Todo con Nada (also known as NADA) was an Obie Award winning Off-Off-Broadway theatre company, founded in 1988 by Aaron Beall, Tim Carryer, and Babs Bailey in a small storefront on Ludlow Street in New York City's East Village."Camden Toy Interview". 2007-08-14. Archived from the original on 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2017-06-19. After twelve years of continuous operation, the theatre permanently shuttered in 2000.Lefkowitz, David. “Court Gives Nada Until Nov. 10 to Raise $22K.” Playbill, October 31, 2000. https://playbill.com/article/court-gives-nada-until-nov-10-to-raise-22k-com-92760.
History Established in 1988 by Aaron Beall, Tim Carryer, and Babs Bailey as "Theater Club Funambules" in a modest venue on Ludlow Street in New York’s East Village, the company underwent significant changes after Carryer and Bailey left in 1991. Beall subsequently rebranded both the company and the venue as "Todo con Nada," or simply, "NADA." In addition to the Ludlow Street space, NADA ran two other venues in Midtown Manhattan: "NADA 45" on 45th Street and "NADA Show World," located in a former strip club near the Port Authority Bus Terminal.Dunning, Jennifer. “Family Fare.” The New York Times, October 1, 1999. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/01/arts/family-fare.html.
Many noteworthy artists of the downtown arts scene received their start at NADA. Target Margin Theater had its first major success at NADA with a reimagining of William Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, as did Elevator Repair Service and The Neo-Futurists, now both staples of the avant-garde theatre scene. NADA was also home to the early work of many noteworthy American playwrights, including Kirk Wood Bromley, Todd Alcott, Brian Parks, and Honor Molloy. Obie Award winning actor James Urbaniak regularly performed there, as did performance artists Deb Margolin, Sally Greenhouse and John Leguizamo.Simonson, Robert. “NADA Faces Imminent Closure of 167 Ludlow Theatre; Operations Continue at Midtown Show World.” Playbill, November 9, 2000. https://playbill.com/article/nada-faces-imminent-closure-of-167-ludlow-theatre-operations-continue-at-midtown-show-world-com-93093.
Over the years, NADA became known for its ambitious festivals, featuring works by playwrights like Richard Foreman and Charles Ludlam, as well as inventive adaptations of classics such as William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust.
In November of 2000, the company was evicted from its original space due to unpaid rent. Archival materials related to NADA including newspaper clippings, flyers, postcards, and various documents chronicling the company's history and productions are housed at the New York Public Library.NADA Theatre Company Records, 1988–2000, Theater Collection, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, New York, NY.https://archives.nypl.org/the/21687
Notable productions The Nino Nada Theater Festival for Children (1999)Graebel, Laurel. “Family Fare.” The New York Times, October 1, 1999. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/01/arts/family-fare.html. God of Vengeance by Sholem Asch and Carolyn Cantor (1998)Cantor, Carolyn. “God of Vengeance at Todo con Nada, December 1998.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/67109-god-of-vengeance-at-todo-con-nada-december-1998. "No Strings Attached, Part Two: Mind Attack!" Richard Foreman Festival (1998)Simonson, Robert. “Off-Broadway’s Nada Throws Second Richard Foreman Fest, Through Aug. 1.” Playbill, July 21, 1998. https://playbill.com/article/off-broadways-nada-throws-second-richard-foreman-fest-through-aug-1-com-76559. "No String Attached," Richard Foreman Festival (1997) Jobey And Katherine by Greg Kotis (1997)Kotis, Greg. “Jobey and Katherine at Todo con Nada, 1997.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/81463-jobey-and-katherine-at-todo-con-nada-1997. "Toddfest" Todd Alcott Festival (1996)"Theater Week." United States: That New Magazine, Incorporated, 1996, p. 52. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Theater_Week/DJEJAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=nada+todd+alcott&dq=nada+todd+alcott&printsec=frontcover Want's Unwisht Work by Kirk Wood Bromley (1996)Inverse Theater. “Productions.” Inverse Theater. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://inversetheater.org/productions/. Wolverine Dream by Brian Parks(1996) Vomit and Roses by Brian Parks (1995)The Villager, 6 August 1997https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=tv19970806-01.1.7&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN---------- Cymbeline by William Shakespeare (1995)Shakespeare, William. “Cymbeline at Todo con Nada, November 25–December 23, 1995.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/67102-cymbeline-at-todo-con-nada-november-25-december-23-1995. The Nutcracker by Douglas Langworthy and David Herskovits (1995)Langworthy, Douglas. “The Nutcracker at Todo con Nada, November 25–December 23, 1995.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/67103-the-nutcracker-at-todo-con-nada-november-25-december-23-1995. Hamlet by William Shakespeare (1993)Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet at Todo con Nada, November 18–21, 1993.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/67098-hamlet-at-todo-con-nada-november-18-21-1993. Molloy by Honor Molloy (1993)“‘MOLLOY’ FOLLOWS IN FATHER’S ACTING, WRITING FOOTSTEPS.” The Morning Call, March 6, 1993. https://www.mcall.com/1993/03/06/molloy-follows-in-fathers-acting-writing-footsteps/ LCD-TV by Elisa DeCarlo (1992)DeCarlo, Elisa. “LCD-TV (Lowest Common Denominator Television) at Nada, April 30–May 10, 1992.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/46776-lcd-tv-lowest-common-denominator-television-at-nada-april-30-may-10-1992. Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare (1991)Shakespeare, William. “Titus Andronicus at Nada, September 5–29, 1991.” AboutTheArtists. Accessed April 20, 2025. https://www.abouttheartists.com/productions/67094-titus-andronicus-at-nada-september-5-29-1991.
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