A message from our leader…

In the summer of 2023, I was given an opportunity to take over Theatre 154, the previous NEW OHIO THEATER. It was a HUGE transition. Everything I knew about making theatre consisted of figuring out where we were making it happen. After lock down figuring out the mechanics of creating work was more complicated and I will be honest I wasn’t sure I knew how to do it. Everything changed when I was given a little 80 seat theater on Christopher St. to rent and care for. I had very little support at that time, and I had a month to clean up this historical theater. I remember painting the dressing room by myself. So many folks donated time to help out. Our now operations manager, Lindsay Fuori, volunteered to design the theater space with a 5K budget. I pulled together what I could to redo the bathroom dressing room, the theater risers, and light fixtures. An enormous task with a few bucks and a lot of heart made the reopening of 154 a success. 

I never could have imagined that our little black box would have such an impact. I had this dream that we would start our 2024 season nurturing artists so we could be a launching off point for the future. I spent my days sending emails pushing people to support. That support paved the way for the next step for numerous artists and acclaim I never thought possible. Our first workshop in our 2024 Building the Box Series, TRASH by James Caverly and Andrew Morrill, is now getting a world premiere production at the PACNYC through Bill Rauch’s support and championing.  Our second workshop of 2024, STARSTRUCK with music by Emily Saliers and book by Beth Malone and Mary Ann Stratton produced in collaboration with Kevin Ryan, is getting a world premiere production at Bucks County Playhouse this February. Ryan Spahn’s brilliant horror comedy Inspired By True Events, that premiered at OOTB in July 2024, can now be produced anywhere after being licensed by Concord Theatricals. Lastly, our beautiful labor of love, See What I Wanna See by the great Michael John LaChiusa with a genius concept by Emilio Ramos and Adam Rothenberg, was nominate for three Drama Desk Awards this year including Best Revival. We were granted an Obie at the top of 2025 for our 2024 Season. It was a wonderful surprise! 

In May 2025 I was informed that we had until January 2026 to vacate. While this news was heart breaking, we have been given a new challenge taking over St. Luke’s Theatre on 46th Street. A space that needs the same love as 154. We signed a 10-year lease to continue amplifying voices and stories that are underrepresented. 

2025 has been an enormous feat with unexpected twists and turns. Our small but mighty team of four tackled a co-production of AS TIME GOES BY with Iceberg Productions with a one-month turnaround, three Building the Box workshops with our friends Joey Parnes, Janet Brenner, and Laura Ivey, and finally, BEAU THE MUSICAL, written by Douglas Lyons and Ethan D. Pakchar, that closed out our time at Theatre 154 while opening our new home at St. Lukes Theater with Bryan McCaffrey.  

Your support has gotten us here. We have tackled the impossible with your help, and we are determined to keep the work going and to keep our industry honest. Through our mission, we will continue to help nurture every artist and stories future. I hope as we grow you will continue to support us through your patronage, a small donation, or if you have donated in the past, considering giving us a little more this holiday season. We have a lot of work to do and we simply can’t do it without you. Thank you for supporting small non-profit theatre and we look forward to welcoming you to our new midtown home. 

Liz Flemming 

Founding Producing Artistic Director