The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep,The official website's "About" page now use "Soho", with a lowercase h, as do most articles from the New York Times is an American off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for producing avant-garde plays by contemporary writers. Lefkowitz, David. Simonson, Robert. "Flying Distress Doesn't Hinder Flying Machine's Distress at Soho Rep". Playbill. September 30, 2001 Sparks, Cator. "An Evening With Soho Rep. The Broadway of the Avant Garde." HuffPost. May 4, 2011 The company, described as a "cultural pillar", is currently located in a 65-seat theatre in the TriBeCa section of lower Manhattan. The company, and the projects it has produced, have won multiple prizes and earned critical acclaim, including numerous Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Drama Critics' Circle Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize.The Pulitzer Prizes, The 2019 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Drama, Retrieved February 23, 2021 A recent highlight was winning the Drama Desk Award for Sustained Achievement for "nearly four decades of artistic distinction, innovative production, and provocative play selection."
Notable artists who have recently created work at the theater, often early in their careers, include: David Adjmi, César Alvarez, Annie Baker, Alice Birch, Christopher Chen, Jackie Sibblies Drury, debbie tucker green, Aleshea Harris, Lucas Hnath, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Daniel Alexander Jones, Young Jean Lee, Richard Maxwell, Nature Theater of Oklahoma and Anne Washburn.
The New York Times has described it as a "safer home for dangerous plays". Critics note the “jaw dropping premieres” and “big plays in a small room” as defining features of the theater’s programming. New Yorker theatre critic Hilton Als wrote about current director Sarah Benson:
In 2019 the company adopted a shared leadership model. The three Directors of the theater of the company Sarah Benson, Cynthia Flowers, and Meropi Peponides led the theater until Benson and Peponides' departure in 2023.
In 2023, Caleb Hammons and Eric Ting joined Cynthia Flowers as co-directors of the theater.
The company has an annual budget of around $2 million and employs a full-time staff of seven. In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the company put eight artists on salary for the 2020-21 season through the creation of a job creation program titled Project Number One referencing Federal Project Number One.Playbill magazine, Dan Meyer, September 24, 2020, Becca Blackwell, Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Jillian Walker, More Hired to Create New Works at SoHo Rep, Retrieved February 23, 2021
History
The Soho Repertory Theatre company was founded in 1975 by Jerry Engelbach and Marlene Swartz. From June through September 1975, they remodeled a former textile factory in SoHo. They wanted the space to feel "light and informal" so the audience would feel comfortable.Two New Soho Theaters Soho News; Sep 18, 1975; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera" They produced their first play, Maxwell Anderson's Key Largo, on September 25. Their initial focus was on rarely seen classical plays, such as works by Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Molière, Jean Anouilh, Michel de Ghelderode, Eugene O'Neill and Samuel Beckett.Soho Rep: Classics Backstage (Archive 1960–2000); Sep 5th, 1975; 16, 35; Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive pg. 20 By 1979, the company was sometimes producing two shows per night, allowing audiences to see both plays in succession on a Saturday night.Soho Rep: Converting a ground floor fabric warehouse. Theatre Crafts; Sep 28, 1979; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera" The founding duo produced more than a hundred plays until Engelbach left in 1989. Author credit: BWW, Broadway World News Desk. "The Soho Rep Book To Be Released". Broadway World. December 19, 2011.
Since its early days, the company's focus has shifted to contemporary avant-garde theatrical works. In 1981, after producing works from Shakespeare to Shaw, the company produced its first new play: Stephen Davis Parks' The Idol Makers.Blau, Eleanor. "Weekender Guide; Friday; MISS SHANGE AT THE KITCHEN" (Web.). nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2014. "The SoHo Repertory Theater at 19 Mercer Street doesn't normally stage new plays; it is known for producing rarely performed works by famous writers. However, starting tonight at 8, it will break with tradition to present the New York premiere of The Idol Makers by Stephen Davis Parks." Among the many new works presented were plays by Americans Len Jenkin and Mac Wellman.
After 1989, Swartz partnered with English director Julian Webber, and they worked together for the next decade until Swartz departed in 1999. The company was run by Artistic Director Daniel Aukin from 1998 to 2006, and he produced new work by artists including Adam Bock, Young Jean Lee, Richard Maxwell, Melissa James Gibson, and María Irene Fornés.
Sarah Benson was appointed as Artistic Director in 2007. Around this time, the company transitioned from the smaller off-off-Broadway model of less than 100 seats to an off-Broadway contract, typically reserved for theatres with a 100-499 seat capacity.
Benson and Flowers ran the theater together from 2012 until being joined by Producer Meropi Peponides in 2014. In the last decade the company has taken on ambitious projects often winning awards and critical acclaim. One of Benson's first plays was writer Sarah Kane’s Blasted which won the director an Obie Award. Benson's production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's An Octoroon won an Obie for Best New American Play and transferred to Theatre for a New Audience. Taibi Magar's production of Aleshea Harris' 'Is God Is' re-opened Walkerspace in 2018 following renovations and won multiple Obie awards. Benson directed Jackie Sibblies Drury's 'Fairview' which won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and had an extended run. The company celebrates with an annual gala usually in the spring, sometimes on a rooftop.
Performance spaces During the forty-five years of its existence, the theatre has produced in several venues in lower Manhattan, often being forced to move because of issues with rent or city building requirements, and survived from time to time with help from city authorities and supporters. Its first space in 1975 on 19 Mercer Street was in a converted hat warehouse, described by the founders as a "practical adaptation of the Shakespearean playhouse laid out in a modest modern space".Sommers, Michael Soho Rep has 90 Days to Seek New Space Backstage; Apr 13, 1984; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera"Soho Rep on the Move... Again Backstage; Jun 28, 1985; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera"Soho Rep Finds New Home Backstage; October 26, 1984; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera" In 1985, Bob Moss of Playwrights Horizons, assisted by the mayor's office and a grant from the Manhattan Borough President, helped them relocate to a 100-seat neo-classical theater attached to Bellevue Hospital. While the theatre had a separate entrance from the psychiatric hospital, sometimes backstage their actors and writers rode the same elevator with patients, recalled playwright Mac Wellman. After a year they moved to Greenwich Village, and stayed there until 1991,Graves, Michael Soho Rep Finds New Home in Village; Opens Season with "Two Orphans" Backstage; February 14, 1986; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera" when they found their present-day space at 46 Walker Street in Tribeca. Dubbed Walkerspace, the present theatre is only a few blocks from the company's original venue. Sommers, Michael. "THE NATURALISTS: A ROMANTIC TRIANGLE SHOOTS UP IN THE IRISH COUNTRYSIDE". New York Stage Review. SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 The company has been at this location except for a short period for building renovations, which had been paid for with a fundraising campaign as well as help from the city's building commissioner, Rick Chandler and Julie Menin.Paulson, Michael (April 24, 2017) "With Help From City, Soho Rep Will Return to Theater It Vacated" The New York Times In July 2024, Soho Rep announced it would be leaving its longtime home of Walkerspace, citing rising rent costs, lack of accessibility, and the costs of persistent repairs. The company will share space with Playwrights Horizons as it considers long-term plans.
Staff Marlene Swartz, Co-Artistic Director (1975–1995) Jerry Engelbach, Co-Artistic Director (1975–1989) Julian Webber, Co-Artistic Director (1990–1998) Daniel Aukin, Artistic Director (1998–2006) Sarah Benson, Artistic Director (2007–2019) Director (2019-2023) Meropi Peponides Producer (2014–2019) Director (2019-2023) Cynthia Flowers Executive Director (2012–2019) Director (2019–present) Caleb Hammons Producer (2011–2013) Director (2023–present) Eric Ting Director (2023–present) Since 2019, Soho Rep has used a shared leadership model.
Dramatic productions Season Title Playwright Director Awards Producing Partners1975–76 (Season 1)19 Mercer StreetKey LargoMaxwell AndersonJerry EngelbachThe Master BuilderTwo New Soho Theaters Soho News; Sep 18, 1975; New York Public Library Billy Rose Theatre Division, "Soho Repertory Theatre Ephemera"Henrik IbsenMarlene SwartzCoriolanusWilliam ShakespeareJerry EngelbachThe CongresswomenAristophanes, translation and music by William and Billie SnowMarlene SwartzThe Infernal MachineJean CocteauMichael WrightAnna ChristieGilbert, Ruth (Mar 22, 1976). "In and Around Town". New York. Retrieved 17 November 2014.Eugene O'NeillMarlene SwartzHeartbreak HouseGeorge Bernard ShawJerry EngelbachThe FatherAugust Strindberg, adapted by Jonathan FurstJonathan FurstAbelard and EloiseGilbert, Ruth (Apr 19, 1976). "In and Around Town". New York Retrieved 17 November 2014.Ronald DuncanCharles ConwellThe Imaginary InvalidGilbert, Ruth (May 3, 1976). "In and Around Town". New York. Retrieved 17 November 2014.Molière, translation by Frances KosbabMarlene SwartzBimbos in ParadiseGilbert, Ruth (May 10, 1976). "In and Around Town". New York. Retrieved 17 November 2014.B. PruneMichael WrightPrivate LivesGilbert, Ruth (Jun 21, 1976). "In and Around Town". New York Retrieved 17 November 2014.Noël CowardJack H. CunninghamCandidaGeorge Bernard ShawJerry Engelbach1976–77 (Season 2)Six Play Subscription Costs $12The Birthday PartyBarry, Ann (ed.) (August 1, 1976) "Arts and Leisure Guide: Off Off Broadway" The New York Times. Accessed October 6, 2014Harold PinterMarlene SwartzDracula"Dracula Thrills". nytimes.com. November 5, 1976. p. 46. Retrieved November 2, 2014.Bram Stoker, adapted by Jerry EngelbachJerry EngelbachFaustus X SevenBased on "Doctor Faustus," by Christopher Marlowe, adapted by Jerry EngelbachCarol Corwen and Jerry EngelbachThe Merchant of VeniceWilliam ShakespeareMarlene SwartzBilly LiarGilbert, Ruth (June 27, 1977) "In and Around Town" New York. Retrieved 20 November 2014.Keith Waterhouse and Willis HallJerry EngelbachUncle VanyaAnton Chekhov, adapted by Marlene SwartzMarlene Swartz Spring's AwakeningFrank Wedekind, adapted by Carol Corwen and Mary Eileen O'DonnellCarol CorwenBack to MethuselahGeorge Bernard ShawStephen R. LiebWhat the Butler SawGilbert, Ruth (Feb 21, 1977). "In and Around Town". New York. Retrieved 20 November 2014.Joe OrtonMarlene SwartzThe Dock BriefJohn MortimerSteven BurchThe Public EyePeter ShafferStephen R. LiebBlack ComedyMartin, Raphael, ed. (2011). The Soho Rep Book: Thirty-Five Years of New York City's Big Small Theater(1st ed.). New York: On Stage Press.Peter ShafferFrank CentoUnder Milk WoodDylan ThomasHarrison EwingJuly 2 and ThanksgivingStan KaplanJerry EngelbachRainJohn Colton and Clemence Randolph, based on the novel by W. Somerset MaughamJack H. CunninghamGhostsHenrik IbsenMarlene Swartz1977–78