ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY

Atlantic is a premiere off-Broadway theater dedicated to producing great plays simply and truthfully while using an artistic ensemble. The company was founded in 1985 by students of David Mamet and William H. Macy. Since then, we’ve produced more than 150 plays and grown into a preeminent theater recognized internationally for excellence. This reputation results from the consistent quality and ambitious scope of our productions, which include world and New York premieres, modern adaptations of classic plays, and U.S. debuts for great international writers. Among our many awards, we’ve received 12 Tonys and the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk Awards for “Outstanding Body of Work.” In addition to being a producing company, Atlantic is also an acclaimed acting school, which is comprised of an accredited conservatory program, an undergraduate program operated through NYU, and afterschool and summer programs for over 400 children and teens. We also bring the same quality of instruction and specificity of approach that we provide at the School to the 3,500 public school students participating in our arts education programs. Our work at the Acting School and in our arts education programs is grounded in a creative approach called PRACTICAL AESTHETICS. Drawn from the teachings of our co-founders, this approach consists of a set of principles for both theater training and professional comportment. Those principles boil down to a specific thesis that’s especially powerful in our arts education programs: Atlantic believes that anyone, regardless of background or experience, can become an artist if they’re willing to be brave, work hard, and use their common sense. Our technique emphasizes self-reliance, professional work habits, and respect for and collaboration with others. So rather than providing a simply emotive experience, we meet our students where they’re at and give them an empowering set of tools to approach a variety of academic, personal, and professional challenges.