Vineyard Theatre Awarded $4.5 Million Capital Grant by the New York State Council on the Arts

Governor Kathy Hochul revealed a grant of $4.5 Million to Vineyard Theatre to support a major renovation of Vineyard Theatre at 108 E. 15th Street, in New York City’s Union Square neighborhood. The award will contribute towards a match of $5.9 Million received by The Vineyard in June 2022 from Mayor Eric Adams, Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, and the Department of Cultural Affairs; Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, Council Member Carlina Rivera, and the New York City Council; and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. The Vineyard was one of 19 arts and cultural organizations across New York State that was awarded a NYSCA Large Capital Improvement Grant, part of an unprecedented $150 Million in NYS arts and culture capital funding. 
 
"From New York City to the North Country, we are investing in our state's robust arts and culture sector to ensure all New Yorkers, regardless of their background, have access to the transformative power of art," Governor Hochul said. "Our unprecedented support for this shared vision of accessible and sustainable cultural spaces will result in a stronger economy, more jobs, and improved community and personal health for New Yorkers and our visitors from around the globe.”
 
Vineyard Theatre is planning a major renovation of its full theatre, offices, backstage and public facing spaces with a goal of breaking ground in fall of 2024. The renovation will dramatically improve ADA access to all parts of the building, return the theatre space to its original fully flexible design, and create space for the community to gather pre and post show.
 
Artistic Directors Sarah Stern and Douglas Aibel said, "For forty years, the Vineyard has been a home for daring artists who have expanded the form, the field, and the larger culture. The support of the New York State Council on the Arts will be instrumental in realizing our vision to transform our theatre into a flexible space that more fully supports our mission to push the boundaries of what theatre can be and do. We will simultaneously reimagine our public spaces to be more conducive to engaging and expanding our adventurous community, while making every part of our building fully ADA accessible. We thank Governor Hochul for investing in our arts and culture communities as a vital engine of civic, cultural and economic life in New York State. And we appreciate the leadership of Mara Manus and the New York State Council on the Arts for their commitment to making theatre and the performing arts accessible to all."

NYSCA Executive Director Mara Manus said, “We are immensely grateful to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for this historic level of capital grantmaking. These critical investments will support visionary expansions, essential facility improvements, and community-building strategies that will promote health, safety, and accessibility. We commend Vineyard Theatre for their bold and inspirational project that will deliver the measurable benefits of the arts to New Yorkers and our visitors for generations to come." 
 
Managing Director Suzanne Appel said, “This $4.5 Million capital grant from NYSCA is truly transformational. As we celebrate the theatre’s 40th Anniversary season this year, this is a time for the organization to provide a facility that responds to the changing needs of our artists and audiences and that fulfills our promise as a cultural anchor of the Union Square neighborhood. As New York City is still building back from the Covid-19 pandemic, our intimate downtown theatre is a critical piece of our neighborhood and our city and state’s renewal. We draw nearly 20,000 patrons a year through our doors and provide Community Supported tickets available at every production to keep live performance accessible to all New Yorkers.”
 
NYSCA Chair Katherine Nicholls said, “Capital projects for the arts are an investment in our communities, our health, and our prosperity for decades to come. On behalf of the Council and staff, I congratulate Vineyard Theatre on its vision and dedication to serving the residents and visitors of New York and we look forward to seeing all that will flourish from this initiative.”
 
Designs for the renovation have been completed by Marvel Design led by Partner Lissa So and Project Architect Joshua Schecter. Envoie Project Management, led by Partner Adrienne Hepler and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Belitz, is providing project management and owners representation for the project. Polise Engineering, under direction of owner Tom Polise, will provide engineering expertise. Fisher Dachs Associates, who also provided the original design for the theatre in 1989, is working with Vineyard Theatre on the return to a fully flexible theatrical space that will allow for work conceived and experienced  in multiple configurations. 
 
A.D. Hamingson and Associates and Surla Consulting provided grant writing support for the application to NYSCA. Vineyard Theatre engages Bolton St. John, partners Samara Daly and Theresa Gonzalez as its government relations consultants. 
 
Earlier this season Vineyard Theatre received proclamations from Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine announcing November 3, 2002 as Vineyard Theatre Day in honor of its 40th Anniversary Season. 
 
Vineyard Theatre’s current production of Tori Sampson’s world premiere play This Land Was Made is running now through June 25, 2023. Tickets are available at vineyardtheatre.org. 
 
NYSCA's Large Capital Improvement Grants for Arts and Culture support arts and cultural institutions across the state that are undertaking impactful, large-scale capital improvements. Grants range from $2 million to $10 million for projects with a total cost of $4 million or more. This funding will support investments to expand cultural programming, reach new and diverse audiences, and promote accessibility. These grants will also help advance the State's goals around diversity, equity and inclusion and will require all grantees to commit to social equity initiatives and access plans that serve all New Yorkers. NYSCA's Large Capital Improvement Grants program is administered in coordination with Empire State Development, which reviews applications to evaluate the potential for projects to support local placemaking, community development, and downtown revitalization efforts. 
 

ABOUT THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS   
                                          

NYSCA preserves and advances the arts and culture that make New York State an exceptional place to live, work and visit. NYSCA upholds the right of all New Yorkers to experience the vital contributions the arts make to our communities, education, economic development, and quality of life. To support the ongoing recovery of the arts across New York State, NYSCA will award record funding in FY 2023, providing support across the full breadth of the arts.
NYSCA further advances New York's creative culture by convening leaders in the field and providing organizational and professional development opportunities and informational resources. Created by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1960 and continued with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, NYSCA is an agency that is part of the Executive Branch. For more information on NYSCA, please visit http://www.arts.ny.gov, and follow NYSCA's Facebook page, Twitter @NYSCArts and Instagram @NYSCouncilontheArts.
 

ABOUT Vineyard Theatre
 

Under the artistic leadership of Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern, Vineyard Theatre develops and produces new plays and musicals that push the boundaries of what theatre can be and do. For nearly 40 years, The Vineyard has nurtured a community of fearless theatre makers whose work has expanded the form, the field, and the larger culture. Vineyard Theatre has transferred eleven shows to Broadway, seven directly after their acclaimed Vineyard premieres: Lucas Hnath’s Dana H. and Tina Satter’s Is This A Room (both New York Times Best Theatre of 2021); Paula Vogel’s Indecent; Nicky Silver’s The Lyons; Kander, Ebb and Thompson’s The Scottsboro Boys; Bell and Bowen’s [title of show]; and Avenue Q by Marx, Lopez and Whitty (Tony Award, Best Musical). In recent years, four additional shows launched at The Vineyard have been revived in their first Broadway productions: Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive; Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar And Grill; Becky Mode’s Fully Committed; and Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Three Tall Women.
 
From our home in NYC’s Union Square, The Vineyard develops and premieres new plays and musicals which go on to be seen around the country and the world. Recently, Jeremy O. Harris’ play “Daddy” (2019) received its London premiere at the Almeida; Ngozi Anyanwu’s Good Grief (2018) and David Cale’s Harry Clarke (2017) were recorded by Audible; Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Gloria (2014), a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, transferred to Chicago’s Goodman Theatre; Paula Vogel’s Tony Award-winning Indecent (2016) aired on PBS’s “Great Performances” and was one of the most-produced plays nationwide in 2019; and Colman Domingo’s Dot (2016) is being adapted into an AMC series. The Vineyard’s first major digital work, Lessons in Survival, was named one of the top theatrical experiences of 2020 by the New York Timesand has been viewed by audiences in more than 40 countries.
 
The Vineyard’s Paula Vogel Playwriting Award, Susan Stroman Directing Award, and Colman Domingo Award provide residencies to early-career artists and our education programs serve over 700 New York City public high school students annually, culminating in Developing Artists’ REBEL VERSES Youth Arts Festival.  The Roth-Vogel New Play Commission is awarded annually to a mid- to late-career playwright to create and develop a new play with The Vineyard. Our work and artists have been honored with numerous awards including Pulitzer Prizes and Tony Awards, and the company is proud to be the recipient of special Drama Desk, Obie, and Lucille Lortel Awards for artistic excellence and support of artists.
 
Vineyard Theatre’s leadership includes Artistic Directors Douglas Aibel and Sarah Stern and Managing Director Suzanne Appel.