The Daryl Roth Theatre is an off-Broadway performance space at 101 East 15th Street, at the northeast corner of the intersection with Union Square East, near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The theater, which opened in 1998, is housed in the four-story Union Square Savings Bank building, which was designed by Henry Bacon and built in 1905–1907.[1] The original structure, a New York City landmark, houses a theater that can accommodate 300 seated or 499 standing patrons.
The theater opened with a production of the musical “Red” in May 1998. In 2003, the Daryl Roth Theatre won an award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy for the creative and effective preservation of a historical building. The conservancy commended the theatre for preserving and restoring original features such as decorative ceilings and moldings while incorporating the most modern elements to meet its new programmatic needs. In 2004, the Huntington Theatre Company of Boston announced a three-year agreement with Daryl Roth in which the company would perform an annual six-week off-Broadway season at the theater.
In 2012, under a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Ambassador Theatre Group, Disney’s “The Lion King” began an 18-month run at the Daryl Roth Theatre on 42nd street. For one week in July 2013, actor Zach Braff debut his play “All New People” at the venue to sold-out crowds as a part of the New York International Fringe Festival.
The Daryl Roth Theatre, designed by architect Howard Lescaze, was transformed from a 19th-century office building into a state-of-the-art theater. The exterior and interior of the building remain relatively unchanged since its construction in 1905–1907. Said to be an early example of the “classic” style in the United States, it features a symmetrical facade with Corinthian order pilasters and an unbroken cornice line. It was designated a New York City landmark in 1993.
The original theater space retained its historic character including the pressed-metal ceiling, Corinthian columns, plaster capitals, and ornate flooring. The renovations, however, included an entirely new stage house and auditorium configuration. The unusual proscenium theater is intimate in scale with only 299 seats; the orchestra level accommodates 100 patrons while the mezzanine holds 150 more guests.
The Daryl Roth Theatre was not originally intended for theatrical use but rather as a Union Square Savings Bank branch. The bank closed in 2001 and the space was taken over by its current tenant, the Daryl Roth Theatre Company, which is a not-for-profit theatre dedicated to showcasing new works by promising playwrights as well as producing classics.
In 2011, actor Zach Braff made his directorial debut at the Daryl Roth Theatre with his play “All New People”, which was performed for one week as part of the New York International Fringe Festival.
Today, the Daryl Roth Theatre is known to support many different theatrical productions that are new, old, or simply experimental. The venue has hosted world premieres by Reginald Rose (“Honour”), Tony Kushner (“Angels in America”), and new works by Arthur Laurents, David Mamet, and Wendy Wasserstein.
The Daryl Roth Theatre is currently on the fourth floor of 101 East 15th Street, at the northeast corner of Union Square East, near Union Square. It is accessible via subway lines N, R, and 4, 5, 6 at 14th Street, and the L at 8th Avenue.