For the first time in almost 50 years, New York City’s Ensemble Studio Theatre is getting a facelift. The 545–549 W. 52 St., Manhattan home will see a complete renovation, adding offices and rehearsal spaces to its second floor facilities in addition to fixing up its long-running performance space, the Curt Dempster Theatre. The building’s ground floor will see an all-new, 99-seat mainstage performance space along with a lobby, restrooms, and dressing rooms for talent.
These renovations come thanks to generous funding from the New York City Council and the Office of the Mayor of New York City and its Department of Cultural Affairs. An additional funding commitment from the late Himan Brown’s Radio Drama Network will see the City’s pledge increased even further to nearly $3 million.
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“The Ensemble Studio Theatre is joyously, eternally grateful to Mayor Bill DeBlasio, to cultural affairs commissioner Tom Finkelpearl and Andy Burmeister, to the visionary New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, to our wonderful local council member Corey Johnson, and to Jimmy Van Bremer, Julissa Ferreras-Copeland, Daniel Garodnick, and the entire New York City Council for its extraordinarily generous capital funding allocation in support of our theatre’s planned first complete renovation in nearly 50 years,” Ensemble Studio Theatre artistic director William Carden said in a statement. “[Their] joint action will extend the life of our City-owned facility and improve the safety and comfort for the theatergoing public and New York City theatre artists from all five Boroughs for decades to come. We also are profoundly grateful to Melina Brown, president of the Radio Drama Network, for their extremely generous private commitment that served to catalyze the City’s funding allocation.”
Ensemble Studio Theatre just wrapped its 2015–16 theatrical season with “Kentucky” (pictured above). Programming for its upcoming 2016–17 is to be announced.
For more information on the Ensemble Studio theatre, visit its website at ensemblestudiotheatre.org.
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