SECOND STAGE THEATRE INC
1501 Broadway SUITE 518, New York, NY 10036 www.2st.com

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE THEATRE'S EXEMPT PURPOSE IS TO GIVE NEW LIFE TO CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PLAYS AND TO PRODUCE THE WORLD PREMIERES OF NEW PLAYS BY BOTH ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS. A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF ITS PURPOSE IS THEATRE EDUCATION, WHICH IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH SPECIAL PERFORMANCES FOR NEW YORK CITY SCHOOL CHILDREN, SUBSCRIBER DISCUSSIONS WITH THEATRE ARTISTS AND AN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.

TO GIVE NEW LIFE TO CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN PLAYS AND TO PRODUCE WORLD PREMIERES OF NEW PLAYS BY BOTH ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING PLAYWRIGHTS.

Second Stage Theaters 2018-19 season was a landmark year for us: our 40th Anniversary. The season included a variety of exciting new works by a diverse range of artists, many of whom have been part of the Second Stage family for many years, and several with whom we worked for the first time. We reached an audience of 109,000 with our season of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. The season started with Days of Rage, a world premiere play by Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) about a group of student activists living in Upstate New York in 1969. Although its set in the past, the play asks questions that are timely and relevant today: What does it mean to change the world? How can a few people make a difference? And what are you willing to give up to achieve your political goals? The play was directed by Trip Cullman (Lobby Hero, Bachelorette) and ran from October 9 - November 25, 2018 at the Tony Kiser Theater to an audience of 13,686. In the fall of 2018, our production of Harvey Fiersteins groundbreaking play Torch Song transferred to the Hayes, where it ran from October 9, 2018 January 6, 2019 and was seen by more than 46,000 people. Torch Song was nominated for two Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play. During the winter of 2019 we presented Superhero, a world premiere musical by Tony Award-winners Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) and John Logan (Red) at the Tony Kiser Theater. Superhero tells the story of Charlotte and Simon, a mother and son who are reeling from the loss of their husband and father. When Simon sees a neighbor perform a feat of super-strength, he becomes convinced there is a real superhero living in their apartment building. Superhero was directed by Jason Moore, and ran from January 31 March 31, 2019. The cast included Tony Award nominees Kate Burton (Hello, Dolly!) and Bryce Pinkham (A Gentlemans Guide to Love and Murder), and newcomer Kyle McArthur, and it was seen by an audience of 18,803. Next up was Dying City, written and directed by Christopher Shinn. A year after his twin brother Craig's mysterious death in Iraq, Peter shows up at his estranged sister-in-laws apartment. This drama unfolds through scenes set alternately in the present, and flashbacks to before Craigs death. Dying City explores the human fallout of global events, including the Iraq War and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, through the interwoven stories of three unforgettable characters. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Colin Woodell, Dying City ran from May 14 June 30, 2019 at the Kiser and was seen by 12,563 people. The season concluded with Make Believe, written by Bess Wohl and directed by Michael Greif. When does real life collide with make believe? For the four Conlee kids, ages 5 to 10, playing house is no longer a game when their parents inexplicably disappear. Thirty-two years later, their search for answers continues. Make Believe ran from July 30 September 22, 2019 at the Kiser Theater and was seen by an audience of 17,044. Additional Artistic Programs In the spring of 2019 we celebrated our 40th Anniversary with a series of concerts that looked back on some of the most well-loved musicals that got their start at Second Stage. We hosted four one-night events featuring Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown, Dogfight by Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Peter Duchan, and Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim. These sold-out concerts reached an audience of 1,200. We also worked with the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts to mount an exhibition about Second Stage in their gallery space. Curated by art historian Tav Holmes, the show will featured memorabilia and multimedia that told the story of the companys history over the past four decades. The exhibition was on view during the spring and summer of 2019. We also continued to develop new works and provide career opportunities for theater artists through commissions, readings, and workshops. We are currently working with twenty-one commissioned writers: David Adjmi, Jon Robin Baitz, Jocelyn Bioh, Lisa DAmour, Lydia Diamond, Laura Eason, Will Eno, Melissa James Gibson, Rajiv Joseph, Lisa Kron, J.C. Lee, Young Jean Lee, Matthew Lopez, Lynn Nottage, Sarah Ruhl, Sherie Rene Scott, Jen Silverman, Paula Vogel, Bess Wohl, Lauren Yee, and Anna Ziegler. We also have ongoing partnerships with Center Theater Group in LA and the Williamstown Theater Festival to jointly commission and develop new plays. Throughout the year, we also hold readings and workshops, working with both emerging and established playwrights and directors to help them develop their newest work for the stage. We hosted 14 readings in FY2019, for projects including Grand Horizons by Bess Wohl, Stereophonic by David Adjmi, and Nagasaki by Rajiv Joseph. Education and Outreach During the 2018-19 season, Second Stage held Free Student Matinees for Superhero and Days of Rage, which served a total of 600 NYC public school students. For many students, this experience is their first exposure to live, professionally-produced theater. A post-show discussion with the cast and creative team provides a deeper exploration of the play by allowing students to inquire about the shows themes and the creative theatrical process. Second Stage Theater expanded our Affordable Ticket Initiative this season with the support of a major challenge grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. This program aims to remove the economic barriers that can make theater attendance an impossibility for students, young people, artists and the average New York City resident. For each performance, we offer $30 Youth Advance tickets, and $25 Student Access tickets, which can be purchased one hour before each performance, subject to availability. This season we added special subsidized ticket opportunities, including $22 Second Previews and 2 for $40, where two tickets are available for $40 in celebration of our 40th Anniversary. We also joined the New York City Culture Pass Program. As a member of NYC Culture Pass, Second Stage is making free tickets available through the New York, Brooklyn, and Queens Public Library Systems, with 50% of these free tickets targeted to reach neighborhoods that are underserved by the Citys cultural offerings. We served approximately 11,800 people with these free and low-cost tickets during the past year. Finally, in order to make theater more accessible to the visually impaired and deaf and hard-of-hearing communities, we offer open captioned and audio described performances for all of our productions. Second Stage Works Around the World Works developed at Second Stage contribute to the vitality of the American theatrical landscape with subsequent productions on Broadway and around the world. For example, our hit musical Dear Evan Hansen continues to sell out and break box office records at Broadways Music Box Theater and on tour, after winning six Tony Awards in 2017. This year the show will have its first international productions, in Canada and London. Lynn Nottages By the Way, Meet Vera Stark, which had its world premiere at Second Stage in 2011, returned to NYC with a new production at Signature Theater in early 2019. In total, through touring and regional productions of plays that originated here, our work reached an estimated audience of 900,000 around the world last year.

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