La Mama Experimental Theatre Club

Ellen Stewart (1919-2011), an accomplished African-American fashion designer, founded La MaMa in 1961. Since its beginnings, La MaMa has maintained an "Open Door" policy, welcoming artists of all cultures, ethnicities and identities. For more than 60 years, La MaMa has been a creative home for thousands of marginalized artists who have gone on to change the culture of American theatre. What started as a basement theatre with 15 seats has grown to encompass 88,000 square feet of dedicated art space in the East Village, consisting of four performance venues, six rehearsal studios, a visiting-artist dormitory, an art gallery, and an archive that documents the history of Off-Off-Broadway. Now under the artistic leadership of Mia Yoo, La MaMa supports approximately 1,500 artists annually and presents 50-70 full onsite productions in a typical season, more than half of which are either world or U.S. premieres. Over 60 years, La MaMa has introduced artists from 70+ different countries to American audiences. Artists in our season receive up to three weeks of free rehearsal space, a theatre with a light/sound package, marketing support, a production manager, front-of-house staff, ticketing services, and 50-60 percent of box office revenue. The only original Off-Off-Broadway theatre still in operation, La MaMa has received 30+ Obie Awards, dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie, and Villager Awards, and the 2018 Regional Theater Tony Award.