The Long Wharf Theatre, named for a port on the New Haven harbor and not actually located on a wharf (in case you were wondering), is one of the most respected theaters in the Northeast. Though the company has done its fair share of classics since opening with The Crucible in 1965, the Long Wharf is most notable for launching new work. Its productions of Wit (starring Kathleen Chalfant), American Buffalo, The Gin Game (with Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy), and Requiem for a Heavyweight all transferred to New York.

Long Wharf holds many of the interesting pre- and post-show discussions that have become a staple of the bigger regional theaters, but one of its more unusual offerings is Backstage with the Technical Staff. This is a pre-show panel where the audience gets to learn the details of the physical creation of the show (costumes, sets, lights, etc.) from the people who make it happen.

Long Wharf also boasts several educational initiatives, including in-school residencies and specially priced student matinée performances. The Long Wharf Theatre Studio gets students involved in the arts through workshops in playwriting, Shakespeare, improvisational acting, scene work, and creative play. The theater’s newest initiative, the Educator’s Laboratory, helps teachers understand how they can use the arts as a tool for teaching the general curriculum.