A HISTORY OF THE MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB (MEADOW, NEW YORK).
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Title
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A HISTORY OF THE MANHATTAN THEATRE CLUB (MEADOW, NEW YORK).
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Identifier
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AAI8629727
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identifier
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8629727
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Creator
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PEREIRA, JOHN WILLIAM.
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Contributor
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Stanley A. Waren
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater
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Abstract
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The Manhattan Theatre Club was founded in 1970 by a small group of business and professional people in an attempt to provide an alternative to the kind of theatre typically seen on Broadway. What began as a form of community theatre for the Upper East Side of Manhattan developed into a major performing arts center, within a relatively short period of time, under the guidance of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow. Today the Manhattan Theatre Club continues to make its contribution as a non-commercial theatre in New York City, offering works by playwrights from the United States and the international theatre community.;This dissertation traces the development of the Manhattan Theatre Club from its inception through its 1985-1986 season. Following a brief introductory chapter, Chapter II ("Beginnings, 1970-1972") details the events leading up to the incorporation of the theatre using information compiled from interviews with members of the founding committee. Chapter III ("The Arrival of Lynne Meadow") provides biographical information on Lynne Meadow and describes her earliest association with the Club. The following chapter ("Development of Artistic Policy, 1972-1977") describes Meadow's efforts to make the theatre club into a viable producing organization, the internal conflicts which helped to shape the artistic policy, the expansion of the administrative staff, the Club's role in the "Equity Wars" of the 1970s, and the circumstances surrounding the Club's first major artistic achievement: the production of Ashes. Chapter V ("Growth of Stability through 1980") focusses on the changes which accompanied the theatre's markedly increased assets, brought about by transfers of Club productions to Broadway (particularly Ain't Misbehavin') and by increased recognition by funding agencies. Critical reaction to Club programming is documented through an examination of the published reviews of major theatre critics and internal audience development surveys for most of the theatre's production from 1975 through 1986. The final chapter ("Reflections and Future Goals") indicates the importance of Lynne Meadow and other key figures in theatre's history, and links the Club's survival to the middle ground adopted in its artistic programming. Separate appendices provide a chronology of productions and financial records.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Theatre
