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STEPHEN BURDMAN, Artistic Director
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
Co-Presented by arts>World Financial Center
(meet in the WFC Courtyard)
April 1-3, 6-11 & 13-18 at 7:00 pm
Richard III by William Shakespeare
Central Park (at West 103rd & Central Park West)
Thursday through Sunday, June 3 - 27 at 7:00 pm
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Battery Park (meet at Castle Clinton)
July 17-21, 23-26, 30-31 & August 1 at 7:00 pm
Extension of Much Ado About Nothing
Central Park (at West 103rd & Central Park West)
Thursday through Sunday, August 5 - 29 at 7:00 pm
For information about our rehearsal schedules please click here.
To join our mailing list and receive timely updates about all of our activities, please contact us.
All New York Classical Theatre rehearsals, workshops and performances are open and Free to the Public. No tickets or reservations required. Just show up! Questions?
Mail your tax-deductible donation to:
New York Classical Theatre
40 West 116th Street, #B1004 New York, NY 10026
Or you can donate NOW with your credit card using one of the following secure websites:
For information about corporate sponsorship, please email or call 212 662-0760
New York Classical Theatre's mission is to reinvigorate and create audiences for the theatre by presenting free productions of popular classics and forgotten masterpieces in non-traditional public spaces throughout New York City.
Current programming consists of one production at the World Financial Center, two in Central Park and one play in Battery Park--a total of 60 performances every season. All rehearsals and performances are free of charge and open to the public.
New York Classical Theatre's hallmark is accessibility and a panoramic staging approach to performance. Site-specific productions are adapted to showcase the unique visual components of each venue through innovative design and choreographic elements. Throughout the performance, the audience follows the actors from place to place, as the plot unfolds from scene to scene. In this way, the spectators become active participants in the drama itself.
With performances across Manhattan, we serve a broad demographic of the urban landscape, spanning all ages, ethnicities and income levels. Rehearsing in public venues encourages our audience to actively observe the evolution of a production while demystifying the language and poetry of classical theatre.
New York Classical Theatre firmly believes the themes of the classics remain as relevant to our lives today as they were to their original audience. Through the lens of classical theatre we come to better understand human nature and our role in contemporary life. As a result, our free performances build new and future audiences for classical work by attracting many underserved and non-traditional spectators.
Jon Lukomnik, Chair
Managing Partner, Sinclair Capital - Financial Advisor to Fortune 500 companies.
Susan Barron Trenk, Secretary
Director of Marketing, Realsite Media.
Maura Harway, Treasurer
Vice President of Project Finance, Sesame Workshop, Inc.
Stephen Burdman
Artistic Director of New York Classical Theatre.
David Pauker
Managing Director, Goldin Associates - Financial advisory and turnaround consulting firm.
Fiona Schaeffer
Partner, Weil Gotshal & Manges.
Stephen Burdman - Artistic Director
Stephen has directed and produced over forty productions including more than
a dozen Shakespearean plays. He has received numerous accolades and awards
for his staging of classical plays in non-traditional settings both in New
York and Los Angeles. Stephen received his MFA from University of California,
Irvine and is a graduate of the National Theater Institute (Eugene O'Neill
Theater Center). Before founding New York Classical Theatre he worked as an
assistant director for regional theatres across the country including: South
Coast Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, Arena Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival and
The Shakespeare Theatre. He has been a member of
the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers since 1994.
Ellen Mittenthal - Development Consultant
Ellen has been a core
part of the organization’s strategy and development
efforts after joining us during our 2001-02 season. She also consults with numerous non-profit
theatres in New York City.
Stephanie Klapper - Casting Director
Stephanie and the staff of Stephanie Klapper Casting have cast all New York Classical productions since the 2002-03 season.
Barbara Adrian - Resident Voice & Text Coach
Barbara continues to ensure that all New York Classical actors are vocally clear and easily understood since joining us for our 2002-03 season. She is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at Marymount Manhattan College.
Laurie Sheppard/Boom PR - Resident Publicist
Government, Corporate & Foundation Support
National Endowment of the Arts
National Park Service/United States Department of the Interior
New York State Assembly (Assembly Member Daniel O'Donnell)
New York State Senate (State Senators Daniel L. Squadron & Liz Krueger)
New York State Council on the Arts
New York City Council (Council Members Gale E. Brewer & Daniel Garodnick)
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Office of the Manhattan Borough President (Borough President Scott M. Stringer)
Ben Hyatt Certified Deposition Reporters
Campion Walker Garden Design
Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation
Dive Bar
Downtown Manhattan Heliport
ISA Advertising
The Moody's Foundation
Spruce Private Investors, LLC
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP
American Theatre Wing
Milton & Sally Avery Arts Foundation
Axe-Houghton Foundation
The Battery Conservancy
The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation
The Barbara Bell Cumming Foundation
Emet Foundation
Friars National Association Foundation
Fund for the City of New York
Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation
F.B. Heron Foundation
Melvin & Sylvia Kafka Foundation
Michael Tuch Foundation
Individual Giving
King/ Queen ($1,000 or more)
Maura Harway & Richard Mark
Jon Lukomnik & Lynn Davidson
Greg & Jenny Lyss
Dr. Jeanne Ellen Moore
David & Laurie Pauker
Fiona Schaeffer & Brian Murphy
Marlene Burdman Gursey
Duke/Duchess ($500-$999)
Robert & Charlotte Abramson
Danielle Amato-Milligan & Joe Milligan
Susan Barron Trenk & Stephen Trenk
Alex & Ed Davidson
Oz Benamram & Gali Freedman
Janet Heetner & Peter Silverman
Anne & Leon Hoffman
Richard & Kathleen Levin
Jocelyn Maskow
Tom & Jerri Mayer
Tracy McHale Stuart & Timothy Stuart
Audrey & Mark Mlotek
Susan & Peter Ralston
Amy & Jeff Tarr, Jr.
Jan & Cynthia Van Eck
Prince/Princess ($300-$499)
Ami Abramson
Irvin Bonder
Carol Bowen & Alan Bernstein
James & Melinda Cotter
Alan & Patricia Davidson
Paul Dawson
Thomas Fenaughty
Doug & Cindy Furth
Mr. & Mrs. Newman T. Halvorson, Jr.
Holly Hughes & Bob Ward
Jonathan Klein & Jill Graham
Elaine & Ron Morris
Steven & Rosemary Newman
Kelly Perine
Valerie Rubsamen & Cedomir Crnkovic
Edward & Teresa Taber
Nancy Workman
Lord/Lady ($150-$299)
Anonymous
Sarah & Oren Adler
Rohit Aggarwala
Kathryn & Martin Bunin
Keith Carlson
Carol & Chris Carstens
Nancy & Thomas Comerford
David Curzon
Frank & Carol Davidson
John-Patrick Driscoll & Sherin Bennett
Kurt Elftmann & Leigh Hansen
Donna Fishman & Steve Cohen
David Fishman & Mindy Seidlin
Robin Forman & Hugh Smyser
Rocco Francica
Ruth W. Friendly
Adena Geller
Dan Glueck & Nora Tuthill
Marian Gould
Sharon Hyatt
Antje Jochim
Joseph Klein
Susan Kotcher & Steven Carbo
Dana Kurzweil & Irwin Kula
Michael Lehman
Robert Little
Eric & Jane Luce
Marianne Manley
Catherine J. Minuse and Henry, James & Robert Stevenson
Scott & Darlene Mowrey
Allen & Esta Nissenbaum
Joseph Rafferty
Ellen Rautenberg
Adam Saunders & Lydia Gobena
Michael Schmidt & Lori Skopp
Delia Sherman & Ellen Kushner
Peter & Lenore Standish
Arthur Stein & Lauren Elliot
Naomi & Chaim Steinberger
Lisa Stevenson
Eric Stieglitz
Alvin S. Trenk
Peter & Janie Van Olinda
Narisara Vanichanan & Roger Weld
Ann Wimpfheimer & Eddie Snyder
Please let us know if there are any errors or omissions so we can correct the listing.