Signature Theatre Company, Inc.

Signature Theatre celebrates playwrights and gives them an artistic home. Signature makes an extended commitment to a playwright’s body of work, producing several plays by each resident writer and delivering an intimate and immersive journey into the playwright’s singular vision. Signature fosters a cultural community at our home, The Pershing Square Signature Center, and conducts its programming there, including:
- Residency 1, Signature’s founding resident playwright program, is a year-long, intensive exploration of a single writer’s body of work.
- Residency 5, the only program of its kind, supports multiple playwrights as they build their bodies of work by committing in advance to three productions of premiere plays.
- Legacy Program invites past Signature writers from both residencies to return for productions of premiere or signature plays.

Signature’s resident playwrights include: Edward Albee, Annie Baker, Lee Blessing, Martha Clarke, Will Eno, Horton Foote, María Irene Fornés, Athol Fugard, John Guare, Stephen Adly Guirgis, A.R. Gurney, Katori Hall, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Samuel D. Hunter, David Henry Hwang, Bill Irwin, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Adrienne Kennedy, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Kenneth Lonergan, Dave Malloy, Charles Mee, Arthur Miller, Dominique Morisseau, Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Sarah Ruhl, Sam Shepard, Anna Deavere Smith, Regina Taylor, Paula Vogel, Naomi Wallace, August Wilson, Lanford Wilson, Lauren Yee, devised theatre collective The Mad Ones, and members of the historic Negro Ensemble Company: Charles Fuller, Leslie Lee, and Samm-Art Williams.

Signature and our artists have been recognized with Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes; MacArthur “Genius” grants, and Lucille Lortel, Obie, Drama Desk, AUDELCO, and Artios Awards as well as the 50/50 Award for Gender Parity in Theatre, among many other distinctions. In 2014, Signature became the first New York City theatre to receive the Regional Theatre Tony Award for our body of work and accomplishments as an institution. In the last three years, three of our Residency 5 playwrights have been honored as MacArthur “Genius” Fellows: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2016), Annie Baker (2017), and Dominique Morisseau (2018). Our organization and artists have made lasting contributions to the American theatrical canon.

Since 2005, Signature has been a leader in making theatre accessible for all with an unprecedented commitment to affordable tickets through the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. With the support of donor contributions, Signature subsidizes the cost of over 55,000 tickets to $35 for the first five weeks of performances of all six of our season productions. In spring 2019, Signature provided its millionth subsidized ticket to the public. In 2012, with support from Lead Partner, The Pershing Square Foundation, Signature made a commitment to the Ticket Initiative through 2031, representing over 600,000 affordable tickets in the next 12 years.

Playwrights are central to Signature's mission, and Signature's unique relationship with our playwrights assures a safe space to create, develop and have their work produced. Signature's comprehensive resources are conducive to our Residency programs, offering our artists opportunities for multiple readings and workshops in our two rehearsal spaces, including The Ford Studio; dramaturgical support from our Artistic Department, and private workspaces in our administrative offices. With the Pershing Square Signature Center's three theaters, our artists and Artistic team have the opportunity to envision play productions in distinct stage configurations, exploring which will be appropriate for each work.

The Center reflects Signature’s commitment to creating a cultural community. It is open to the public, with one main entrance for all, welcoming over 375,000 visitors each year. The Center is a go-to space for theatregoers and makers alike to engage in our season productions, free educational opportunities, special events, and programming by our rental partners. Visitors can also enjoy amenities like our café, bookstore, and free Wi-Fi access. The Center has brought diverse constituencies into one vibrant gathering space, proving we are an accessible home for artists, audiences, and the New York community.

Our burgeoning Education Program is a crucial part of our commitment to offering theatre access for all. Launched in 2017, our Free Student Matinees have garnered enthusiasm from students, educators, and artists and are now a regular part of our season programming. Signature’s Free Student Matinees offer high school students free performances of select season productions. Students and teachers are given specially designed study guides crafted by our artistic staff to use as resources in preparation for each production. Following the performances, students engage with the playwrights and cast about their questions and discussion topics.

The architecture of the Center embodies Signature's commitment to create a cultural community. The Center's ethos brings together diverse constituencies into one gathering space, providing an accessible home for artistic performance. The Center is open to the public, with one main entrance for all to share. Our lobbies bustle with artists, staff, rentals, neighbors and audience members attending a production, mingling at a special event, partaking in educational programming, enjoying the café, perusing our bookstore, accessing free-wifi, and holding meetings in our lobby.

Signature complements the audience experience at the Center with over 50 dynamic events through the Signature Spotlight Series, interactive pre-and post-show events directly connecting our ticket-buyers and Center visitors with playwrights, creative teams, and Signature staff. These events are all free and open to the public. To enrich our audiences’ experience, we also provide video and technology resources in our lobby, on social media, and on our website; as well as essential readings in The Nancy Keen Roche Bookstore. We also engage with our constituents through Sig Socials, free events for audience members, visitors, and partners. These events serve over 4,000 people each year and have included health & wellness fairs, trivia nights, and dance parties.

Since opening The Pershing Square Signature Center in 2012, we have achieved many milestones. Signature and our artists have been recognized with Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prizes; MacArthur “Genius” grants, and Lucille Lortel, Obie, Drama Desk, AUDELCO, and Artios Awards as well as the 50/50 Award for Gender Parity in Theatre, among many other distinctions. In 2014, Signature became the first New York City theatre to receive the Regional Theatre Tony Award for our body of work and accomplishments as an institution. In the last three years, three of our Residency 5 playwrights have been honored as MacArthur “Genius” Fellows: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (2016), Annie Baker (2017), and Dominique Morisseau (2018). Our organization and artists have made lasting contributions to the American theatrical canon.

In addition, we have provided countless free programming events and formed strategic relationships with a growing network of community partners, including non-profits, affinity groups, and education systems. Current and recent partners include: The New Group, Theatre Development Fund, Sadie Nash Leadership Project, iMentor, Harlem Book Fair, Well Read Black Girl Festival, Asian American Arts, Legal Outreach, Rehabilitation Through the Arts, among over 40 others. School partners include: Bronx Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Manhattan Community College, among 50 other high schools and colleges.

In 2012, with support from Lead Partner The Pershing Square Foundation, Signature made a commitment to the Ticket Initiative through 2031, representing over 700,000 affordable tickets in the next 12 years. Signature must raise an additional $1 Million each year to subsidize the 55,000 affordable tickets. Since its launch, the Ticket Initiative has provided over a million subsidized tickets for people to enjoy and share the powerful experience of theatre by our resident playwrights. In the 2019/20 Season, we will continue to build on the groundwork we have laid to provide affordable theatre for all.