Rattlestick Theater Begins $4.5 Million Renovation of West Village Home

Renovations have begun at Rattlestick Theater's home in the heart of the West Village. First built in 1854 and occupied by Rattlestick since 1999, Rattlestick’s two-floor building at 224 Waverly Place will undergo an overhaul that enhances accessibility with the installation of an elevator, new bathrooms, expanded dressing rooms, sound-proof flooring and windows, and an expanded lobby and ticket counter. The theater will also transform into a responsive, flexible performance space that can be reshaped for each show and capable of hosting more community events and celebrations. The year-long, $4.5 million renovation is scheduled to be completed by the Spring of 2026. 

“I am so inspired by the work Rattlestick has done to center access in our renovation,” said Davis. “In all aspects of the design, we have examined how our company can better host our community of audiences and artists. It’s one of the reasons I am proud to helm this organization. Rattlestick has a nearly 30-year track record of creating ambitious, singular new works guided by the principles of community, equity, empowerment, and artistic freedom. The renovation turns those values into a reality. The renovation will make it possible for us to offer a responsive, flexible performance space that can transform for each show, and to host more community events and celebrations. It will strengthen our role as a civic space in the West Village by ensuring that live theater can thrive downtown. I cannot wait to welcome you to our new theater.”

Rattlestick’s 2024-2025 “On The Road” season continues with the world premiere of Two Sisters Find a Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods, a surreal, delirious, and intimate theatrical experience written by and starring Emma Horwitz and Bailey Williams. Directed by Tara Elliott, this co-production with New Georges runs March 28 – April 26, 2025, at HERE.

Rattlestick’s 2024-2025 “On The Road” opened with the world premiere of a new musical, We Are Your Robots, by Obie-winning playwright Ethan Lipton and directed by two-time Tony nominee and frequent collaborator Leigh Silverman. Co-produced with Theatre for a New Audience, We Are Your Robots completed a successful run at Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Brooklyn from November 7 – December 8, 2024.

From its beloved theater, Rattlestick has helped launch the careers of hundreds of artists and produced over 125 new plays in pursuit of its mission to produce ambitious plays that inspire empathy and provoke conversation that will lead to positive social change. Rattlestick has produced the first plays and early works of some of today’s leading voices, including Martyna Majok (Ironbound), Diana Oh (mylingerieplay), and Heidi Schreck (There Are No More Big Secrets). Rattlestick is where some of our nation’s most celebrated playwrights are encouraged to test their boldest ideas, including Dael Orlandersmith (Until the Flood), José Rivera (Massacre, Sing to Your Children), and Samuel D. Hunter (Lewiston/ Clarkston, nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and the Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play).