About
Mission
New Ohio Theatre develops and presents the boldest and most innovative work from NYC’s independent theatre community, actively expanding the boundaries of what theatre is, how it’s made, and who makes it. With a 28 year history and two Obie Awards for Sustained Excellence for developing and presenting new work, we have established ourselves as a pillar of the downtown independent theatre community. We are known for our eclectic, expansive sensibilities, our artist-centric philosophy, and for creating an environment of generosity and open access.
We believe the best of NYC’s indie theatre community—the small, inspired, artist-driven ensembles and the daring producing companies who operate without a permanent theatrical home—are actively and aggressively expanding the boundaries of the American theatre. We nurture, strengthen, and promote this community of independent theatre artists for NYC’s most adventurous theater audiences.
Who We Are:
Artistic Director:
Robert Lyons
New Ohio Board of Directors:
Margaret Grossman – Chair
Chris Dickey
Erich Jungwirth
Robert Lyons
Vanessa Sparling
Maggie Weber
Press Representative:
David Gibbs/DARR Publicity
Press
“To put it bluntly, successful downtown theatre wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for residencies like this.”
— Joe Curnutte, The Mad Ones, on the Archive Residency
“The Ice Factory festival — an annual celebration of the weird, the wild, and the unexpectedly wonderful.”
— The New York Times
“The New Ohio’s cool curatorial eye always provides a welcome breeze.”
— Time Out NY
Selected Press For The New Ohio
“Review: HOLDEN Explores the Distance That Killing Requires”
— Claudia La Rocco, NY Times 8/06/2015
“The Upper Room is a NY Times Critics’ Pick”
— Laura Collins-Hughes, NY Times 5/29/2015
“The Upper Room: How Do You Feel About the Woman in the Walrus Mask?”
— Mark Blankenship, TDF Stages 6/1/2015
“Review: Six Rounds of Vengeance”
— Zachary Stewart, TheaterMania 4/29/2015
“Robot’s Have Feelings, Too, And Sing About Them Loudly”
— Christopher Murray, NY Observer 1/18/2015
“[FAMILY PLAY] Top 10 New York Theater of 2014”
— The Advocate 12/17/2014
“Powerhouse is a NY Times Critics’ Pick!”
— Andy Webster, NY Times 11/10/2014
“Feather Gatherers Gives a Twist to a Russian Folk Tale”
— Alexis Soloski, NY Times 7/10/2014
“Is The Archive Residency A Secret To Off-Off Broadway Survival?”
— TDF Stages, 5/2014
“Essential Straight & Narrow: NYT Critics’ Pick”
— Alexis Soloski, NY Times, 5/25/2014
“‘You Say You Want a Revolution…’ A Glimpse into NYC’s Independent Producing Scene”
— Crystal Skillman, The Brooklyn Rail, 3/2014
“It’s Bitesize Captain Kirk: NYT Critics’ Pick”
— Eric Grode, NY Times, 1/10/2014
“The Mutilated: Not Quite Laverne & Shirley”
— Charles Isherwood, NY Times, 11/12/2013
“Robert Lyons, stronger than ever: Ice Factory turns 20”
— Culturadar.com, 6/28/2013
Ice Factory 2013 is one of 20 summer shows to see in NYC
— TimeOut NY, 6/12/2013
“ICE FACTORY 2013 is a leap of faith”
— NY Post, 6/26/2013
“PILO is a weird, wild ride!”
— NYTheatre.com, 2/3/2013
Martin Denton anticipates PILO FAMILY CIRCUS
— The Villager, 1/17/2013
Half Straddle Wants to Bring You Some Really Weird Girl Magic
— Village Voice, 1/2/2013
Scott Brown’s Top 10 Theater Picks of 2012
— New York Magazine, 12/2/2012
IRT Theater/New Ohio Theatre Launches Residency Program
— backstage.com, 10/3/2012
Bulgarian Playwright Lands a N.Y. Premiere
— Wall Street Journal, 9/19/2012
Past productions at the Archive Building
Past productions at the original Ohio Theatre at 66 Wooster St.
ARCHIVE BUILDING HISTORY
Filling the entire block bounded by Barrow, Greenwich, Washington, and Christopher Streets, the Archive Building sits on an irregularly shaped lot more than an acre in size. Construction began in 1892 and was completed in 1899. The massive building reflected the Far West Village’s transition from earlier light residential use to a more commercial and industrial character that would remain for much of the twentieth century.
The building, originally termed the U.S. Appraisers’ Warehouse, was used by the U.S. Customs Service to assess the tariffs on goods arriving in New York via ship. After the Federal income tax was instituted in 1913, revenue generated by import tariffs was no longer a crucial component of the Federal budget and by the 1930s the building was reconfigured into office space for the National Archives, a post office, and other Federal agencies.
In 1973, the Archive Building was recognized by the State and National Register of Historic Places, but by 1976 the federal government deemed the building to be government surplus property and its future was in jeopardy. However a deal was successfully arranged to preserve the structure by transferring ownership to the New York State Urban Development Corporation. The UDC in turn leased the property to Rockrose Properties for residential conversion. The renovation of the current Archive Building was completed in 1988. It was one of the earlier examples of preservation by commercial conversion into residences in the city.