named programs · 3 · from sources
What they call their work
Children's Theatre Education Classes
Workshops introducing NYC youth to Shakespeare’s language and stories, with scholarship support for low-income students to ensure accessibility.
Critical Response Process (CRP) Salon
An event series where artists share works-in-progress and receive structured feedback from audiences using Liz Lerman’s four-step method, fostering collaborative development and audience engagement.
Elizabethan Fight Night
A fundraising event featuring staged Shakespearean combat scenes in a boxing ring format at South Street Seaport, blending theatrical performance with audience entertainment.
activities · 3 groups
What they do
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Post-Performance Audience Engagement 1 activity
- Hosting Critical Response Process (CRP) Salon events for artistsHosts salon events that bring together interdisciplinary artists to share works-in-progress and receive structured feedback through the Critical Response Process—a four-step method that includes audience input, artist-selected focus topics, and moderated discussion—inspired by early 1900s Parisian avant-garde salons.
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Professional Theatrical Production 1 activity
- Producing theatrical performances of reimagined classical worksProduces and presents theatrical events that reimagine classical works, such as Shakespeare, offering fresh perspectives through performances like "As You Like It" in New York City and the southern Catskills, and the original format "Elizabethan Fight Night," which stages Shakespearean fight scenes in a boxing ring setting.
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Youth Theater Arts Education 1 activity
- Providing theatre education and arts programming for childrenOffers theatre education classes and workshops for children in the NYC area, introducing Shakespeare’s language and stories, integrating arts into the Common Core curriculum, and providing after-school and independent arts programming, including scholarship-supported access.
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financials · form 990EZ · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$3K
Contributions & grants$3K104%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$3K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out$0
balance sheet
Total assets$3K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$3K
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue -91.8%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
board members · 7
- Chris Foster — Trustee
- Elizabeth Gray — Director of Development
- Leah Christine Maddrie — Trustee
- Martin Joseph Hardy II — Trustee
- Megan Averbuch — Trustee
- Meghan Griffin — Artistic Director
- Thomas Nelms — Executive Director
relationships · 5
Who they work with
- Actors' Equity Association Partner — Collaborates with AEA actors in productions.
- HIIT The Deck NYC Partner — Co-hosts the "Elizabethan Fight Night" event at the South Street Seaport.
- HIIT The Deck NYC Partner — Collaborates with HIIT The Deck NYC to host theatrical events, including "Elizabethan Fight Night," at the South Street Seaport.
- Paired Up Media Partner — Co-founded by Meghan Griffin and Martin Joseph Hardy, indicating a strategic professional affiliation.
- Virginia Tech Partner — Hosted a cross-discipline improvisation workshop led by Backyard Stages' Director of Development.
strategies · 5
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.
- Arts Education as Foundational Developmentmethodology: arts-education-as-fundamentalBy integrating theater and arts into education—particularly through arts-infused STEM and modern reinterpretations of classical works—the organization advances individual and community development because arts education holds intrinsic and instrumental value for lifelong learning and societal growth.
- Collaborative Artistic Development Through Purposeful Communicationmethodology: collaborative_artistic_developmentBy fostering structured collaboration and intentional dialogue among artists and audiences, the organization generates fresh perspectives in theater because shared communication enables creative flourishing and innovative performance.
- Critical Response Process for Artistic Developmentmethodology: critical_response_processBy using a structured, facilitator-moderated feedback process (Critical Response Process), artists receive targeted audience input on works-in-progress, which refines their creative output and deepens audience engagement because iterative, constructive dialogue fosters trust and artistic growth.
- Immersive and Community-Centered Artistic Practicemethodology: immersive_participationBy staging performances in outdoor and natural settings and integrating immersive participation, the organization expands access to classical theater and connects diverse lived experiences because recontextualization and joyful engagement make theater more accessible and socially relevant.
- Reimagined Classics for Contemporary Relevancemethodology: reimagined_classicsBy reinterpreting classical theatrical works through modern and future-oriented lenses, the organization increases their cultural resonance and accessibility because contemporary framing allows audiences to connect classical themes with current social and personal experiences.