Atlantic Theater Company facts for kids
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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 special kind of theater in New York City. It's an Off-Broadway theater, which means it's smaller than the big Broadway shows but still very important. It's also a non-profit group, meaning it uses its money to put on plays and teach, not to make a profit.
This theater company started in 1985. It was created by two famous people, David Mamet and William H. Macy, along with 30 of their acting students from New York University. They were inspired by older, famous theater groups and acting ideas, like those from Konstantin Stanislavski.
The Atlantic Theater Company has two main stages in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. The main stage is called the Linda Gross Theater. It can seat 199 people. This theater is in a historic building that was built in 1854 and updated in 2012. The second stage is called Stage 2. It's a smaller, 99-seat theater that opened in 2006. Stage 2 is a special place where new plays are created and tested out. This includes writing new stories, doing readings, and holding workshops.
Amazing Plays and Shows
Since it began, the Atlantic Theater Company has put on more than 200 plays! Many of these plays have been very successful. Some even won the famous Tony Award, which is like an Oscar for theater.
- Spring Awakening
- The Band's Visit
- Kimberly Akimbo
The company has also worked a lot with a talented Irish writer named Martin McDonagh. They have shown four of his plays for the first time in New York. Two of these plays, The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Beauty Queen of Leenane, later moved to Broadway, which is a huge step for a play!
Many plays by one of the founders, David Mamet, have also been performed here. These include The Duck Variations and The Water Engine. The Atlantic Theater Company continues to put on new and exciting plays. Some recent shows include On the Shore of the Wide World and The Great Leap.
Learn to Act at Atlantic
The Atlantic Theater Company also has its own acting school. It's called the Atlantic Acting School. Students can join as part of a special program with the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.
The school teaches a unique way of acting called "Practical Aesthetics." This method helps actors perform in a very real and honest way. It was developed by David Mamet and William H. Macy in the 1980s. Many students who have graduated from the Atlantic Acting School have gone on to create their own theater groups. This shows how much they learned and how creative they are!
See also
