Studio History

Cherry Lane Studio opened its doors in September, 1998 as a birthing room for new American work. Artistic Director Angelina Fiordellisi created the 60-seat black-box theater, originally named the “Alternative Space,” with Samuel Anderson Architects. At that time, CLT Studio benefited from the generosity of our community, including theater-operator and producer Carolyn Copeland, who donated sixty chairs from The Lamb’s Theater basement, as well as artist and producing board member Jack Gindi, who donated our technical booth, sound and lighting boards. The seating was upgraded and made retractable in 2006 with a generous grant provided by New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Prior to its present incarnation, the 1,000-square-foot space housed a restaurant in the 1950s that was built and managed by the Carroad family, who once owned and operated the entire block.  The yard behind their building at 44 Commerce Street served as an outdoor eating area for the restaurant during spring and summer, and the Cherry Lane boiler once served all the properties on our stretch of Commerce Street. The restaurant, which had a floor dotted with gold-plated fleurs-de-lis, also served as a late-night gay club in the 60’s and 70’s.

Arnold Warwick, a tenant at 40 Commerce Street since 1950, claims that the Carroad family evicted an old sea captain in order to create a public ante room where our current lobby is located. Kim Hunter’s children, who grew up in the building, tell the story of an excavation next door at 36 Commerce Street in the late 50’s that not only revealed an underground river, but also thousands of turtles.

Currently, the CLT Studio (soon to be renamed the Jose Quintero Studio, or the “Q,” after Ms. Fiordellisi’s beloved mentor), is a safe haven for the development of new plays. Our programs allow playwrights to hone their work without the pressure of reviews, before sophisticated, thrill-seeking audiences, who want to discover the bold new voices of today. David Adjmi, Courtney Baron, Sheila Callaghan, Julia Cho, Bathsheba Doran, Anton Dudley, Sam Forman, Katori Hall, Eliam Kraiem, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Rogelio Martinez, Christopher Shinn, Beau Willimon and numerous others have all developed new ideas and plays at the CLT Studio. Our studio- theater programming is a critical component of our mission to build a community to support the playwriting process and the future of American drama.

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Click here for Cherry Pit Late Nite History

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Click here for Tongues Reading Series

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