Phoenix Theatre (New York)

The Phoenix Theatre was a pioneering off-Broadway theatre in New York City, extant from 1953 to 1982.

The Phoenix was founded by impresario Norris Houghton and T. Edward Hambleton. The project was a pioneering effort in the establishment of off-Broadway theatre. Houghton and Hambleton wanted a theatre away from Times Square, that would host a permanent company, abjure the star system (players would be listed alphabetically), produce four or five plays a season for limited engagements (contributors would be asked to sponsor an entire season rather than individual productions), and with ticket prices much lower than on Broadway.

The Phoenix Theatre was established in a building at East 12th Street and Second Avenue in the East Village, far from Broadway. The building, opened in 1926, had formerly housed the Yiddish Art Theatre, and is now the Village East Cinema.

The Phoenix opened on December 1, 1953, with a production of "Madam Will You Walk?", Sidney Howard's last play, starring Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, followed by productions of Coriolanus and The Golden Apple (which then moved to Broadway, at the Alvin Theater). The opening season concluded with The Seagull, starring Montgomery Clift, and directed by Houghton himself.

The Phoenix Theatre's opening season was judged successful. In following seasons the the theater mounted many more productions featuring notable figures of the theatre, and garnered various awards.

Associated persons included British actors Pamela Brown, Michael and Rachel Redgrave, Peggy Ashcroft; American stars Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Millie Natwick, Mildred Dunnock, Robert Ryan, Montgomery Clift, and Kaye Ballard; and directors and producers Elia Kazan, John Houseman, Robert Whitehead, and Alfred de Liagre; and writers and designers Sidney Howard, Robert Sherwood, John Latouche, Jerome Moross, Donald Oenslager, and Jean Eckart.

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