The Neighborhood Playhouse

When it opened in 1915 as The Neighborhood Playhouse, until its resident company disbanded in 1927, the Abrons’ national landmark theater was the undisputed home of NYC’s avant-garde. Revisit this incredible story with celebrated theater historian John P. Harrington, whose new book The Life of the Neighborhood Playhouse on Grand Street is the first full-length study of the Playhouse’s remarkable early history. Peppered with such legendary figures as Ethel Barrymore, Ellen Terry, and Lillian Wald, Dr. Harrington highlights the theater’s notable productions, its gradual shift in mission, and the tensions between art and social work. A reception and book-signing with the author follows.