The Astor Place Theatre is an off-Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...

 house located at 434 Lafayette Street in the NoHo section of Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

. The theater is located in the historic Colonnade Row

Colonnade Row

Colonnade Row, also known as LaGrange Terrace, on present-day Lafayette Street in New York City's NoHo neighborhood, is a landmarked series of Greek revival buildings originally built in the early 1830s. They are believed to have been built by Seth Greer, although the project has been attributed to...

, originally constructed in 1831 as a series of nine connected buildings, of which only four remain. Though it bears the same name, it was not building which was at the center of the Astor Place Riot

Astor Place Riot

The Astor Place Riot occurred on May 10, 1849 at the now-demolished Astor Opera House  in Manhattan, New York City and left at least 25 dead and more than 120 injured...

 in 1849.

Designed in Greek Revival

Greek Revival architecture

The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...

 style and fronted by imposing marble columns, the buildings served as residences for the Astor

Astor family

The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...

 and Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt family

The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...

 families, and are among the oldest structures in the city. They were designated as New York City landmarks

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...

 in 1963.

Bruce Mailman

Bruce Mailman

Bruce Mailman was an East Village entrepreneur, Off-Broadway theatre-owner and founder of The Saint and New St. Marks Baths.He graduated from Temple University and received a master's degree in dramatic literature from New York University....

 bought the building in 1965. On January 17 1968, the theater opened with Israel Horovitz

Israel Horovitz

Israel Horovitz is an American playwright and screenwriter.-Theatre career:An American dramatist, Horovitz has written more than 70 produced plays, many of which have been translated and performed in more than 30 languages worldwide . The 70/70 Horovitz Project was created by NYC Barefoot Theatre...

’s The Indian Wants the Bronx

The Indian Wants the Bronx

The Indian Wants the Bronx is a one-act play by Israel Horovitz.Gupta, the Indian of the title, has just arrived in New York City from his native country to visit his son and speaks only a few words of English. While waiting for a bus to the Bronx, he is approached by two young punks, Joey and...

starring newcomer Al Pacino

Al Pacino

Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...

. Since then, it has gained a reputation for introducing works by aspiring and often experimental playwrights, including Tom Eyen

Tom Eyen

Tom Eyen was an American playwright, lyricist, television writer and theatre director.Eyen is best known for works at opposite ends of the theatrical spectrum...

 (Women Behind Bars

Women Behind Bars

Women Behind Bars is a play by Tom Eyen.A camp spoof of the exploitation films produced by Universal, Warner's, and Republic Pictures in the 1950s, this black comedy is set in the Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Village...

, The Dirtiest Show in Town

The Dirtiest Show in Town

The Dirtiest Show in Town is a musical revue with a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Jeff Barry.An attack on both air pollution, the Vietnam War, urban blight and computerized conformity, it is filled with sex, nudity, and strong lesbian and gay male characters, and culminates in a massive...

) and John Ford Noonan

John Ford Noonan

John Ford Noonan is a prolific American actor, and writer for theater, film and television. Born in New York City in 1943, he wrote his first play, Lazarus was a Lady in 1970 followed by Concerning the Effects of Trimethylchoride in 1971 and other plays such as The Club Champion’s Widow in 1978,...

 (A Couple White Chicks Sitting Around Talking). Established writers like Terrence McNally

Terrence McNally

Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...

 (Bad Habits), A.R. Gurney (The Dining Room, The Perfect Party) and Larry Shue

Larry Shue

Larry Shue was an American playwright and actor, best known for writing two often-performed farces, The Nerd and The Foreigner.-Early life:...

 (The Foreigner

The Foreigner (play)

The Foreigner is a play by Larry Shue.Set in a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the comedy revolves around two of its guests, Englishman Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Charlie is so pathologically shy that he is unable to speak...

) also have premiered plays here. The musical revue, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris

Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is an American musical revue of the songs of Jacques Brel.-Original Off-Broadway Production:...

enjoyed a successful run in 1974.

Since 1991, the theater has served as home to the Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...

, which now owns the theatre.

External links

• "Astor Place Theatre" at the Internet Off-Broadway Database