Playwrights Horizons

History

Playwrights Horizons was founded in 1971 at the Clark Center Y by Robert Moss, before moving to 42nd Street in 1977 where it was one of the original theaters that started Theater Row by converting adult entertainment venues into off Broadway theaters. The current building was built on the site of a former burlesque, which previously served as the off-Broadway Maidman Playhouse between 1960 and 1966.

André Bishop served as Artistic Director from 1981 to 1991, followed by Don Scardino who served through 1995. Tim Sanford served as Artistic Director from 1996 until July 2020, serving as "outgoing Artistic Director" during the 2020-2021 season. Adam Greenfield took over as Artistic Director in July 2020. In 2023, Managing Director Leslie Marcus ended her 30-year tenure with the company.

Playwrights Horizons has worked with over 375 writers and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 2005, it was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Playwrights Horizons' auxiliary programs include the Playwrights Horizons Theater School, which is affiliated with NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and Ticket Central, a central box office that supports the off-Broadway performing arts community. Designated to give undergraduate students a foundation within various fields of theater. The theater school is split between a traditional two year program, focusing on skills and techniques as a theater artist, and an advanced training program, which is meant to help students build a connection between undergraduate training and their independent careers. Founded in 2010, Clubbed Thumb and Playwrights Horizons founded SuperLab, which aimed to support creative thinking by producing six new plays.

In December 2025, a lawsuit was filed against Playwrights Horizon, alleging that a discount offered to patrons who identified as people of color was racially discriminatory. The plaintiff was represented by an attorney whose organization had filed 21 lawsuits in the previous two years. Playwrights Horizon issued a statement in response to the litigation, calling the lawsuit "meritless."

Awards

Past productions include seven Pulitzer Prize winners:

• Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George (1985)
• Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy (1988)
• Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles (1989)
• Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife (2004)
• Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park (2011)
• Annie Baker's The Flick (2014)
• Michael R. Jackson's A Strange Loop (2020)

List of Obie Awards:

Notable productions

Notable productions include:

• Assassins – Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman
• Betty's Summer Vacation and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You – Christopher Durang
• Circle Mirror Transformation and The Flick – Annie Baker
• Clybourne Park and The Pain and the Itch – Bruce Norris
• Dance Nation — Clare Barron
• Detroit – Lisa D'Amour
• Floyd Collins – Adam Guettel and Tina Landau
• Grey Gardens – Doug Wright, Scott Frankel, and Michael Korie
• Goodnight Children Everywhere and Franny's Way – Richard Nelson
• Heroes of the Fourth Turning – Will Arbery
• Hir — Taylor Mac
• In Trousers, March of the Falsettos, and Falsettoland – William Finn
• James Joyce's The Dead – Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey
• Lobby Hero – Kenneth Lonergan
• Marvin's Room – Scott McPherson
• Prince Faggot – Jordan Tannahill
• The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin – Kirsten Childs
• The Curious Case of the Watson Intelligence — Madeleine George
• The Dining Room – A.R. Gurney
• The Substance of Fire – Jon Robin Baitz
• The Thanksgiving Play — Larissa FastHorse
• The Treasurer - Max Posner
• This – Melissa James Gibson
• Small Tragedy and Prayer for My Enemy – Craig Lucas
• Stereophonic – David Adjmi
• Violet – Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley

References

References

1. Sherman, Rachel. (2023-05-09). "‘Teeth’ Adaptation and ‘Stereophonic’ in Playwrights Horizons New Season". The New York Times.
2. Culwell-Block, Logan. (2024-06-28). "Casey York Joins Playwrights Horizons as Managing Director".
3. "Maidman Playhouse". [[Lortel Archives]].
4. (2019). "Tim Sanford to Step Down as Playwrights Horizons Artistic Director". Playbill.
5. Roberts, Sam. (2005-07-06). "City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million". [[The New York Times]].
6. "Playwrights Horizons Curriculum".
7. Schulman, Sophie. "Clubbed Thumb And Playwrights Horizons Launch SuperLab Today, 11/12".
8. Paulson, Michael. (2025-12-22). "Playwrights Horizons Is Sued Over Discounts to People of Color". The New York Times.
9. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
10. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
11. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
12. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
13. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
14. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
15. "The Pulitzer Prizes".
16. American Theatre Wing. (2025-03-25). "Obie Awards".
17. Brantley, Ben. (2017-09-27). "Review: In ‘The Treasurer,’ a Son Remembers Mama, as She Forgets Everything". The New York Times.