City Center of Music and Drama

The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

City Center of Music and Drama, New York, on West 55th Street. Built as a Masonic temple in 1924, this building came into the possession of the city and opened as a theatre under its present name in 1943 with a revival of Rachel Crothers's Susan and God. The building, seating 2,935 at prices kept as low as possible, also served as the home of the New York City Ballet and City Opera companies until they moved to the new Lincoln Center in the 1960s. The drama section continued to offer a wide variety of plays and musicals under such directors as José Ferrer and Maurice Evans until in 1972 the City Center Acting Company was formed by John Houseman. Its productions included the work of European writers such as Shaw, Gorky, Brendan Behan, and James Saunders. The company severed its connection with the City Center in 1975 and since 1980 has been affiliated to the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, being now known as the Acting Company. The City Center still plays host to various dance companies and foreign troupes.

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PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "City Center of Music and Drama." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "City Center of Music and Drama." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-CityCenterofMusicandDrama.html

PHYLLIS HARTNOLL and PETER FOUND. "City Center of Music and Drama." The Concise Oxford Companion to the Theatre. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O79-CityCenterofMusicandDrama.html

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