Connelly Theater Opens New 51-Seat Studio Theater

The Connelly Theater announced today that it has opened a new 51-seat 3/4 thrust studio theater on the 2nd floor of its historic East Village home. The new space, which will be known as the Upstairs, marks the first expansion of the venue since the mid-1990s. The first production in the Upstairs is Gabe Mollica's Solo: A Show about Friendship which opened on October 10th, and has announced an extension through November 19th.

The Connelly Theater serves as a home for adventurous independent theater productions. The iconic venue features new work and innovative reimaginings of classics by companies including Clubbed Thumb, Bedlam, Ars Nova, Soho Rep., Sinking Ship, Transport Group, Page 73 Productions, as well as the megahit KATE, by Kate Berlant, directed by Bo Burnham, and the recent sold-out run Salesman之死, by Jeremy Tiang (Yangtze Rep). The theater has been named one of NYC's best by Time Out New York. Under the leadership of Director & General Manager Josh Luxenberg, the venue has become an essential off-Broadway destination.

"Opening the Upstairs is going to dramatically expand the kind of work we can support," says Luxenberg, who is responsible for curating the work that plays at the theater. "On the Mainstage, we focus on longer-running shows. The Upstairs will allow for shorter runs, faster turnaround, and a greater variety of work, from readings to full productions."

Theater companies and artists who are interested in working at the Connelly, either on the Mainstage or in the Upstairs, can find information about the application process on the submissions page on the Connelly Theater's website.

Along with the opening of the new space, the Connelly is also announcing an expansion of the management team: Mele Sabú Borges has been hired as the Theater Management Associate and joins Luxenberg in overseeing the operations of the two performances venues and the theater's rehearsal studio. Borges's work as a performer and designer has been seen at the Sundance Theater Institute, NYTW, Bushwick Starr, Breaking the Binary Theater Festival, The New Group, Ars Nova, Juilliard, and others.

Originally built in the 1860s as the choir hall for an orphanage, the Connelly Theater Mainstage is like no other in New York City. The distinctive gold proscenium, raised stage and generous wing space, and intimate, flexible seating configuration have made it a coveted venue for live performance, and a frequent location for major film and television productions. The Connelly Theater is a program of the non-profit Cornelia Connelly Center (CCC), and all proceeds from the theater support the work of CCC, which champions girls, empowering them to realize their full potential from middle school through college and beyond.

The Connelly Theater is located at 220 East Fourth Street in Manhattan. Instagram: @connellytheater

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