About IRT

IRT is a grassroots laboratory for independent theater and performance in New York City, providing space and support to a new generation of artists. Tucked away in the old Archive Building in Greenwich Village, IRT’s mission is to build a community of emerging and established artists by creating a home for the development and presentation of new work.

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HISTORY

In 2007, IRT Theater embarked on a groundbreaking journey to support emerging and established artists, to give young artists a unique opportunity to work with professionals, and to offer development and performance opportunities for Deaf artists and audiences. With new Artistic Director, Kori Rushton, the company created its artist in residency program & completely revamped its staff & business model. Today IRT Theater is focused in two primary areas.  First, IRT fosters independent artists by providing space, support, and most important, time to create their work through its Archive Residency and 3B Development Series, in which there are several residencies reserved for Deaf artists. Second, IRT mentors the next generation of theater artists through its educational program. Launched in 2012, Westside Experiment, is a teen acting laboratory that pairs students with working experimental theater artists to learn about their craft and create an original theater piece at IRT.

Some of the pioneering artists who have developed work at IRT are: Young Jean Lee, Reggie Watts, Mike Daisey, New York Live Arts, Tommy Smith, Thomas Bradshaw, Crystal Skillman, Jose Zayas, May Adrales, terraNOVA Collective, Immediate Medium, Vampire Cowboys, The Nonsense Company/Rick Burkhardt, The Mad Ones, Collaboration Town, Rady&Bloom, Katt Lissard, Erica Fay and many others.

Established in 1986 as Interborough Repertory Theater by Luane Haggerty & Jonathan Fluck, IRT spent its first two decades nurturing artistic freedom & career development for a wide-ranging community of performing artists, providing over 200 first-time professional NYC creative jobs while producing over sixty-eight original scripts in forms ranging from staged readings to full off-Broadway productions. With respect for the past, IRT looks forward to a bright future.

Archive Building photo by wallyg via Flickr