Companies-in-Residence

NYTW believes that there are many ways to make a play and that director, community and ensemble-generated work are necessary components of a theatrical landscape. To that end, NYTW is committed to nurturing and providing support for theatre ensembles, collectives and small companies and building long-term relationships beyond one-time collaborations. 

In 2005, NYTW formalized this support by creating the Companies-in-Residence program. This initiative develops a custom residency for small theater companies that offers artistic and institutional support, supporting their growth through mentorship by NYTW staff members, access to free rehearsal and performance space in NYTW’s 4th Street Theatre, supplies, office space and connections to NYTW’s theatrical community at large. 

Dominican Artists Collective

The Dominican Artists Collective (DAC) is a collection of story tellers: community-centered gate openers, and culture expanders. DAC’s mission is to dismantle systemic oppression through their art by building a community that challenges what is and what can be. DAC honors their Blackness. Their ancestors. Their stories. They aim to facilitate, educate, liberate and inspire present and future artists. The DAC Artistic Producing Team includes Cindy De La Cruz, Gineiris Garcia, Maribel Martinez, Andres Piña, Little Veras and Merlixse Ventura. Members include Angy Abreu, Carlos Andrickson, Massiel Armengot, Daniella De Jesus, Guadalis Del Carmen, Melissa Crespo, Yohanna Florentino, Xavier Galva, Samuel Gomez, Kelvin Grullon, Katherine George, Dilson Hernandez, Glenis Hunter, Yaissa Jimenez, Dolores Pereira, Michelle Ramirez, Saso, and Edison Ventura Mata Diaz.

JAG Productions

At the confluence of the White and Connecticut Rivers, which separate Abenaki land into the states of Vermont and New Hampshire, JAG Productions has nurtured and sustained a multi-generational and multi-racial theatre company with Black artists and community organizers at its center. JAG’s mission is to bring more compassion, empathy, and love into the world by telling stories that challenge hierarchies of race, gender, class, and sexuality. These stories are written and produced by and for Black, Brown, Queer, and Trans folx and the people that love them. JAG strives to tell these crucial stories and provide an artistic sanctuary for creatives seeking rejuvenation, time for reflection, and a space in nature to develop art that will change the world. Since its founding, JAG has curated, produced, and directed contemporary and classical Black theatre to engage and sustain individual and collective transformations.

Jupiter Performance Studio

Ceremony. Spectacle. Flight.Established in 2020 by Ebony Noelle Golden, Jupiter Performance Studio (JPS) is a hub for the study of diasporic Black performance traditions. Current projects include: The Keeping, commissioned by Weeksville Heritage Center with major support from Creative Capital and In The Name Of The Mother Tree, commissioned by Apollo Theater and National Black Theatre with major support from Double Edge Theatre and the National Theater Project. JPS supports the movement of climate justice and reparations through Watering (W)hole, the studio’s community-powered engagement platform.

Noor Theatre

Noor Theatre is an Obie Award-winning company with a mission to support, develop and produce the work of theatre artists of Middle Eastern and North African/South West Asian and North African (MENA/SWANA) descent. Noor was founded in 2010 in order to serve these artists; they develop and amplify their voices for diverse audiences. As New York City’s only company with this mission, Noor provides an important space for MENA/SWANA voices to be heard. In doing so, they counter negative stereotypes, share nuanced work that reflects the unique perspectives of our artists, and ensure that their communities are represented and celebrated in the larger theatre ecosystem. Noor Theatre’s Food and Fadwa, by Lameece Issaq and Jacob Kader, premiered at NYTW in 2012.

Safe Harbors NYC

Safe Harbors NYC is an arts initiative that focuses on the development and production of Indigenous Performing Arts in NYC. Safe Harbors seeks to build an understanding of Native American methodologies in performance that in turn will function as a cultural liaison to non-Native theatre artists in the City. The more successful they are in engaging these populations, the closer they hope to be to creating truly cross-cultural lines of communication. Safe Harbors’ mission focuses on the development and production of Native Theater and Performing Arts in New York City within the broader American theater; they combat stereotypes and support vibrant Native communities. They develop ongoing dialogue with Policymakers about the approach to cultural and socioeconomic issues using Theatrical performances, Performing Arts, Native Cultural Consultancy, panel discussions, and Cultural Events.

Check out these ARTICLES from Hollywood Soapbox on our Companies-in-Residence!

SAFE HARBORS NYC
Founder Murielle Borst-Tarrant talks about the future of Native theater and the mission of Safe Harbors NYC.
NOOR THEATRE
Founding Artistic Director Lameece Isaaq, who also wrote the 2012 production of Food & Fadwa at NYTW, talks about what the future looks like for Noor.
DOMINICAN ARTIST COLLECTIVE
Check out this conversation with member Merlixse Ventura on how DAC functions as a collective and their ongoing relationship with NYTW.
JAG PRODUCTIONS
NYTW has been heading to New Hampshire in the summertime for a theatrical residency at Dartmouth College for quite some time. Right across the river from the Ivy League institution is the border with Vermont, which is the home of JAG Productions