Rattlestick Playwrights Theater

Really cool small theater in the village. Have seen several shows here. You never know as these are usually new plays. The show today was interesting take on Shakespeare hamlet. 90 minute show. The 2 actors very good.

Tucked next door to Naïm and on the second floor, Rattlestick is a nonprofit theater in the West Village that supports new playwright’s work. They run shows at the historic Cherry Lane theater and at this, more modest, black box theater. There isn’t a lot of room to wait before the show, but the ushers are warm and friendly. I saw a play that the NYT was lukewarm about (Shesh Yak), but it was quite good and the actors were excellent. (Just another reminder that Ben Brantley is their only theater critic worth reading.) There was even a musical performance afterwards, and the actors stuck around and thanked us for staying. An intimate spot to see new work and actors (you might recognize them from TV shows filmed in NYC) before they hit it big.

Great, small venue that offers really phenomenal shows.
I like that every seat offers you an intimate experience with the stage. It’s also really great that you can get reasonable priced tickets which really great actors without the hustle and bustle of Broadway.
I truly recommend checking it out!

Juárez documentary highly recommend

We saw a great fun show here called The Long Shift. There was a small group of us, the theater is very intimate and the staff seemed very friendly. Would definitely come back

Nice to have an off-​broadway theater so close to me in greenwich Village, went last night with friends to see the Long Shrift directed by James Franco. It is a relatively small theater with only 99 seats, all though with that said there is not a bad seat in the house. Only one bathroom for a ton of patrons can be annoying to wait on, but again you make due when its an off broadway theater. The staff and ushers were very friendly and nice, and the show was better than the reviews made it out to be.

Hardish to find in the dark, even for native NYers, this theater is small and plays mostly new plays. We saw «The Correspondent,», an uneven but interesting play with three good actors.
My partner tells me the rest room was not great, and it had a long line, as well as being closed during the intermissionless 1.5-hour play.
I particularly liked the actress Heather Alicia Simms.

There was once a time when I thought I couldn’t afford to see theater. I dismissed theater as something rich people do when they have at least $ 80 to drop. But the longer I live here, the more I realize that there are endless ways to see performances for less than $ 40. One of the purveyors of that privilege is Rattlestick.

Have seen so many plays here that I’ve lost count.
The play I saw last week «Basilica» was produced by Rattlestick but staged at The Cherry Lane (on Commerce St.).
Their set design is so interesting that you tend to forget that you are in a small off-​Broadway auditorium. I’ve seen well-​constructed sets here that have recreated a neighborhood tavern, country homes, newspaper offices, a warehouse, and the back porch of a convenience store. No doubt they are always watching the budget — and yet nothing looks «cheap» here. Bravo.
* * * W.C. Advisory:
The restroom is located on the stage and, therefore, off limits during the play.
Do not load up on «free refills» of coffee at supper before a performance.
OK, theatre buffs — you’ve been warned.

I’ve seen 5 shows here in the past 2 years. One was really good, one was pretty good, one was pretty bad and two were make-​me-​want-​to-​gouge-​my-​eyes-​out horrible. They say they are supporting emerging playwrights so i guess one must expect some up and down, but at some point they need to look at the script and realize that it is not good enough to get a full production where folks will pay $ 50 a ticket. Also, be careful of the NYT reviews — the two reviews for the horrible shows made them sound like they were near misses when nothing could have been farther from my experience.
I’d say wait for a rave review of one of the plays and then go. It’s in a great neighborhood and is an intimate space to see theatre. Be aware that the one bathroom is onstage, so go before you get there. It’s also up a flight of stairs, so if you have mobility issues it might not be for you. Finally, there’s no one at the box office until half-​hour, so one can’t pick up tickets early.
I’m all for supporting new playwrights, but if the work is bad, please, just do a free staged reading so the playwright can get some feedback but people are not putting down their cash for something that is not stage-​worthy.

My heels are breaking down as I make my way through my cobbled West Village streets to a not quite hidden red door. It is propped open tonight as the fresh spring air blows up the set of stairs that dominate my gaze. As I climb my heart beats a little faster as the sounds of chitter-​chatter get louder.
A night at the theatre to awaken my senses is just what the doctor ordered, and nothing cures my ills better then the New York City Off-​Broadway scene.
It’s dark and cold, but filled with smiling faces and warm hellos. It’s like your neighborhood bar in all it’s glory and tonight just like every night I don’t know what that sip of drink will do to my sanity.
I settle into my soft plush red seat, and my body sinks back in time. On the surface it might seem old, tattered, and frayed. But more importantly when you break the surface that is Rattlestick, nothing is different from what I’m watching tonight and what one might have seen here over 15 years ago.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater has always been committed to the development and production of innovative new plays while continuing to this day to foster some of the most important new voices in American Theatre.
One of those spaces in New York that a true downtown theatre lover breathes in for what it is worth. From awkwardly using the bathroom on stage during intermission, to bits of paint falling from the ceiling it still lives in a time where you can say «This Is New York Theatre» and this just might be a place where «Dreams Do Come True.»
It’s a place where ‘Wright’ can do no wrong, where ‘Grimm’ will make you laugh till you cry, and where ‘Rapp’ unwraps his wrath. It is the place to fall in love with theatre allover again!
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: A reminder of what I love about New York Off-​Broadway theatre. One of the most recognized but unrecognizable faces in the downtown theatre scene for over 15 years.

The Rattlestick is a small off-​Broadway theater that puts on some stellar performances. They focus on young playwrights and mentor them through the process by pairing them with an established one. The result is that they get very talented, sometimes famous, actors and some unique productions. This is everything that NY is known for, great talent in small hidden places. It’s a find.