James Houghton founded Signature Theatre in 1991, inspired by working as an actor with playwright Romulus Linney. Through his experience with Romulus, Jim first saw the value of having a playwright deeply engaged in the production process, and at the same time how playwrights were often not valued for a body of work, but instead judged on their latest “success.”
With Jim as Artistic Director, Signature quickly became known for the original idea of devoting each season to the work of one living playwright, and in its early years revived the careers of and shed new light on writers such as Edward Albee, Horton Foote, and Adrienne Kennedy. Audiences were thrilled with these seasons of retrospectives and multiple new works that allowed a deeper engagement with a growing roster of esteemed playwrights.
Behind the scenes, the company was driven by Jim’s leadership; he had true vision and an instinct for how to achieve the impossible. After a nomadic first six seasons, Signature seized an opportunity to build its own 160-seat theatre on W 42nd Street and 11th avenue, raising capital and building out an empty storefront in nine weeks. Even in Signature’s earliest days, Jim possessed an attention to detail that achieved high quality productions with low budgets.
For Jim, exploring a body of work included embracing the “failures” or “misfits;” he believed we are all misfits who deserve attention and respect. He often said about Signature, “we don’t make plays, we make relationships,” believing that an investment in an individual, playwright or otherwise, was what inspired great work. He created a true Signature family — he was beloved for his habit of calling everyone “brother” or “sister,” and his wife Joyce O’Connor and children Henry and Lily Houghton were always a vital part of the Signature community.
As Signature grew, Jim continued to achieve and innovate. In 2005, the company launched the Signature Ticket Initiative, which to this day provides subsidized, affordable tickets to every seat of a production’s initial run. Through Signature’s deep relationships with great writers, Jim recognized the need for less established playwrights to have support to build a body of work; this resulted in the creation of Residency 5, a still one-of-its-kind program that guarantees each writer productions of three premiere plays.
Residency 5 was launched in 2012 with the opening of yet another of Jim’s great visions — The Pershing Square Signature Center, a 70,000 square-foot Frank-Gehry designed three-theatre complex that is Signature’s current home. Jim was involved in the design of every inch of the space and was especially dedicated to providing a large public lobby to serve as a kind of village green where everyone is welcome. The size, dynamics, and spatial relationships of the Center were intended to honor every individual’s participation in the theatre making process — from playwright to audience. Jim demanded that the space foster “orchestrated collisions,” his phrase for the infinite possibility of connections that might occur between artists, audiences, and all visitors to the Center.
Jim’s influence on the theatre landscape was monumental, including through his leadership at other organizations including the Guthrie Theatre, the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and the Drama Division of the Juilliard School, which he chaired from 2006-2016. He created countless opportunities for artists and fostered true community, and his spirit continues to inspire all of us at Signature.
Thank you, brother.