Space Specifications
The space at 65 Broadway allows the studio realize its goals as a world-class training and cultural center. The studio occupies 30,000 square feet spread over two floors. The facility includes four theaters, ten rehearsal studios and several additional community gathering spaces.
Identifying a space that was both affordable and which had physical specifications vital to the studio’s work was a necessity. Thanks to a highly effective and efficient capital team led by Artistic Director Tom Oppenheim, the new space boasts a long-term lease at a competitive rate. And the physical space at 65 Broadway fits the bill: the second floor has palatial 16 foot ceilings which are high enough to hang theater lights from an electrical grid overhead and still have space to swing a sword. It also has 25 foot column spans, a width appropriate to black box theaters, which are primarily used by large ensemble casts.
The space also allows the studio to breathe and expand. For comparison, there will be a full 10,000 square feet more at 65 Broadway than the studio previously occupied at its facility in Chelsea. The additional space allows for two more rehearsal studios, two dedicated dressing rooms and a dedicated space for a library and student lounge for the first time ever. The additional square footage also permits space for a larger faculty lounge and production shop. Several community gathering spaces for audience members and students alike are planned throughout the facility. The studio occupies the entire second floor, which includes the main reception area, and has an additional ground floor space.
The building at 65 Broadway, known as the American Express building for that company’s history there, occupies a full city block from Broadway to Trinity Place. Today, the building is known for its landmark status and beautiful design including its New-Classical Broadway façade and double story Corinthian colonnade and large arched windows. There is immediate access to nine major subway lines (1, 4, 5, A, C, J, Z, R, W) and walking proximity to almost all others.
