History
The Mint Theater Company was founded in 1992 by Kelly Morgan. [14] The mission was further solidified when Jonathan Bank took over as artistic director in 1995, deciding to focus on lost, neglected, or forgotten plays. [15] [16] This focus came from his interest in narrative driven plays that audiences didn't already know. The company's full commitment to neglected works came as audience interest in seeing recovered plays increased, eventually prompting the company to re-establish their mission and change their slogan to "Lost Plays Found Here." [17]
They have done significant work to revive the works of several playwrights who had fallen into obscurity. Their on-going Teresa Deevy Project works to rediscover, produce, and publish works of Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, [18] who despite early success and several productions at the Dublin Abbey Theatre during her lifetime has been largely neglected and her work forgotten. [19] [4] [20] The Mint Theater has produced four plays and published two anthologies of Deevy’s work. [21]
The theater’s revival of Rachel Crothers’ Susan and God in 2006 was the first New York City revival since 1943. [22] Crothers' work had rarely been seen since her death in 1953. [5] The theater also revived her Pulitzer Prize nominated play, A Little Journey in 2011. [5]
They have also revived or sometimes premiered neglected works by famous authors. [11] In 2008 they produced Hemingway's The Fifth Column , [23] using the original text, [10] the first professional production to do so as the 1940 Broadway production used an adapted script by Benjamin Glazer which Hemingway ultimately did not approve. [24] [25] They have produced both of D. H. Lawrence's plays, The Daughter-in-Law in 2003 [26] and The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd in 2009. [27]
In addition to citations for individual productions, the company has received several awards. In 2001 they received an Obie Grant. [28] [29] In 2002 they were awarded a Drama Desk Special Award for "unearthing, presenting and preserving forgotten plays of merit”. [30] In 2010 they were awarded The Theatre Museum's Theatre History Preservation Award. [31]
Notable Productions
The Daughter-in-Law , Soldier's Wife, The Return of the Prodigal, So Help Me God!, A Little Journey , London Wall , Fashions For Men, Women Without Men, and Hindle Wakes were all nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play. [44] [45] [39]
Dr. Knock , Temporal Powers, Mary Broome, London Wall , A Day by the Sea , Yours Unfaithfully, The Suitcase Under the Bed, Conflict, and The Mountains Look Different were all New York Times Critic's Picks.
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