City Center in early 1985, but after several years in that facility, subscriber and single ticket sales demands necessitated MTC's need to expand once again. In 2003, the MTC moved its operations to the Biltmore Theatre, a former commercial Broadway house, which was renovated to meet its needs. Among the MTC's most acclaimed productions are: the Tony Award-winning revue, Ain't Misbehavin (1978), based on the music of Fats Waller, and four Pulitzer Prize-winning original dramas, Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart (1981), August Wilson's The Piano Lesson (1990), David Auburn's Proof (2001), and John Patrick Shanley's Doubt (2005).

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