~ OBIE AWARD WINNER 2011 ~  Metropolitan Playhouse Finding America, One Play at a Time 220 East Fourth Street  ~  New York, New York   10009 (212) 995 8410 connect@metropolitanplayhouse.org
Home	Next	Season	Tickets	Company	Location	Mission	History	Links

Lowering the Curtain at Metropolitan

Dear Friends and Supporters, Metropolitan Playhouse, after thirty-one seasons in New York City, is leaving our long-time home in the East Village and suspending production for the foreseeable future. Over the decades, we have accomplished far more than we might have dreamed. The company has brought to light and recognition nearly 100 forgotten and overlooked gems in the collection of American theater from 1787 to the present. We introduced dozens of new theatrical voices to the world through their adaptations of and responses to the works of classic American authors in our Living Literature festivals. We celebrated the life and history of our neighborhood and its residents in nearly 100 solo-performances and over 100 new one-act plays in our East Side Stories. We hosted countless evenings of music and dance. Most important: bringing artists and audience together with optimism, curiosity, and love through that work, Metropolitan has been a home for the promise and possibility of theater. Yet, there are limitations inherent in a company of our size, and as we reach the end of this particular run, we are conceiving best ways to preserve Metropolitan’s theatrical legacy and the creative spirit that sustained it. The Playhouse and Virtual Playhouse are ventures of Parsifal's Productions, Inc., and our immediate plans include collaborating with scholars and historians to create an easily accessible online archive of the company's achievements that will continue bringing contemporary attention to signal works of American theater. We’re also considering new production and funding models with an eye to future stage and video production in the years to come. Today, I personally wish to thank Metropolitan’s founders and everyone who has been a part of the journey that began for me twenty-two years ago, when I took the reins of the company. There is no overstating my appreciation for the artists, patrons, and supporters who have come together—in person and online, as well—show after show, year after year, discovery after discovery. Yours, Alex Roe July 2023