Connelly Theater Suspends Operations After Church Landlord Takes Issue

The Connelly Theater, located in New York City's East Village, is shutting down after the building's landlord, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, has taken issue with productions begin produced there. According to the New York Times, the church has been looking more deeply into the rented shows being presented at the venue, with three productions being forced to relocate.

Following this discrepency, the theater's general manager, Josh Luxenberg, submitted his resignation last week, and said that he is unwilling to continue working under the current circumstances. Now, the theater's operations will be suspended.

Producers who have put on productions in this space said that they were aware that the venue was owned by the archdiocese, and there was a clause in their contract which allows the Roman Catholic Church to shut down any show it deems inappropriate. However, they noted that recently the scrutiny of the scripts has become more intense.

Recent productions that have been forced to relocate include New York Theater's Workshop's production of Becoming Eve, as well as comedy show Jack Tucker.

While the Archdiocese of New York claims that there have been no changes made to its approval process for productions at the Connelly Theater, it is assumed that this increased scrutiny is in response to an indicent in Brooklyn last fall, when a priest was stripped of his administrative duties after allowing Sabrina Carpenter to film a music video deemed inappropriate in a Catholic church.

In an email announcing the suspending of operations of the theater, Brianne Wetzel, executive director of the Cornelia Connelly Center, a Catholic school on the property, said, "Although we do not yet know when the theater will reopen, CCC remains committed to its mission to ensure that current and future girls will receive the guidance they need to reach their educational goals."

The producers of Job shared:

"We are shocked and disappointed that the Catholic Church has shuttered one of downtown’s most beloved theaters. Simply put, JOB would not be on Broadway without the Connelly Theater. 
 
Great theater is an exchange of ideas — an opportunity for audiences to develop empathy and understanding. The Church undermines that quest for shared humanity with its decision.

We call on the Archdiocese to reopen the Connelly so artists and audiences can once again gather and experience the transcendence of live theater. And in the meantime, we invite Cardinal Dolan to come to the Hayes Theater to see JOB on Broadway. He can experience first-hand the powerful theater he is now turning his back on."
 

Read the original story on the New York Times.

About the Connelly Theater

The historic Connelly Theater is a jewelbox playhouse in the heart of NYC's East Village that serves as a home for independent theater productions.

Originally built in the 1860s as the choir hall for an orphanage, the Connelly Theater features a gold proscenium, raised stage and generous wing space, as well as an intimate, flexible seating configuration.

Past productions include Marin Ireland’s Pre-Existing Condition, Max Wolf Friedlich’s Job (transferring to Broadway, Summer 2024), The Animal Kingdom (directed by Jack Serio), Kate Berlant’s Kate (directed by Bo Burnham) Jeremy Tiang’s Salesman之死 (Yangtze Rep), Talene Monahan’s The Good John Proctor (Bedlam), Sasha Velour’s Nightgowns: The Musical, The Crucible (Bedlam), Will Arbery’s Plano (Clubbed Thumb; Drama Desk-nominated), Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Diaries 2018 (New York Theatre Workshop), The Bengson’s The Lucky Ones (Ars Nova; Lortel and Drama Desk-nominated), Sinking Ship's A Hunger Artist (Drama Desk-nominated), Mac Wellman's The Offending Gesture (The Tank), Daniel Kitson's A Show for Christmas, The Lisps’ Futurity (Soho Rep. & Ars Nova; Lortel Award), Lyspinka! The Trilogy (TWEED), Mission Drift (The TEAM), Lucy Thurber's Monstrosity (13p), Anne Washburn's Apparition, and many others, including since 2017 the SheNYC Summer Theater Festival. The space also serves as a location for film and television productions, including shows on HBO, Netflix, Amazon, FX, ABC, MTV, PBS, and many more.