New York City Center and its resident companies play an important role in New York City's arts landscape by providing affordable theatrical productions. City Center receives funding from private foundations, corporations, and the city to support its programming including the resident companies Manhattan Theatre Club and Pearl Theatre Company. City Center also aims to cultivate new audiences through its educational initiatives that reach students across New York City and its affordable ticketing options.

1. New York City Center and the Arts Infrastructure of New York City

2. Purpose and Rationale of Research Understand the position of New York City Center and its resident companies in the arts landscape of New York City. As Broadway becomes increasingly unaffordable and tourist-oriented, the companies at City Center continue to provide artistically satisfying and affordable dance and theatre productions. Additionally, despite its location in Manhattan, City Center designs programs to reach the outer boroughs, especially through its education initiatives. “In the United States, the art and cultural sector’s presumed ability to stimulate economic development, at both regional and neighborhood scales, is one of the most frequently invoked rationales for cultural planning.” By focusing specifically on two of the resident theatrical companies, Manhattan Theatre Club and The Pearl Theatre Company and the Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert series, which is presented on the Main Stage, a more direct comparison can be drawn between non-profit theatre and commercial productions on Broadway.

3. Research Questions What is the position of New York City Center and its resident companies in the arts landscape of New York City? How does the partnership between the city and the private foundations and corporations that fund City Center affect the programming choices made? What are the giving patterns of some of the foundations that fund City Center and its resident companies? Where does City Center and its mission and performance history fit into this pattern?

4. Local Arts Ecology “The local arts ecology is made up of three components: the arts infrastructure, their support structures, and the community contexts in which they operate.” - Arts and Culture in the Metropolis: Strategies for Sustainability

6. Broadway theatres must have at least 500 seats; the largest active house (The Gershwin) has 1,933 seats.

8. Supporting the Arts: Foundations “When it comes to charitable contributions, competition is greater between arts and cultural organizations and among the nonprofit arts organizations than between arts and entertainment organizations. This competition for dollars (both earned and contributed) is one of the primary challenges to the sustainability of the arts infrastructure.” - Arts and Culture in the Metropolis: Strategies for Sustainability One of the largest donors to MTC, The Shubert Foundation has given over $70,000,000 in grants to theatre organizations. Of that money, MTC has received eight grants totaling $1,680,000. The Roundabout Theatre Company, while Lincoln Center Theatre has received six grants totaling $1,650,000. The Shubert Foundation is also one of the most consistent funders of the Encores! concerts, regularly granting between $80,000 and $90,000 in support of each season. In addition to The Shubert Foundation, Newman’s Own Foundation has given grants of $100,000 per season for the Encores! series. This is in line with Newman’s emphasis on grant making for recreation and arts and culture. As a theatre company that is smaller both in scope and operating budget, the Pearl relies on grants from a larger pool of grantors that are of lesser amounts than either MTC or the Encores! series.

11. Under Mayor LaGuardia in 1943, City Center opened its doors as Manhattan’s first performing arts complex. The 2,750 seat main stage was to become a center for theatre, music, and dance.

12. After the New York City Opera and New York City Ballet companies moved to Lincoln Center, City Center rededicated itself to hosting the best in dance and theatre.

13. Currently, City Center is undergoing extensive renovations to the façade and the Main Stage. When renovations are completed in fall of 2011, the Main Stage will have approximately 2,200 seats. Source: wikipedia.org

16. Pearl Theatre Company MTC’s neighbor on the lower level of City Center, The Pearl Theatre Company has committed itself to developing a strong resident company with a repertory focused on the classics. For presenting “notable productions of classic plays and nurturing a stalwart resident company of actors,” the Pearl is being honored with a special award as part of the 2011 Drama Desk Awards.

18. 6,000 students from forty schools participated in at least one educational program at City Center during the 2009-10 season.Source: http://www.nycitycenter.org/content/education/partners.aspx/ Students from an additional school on Long Island also participated in the education programs.