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Indie Theater Companies

Company NameCompany MissionYear Founded
(re:)Directions TheatrePresenting established scripts in new and innovative ways, as well as develop new works by artists whose voices inspire them.2006
13PFull productions of new American plays.2003
13th Street RepA place where actors, directors, writers and technicians can develop their craft in a nuturing environment.1972
3Graces Theatre Co.To explore the power of women's experiences through theater.2004
59E59Presents Off-Broadway theater by non-profit companies from across the United States and world. Festivals include Brits Off Broadway and East to Edenburgh.2002
Abingdon Theatre CompanyTo develop and produce new plays by American playwrights.1993
Accidental Repertory TheaterThere is life and truth in art.--
Aisling ArtsTo present plays with dreamlike qualities that emerge from the collective psyche of the ensemble.2001
Alchemy Theatre CompanyTo challenge the perceived truth and values of our time.--
American Globe TheatreTo stage innovative productions of classical plays.1989
Amnesia WarsA long-form improvisation company.--
anna&meredithTo create original work that unites the most compelling elements of dance, theater, and devised performance.--
Art Party Theater CompanyBold performance that engages the creativity of an audacious audience.2008
Asteroid B612 Theatre CompanyFormed to vent untold stories and to reinvigorate the known stories2006
At Hand Theatre CompanyTo produce original work using sustainable means.2007
Audax Theatre Company"Life can be bold. Theater must be."2000
Banana Bag & Bodice To redefine the traditional idea of performance through using original text, music and design.1999
Barefoot Theatre CompanyFounded by a group of multicultural artists wishing to produce thought-provoking theater, old and new.1999
Big Art GroupUsing language and media to push the boundaries of theater, film and visual arts, Big Art Group uses original text and technology to create culturally transgressive works.1999
Black Henna Productions, Ltd.A theater company created in the image of Shakespeare's globe, where every company member would collaborate on writing, directing, designing and acting in productions.2003
Blessed Unrest Theater for the adventurous.2000
Blue Coyote Theater CompanyTo produce new American plays by new American playwrights, at the Access Theater.2000
bluemouth, inc.Five artists trained in various disciplines determined to forge a new language.1998
Boomerang Theatre CompanyTo produce new, classic and negelcted plays that add to the theatrical canon.1999
Breedingground ProductionsIndependent artists working together in all disciplines.2000
BrooklynONEtheaterTo broaden the scope of the arts in Brooklyn through new, bold and alternative experimental works.2006
Cagey ProductionsTo create opportunities for emerging theater artists.1996
Cannery Works Nurtures early career artists and introduces their work to a wider audience.2002
Ciona Taylor ProductionsTo provide the very best entertainment by creating original programs in dance, theatre, film, television and performance art.2006
Clancy ProductionsA touring and producing organization that specializes in high-energy, bare-bones, intellectualy engaging contemporary American theater.2003
Clubbed ThumbCommissions, develops and produces funny, strange and provocative new plays by living American writers.1996
Coffee Cup TheatreDevelops, writes and performs original, actor-driven theatre.2004
CollaborationTownWork presented presentationally, with self-depricating humor; hi-tech theater on a lo-tech budget. Everything created through collaboration.--
Company XIVA mixed-media dance/theater company based in Brooklyn.2006
Counting Squares TheatreA grass roots ensemble company that creates theater to entertain and reflect the issues, struggles and joys of the community.--
Coyote REP Theatre CompanyCollaborative development of original work that investigates what is mystical and extraordinary in the every day.2005
Crossing Jamaica AvenueA multi-disciplinary, multicultural theater company that produces new plays, re-imaginings of classics, and a hybrid theater form that merges stories and poetry with music and movement.--
Curious Frog TheatreTo present new, modern and classical works through a multicultural perspective with non-traditional casting.--
Dangerous Ground ProductionsCreates multimedia theater2001
Desipina & CompanyA fusion arts company focusing in film and theatre and are firmly dedicated to promoting cross-pollinations of artistic, political, and cultural dialogues.--
Diverse City Theater Co.An artist-driven, independent company whose purpose is to commission original plays that explore social, cultural, lifestyle and demographic diversity issues.2003
Dixon PlaceTo support the development of new works and works in progress and to build audiences for these works.1986
DM TheatricsCreating theater for audiences, not agents or academics1999
Downtown ArtCollaborates with teen actors, writers, composers and musicians to create original music and theater events.--
Duel TheatreAn ensemble of artists and entrepreneurs--
Dysfunctional Theatre Company A collective dedicated to producing ensemble works that challenge the status quo without taking themselves too seriously.1997
Dzieci TheatreAn international experimental theatre ensemble dedicated to a search for the "sacred" within the medium of theatre.--
E Phoenix Idealis Theater, Inc.A group which came together over common ideals of what theatre is and can be, of what theatre does and can do.--
East Coast ArtistsA professional ensemble dedicated to boldly re-inventing classic texts.1992
East River CommediaA group of international artists who collaborate on the production and development of ensemble-based performance works and festivals in New York City and abroad.--
Electric Pear Productions Cultivates, backs and presents original and persuasive theatrical endeavors.2006
Elephant LarryA five-man sketch group based in New York City--
Elixir Productions Develops plays and performances about gender, sexuality and the impact of sexual identity on society, human relationships and the self.--
Emerging Artists Theatre CompanyTo provide a dynamic home for emerging artists and writers, provide the opportunity for collaboration, and provide artists with the development process, from idea to production.--
EndTimes ProductionsAn independent theater/film production company.2006
Evolve CompanyCreating theatre and puppetry.1996
First Light Theater GroupTo develop and produce original works that tell authentic stories with characters that illuminate the ever-changing social climate oftoday's multi-cultural society.2008
Flux Theatre Flux creates seasons with an underlining theme that unites work that is character-driven, globally engaged and uniquely theatrical.2006
Fork YES!An "Arts Entity," making theatre, music-theatre, poetry and visual art composed of word, action, spirit, image and idea.--
Freedom Train ProductionsAn incubator for the making and performance of black queer themed plays.2006
Frog & Peach Theatre CompanyTo perform Shakespeare's plays with the language setting the style, without concept, and with the running time of a film.--
Gorilla RepProvide the highest quality productions of classical dramatic material with contemporary immediacy for free.1992
Haberdasher TheatreFree expression and creative thought by presenting edgy and inventive theatre that will reawaken the ardor for live theater, both as art and as entertainment.2006
Handcart EnsembleDevoted to bringing new life to literary masterworks by combining bold, inventive staging with language-rich translations, adaptations and classically inspired new works.1999
HERETo build a community that nurtures career artists as they create innovative hybrid live performance in theatre, dance, music, puppetry and visual art.1993
Horse Trade Theatre GroupTo seek out new art, new artists and new audiences to create an accessible community of varied voices that values collaboration, resourcefulness and innovation.1998
Hudson Exploited Theatre CompanyCommitted to producing theater on both sides of the Hudson River and expanding the notion of what is "American."1999
Hudson WarehouseTo present the classics in exciting productions inspired by the past and relevant to the present.2004
Immigrants Theatre CompanyPresents traditional and experimental plays by and about immigrants to the United States and worldwide.1988
Impetuous Theater GroupDedicated to producing new work in New York with emerging artists through ensemble, creation of family and education.2004
Inertia Productions, Inc.To "evolutionize" the world of contemporary American theatrical storytelling in order to illuminate our community's empathetic understanding of the human condition. 1997
InProximity Theatre CompanyTo tell gripping stories riddled with raw honest truth.--
International Culture LabA performing arts organization dedicated to providing opportunities for artists from across the world to explore contemporary issues through jointly created projects.--
International WOW CompanyA film and theater company that works closely with actors and non actors from diverse cultural backgrounds, including members of the US Military, activist communities in sustainable energy and design and actors, dancers, designers and filmmakers from around the world to create new work that addresses current national and global social and political crises.1996
Inverse Theater CompanyTo create, produce, and distribute new American verse plays1998
Invisible City Theater CompanyDedicated to discovering, developing and producing new works for the stage.2002
Irondale EnsembleThrough the power of the ensemble process, Irondale creates and presents theater, performance and educational programs that challenge traditional assumptions about art, and help us to better understand today's challenging world.1983
IRTA grassroots theater development laboratory providing space, support and community for independent artists.1986
Jackson Repertory TheatreProduces relevant and entertaining theatre for the diverse audiences of Jackson Heights and Western Queens.2008
Just ASK ProductionsHarnesses the power of a collaborative spirit to produce re-energized and addictive theater for its community.2008
Kaliyuga ArtsTheater is one of the few remaining places on Earth where people still gather to celebrate, affirm and uphold everything that makes us human.1986
Kids with GunsCreates and presents new works about life, love, and artistic pursuit in the greatest city in the world.2004
La MaMa E.T.C.Dedicated to the theater and its artists.1961
Looking Glass TheatreTo create a community of artistic freedom from the pressure to be commerical, from gender expectations and from judgement.1993
Lucky ProductionsTo produce new works in New York City2008
Magnet TheaterAn improvisational comedy theater and improv school in New York City.2005
Mainspring CollectiveFocuses on the creation and interpretation of honest work.2007
Maiuetic Theater WorksAn award-winning company that premieres distinctive new plays.2006
Manhattan Repertory TheatreA forum for playwrights, directors and actors to share and explore their craft.--
Medicine Show TheatreDedicated to offering creative alternatives to conventional theatre by creating and presenting works that experiment with languge, music, movement, form and ideas, and meld the strengths of theatrical tradition with innovation.--
Mergatroyd ProductionsA New York City based media company working primarily in theatre and online video.--
Metropolitan PlayhouseProduces early American plays, new plays drawn from American culture and history, and plays from around the world that resonate with the American canon.1992
Mind The Gap TheatreTo produce new British theater in New YorkCity--
Misfit Toys Repertory CompanyTo give actors a chance to try out roles and opportunities that are too often limited by the beliefs of others in and about us.--
Musicals Tonight!Dedicated to the revival of neglected musicals in a manner affordable to most audience members.1998
Narrows Community TheaterOffers opportunities to learn stage craft, musical theater performance, acting technique, dance, team work and the business of show business to the public.--
National Asian American Theatre CompanyTo assert the presence and significance of Asian American theatre in the United States1989
National Theatre of the United States of AmericaTo collaboratively conceive, build and execute spectacular works of theater through the dedicated convergence of our ideas, aesthetics, skills and passions.2000
New Federal TheatreSpecializes in minority drama, providing emerging playwrights with the opportunity to have their works produced.1970
New GeorgesProduces ambitiously theatrical new plays downtown1992
New Perspectives Theatre CompanyTo develop and present new plays and playwrights, particularly women and people of color, to present classic plays in a style that sheds new light on our lives and work, and to present theatre to under-served audiences-especially young people-to build life skills and promote participation in our society.1991
New York Classical TheatreTo reinvigorate and create audiences for the theater by presenting free productions of classics in non-traditional spaces throughout New York City.--
New York Downtown ClownTo explore the art of clowning.--
New York Neo-Classical EnsembleDevoted to creating defiantly theatrical, textually dynamic productions of classic plays.2006
New York Neo-FuturistsCreates non-illusory, interactive theater that is immediate, unreproducable, and a fusion of sport, poetry and living-newspaper.1988
New York Theatre ExperimentDevelop and produce works of theatre that expose the complexity of the human condition and invite audiences to more deeply examine themselves and their world.2004
Nicu's SpoonEclectic, raw, risky, multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-abled, multi-voiced creators of new performance styles filled with strong vision about art and creation and who we are in relation to the world at large2001
No.11 ProductionsTheatre of the unexpected.2008
Nosedive ProductionsTo produce plays that push the proverbial envelope.1999
NY Artists UnlimitedTo take professional theatre to under-served audiences.1982
Oberon Theatre EnsembleTo combine classic, contemporary and new works in a format that allows each to highlight and enchance the other.1997
One Year LeaseAn ensemble theater company that creates new, contemporary productions out of ancient myths and old stories.--
Ontological-Hysteric TheatreTo strip the theater bare of everything but the singular and essential impulse to stage the static tenson of interpersonal relations in space.1968
Oracle Theatre, Inc.To better educate the community about various cultures through storytelling.2001
Pack of OthersA theater company, to create original works of theater.--
Packawallop Productions To create visually charged original productions of new plays that spotlight cultural and sexual identity.--
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre Founded to provide a forum for Asian American artists to participate in American Theater.--
Panoply Performance LaboratoryA performance co-operative that encourages mass participation in the distribution of genealogies, socio-political structures and experiemnt with performance as a mode of transmission.2004
Parallel Exit To create moments of simple magic for audiences of all ages by blending theater, dance and music into works of physical theater.1997
Partial Comfort ProductionsTo create a nurturing and creatively stimulating environment for its members.2001
Peculiar WorksTo create fresh, intelligent performance that is accessible and funfor diverse audiences.1993
Peoples Theatre ProjectAims to empower all residents of Northern Manhattan to become artists and activists in their own lives and the life of their community.2008
Performance Lab 115An actor-driven experimental theater company dedicated to creating works that explore the depth and fragility of human connection.2003
Personal Space TheatricsTo serve a curious and passionate audience by fundamentally changing the way they experience theatre.--
Phoenix Theatre EnsemblePlays new and old that tell great stories revealing humanity and the human condition in all its forms.--
PinchbottomA production company which produces themed & scripted burlesque shows in New York City--
Piper McKenzie ProductionsA DIY outlet to create dangerously effervescent theatrical art.1998
Point Of You ProductionsAn audience needs to hear stories that pose important, thought provoking questions about what drives them to act the way they do in their daily lives. 2001
Polybe and SeatsTo produce new plays and collaboratively developed work that experiments with images, language, structure, and storytelling2001
Project Y TheatreProduces theatre that explores the darker side of humanity in order to identify and celebrate its moments of beauty, humor, and hope.1999
Prospect Theater CompanyTo connect communities of artists and audiences to each other and to theatrical history by re-interpreting classic plays and musicals, and to use these connections to collaboratively create new works. 1998
proto-typeTo create original works that are diverse in scale, subject and medium, Proto-type is currently exploring the distributed narrative, city as source/site and the nature of love and death.1997
Push ProductionsTo create ensemble theatrical presentations that promote social awareness.1999
QED ProductionsCreates smart, engaging theatre for a sophisticated audience – the sort of theatre that asks hard questions, presents emotional and intellectual challenges, and always entertains.2005
Queen's CompanyAn all-female classical theater company.--
Rabbit Hole EnsembleEmphasizes the communal nature of theatre through a distinctly minimalist aesthetic that focuses on space, audience, and the performer (especially their basic tools of physicality and voice) to produce a uniquely direct and candid experience.2005
RADIOTHEATREInspired by the artistry created during the Golden Years of Radio when SOUND was king and STORY TELLING, along with great voices, music and sound effects…as well as, the individual imaginations of its audiences2004
Rapscallion Theatre CollectiveTo evoke change, educate, and learn through a journey of performance art2007
Red Fern Theatre CompanyStrives to provoke social awareness and change through theatrical productions and outreach2006
Republic Theater CompanyA New York-based performing arts institution committed to ensemble collaboration and artistic risk.--
Resonance EnsembleDedicated to producing groups of related theatrical presentations that resonate across countless times and cultures and confront universal themes and ideas significant to audiences of today.2001
Retro ProductionsTo present works of retro theatre.  Retro is defined as "involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past (American Heritage Dictionary).2005
Reverie ProductionsA not-for-profit theatre devoted solely to developing playwrights and producing new plays dealing with contemporary socio-political issues.1998
Rising Circle Theater CollectiveDedicated to broadening the scope of storytelling on the American stage by providing an artistic home for artists or color.2000
Rising Phoenix RepertoryRising Phoenix rediscovers the craft of a raw and vital living theater by learning from the traditions of the past and teachings of the present.1999
Rising Sun Production CompanyTo advance the vitality and diversity of American theater by nurturing artists, encouraging repeatable creative relationships, and contributing new works and revitalized pre-existing work to the national canon.2001
Roust Theatre CompanyDedicated to radical and epoch making theater. Aim is to challenge and inspire an audience.--
Ryan Repertory CompanyTo create a center for development of new and original theatrical events that celebrate the ethnic diversity of the community.1972
SALAAM TheatreSALAAM is a professional multidisciplinary theatre company celebrating South Asian American artistic excellence through creative risk-taking and experimentation that challenges all boundaries, connects all peoples and links all forms of creative expression in the spirit of progressive solidarity.2000
Shalimar ProductionsCollaborative new plays that are vital and relevant to a young generation2004
Six Figures Theatre CompanyTo provide opportunities for women theater artists, developingquality theatrical work by women and other underrepresented artists and ensuring that the community is aware of the opportunity to hear these voices and see the work.1990
Slant Theatre Project A group of artists that thrive on the danger of building the plane in flight.2004
Small Pond EntertainmentTo educate performing artists about the business of a production from development to performance.2002
Soho RepTo develop and produce contemporary theater while nurturing innovative and uncompromising new work from conception to production.1975
Soho Think TankTo nurture, strengthen and promote an aesthetically and culturally diverse community of independent theater artists and companys by producing, presenting andprogramming new work.1994
Sponsored by NobodyTo develop original work that is relevent to contemporary America.2005
StageLeft StudioFounded by Cheryl King as a venue for solo productions, it has presented over 300 of them since 2005.2005
Stolen Chair Theatre CompanyA theatre laboratory dedicated to the creation of playfully intellectual, wickedly irreverent and exuberantly athletic original works.2002
Stone Soup Theatre ArtsTo produce quality theater that deals with contemporary social issues affecting different cultural backgrounds.--
Storm TheatreA theater company devoted to creating a meaningful impact on the lives of the people who came to its productions.1997
Strudel ProductionsFocused on the revival of small-scale theatrical productions and the introduction of new and upcoming screenplays.2010
Studio 42To foster and cultivate new works of audactiy and risk, works that keep our fast-paced, technological society and respond to it with warmth and imagination.2001
Studio SixAn ensemble-based theater company, born out of the Moscow Art Theater School.2005
Subjective Theatre CompanyDedicated to producing a wide range of politically and socially relevant theatre at no cost to the public.2001
Superhero ClubhouseA society of theater artists engaged in making original plays and events about the natural world via a green and collaborative process.2007
Target Margin TheatreTo expand the conception of what can take place in a theater through re-imagined versions of the classics and new creations inspired by existing sources.1991
Temporary DistortionTo push the boundaries of theater by staging unsettling, meditative performances in claustrophobic, boxlike structures.2002
Ten DirectionsTo tell stories that pose questions to the audience, collaborating artists and themselves. Focuses on engaging and entertaining audiences.--
Terra Nova CollectiveA playground for artists devoted to innovative new and original theatrical works.--
The AmoralistsA theater company that produces work of no moral judgement, with an honest expression of the American condition. An actor-driven ensemble explores the complex characters of moral ambiguity.--
The Assemblyto realize a visceral and intelligent theater for a new generation2008
The BE CompanyTo tell stories that investigate the human condition and explore the lives of the unexamined.--
The Brick TheaterTo present world premieres, monthly performance series', and seasonal festivals to expand Williamsburg, Brooklyn's profile as a destination for cutting-edge art and entertainment.2002
The Bridge Theatre CompanyA New York City-based company that produces, workshops and champions new Canadian work.2004
The Bushwick StarrA full-scale non-profit performance venue and presenting organization dedicated to bringing a continuum of art and artists to Bushwick.2001
The Chocolate Factory TheatreSupports the creation of new work in a variety of disciplines, with a 5,000 square foot facility.2005
The CollectiveNYTo provide a network and a place where actors and graduates of the William Esper Studio can showcase their talent.2007
The Committee Theatre To "restructure worlds and make living people feelstuff."--
The Debate SocietyNew plays through the collaboration of Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen and Oliver Butler.2004
The Dreamscape TheatreTo reimagine the shared narratives of the past, present and future through the inventive theatricality and creative collaboration of a diverse ensemble of artists.2002
The Flea TheaterTo present distinctive workthat raises the standards of Off-Off-Broadway for artists and audiences alike.1996
The Foolish Theatre CompanyTo develop and produce theatrical comedies in all forms.2004
The Gallery Players To provide the Brooklyn community with professional-quality theater at an affordable cost.1967
The Guerrilla Shakespeare ProjectGSP fosters a vibrating, passionate, viseral connection between actor and audience to make inventive and immediate American theater from classical works.2005
the intentional theatre groupA continually-shifting, porject-based collaborative company of artists who share the belief that vital theatre happens in the space between the audience and the stage.--
The InternationalistsA collective of directors from around the world whose mission is to create open, sustainable and interactive global theatrical community.2007
The Living TheatreTo create an imaginative alternative to the commerical theater.1947
The ManagementA haven for a community of artists and patrons to experience relevent, moving, unpretentious, aesthetically and financially accessible theater.2004
The Nerve TankCombines elements of popular culture, media, image and physical presence to test lines of engagement between spectator and live event.2006
The Pumpkin Pie ShowA rigorous storytelling session created by Clay McLeod Chapman--
The Roundtable EnsembleProduces humanist theater in New York City--
The Seeing Place TheaterForceful storytelling that expresses real behavior in this day and age.--
The Talking BandRadical collaborations that make unpredictable, richly textured music-theater works while exploring the meeting point of text and music.1975
The TankA non-profit space for performing arts emphasizing new work by emerging performers,designers, writers, directors and producers.--
The Wild ProjectThe Wild Project is a venue and production company for theater, film and visual art using green technologies.2007
Theater AskewA "queer theater" company that produces work that stands outside of, rejects or challenges mainstream consumerist models.2004
Theater for the New CityKnown for radical plays and community commitment.1971
Theater MituA permanent group of collaborators that methodically experiments with theatrical form.1997
Theater Ten TenTo produce classic and contemporary plays and musicals.1955
Theatre Breaking Through BarriersTo produce plays featuring a company of visually impared and disabled actors.1985
Theatre CTo create vibrant theatre through the unexpected fusion of disparate art forms.2009
Theatre HanTo be the bridge that connects diverse cultures on stage, as well as to produce rarely seen foreign (and especially Asian) plays for American audiences.2009
Theatre LilaTo create provocative choreographic theater that arouses an audience, and stimulates awareness, compassion, and change.2004
Theatre of the ExpendableTo develop and produce plays that ask the audience how people become expendible.--
TheatrelabThis is a performance venue, presenting organization, and a producer of original works.--
TheDrillingCompaNYDiscovers, develops and produces new works by emerging American playwrights that represent a diverse community of ideas and cultures. Produces Shakespeare in the Parking Lot every summer.1999
Thespian ProductionProducing plays in small to medium-sized venues.--
tongue in cheek theaterDedicated to producing seriously funny theater.--
Unity StageServes the community of Western Queens through Off-Off Broadway theater, children's theater, and after-school performing arts programs.2009
Untitled Theatre Company # 61Theater of ideas: scientific, political, philosophical, and theatrical1992
Vampire Cowboys Theatre CompanyA "Geek Theater" company which produces work in the style and aesthetic of comic books.2000
Variations Theatre GroupTo provide emerging artists with the opportunity of working on Modern American Classics and original work.2010
Vital Theatre CompanyShared theatrical experiences have a profound effect on people's lives. "If one adult is inspired, if one child’s imagination is awakened, if one student is empowered, Our theatre is important and vital."1999
Vortex TheaterTo create and produce classical theater reconstructed for new audiences.1983
WaterwellTo create new theater that entertains and enlightens.2002
WET ProductionsTo empower women and girls by producing media that challenges female sterotypes and advocates for equality.1999
White Horse Theater CompanyProducing and developing American plays to investigate the American culture.2003
Wide Eyed ProductionsRisk-taking, relevant theater through new works and revivals of classics.2007
woken'glacier theatre companyInternational theater artists creating new and introducing unfamilar theater pieces which expose abuse in our world.2002
Woodshed CollectiveInstallation theater presented free of charge to the public.2002
Working Man's Clothes ProductionsTo develop and produce theater by supporting new works and new talent that will incite an evolution within modern theater2005
WorkShop Theatre CompanyTo develop new works and provide a home for writers from inception to production.1994
Wreckio EnsembleWreckio produces original and innovative works on social issues through movement.2000
Xoregos Performing CompanyTo explore in production classical theater, new works, premieres, old dances and poetry.--
York Shakespeare CompanyBringing Shakespeare's work (and assorted other classics) to life in the Actor-Manager system and a resident acting company.2001
Zootopia Theatre Co.To produce new, original works that capture life today. Storytelling is key, and script submissions are actively accepted.--
WHAT'S HERE: This page lists indie theater companies in New York City and nearby suburbs. Click on the underlined theatre name to find out more about that company, including info about its history and leadership. Want your show listed on nytheatre.com? Read our listings guidelines.