Equity Library Theatre

Founded in 1943 by Sam Jaffe, representing Actors' Equity, and George Freedley, at the time curator of the New York Public Library Theatre Collection, Equity Library Theatre, or ELT (as it is often referred to), was designed to provide a showcase for young actors, directors, and technicians and to create an audience from among those who could not afford commercial theatre.[1] A non‐profit organization, it originally presented its plays at libraries and charged no admission but asked instead for a contribution to help sustain it. Beginning in 1949, it operated its own theatre, first at the Lenox Hill Playhouse and later at other auditoriums. Actors whose careers were helped by early appearances with the organization include James Earl Jones, Richard Kiley, and Jason Robards. Financial problems forced its closing during the 1989–90 season.

Piney Fork Press Theater of New York has resurrected the name and provides new playwrights a chance to present their works in New York City library spaces, at no cost to anyone. In 2014, they produced a reading of David Garrick's Catherine and Petruchio, a rarely performed 18th Century adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, at the NYPL George Bruce Theater. In 2015, they will present a reading of The Show Shop, a Broadway comedy from 1919. Their new play festival is now in its fifth year. More at www.equitylibrarytheater.info.

References

  1. ↑ "After 46 Years, Equity Theater May Have to Close" by Andrew L. Yarrow, New York Times, November 23, 1989


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