irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $149KSTREET THEATER - THE ANNUAL SUMMER STREET THEATER IS A FREE OPERETTA-FOR-THE-STREETS THAT TOURS 13 LOCATIONS IN ALL 5 BOROUGHS OF NEW YORK CITY. BEGUN IN THE EARLY 1970S AND EMBODYING THE GRASSROOTS IDEALS OF THAT DECADE, STREET THEATER AIMS TO RAISE SOCIAL AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITIES IT PERFORMS IN, CREATING CIVIC DIALOGUE THAT INSPIRES A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD BEYOND THE COMMUNITIES GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES. STREET THEATER PLAYS TO AN ESTIMATED 25,000 PEOPLE EACH SUMMER.
- #2 $113KCOMMUNITY FESTIVAL - THE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL PROGRAM IS A RESULT OF THE THEATERS STRONG COMMITMENT TO THE COMMUNITY. CONSISTING OF THE VILLAGE HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL AND THE LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS, IT GIVES LOW-INCOME NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS AND CURIOUS OUT-OF-TOWNERS ALIKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE ARTISTIC DIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CITY FOR FREE. THE HALLOWEEN BALL SHOWCASES OVER 200 ARTISTS AND PERFORMERS AT A MULTI-LEVEL THEATRICAL EVENT, SPILL OUT ONTO THE STREET, WHOSE PERFORMANCES ARE FREE TO THE PUBLIC. THE LOWER EAST SIDE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS IS A FREE THREE-DAY WEEKEND LONG EXTRAVAGANZA CELEBRATING THE CULTURAL AND ARTISTIC DIVERSITY OF THE LOWER EAST SIDE. ARTS IN EDUCATION - THE THEATERS ARTS IN EDUCATION PROGRAM IS A 10-WEEK AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM TEACHING CREATIVE EXPRESSION THROUGH A VARIETY OF THEATRICAL MEDIUMS. THIS PROGRAM IS HELD TWICE A YEAR IN THE FALL AND SPRING. APPROXIMATELY 20 STUDENTS, AGES 8 THROUGH 12, ATTEND THIS PROGRAM EACH SESSION. THIS PROGRAM HELPS STUDENTS DEVELOP SELF-CONFIDENCE THROUGH DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OF PERFORMANCE AND MANY STUDENTS HAVE GONE ON TO PARTICIPATE IN OTHER PROGRAMS AT THE THEATER.
named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Arts in Education
Free after-school theater workshop for low-income and at-risk children on the Lower East Side, focusing on creative expression, self-confidence, and communication; serves about 20 students per 10-week session in fall and spring.
Community Festival
Free public events including the Village Halloween Costume Ball (featuring 450+ artists) and the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, a three-day celebration of local cultural and artistic diversity.
Presenting Theater
Winter program hosting experimental performing groups without a permanent base, including Bread and Puppet Theater and Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and Pow-Wow, featuring ritual and social dances from 17 tribes and Native food and craft sales.
Street Theater
Annual free operetta-for-the-streets that tours 13 locations across all five boroughs of New York City, aiming to raise social awareness and inspire civic dialogue; reaches approximately 25,000 people each summer.
activities · 8 groups
What they do
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New Play Development Programs 3 activities
- Hosts staged reading series for early-stage playsHosts an annual staged reading series called NEW CITY, NEW BLOOD, featuring 8 to 10 plays in early development stages, providing a platform for new works and playwrights to gain exposure and feedback.
- Offers free playwriting and acting workshops for emerging artistsOffers free recurring workshops for beginners in acting and playwriting, including reading and discussion of original works, as well as free playwriting workshops led by resident playwrights to support emerging writers.
- Produces Dream Up Festival featuring world and American premieresProduces the annual Dream Up Festival, which presents world and American premieres of new works by U.S. and international artists, supporting experimental and developmental theater.
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Community Festival & Event Production 2 activities
- Hosts annual Lower East Side Festival of the ArtsOrganizes and hosts the annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, a free, multi-day event that showcases over 200 to 450 artists and performers, celebrating the cultural and artistic diversity of the neighborhood. The festival has been held annually for over 25 years and draws over 4,000 attendees each year.
- Organizes Village Halloween Costume BallProduces the annual Village Halloween Costume Ball, a free public event that celebrates artistic diversity and community participation through costume and performance.
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Youth Theater Arts Education 2 activities
- Produces educational performance pieces for school childrenProduces educational theatrical works designed to take school children on a virtual journey of discovery, emphasizing inquiry, exploration, and learning through performance.
- Provides free after-school theater workshops for youthRuns a free 10-week after-school theater program twice annually for approximately 20 students aged 8 to 12, particularly targeting at-risk and limited English proficient youth in underserved schools and shelters. The program fosters communication, self-esteem, and creative expression through theatrical mediums.
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Performing Arts Ticket Access Programs 1 activity
- Distributes free tickets to community organizationsDistributes approximately 6,000 free tickets annually to 100 community organizations, including youth programs and senior centers across the five boroughs, to increase access to the arts for underserved populations.
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Live Music Performances & Concerts 1 activity
- Hosts winter performances featuring Bread and Puppet Theater and Thunderbird American Indian Dance ConcertHosts annual winter performances including the Bread and Puppet Theater and the Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and Pow-Wow, which features ritual and social dances from 17 Native American tribes—the only such event in the eastern United States. Proceeds from the Thunderbird event support the Native American Scholarship Fund.
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Professional Theatrical Production 1 activity
- Produces 30–40 new American plays annuallyProduces between 30 and 40 premieres of new American plays each year, including works by emerging and established playwrights, as well as theater companies without permanent homes. This includes commissioning and developing new works through programs like the Emerging Theater Program.
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Free Outdoor & Community Theater Productions 1 activity
- Produces and tours annual free summer street theater operettaProduces and tours an original musical operetta each summer to 13 locations across all five boroughs of New York City, reaching approximately 25,000 people annually. The tour runs from August 1 to September 13 and includes free public performances in parks, playgrounds, and closed-off streets, with a focus on raising social awareness and fostering civic dialogue.
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Event and Production Volunteer Coordination 1 activity
- Provides administrative and technical support for theater productionsProvides administrative and technical support for its theater productions through volunteer office assistants and internships in administrative, artistic, and technical areas such as lighting, scenic design, and assistant directing.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.75M
Contributions & grants$1.32M75%
Program service revenue$446K25%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$-13K
expenses
Total expenses$1.28M
Program expenses80%
Admin / overhead16%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$222K
Grants paid out$85K
Largest expense lineOther
balance sheet
Total assets$3.96M
Cash$25K
Investments$0
Liabilities$129K
Net assets$3.83M
Liquid reserves0.2 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +6.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 3
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALEXANDER BARTENIEFF | OPS MGR / BOD | 30 | $34K |
| MARK MARCANTE | Director | 40 | $22K |
| CRYSTAL FIELD | President | 40 | $20K |
board members · 13
- ANDREA FULTON — Director
- DEENA HARBURG — Director
- EDUARDO MACHADO — Director
- JANET COOPER PIONTEK — CHAIR
- JOEL KUPFERMAN — Director
- JONATHAN FREEMAN — Director
- MARY TIERNEY — Director
- MICHAEL SCOTT PRICE — Director
- MYRNA DUARTE — Director
- PHILIP HACKETT — Secretary/tresa
- ROBERT GREER — Director
- TIM ROBBINS — Director
- joan Kane — Director
relationships · 31
Who they work with
- Alexander Bartenieff Partner — Technical staff member responsible for receiving internship applications in lighting and scenic design.
- Artistas del Isaida Partner — Collaborates on gallery exhibitions, including the "Artists Embrace Liberty & Justice" exhibit for the LES Festival of the Arts.
- Bond Street Theater Partner — Participating ensemble in the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
- Bread and Puppet Theater Partner — Hosted annually by TNC's Presenting Program as part of its winter season.
- Bread and Puppet Theater Partner — Hosted by Theater for the New City Foundation Inc in its Presenting Theater program.
- Catherine Street Shelter Partner — Partner shelter served by the theater's Arts in Education program.
- Chinese Theatre Works Partner — Participating ensemble in the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
- Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Funder — Provided a Quality of Life Grant to support installation of an elevator lift in 2017 and accessible front doors in 2025.
- Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation Funder — Provided a grant to support a free playwriting workshop for emerging writers at Theater for the New City.
- Crystal Field Partner — Executive Director involved in supervising administrative and artistic interns and receiving internship applications.
- Crystal Field Partner — Playwright and director of the 2026 TNC Street Theater Summer Tour production "The Root of It All, A Dentist’s Tale."
- Folksbiene National Yiddish Theater Partner — Participating ensemble in the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
- Franklyn Rodriguez Partner — Photographer documenting the Street Theater Company's performances.
- Hyde & Watson Foundation Funder — Provided grant funding to support replacement of front doors with ADA-compliant accessible doors in 2025.
- INTAR Partner — Co-presented Eduardo Machado’s play HAVANA JOURNAL in 2010.
- INTAR Partner — Co-produced "Havana Journal: 2004" with Theater for the New City.
- JHS 64 Partner — Partner school served by the theater's Arts in Education program.
- Lower East Side Partner — Hosts the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts, indicating a geographic and community partnership.
- Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal Government — Addressed attendees at the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
- Mary Tierney Partner — Board member who created and runs the Actors/Writers’ Workshop.
- NY City Council Member Gale A. Brewer Government — Addressed attendees at the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
- NYC Department of Parks and Recreation Partner — Collaborates through Alexander Bartenieff's work with the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater.
- New Yiddish Rep Partner — Participating ensemble in the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts.
- New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Funds Theater for the New City's Arts-in-Education Program through a grant.
- New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Matched funds from the Reeve Foundation to support installation of an elevator lift in 2017.
- P.S. 20 Partner — Partner school served by the theater's Arts in Education program.
- Regents Family Shelter Partner — Partner shelter served by the theater's Arts in Education program.
- Stavros Niarchos Foundation Funder — Provided grant funding to support replacement of front doors with ADA-compliant accessible doors in 2025.
- Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and Pow-Wow Partner — Hosted annually by TNC's Presenting Program, with box office proceeds supporting the Native American Scholarship Fund.
- Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and Pow-Wow Partner — Hosted by Theater for the New City Foundation Inc in its Presenting Theater program.
+ 1 more
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Community-Integrated Theater for Civic Engagementmethodology: civic_engagement_through_theaterBy integrating theater with community participation—through free public performances, festivals, and reciprocal engagement in both theatrical and community spaces—the organization fosters civic dialogue and cultural participation, because shared artistic experiences build mutual understanding and counter social fragmentation.
- Non-Commercial Artistic Development Modelmethodology: non-commercial_artistic_developmentBy maintaining a non-commercial creative process that prioritizes experimental, new, and unconventional works, the organization nurtures playwrights and emerging artists, because freedom from commercial pressures enables sustained artistic innovation and risk-taking.
- Youth Arts Development Through Experiential Learningmethodology: arts-for-youth-developmentBy using multi-disciplinary, interactive theater training—including peer feedback and virtual inquiry formats—within educational settings, the organization builds communication skills and self-esteem in youth, because experiential engagement in the arts supports personal development and academic inclusion, especially among at-risk and linguistically marginalized students.