Atlantic Theater Company facts for kids
Official company logo
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| Address | 336 West 20th Street Manhattan, New York City United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°44′38″N 74°00′07″W / 40.743912°N 74.001819°W |
| Type | Off-Broadway |
| Capacity | 199 – Linda Gross Theater 99 – Stage 2 |
| Opened | 1985 |
The Atlantic Theater Company is a famous Off-Broadway theater group in New York City. Off-Broadway theaters are smaller than Broadway's biggest stages, often showing new and creative plays. The company is a non-profit, which means its main goal is to create art, not to make money.
It was started in 1985 by the famous playwright David Mamet, actor William H. Macy, and their acting students. The company is known for a special acting style called Practical Aesthetics. It has a professional theater and its own acting school.
The company has two main theaters. The Linda Gross Theater is the larger one, with 199 seats. It is located inside a historic church building from 1854. The smaller theater, called Stage 2, is a 99-seat black-box theater. This type of theater is a simple, square room painted black, so the audience can focus on the story and actors. Stage 2 is where Atlantic develops new plays.
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Famous Productions
Since it began, the Atlantic Theater Company has put on more than 200 plays. It is known for helping new and talented playwrights share their stories.
Award-Winning Musicals
The company has produced several musicals that went on to win the Tony Award, which is one of the highest honors in American theater. These include:
- Spring Awakening
- The Band's Visit
- Kimberly Akimbo
Notable Plays
Atlantic has also worked with many famous playwrights. They have a special connection with Irish writer Martin McDonagh. The company was the first to show four of his plays in New York, including The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Both of these plays were so popular that they later moved to larger Broadway theaters.
Other important plays produced by Atlantic include works by its founder, David Mamet, and classic writers like Harold Pinter and J. B. Priestley.
The Atlantic Acting School
The Atlantic Acting School is a big part of the company. It offers a full-time program for students who want to become professional actors. It also has a program for students at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.
What is Practical Aesthetics?
The school teaches a special acting technique called Practical Aesthetics. This method was created by David Mamet and William H. Macy. It teaches actors to break down a script to understand what a character wants in a scene. The goal is to help actors make clear, simple, and truthful choices on stage.
Famous Graduates
Many actors who studied at the Atlantic Acting School have become famous in movies and television. Some of the school's well-known alumni include:
- Felicity Huffman (actress nominated for an Academy Award)
- Clark Gregg (actor and director known for playing Agent Coulson in the Avengers movies)
- Rose Byrne (actress nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards)
- Jason Ritter (actor nominated for an Emmy Award)
- Gillian Jacobs (star of the TV shows Community and Love)
2025 Labor Agreement
In early 2025, the stagehands at the Atlantic Theater Company, who are the workers that build sets and manage the stage, went on strike. A strike is when workers stop working to ask for better pay or working conditions. They were supported by their union, IATSE, and the actors' union. The company and the workers had a disagreement over their work contract. After discussions, they reached an agreement on March 25, 2025, and the stagehands returned to work.
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