Robert Patrick on stage at Caffe Cino, 1966
In the 1960s a movement began. Young, talented theater artists came together to create their work outside of the commercial producing establishment of the Broadway theaters.
Caffe Cino, La MaMa, Circle Rep, and many more were formed. This Downtown Theater movement allowed for some of the most important work of the American Theater to occur. This movement became the off-Broadway community that is so vital to theater artists today.
We look to this movement as a source of inspiration and propose to take the baton and begin a new movement....
THE UPTOWN THEATER MOVEMENT
The northern region of Manhattan is an area exploding with creative artists. This is the place of the Harlem Renaissance. It has always been a cradle of revolution, change, and provocation.
Currently, in Hamilton Heights in particular, we see a new confluence of talented theater artists and a changing physical landscape.
As the neighborhood has grown to include many restaurants, bars, and art galleries, the need for theater is imperative.
THE NATIONAL THEATER OF UPTOWN fills this need.
As a group of artists with unique visions of dramatic storytelling, we have a distinct plan for the productions we create.
We will seek out and transform vacant buildings, storefronts, warehouses, rooftops into performance spaces.
By building our sets in entirely empty spaces, we create complete theatrical experiences.
We create grand, theatrical events that lift, enlighten, and enliven the lives of the audience. Theater is a place where one goes to experience something beyond themselves and that is what we provide.
Our aesthetic is character driven, explosive, and heightened. As we simplify the elements of theater, a purity of dramatic storytelling is revealed.
This simplification extends to our process. We develop and produce our plays swiftly and economically in order to respond to the political and social landscape immediately.
Our developmental process puts the artist at the fore, allowing us to present a pure, unadulterated artistic vision.
This is the mark of the Uptown Theater Movement.
A REVOLUTION
Making theater is an act of rebellion.
Making a theater company is a revolution.
Come join the revolution.
Caffe Cino, La MaMa, Circle Rep, and many more were formed. This Downtown Theater movement allowed for some of the most important work of the American Theater to occur. This movement became the off-Broadway community that is so vital to theater artists today.
We look to this movement as a source of inspiration and propose to take the baton and begin a new movement....
THE UPTOWN THEATER MOVEMENT
The northern region of Manhattan is an area exploding with creative artists. This is the place of the Harlem Renaissance. It has always been a cradle of revolution, change, and provocation.
Currently, in Hamilton Heights in particular, we see a new confluence of talented theater artists and a changing physical landscape.
As the neighborhood has grown to include many restaurants, bars, and art galleries, the need for theater is imperative.
THE NATIONAL THEATER OF UPTOWN fills this need.
As a group of artists with unique visions of dramatic storytelling, we have a distinct plan for the productions we create.
We will seek out and transform vacant buildings, storefronts, warehouses, rooftops into performance spaces.
By building our sets in entirely empty spaces, we create complete theatrical experiences.
We create grand, theatrical events that lift, enlighten, and enliven the lives of the audience. Theater is a place where one goes to experience something beyond themselves and that is what we provide.
Our aesthetic is character driven, explosive, and heightened. As we simplify the elements of theater, a purity of dramatic storytelling is revealed.
This simplification extends to our process. We develop and produce our plays swiftly and economically in order to respond to the political and social landscape immediately.
Our developmental process puts the artist at the fore, allowing us to present a pure, unadulterated artistic vision.
This is the mark of the Uptown Theater Movement.
A REVOLUTION
Making theater is an act of rebellion.
Making a theater company is a revolution.
Come join the revolution.
