SIGNATURE THEATRE is an artistic home for storytellers. By producing several plays from each Resident Writer, Signature offers a deep dive into their bodies of work. Founded in 1991 by James Houghton, Signature Theatre is now led by Interim Artistic Director Beth Whitaker and Executive Director Timothy J. McClimon. Signature serves its mission by hosting our distinctive resident playwrights and cultural communities at our permanent home at The Pershing Square Signature Center, a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects. The Center supports and encourages collaboration among artists, cultural organizations, and local communities by providing free, public access throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, a rehearsal studio and a public café and bar.
Signature’s Residencies form the core of our artistic programming.
The Spotlight Residency is Signature’s founding resident playwright program. It is an intensive exploration of a single writer’s body of work. By engaging with playwrights and their singular voices over a series of productions, Signature’s audiences experience the evolution of a playwright’s artistry and develop a deep appreciation of their work. Sarah Ruhl is Signature’s current Spotlight Resident.
The Premiere Residency, the only program of its kind, supports playwrights as they build their bodies of work by committing in advance to three premieres by each resident writer. Resident playwrights are provided with the full range of Signature’s resources to create and develop new work. The program enables a diverse community of playwrights to build their bodies of work and offers them commission and developmental support, health benefits, and a stipend to attend the theatre. Signature’s current Premiere Residents are Martha Clarke, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Samuel D. Hunter, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Dave Malloy, Dominique Morisseau, Lauren Yee, and The Mad Ones.
LaunchPad, Signature’s newest residency program, supports early-career artists from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the American theatre. Over a three-year period, the new program offers a resident playwright holistic artistic support, including two $15,000 commissions, a full production in the 99-seat Ford Studio, a workshop production, healthcare benefits, developmental readings, an annual theatre-going stipend, a writing retreat outside Manhattan, private workspace at Signature, and guided mentorship by a Spotlight or Premiere Signature resident playwright. Signature’s LaunchPad residents are Melis Aker and Julián Mesri.
The Legacy Program invites past Signature resident writers to return for productions of premiere or signature plays. Signature’s alumni Resident Playwrights include: Edward Albee, Annie Baker, Lee Blessing, Will Eno, Horton Foote, María Irene Fornés, Athol Fugard, John Guare, Stephen Adly Guirgis, A.R. Gurney, Katori Hall, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Kenneth Lonergan, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sam Shepard, Anna Deavere Smith, Regina Taylor, Paula Vogel, Naomi Wallace, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, and members of the historic Negro Ensemble Company: Charles Fuller, Leslie Lee, and Samm-Art Williams.
Signature's Education Program upholds our arts access values and expands Signature’s dynamic community of theatre-lovers and makers. The program launched in 2017 with the creation of our Free Student Matinee series, and now includes Student Nights, Educator Nights, and a paid arts administration Fellowship Program. Signature will hold Free Student Matinees for each of our 2022.23 Season productions, welcoming over 800 students.
Signature Access is our unparalleled commitment to access, outreach and community. Launched in 2005 as the Signature Theatre Initiative, this program provides theatregoers, both frequent and new, with affordable access to the performing arts. With the support of donor contributions, subsidized tickets are made available for every production. Signature has a diverse roster of Writers in Residence with distinct voices and perspectives, and our core values of access and community underpin our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility — Signature Access aids in opening opportunities for access to reflect those values in our audiences.