Old Reliable Theatre Tavern

Last updated

The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern (or The O.R.) was a theater and bar located at 213 E. 3rd Street in the Alphabet City neighborhood of New York City's East Village, [1] and played a vital part of the early Off-Off-Broadway scene. The Old Reliable presented plays by Guy Gauthier, Ilsa Gilbert, [2] William M. Hoffman, Michael McGrinder, [2] Stanley Nelson, [3] Jeannine O'Reilly, [3] Robert Patrick, Joseph Renard, Donald Kvares [4] and Thomas Terefenko. [5]

The Old Reliable was initially a working-class Polish bar, until late 1963 when the owner sought to turn it into a "Village bar", with the advice of a passing hipster. [6] The neighborhood around the Old Reliable was dangerous during its heyday; popular actor/director Neil Flanagan quipped, "It's easy to find. Just turn left at the burning automobile." Playwright Jeannine O'Reilly said, "It's no wonder we get such good audiences. Everyone's afraid to come here alone." [7] Robert Patrick described the neighborhood as "downtown Lebanon". [8] There was for a period of time a Second Avenue bar called Downtown Beirut. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain View, California</span> City in California, United States

Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376 as of the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Off-off-Broadway</span> Professional theatrical productions in small theaters in New York City

Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the professional theatre scene and as an experimental or avant-garde movement of drama and theatre. Over time, some off-off-Broadway productions have moved away from the movement's early experimental spirit.

The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after the 2014 ceremony, the American Theatre Wing is joint presenter and administrative manager of the Obie Awards. The Obie Awards are considered off-Broadway's highest honor, similar to the Tony Awards for Broadway productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre</span> Improvisational comedy venue

The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre is an American improvisational theatre company and training center founded by the Upright Citizens Brigade troupe members Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh.

True West is a play by American playwright Sam Shepard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Division Street (Chicago)</span> Street in Chicago, Illinois and west suburbs

Division Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois, located at 1200 North. Division Street begins in the Gold Coast neighborhood near Lake Shore Drive, passes through Polonia Triangle at Milwaukee Avenue into Wicker Park and continues to Chicago's city limits and into the city's western suburbs. Once known as "Polish Broadway" during the heyday of Polish Downtown, Division Street was the favorite street of author Nelson Algren. A fountain dedicated in his name was installed in what had been the area that figured as the inspiration for much of his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Cino</span> American theatrical producer

Joseph Cino, was an Italian-American theatre producer. The Off-Off-Broadway theatre movement is generally credited to have begun at Cino's Caffe Cino in the West Village of Manhattan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soho Repertory Theatre</span>

The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep, is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for producing avant-garde plays by contemporary writers. The company, described as a "cultural pillar", is currently located in a 65-seat theatre in the TriBeCa section of lower Manhattan. The company, and the projects it has produced, have won multiple prizes and earned critical acclaim, including numerous Obie Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Drama Critics' Circle Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize. A recent highlight was winning the Drama Desk Award for Sustained Achievement for "nearly four decades of artistic distinction, innovative production, and provocative play selection."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club</span> Theater in Manhattan, New York

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1961 by African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer Ellen Stewart. Located in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, the theater began in the basement boutique where Stewart sold her fashion designs. Stewart turned the space into a theater at night, focusing on the work of young playwrights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom O'Horgan</span> American director, actor, and musician

Tom O'Horgan was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. During his career he sought to achieve a form of "total theater" described by The New York Times as "wittily physical", and which earned him a reputation as the "Busby Berkeley of the acid set".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Fuzhou</span> Neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City

Little Fuzhou is a neighborhood in the Two Bridges and Lower East Side areas of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Little Fuzhou constitutes a portion of the greater Manhattan Chinatown, home to the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere. Manhattan's Chinatown is also one of the oldest Chinese ethnic enclaves.

<i>Lend an Ear</i>

Lend an Ear is a musical revue with a book, music, and lyrics by Charles Gaynor and additional sketches by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Oakland</span> Neighborhood of Oakland in Alameda, California, United States

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Repertory Theatre</span> Off-Brodway theatre

The Brick Theater is a venue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that presents dance, performance art, drag, comedy, film, music, experimental theatre, and more. Gothamist has hailed the space as “one of the city’s most reliable sources for smart, funny, and surprising performance.”

The performing arts in Detroit include orchestra, live music, and theater, with more than a dozen performing arts venues. The stages and old time film palaces are generally located along Woodward Avenue, the city's central thoroughfare, in the Downtown, Midtown, and New Center areas. Some additional venues are located in neighborhood areas of the city. Many of the city's significant historic theaters have been revitalized.

It's Only a Play is a play by Terrence McNally. The play originally opened off-off-Broadway in 1982. It was revived off-Broadway in 1986, and on Broadway in 2014. The plot concerns a party where a producer, playwright, director, actors and their friends eagerly wait for the opening night reviews of their Broadway play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theatre for a New Audience</span>

The Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) is a non-profit theater in New York City focused on producing Shakespeare and other classic dramas. Its off-Broadway productions have toured in the U.S. and internationally.

Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015; it was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. The play is centered on the working class of Reading, Pennsylvania.

References

  1. ↑ "Off-Off B'way". The Village Voice. February 5, 1970. p. 23. Retrieved January 10, 2015– via Google News.
  2. 1 2 Martin Washburn (January 1, 1970). "Theatre: Singles And Doubles". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 10, 2015– via Google News.
  3. 1 2 Martin Washburn (November 25, 1971). "Sifting suggest of neurotica". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 10, 2015– via Google News.
  4. ↑ David De Porte (September 16, 1969). "Theatre: O'Reilly, Terefenko, Kvares". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 10, 2015– via Google News.
  5. ↑ Albert Poland; Bruce Mailman (1972). The off, off Broadway book: the plays, people, theatre. Bobbs-Merrill. ISBN   9780672517532.
  6. ↑ Sally Kempton (September 10, 1964). "Baby Beatniks Spark Bar Boom on East Side". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 10, 2015– via Google News.
  7. ↑ Bonnie Rosenstock (May 10, 2006). "Celebrating Off-Off Broadway in a Peculiar Works Way". The Villager. Archived from the original on May 26, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2014.
  8. ↑ Stephen James Bottoms (2004). Playing Underground: A Critical History of the 1960s Off-off-Broadway Movement. University of Michigan Press. p. 292. ISBN   0-472-11400-X.
  9. ↑ Rosie Schaap (October 10, 2012). "Manhattan's Most-Mourned Bars". The New York Times . Retrieved January 10, 2015.

40°43′21″N73°58′56″W / 40.72251°N 73.98228°W / 40.72251; -73.98228

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.