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Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54

Opening Hours
Today: Closed
Sun:
Closed
Mon:
10am–6pm
Tues:
10am–6pm
Wed:
10am–6pm
Thurs:
10am–6pm
Fri:
10am–6pm
Location
254 West 54th Street
Neighborhoods
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 1 Theaters Midtown West

Known primarily as the site of the infamous nightclub Studio 54, this building has far more history. Its tale starts in the early twentieth century, when it was erected as the Gallo Opera House. After a brief stint as the New York Theatre, and a longer one as the home of the Johnny Carson Show (as well as other television shows), the space was turned into the legendary disco club in 1977. Studio 54 was in business for less than three years, but its cultural legacy continues on. It is remembered as the wildest club in New York, where A-list celebrities and rock stars gathered to mingle and dance. Would-be clubbers were often turned away for lack of looks or glamour, and the nightclub met its demise in appropriately dramatic fashion when the IRS raided the building and arrested the owners for tax evasion.

For a time after that, the building was used as a concert venue, and then stood vacant for several years. In 1998, Roundabout Theatre Company moved its landmark production of Cabaret into the neglected theatre-turned-studio-turned-nightclub. Today, Studio 54 is a permanent home for Roundabout Theatre Company, and the Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret is back again, having another successful run in 2014.

Location
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Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 1 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 2 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 3 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 4 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 5 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 6 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 7 Theaters Midtown West
Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54 8 Theaters Midtown West

More Theaters nearby

Lost Gem
New York City Center 1 Dance Studios Performing Arts Dance Theaters Midtown West

New York City Center

Members of the Manhattan Sideways team stood in awe when we entered the New York City Center and realized that the extraordinary exterior matched the majestic interior. One of the most beautiful facades on the side streets is here on 55th, but behind its doors is a restored treasure trove. Hawley Abelow and Stanford Makishi, two passionate personnel from the marketing and programming departments, greeted us as we arrived and proceeded to give us a behind-the-scenes tour of what they termed to be “The family business of performing arts centers of New York.” Stanford called it the “most ‘un-corporate’ large venue” he has witnessed, and he and Hawley both have the credentials to make that judgment, having worked at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Both went on to say that even though they have to book acts with a certain amount of popularity in order to be financially viable, they are mainly concerned with what they put on the stage, rather than the profits. City Center also displays a refreshing lack of competitive spirit: “Other philanthropic programs are our colleagues, not competitors,” Stanford explained, while detailing his amicable dealings with some of the big theaters in the city.We started out walking on the center stage itself, where we could stare out at the breathtaking view of the tiers of seating. Each level was an intricately carved masterpiece, reminiscent of a Russian cathedral. Stanford said that dancers, actors and musicians love performing at City Center because the theater is built so that every seat feels close to the stage. He told us that their left wing is legendary, as there is a wall only a few feet from the edge of the stage. Apparently every ballerina knows not to make extravagant leaps off the left side unless they have someone waiting to prevent them from smashing into the wall. Stanford is qualified to speak about the performer’s experience, since he was a dancer for many years, and City Center was the first New York location at which he danced. On our particular visit, the stage was getting set up for that evening's performance by Bjork.Though Hawley is not a dancer, her career has similarly come full circle: when we explored the downstairs theater spaces, used by the Women’s Project and Manhattan Theater Company, she relayed that she started in the Production department at Manhattan Theater Company. Though not as grand as the main performance space, the downstairs theaters are more versatile. Stage 2 appears to be a “black box” theater, in which producers have more freedom with how they decide to set up the audience seating and set. Stage 1, on the day we saw it, was completely bare. This is not to say it was empty: cords and lights and ladders filled the stage, showing us a surgical biopsy of the theater. “This is as raw as it gets,” Hawley commented.We also had the privilege to peek into one of the City Center’s dance studios, where we observed men and women twisting like tilted windmills. Stanford and Hawley told us that the spaces, which are rented out to different companies, are heavily sought after because they are much larger than many studios in New York. Broadway casts covet them, but they often go to not-for-profit groups. “Broadway is not our priority,” Hawley stated. There was a "throne" at the back of the room, which was originally built as an auditorium for the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, an appendant body to the Freemasons. Stanford told us that they used to hold their secret meetings in the spaces that are now studios, and the man presiding would sit on the throne.It was when Stanford and Hawley began speaking about “Fall for Dance,” an event that aims to bring the “highest quality dance to the largest possible audience,” that they became especially animated. As Holly declared, “You can’t come to this show and not fall in love with dance.” The performances take place in the early fall, and apparently people line up in the middle of the night to be first to purchase tickets when they go on sale the following morning.Our tour continued to the lobby, which reminded us of a receiving hall in a palace. The design is neo-Moorish with murals depicting desert scenes. Hawley remarked that the colorful, intricate designs had been painted over in white during the 1970s due to a misguided sense of aestheticism, but in the recent renovations, they hired specialists who uncovered the original design. At the same time, screens were installed that display rainbow rivulets. Stanford informed us that the video was specially curated by the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton. Another dazzling piece of art was a mural that stretched across an entire wall of the Patron’s Lobby. It was created by a Cuban artist, and had been borrowed to complement his country's dance troupe’s performance. “We try to make performances meaningful for the audiences,” Sanford commented. Every element of the theater is in place to enhance what is on the stage.

More places on 54th Street

Lost Gem
The Neighborhood Playhouse 1 Schools Dance Studios Studios Dance Non Profit Organizations Midtown East

The Neighborhood Playhouse

The Neighborhood Playhouse is both a great community resource and an old-fashioned reminder of the timelessness of great theater. Virtually invisible from the street, the only clue to its existence is a red, unmarked door and a modest sign. Once inside, however, I discovered that this almost one hundred year old building holds within it a proscenium theater, a full-size dance studio, and plenty of dressing rooms and classrooms. What a fascinating tour I was treated to by Emily Duncan, the admissions administrator, where I learned about their history and mission.The lobby, with its shabby elegance, features photos of famous graduates, as well as scenes from plays over the course of the school's history. The top two floors of the building are devoted to a beautiful dance studio with wood floors and soaring ceilings. A lover of dance, I was particularly moved when Emily announced that I was standing in the former domain of dancer and choreographer, Martha Graham, who taught at the Neighborhood Playhouse alongside actor and teacher, Sanford Meisner.I was also enrapt by Christine Cirker, the librarian, who proudly discussed their vast collection of plays and theatre criticism. Incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the world of theater, she told me that she also teaches classes on script interpretation. Christine went on to explain the playhouse's claim to fame: the Meisner Technique, a method of acting that emphasizes that one should "live truthfully under given imaginary circumstances." Sanford Meisner developed his famous improvisation-based technique at the Playhouse in the mid-1940s, which continues to train actors to this day. It counts among its list of prominent alumni names: Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall and Steve McQueen; and more recently, it has added to its roster, Allison Janney and Chris Noth.The playhouse trains about one hundred students at any given time, seventy-five first-years and twenty-five second-years who have been invited back as a result of a unanimous faculty vote. According to Emily, graduates have an easier time finding work than most aspiring actors due to their alma mater's extensive network of influential writers, directors, and actors. Much of the faculty is closely involved in the theater world, and as Pamela Moller Kareman, the playhouse's executive director, shared, "It's a big leap to become a professional actor; we want people to know that you can do this with your life." And from the time that I spent here, it became apparent that the staff at Neighborhood Playhouse is there to guide and support students every step of the way.