Primary Stages has operated under the radar for many years, presenting fine productions of plays by great writers like A.R. Gurney, Horton Foote, Romulus Linney, and Lee Blessing at its little 99-seat space in Midtown West. Just a few years ago, the company moved eastward to a space twice that size at 59E59 Theaters, giving Primary Stages an opportunity to grow and present its work to a larger audience.
Primary Stages is dedicated to developing the future of playwriting in a number of ways, from development in the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group to mounting full productions of plays by emerging writers. The Primary Stages School of Theater educates people in both playwriting and acting through courses and workshops. Then there’s the Primetime Reading Series, a place where playwrights can have their in-process work read aloud in front of an audience of friends, fellow dramatists, and Primary Stages regulars (admission is free).
Primary Stages Information
- Public Transportation: Very good (Easily accessible by subway lines N, Q, and R at 5th Avenue/59th Street; 4, 5, and 6 at 59th Street; E and M at 5th Avenue/53rd Street; and buses M1–M4, M31, Q32, M57, and M101–M 103)
- Handicapped Accessibility: Good
- Performances/Programs: Performance schedule is Tuesday–Sunday
- Ticket Prices: Single tickets are $60, $15 student tickets using code “STUD,” PS35 $20 tickets available for 35-and-unders, usually one of the first two preview performances of a show are designated pay what you can
- Subscriptions: Four-Show Subscriptions $126–$170. Subscribers save 30%. Subscriber benefits include free ticket exchanges, discounts on courses and workshops at Primary Stages School of Theater, and special offers for other shows playing at 59E59.
