George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square government and theater district and resident at the newly built New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The GSP is one of the state's most prominent professional theaters, committed to the production of new and established plays.
Managing Director Edgar Herrera leads the playhouse with the Artistic Triumvirate comprising Christopher Bailey, Scott Goldman, and Laiona Michelle. George Street Playhouse presents a main stage season and provides a space for both established and emerging theater artists The playhouse has been represented by numerous productions both on and off-Broadway.
History and venues Founded in 1974 by Eric Krebs, the theater company was originally located in an abandoned supermarket on George Street and later moved to its current location on Livingston Avenue. In 2017, the playhouse moved to an interim location in the former Agricultural Museum on Cook Campus at Rutgers University In the fall of 2019, George Street Playhouse moved back to the Livingston Ave location into a new mixed-use theater building, now called the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.
After Eric Krebs, David Saint was the artistic director from 1997 to 2025.
The company is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Notable productions Recent productions include the world premiere of The Trial of Donna Caine by Walter Anderson, Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical, a revised version of I Love You, You're Perfect Now Change, An Act of God with Kathleen Turner, American Son by Christopher Demos-Brown, Lewis Black's One Slight Hitch, Gettin' The Band Back Together, and Joe DiPetro's Clever Little Lies. The Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof, by David Auburn, was developed at GSP during the 1999 Next Stage Series. 1994: Swinging on a Star, a revue of the works of Johnny Burke, premieres at GSP, then moves to Broadway. 1996: And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank is commissioned by GSP for the Touring Theatre Company and is subsequently produced worldwide 2000: Down the Garden Paths by Anne Meara, directed by David Saint and starring Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson, premieres at GSP and moves to Off Broadway. Syncopation by Alan Knee, which premiered at GSP in 1999, receives Best New Play Award from the American Theatre Critics Association and opens around the country. The Spitfire Grill, a new musical by James Valcq and Fred Alley and directed by David Saint, premieres at GSP and moves to Off Broadway Ancestral Voices by A. R. Gurney, directed by David Saint and starring among others Tim Daly, Amy Van Nostrand, Paul Rudd and Fred Savage 2001: All box office records in the history of GSP are broken with Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, starring Suzzanne Douglas as Billie Holiday. Venecia by Jorge Accame, adapted and directed by Arthur Laurents starring Chita Rivera. 2004: Arthur Laurents updates and directs his Tony Award-winning musical Hallelujah, Baby! starring Ann Duquesnay and Suzzanne Douglas. Following an acclaimed run at George Street Playhouse, the co-production moved to Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Miss Duquesney is awarded the Helen Hayes Award for her performance. Academy Award nominee Amy Irving stars in the world premiere of Charles Evered’s period romp Celadine. Wasted by OBIE Award-winner Kirsten Childs premieres. This play about substance abuse was funded with a major grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2005: Inspecting Carol, a comedy by Daniel Sullivan from the Seattle Repertory Theatre, starring Dan Lauria and Peter Scolari, becomes the highest-grossing play at GSP. The West Wing's Richard Schiff stars in Underneath the Lintel, a play by Glen Berger, which sets a new record for per-performance attendance. 2006: Jack Klugman stars in The Value of Names by Jeffrey Sweet, with Dan Lauria and Liz Larsen. 2007 Artistic Director David Saint celebrates his tenth-anniversary season with the opening of The Sunshine Boys, starring Jack Klugman and Paul Dooley. Rosemary Harris stars in Oscar and the Lady in Pink by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, directed by Frank Dunlop. Dylan Chalfy and Ann Dowd star in Doubt by John Patrick Shanley, directed by Anders Cato. 2008: Tony® Award Winner Idina Menzel performs a one night only solo concert as the opening of her I Stand Tour. Roger is Dead, a new play written and directed by Elaine May with Marlo Thomas debuts. 2009 Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are, world premiere written and directed by Arthur Laurents with Shirley Knight. 2010: Kathleen Marshall directs the musical Calvin Berger. 2011: David Hyde Pierce directs the musical It Shoulda Been You written by Brian Hargrove and Barbara Anselmi, starring Tyne Daly, Harriet Harris, Edward Hibbert, Richard Kline, and Howard McGillin Red (play), with Bob Ari and Randy Harrison 2013: Gettin' the Band Back Together had its world premiere before transferring to Broadway and was directed by John Rando. 2017: American Son by Christopher Demos-Brown has its world premiere, and is directed by David Saint. 2018: Laiona Michelle writes and stars in the world premiere of Little Girl Blue: The Nina Simone Musical. 2023–2024 is GSP's 50th season.
Seasons (1998–present) +SeasonShow #1Show #2Show #3Show #4Show #5Show #6Show #71998-1999After-PlayDarlene and the Guest LecturerInspecting CarolThe Sea GullJolson Sings AgainCollected Stories1999-2000Do I Hear A Waltz? (Revisal)Down the Garden PathsSyncopationMaster ClassLootAncestral Voices2000-2001WitThe Spitfire GrillHuman EventsVeneciaOld TimesClaudia 2001-2002Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & GrillTalley's FollyWaiting for TadashiThe Sisters RosensweigCTRL+ALT+DeletePublic Ghosts - Private Stories2002-2003A Night In TunisiaDirty BlondeLet Me SingThe 75thThe VibratorProofThe Last Bridge2003-2004Wilderness of MirrorsAttacks on the HeartA Walk in the WoodsAgnes of GodLips Together, Teeth Aparttick, tick...BOOM!2004-2005Hallelujah, Baby! (Revisal)CeladineThe Winning StreakLend Me A TenorAddress UnknownThe Last Five Years2005-2006Two LivesInspecting CarolUnderneath The LintelThe PillowmanGunmetal Blues2006-2007The Things You Least ExpectThe Value of NamesI Am My Own WifeSouvenirFalsettos2007-2008The Sunshine BoysDoubtOscar and the Pink LadyThe SceneRoger Is Dead2008-2009The Toxic AvengerThe Seafarer Sight UnseenThe Devil's MusicNew Year's Eve2009-2010Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You AreA Moon to Dance ByCalvin BergerSylviaCreating Claire2010-2011Circle Mirror Transformation[title of show]The Subject Was RosesA Fox on the FairwayGod of Carnage2011-2012It Shoulda Been YouThe Nutcracker and IRedTwelve Angry MenThe 39 Steps2012-2013One Slight HitchThe Best of EnemiesGood PeopleRich GirlVenus in Fur2013-2014Gettin' The Band Back TogetherClever Little LiesOne of Your Biggest FansI Loved, I Lost, I Made SpaghettiOur Town2014-2015Outside MullingarThe Fabulous LiptonesThe Whipping ManBuyer & CellarErnest Shackleton Loves Me2015-2016Murder For TwoThe Second Mrs. WilsonNureyev's EyesSex With StrangersMy Name Is Asher Lev2016-2017Mama's BoyDaddy Long LegsAmerican SonBad JewsCurvy Widow2017-2018I Love You, You're Perfect, Now ChangeAn Act of GodAmerican HeroTryingThe Nerd2018-2019The Trial of Donna CaineA Doll's House Part 2Little Girl BlueThe ImmigrantToo Heavy for Your Pocket2019-2020Last Days of SummerMy Life on a DietMidwivesConscience2021 (Virtual)Bad DatesFully CommittedTiny Beautiful ThingsIt's Only A Play2021-2022Dear Jack, Dear LouiseIt's Only A PlayBaipasA Walk on the Moon2022-2023Her PortmanteauJOY The MusicalClyde'sThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling BeeTales From The Guttenberg Bible2023-2024The PianistHaving Our SayIbsen's GhostThe Clubtick, tick...BOOM!2023-2024What The Constitution Means to MeGene and GildaSMALLKing JamesThe Shark Is Broken2025-2026An Old-Fashioned Family MurderEbenezer Scrooge's Big Jersey Christmas ShowWhat Became of UsMy Lord, What A Night
See also Mason Gross School of the Arts, which includes the drama and theater conservatory at Rutgers as part of the university's fine and performing arts program
References
External links George Street Playhouse Home Page