Naked Angels (theater company)

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Not to be confused with Company of Angels, the Los Angeles theater company founded in 1959.

Naked Angels is an American theater company founded in 1986 and based in New York City. It was named after John Tytell’s book, Naked Angels. It is notable for having produced plays on controversial social topics and featuring many Hollywood stars.

Naked Angels was originally based out in a former picture-frame factory on West 17th Street in Manhatten. It "soon became the 'it' place for a generation of about-to-be famous young actors and playwrights."^[1]

One of the company's longtime efforts are the Issues Projects, plays or groups of plays focusing on socially relevant issues, often in collaboration with organizations like Amnesty International, The Center for American Progress, Project A.L.S. and The Culture Project. Also known are the group's Tuesdays@9 cold reading series, where new playwrights and actors can review plays as they are being written.^[2]

Known for "glamourous parties" and "provocative productions", after the first decade the group seemed to have lost the focus on theater. In 1995 the venue on 17th Street (often called "The Place") was closed and by that time many of the early members had gone on to fame in Hollywood or on Broadway.^[1]

In an 2005 attempt to revive the company, Jenny Gersten became artistic director in February.^[1] Since then several new works have debuted, notably a set of 14 one act plays called Armed and Naked in America relating to the effects of war.^[3]

[edit] Participants

The theater company has a long list of co-founders and participants in its many productions over the years.^[1]

People identified as co-founders include:^[1]

playwrights:

directors:

director Jenifer Estess (Producing Director until 1993)
director Pippin Parker (former Artistic Director)
Toby Parker
director Tim Ransom (became artistic director in 2001 in an attempt to revive the company)^[1]
director Geoffrey Nauffts (became Artictic Director in 2008)

actors:

and numerous others

People associated with the company:

actor Matthew Broderick and his wife actress Sarah Jessica Parker, who first started dating at Naked Angels where Sarah's brothers Toby and Pippin were co-founders ^[1]
playwright Daniel Reitz
playwright Stephen Belber
director Charlie Stratton