About Free Night of Theater NYC

The Mission of Free Night of Theater New York City (Free Night NYC) is to seek out new audiences and invite current theatergoers to try new theater venues, as well as ignite interest in and create awareness about the incredible variety of live theater options across all five boroughs.

Free Night NYC is a joint initiative of the Arts & Business Council of New York, The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, the League of Independent Theater, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, The New York State Council on the Arts, and Theatre Development Fund brought together under Theatre Communication Group's national program.

For information on the National Free Night of Theater program, in over 120 cites and including over 600 theatres, click here.

Free Night of Theater NYC Managing Partners

The Arts & Business Council of New York (ABC/NY) creates partnerships between arts and business. It serves both the arts and the business communities of New York, with programming in volunteerism, professional development, leadership development, and economic impact. From interns to board members ABC/NY makes matches that benefit everyone. www.artsandbusiness-ny.org.

The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (A.R.T./New York) is the service and advocacy organization for the nation's largest, most artistically influential, and most culturally diverse theatre community: Off Broadway. Founded in 1972, A.R.T./New York serves over 325 not-for-profit theatres throughout New York City. They annually offer nearly 30 technical assistance workshops, roundtables and seminars. A.R.T./New York also provides consultancies with highly respected and experienced arts professionals, low-interest loans, cash grants, and affordable office, meeting and rehearsal space. This fall A.R.T./New York will be debuting The A.R.T./New York Solution for FileMaker Pro 9; a contact and donor database management system for performing arts organizations. Our members serve 3 million theatregoers annually, constitute the single largest source of new work entering the American repertory, and have produced 9 of the last 11 winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. www.art-newyork.org

The League of Independent Theater's mission is to promote and protect the economic and artistic interests of its members. Its aim is to ensure that independent theater remains economically viable for its practitioners and to advocate on behalf of the decades-old community of Off-Off Broadway theater. Membership in LIT is open to any artist, company, technician or administrator working in theaters of 99 seats or less in NYC who can demonstrate participation in a minimum of three productions. More information can be found on LIT's website: www.litny.org.

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, founded in 1985, is a national service organization dedicated exclusively to musical theatre. Our 150+ members - located throughout 31 states and 8 countries - include theatres, presenting organizations, universities and individual producers, who share our mission to advance musical theatre by nurturing the creation, development, production, and presentation of new musicals. Among the musicals launched by NAMT's annual Festival of New Musicals are Thoroughly Modern Millie, Children of Eden, Honk!, The Drowsy Chaperone, Songs for a New World, I Love You Because, Striking 12, Vanities and many others! www.namt.org.

New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is dedicated to preserving and expanding the rich and diverse cultural resources that are and will become the heritage of New York's citizens. The Council believes in supporting artistic excellence, the creative freedom of artists without censure, the rights of all New Yorkers to access and experience the power of the arts and culture and the vital contribution the arts make to the quality of life in New York communities. NYSCA strives to achieve its mission through its core grant-making activity and by convening field leaders, providing information and advisory support, and working with partners on special initiatives to achieve mutual goals. www.nysca.org

Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American not-for-profit theatre, offers a wide array of services in line with its mission: to strengthen, nurture, and promote the professional not-for-profit American theatre. Through its artistic, management, and international programs, advocacy activities, audience programs and publications, TCG seeks to increase the organizational efficiency of its member theatres, cultivate and celebrate the artistic talent and achievements of the field, and promote a larger public understanding of, and appreciation for, the theatre field. TCG has over 470 member theatres nationwide. www.tcg.org

Theatre Development Fund (TDF) has played a unique role in advancing live theatre and dance in New York City for the past 40 years. This not-for-profit service organization's programs have filled 72 million seats at discount prices (with theatre lovers who would normally not be able to attend live performance) and returned over 1.5 billion dollars in revenue to thousands of theatre, dance and music productions. Best known for its TKTS Discount Booths, TDF's membership, voucher, access and education programs as well as its Costume Collection, help to make the unique experience of theatre available to everyone. For more information, go to: www.tdf.org.

Free Night of Theater Managing Partner Representatives
The Arts & Business Council
of New York
Will Maitland Weiss, Executive Director
Fran Smyth, Manager of Arts Services
The Alliance of Resident Theatres
/New York
Ginny Louloudes, Executive Director
Frances Black, Director of Member Services
Zach Hollwedel, Member Services Associate
League of Independent Theater John Clancy, Executive Director
Jennifer Conley Darling, Managing Director of Operations
Paul Bargetto, Managing Director of Public Affairs
Mark Lonergan, Director of Member Services
National Alliance for Musical Theatre Kathy Evans, Executive Director
Adam Grosswirth, Membership Director
New York State Council on the Arts Dr. Mary Schmidt Campbell, Chairperson
Heather Hitchens, Executive Director
Robert Zukerman, Theatre Program Director
Theatre Communications Group Teresa Eyring, Executive Director
Mark Gordon, Director of Web Services
Linda Jacobs, Public Relations Director
Phillip Matthews, Director of Audience Programs
Ruth Eglsaer, Special Projects Coordinator, NYC Free Night Producer
Theatre Development Fund Victoria Bailey, Executive Director
Doug Smith, Director of Web Services

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

Special Thanks to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.