LCT3's Evan Cabnet will be the new Artistic Director of 2nd Stage; new Off-Bway home announced

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:42am

This feels like a fantastic choice!

Per Playbill: The company's Off-Broadway productions are set to move to the Pershing Square Signature Center's Irene Diamond Stage beginning in 2025. Second Stage produces Broadway programming in the Hayes Theater.

Updated On: 6/27/24 at 11:42 AM

[Kad]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:45am

Cabnet has done an excellent job at LCT3 and seems like a very good match for 2nd Stage.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 12:23pm

This is fantastic news! Evan Cabnet is an excellent Artistic Director and Second Stage is desperately in need of a new vision. I hope LCT3 is able to find a great, up-and-coming voice to be his replacement.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 12:29pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "This is fantastic news! Evan Cabnet is an excellent Artistic Director and Second Stage is desperately in need of a new vision. I hope LCT3 is able to find a great, up-and-coming voice to be his replacement."

Does LCT3 NEED its own, separate Artistic Director? Feels like the job could be seamlessly folded into the role of the new LCT AD, who will presumably be less of a dinosaur than Andre and will hopefully have a larger department of artistic/new works personnel to lean on.

That way, shows can be developed by the organization and then they can determine once they're ready if the show is right for the Claire Tow, the Newhouse, or the Beaumont, instead of a separate silo for the smaller space.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 1:07pm

Kind of sucks they lose their own space. What a dumb landlord. Now that whole theater just sits empty or gets demolished. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 1:33pm

I do think LCT3 merits its own AD. They program very differently than the downstairs houses and cater to a younger, more diverse audience. Sure, ideally, all three LCT spaces would offer the same kind of cohesive artistic vision, but they don’t. I’d prefer LCT3 continue to program challenging, ambitious, new works independently with the financial support of the institution it’s owned by.

But who knows. Maybe the AD responsibilities for LCT3 will be folded into the new LCT AD’s purview after Cabnet steps down and we’ll be looking at a whole new LCT by next season. Either way, I just don’t want to see LCT3 start playing it safe.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/27/24 at 11:56pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "I do think LCT3 meritsits own AD. They program very differently than the downstairs housesand cater to a younger, more diverse audience. Sure, ideally, all three LCT spaces would offer the same kind of cohesive artistic vision, but they don’t. I’d prefer LCT3 continue to program challenging, ambitious, new works independently with the financial support of the institution it’s owned by.

But who knows. Maybe the AD responsibilities for LCT3 will be folded into the new LCT AD’s purview after Cabnet steps down and we’ll be looking at a whole new LCT by next season. Either way, I just don’t want to see LCT3 start playing it safe."

I doubt LCT3 would start playing it safe, but in an ideal world the programming on the other two LCT stages will be more ambitious, more edgy, more interesting (whether by new writers or more established people). If a weird play by a new writer would be a better fit for the 299-seat-thrust Newhouse and the next John Guare play would be better for the 112-seat-proscenium Tow, then go for it.

Last year's LET'S CALL HER PATTY (w Leslie Kritzer & Rhea Pearlman) played the Tow and was hardly ambitious, edgy, or even good. It felt like a classic Newhouse play.

I can think of no other New York nonprofits with a separate AD for their smaller space. An Associate AD or 'new works director' may do the yeoman's share of the developing/producing work for the space (such as Jill Rafson's involvement with Roundabout Underground and the Pels), but it's still all funneling through the AD.

[SFFrontRow]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 3:01pm

I love the current 2nd Stage off-Bway theater... but the Signature at Pershing Square is just as nice with more venues. How will the vacated theater be used going forward?

[JoeW4]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 3:51pm

SFFrontRow said: "the Signature at Pershing Square is just as nice with more venues."

Interesting though that it specifies the Diamond theatre, which seems to imply they'll be limited to that 1 venue of the 3. By contrast, New Group has used all 3 venues in recent years (although the Diamond only rarely).

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 4:43pm

SFFrontRow said: "I love the current 2nd Stage off-Bway theater... but the Signature at Pershing Square is just as nice with more venues. How will the vacated theater be used going forward?"

The vacated Kiser Theatre will revert to the landlord who can do whatever they like with it. Those seating risers appear to be temporary so it's really just a big empty room with a lobby & dressing rooms. Could turn into retail or dining or offices or something else...if it's too expensive for 2nd Stage then it's probably too expensive for any other nonprofit, too.

The consistent use of the Irene Diamond Stage will also allow 2nd Stage to own or rent a stock lighting & sound package for each production and have some level of consistency. It's a good space that allows for plays or small musicals, and it's virtually the same number of seats as the Kiser.

Updated On: 6/29/24 at 04:43 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 4:53pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "SFFrontRow said: "I love the current 2nd Stage off-Bway theater... but the Signature at Pershing Square is just as nice with more venues. How will the vacated theater be used going forward?"

The vacated Kiser Theatre will revert to the landlord who can do whatever they like with it. Those seating risers appear to betemporary so it's really just a big empty room with a lobby & dressing rooms. Could turn into retail or dining or offices or something else...if it's too expensive for 2nd Stage then it's probably too expensive for any other nonprofit, too.

The consistent use of the Irene Diamond Stage will also allow 2nd Stage to own or rent a stock lighting & sound package for each production and have some level of consistency. It's a good space that allows for plays or small musicals, and it's virtually the same number of seats as the Kiser."

Also I've gotta say -- unless the landlord somehow managed to line up a tenant or buyer with unlimited funds (like an Apple or a Google or a Disney), it would seem to be a HUGE mistake to toss out a longtime paying tenant.  That area (and that specific block in particular) is one of the worst (if not the worst) right now in midtown in terms of crime, open-air drug use, etc.  It will be interesting to see if it sits empty for years like many other spaces in the neighborhood. 

 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/30/24 at 5:39pm

In addition to the general badness of that neighborhood, we're also about to have 8 years of chaos when they (allegedly) break ground on the new Port Authority and temporary bus hall.

 

[Kad]

Posted: 6/30/24 at 6:25pm

To turn the Kiser into a viable and attractive commercial property, they would likely need to do a lot of work on the building itself, like creating a larger ground floor space by joining the small Kiser lobby/box office to the spaces currently occupied by the bodega and pizza place and creating an entrance that opens directly onto 8th ave. Seems a lot of hassle unless they a surefire tenant lined up. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/30/24 at 8:43pm

Maybe I'm numb to poor NYC layouts, but I feel like there are plenty of NYC stores/businesses where you enter on one level and then immediately go up or down.

But like you said, actually securing a tenant is the biggest hurdle.