Penguin Rep facts for kids
Penguin Rep is a special theater company located in Stony Point, New York. It's a non-profit group, which means they don't aim to make money, but rather to share amazing plays with everyone. This theater has been putting on shows for over 40 years! The famous newspaper, The New York Times, even called it "the gutsiest little theatre."
Penguin Rep was started by Joe Brancato, who is the artistic director. His goal was to bring a new kind of theater to the area. They wanted to show new plays and help new writers and actors. They also wanted to get more people excited about going to the theater.
Under the guidance of Joe Brancato and Executive Director Andrew M. Horn, Penguin Rep has become very popular. Over 150,000 people have come to watch shows at their cozy 108-seat theater. These visitors come from the Hudson Valley and even further away.
Penguin Rep has put on more than 100 plays that people have loved. Many of these were brand new plays, called premieres. Some famous writers whose plays were shown include Warren Leight (who wrote Side Man), Arthur Laurents (who wrote West Side Story), and Elizabeth Swados (who wrote Runaways).
Amazing Shows from Penguin Rep
Penguin Rep has helped many plays become successful. Here are some of the plays that started or were featured at Penguin Rep and later became very popular:
- From Door to Door by James Sherman. This play later opened in New York City.
- Cobb by Lee Blessing. This play won a special award called The Drama Desk Award. It was even produced by actor Kevin Spacey in Los Angeles.
- Glimmer, Glimmer and Shine by Tony Award winner Warren Leight. This play was shown at big theaters like Manhattan Theatre Club.
- 2½ Jews by Alan Brandt. This play was performed in many theaters across the country.
- The Marriage Fool by Richard Vetere. This play was even made into a TV movie starring famous actors Carol Burnett and Walter Matthau.
- One Shot, One Kill by Richard Vetere. This play was shown in New York City.
- The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. This play was turned into the movie Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp.
- The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith by Angelo Parra. This play traveled to many important theaters and even started touring in 2010.
- Playing the Assassin by David Robson. This play also moved to other theaters like TheaterWorks Hartford.
