The new Drama Book Shop opens Thursday, June 10, at its new home at 266 West 39th Street.
The Drama Book Shop is officially back, thanks to new owners Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The 104 year-old independent bookstore will open its doors once again tomorrow, Thursday, June 10, at its new home at 266 West 39th Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
Longtime friends and patrons of the bookstore Thomas Kail and Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with Jeffrey Seller and James L. Nederlander, purchased the store from Rozanne Seelen, whose late husband Arthur Seelen had bought the store in 1958. Over the years, the store has moved several times, with its most recent location having been on West 40th Street. In 2002 a theatre troupe from Wesleyan University founded by Mr. Kail and some friends convened downstairs in the store's 60-seat Arthur Seelen Theatre to rehearse a new musical. Written by Mr. Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Mr. Kail, that show was In the Heights, which went on to win four 2008 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It opens on June 11 as a major motion picture from Warner Brothers.
The new location, designed by Hamilton scenic designer David Korins and his team, pays homage to twentieth century European cafes and reading rooms and features a full-service cafe serving coffee, teas, and light snacks.
The Drama Book Shop is a community space for everyone enthused by the Arts-students, fans, theatre professionals, and award-winning artists alike. Since 1917, The Drama Book Shop has been a mainstay of New York's theatre scene, and with the support of the thousands of patrons that have passed through the shop's doors, will continue to be for the next 100 years to come.
Below, BroadwayWorld is giving you a sneak peek at the glorious new space with Kail and Korins!
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