Theater for the New City (TNC), the historic Off-Off-Broadway Venue that has produced new and avant-garde work in the Lower East Side since 1971, is hosting a special exhibit to celebrate 55 years of its Summer Street Theater, an annual production of a new musical with book and lyrics by TNC Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director Crystal Field. The composers for Street Theater over the years are David Tice, Mark Hardwick, Joseph Vernon Banks and Peter Dizozza. The exhibit will feature photos, recordings, posters, print materials, costumes, props, and other memorabilia, highlighting the people, productions and cultural impact of the Summer Street Theater throughout the decades. The opening is set for Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 at 6pm in TNC’s gallery located at 155 1st Ave, New York, NY, 10003.
As part of the exhibit there will be presentations of video recordings of selected Street Theater performances from every decade from the 1970’s through present day on every Sunday starting September 20th-October 25th at 7pm.
The exhibit is curated by TNC’s Director of Marketing and Development Briana Bartenieff. To do so, Bartenieff went through thousands of photos, and digitized VHS’s and video tapes going back to 1972. “It is so important to preserve these performances, to be able to make theater history accessible to all. It has been a wonderful experience to give these shows a new life, and to remember those we have lost. I am looking forward to seeing the hundreds of company members that Street Theater has impacted throughout the years!”
A hit with audiences all over the city since its inception in 1971, the annual Summer Street Theater has made it its mission to bring new, accessible theater to people all over the city. They proudly play performances every weekend from early August until mid-September, visiting all five boroughs, free of charge. The productions always attract a mixture of established fans and new audience members, especially families with kids. The productions also always feature timely messages and stories centering on the people of New York City and their needs. Previous years have focused on subjects like social work, public transit, climate change and the ups and downs of U.S. politics. This year’s iteration is called “The Root of It All: A Dentist’s Tale”, and will be playing performances until September 13th.
This archival exhibit is open to all, free of charge. It can be viewed in TNC’s gallery during 10am-10pm seven days a week from September 16th through October 18th, 2026. In addition, the schedule of the free Sunday screenings of the performances at 7pm are as follows:
9/20-1972’s Sky Salesman / Minding the Store (1hr) & 1975’s Mama Liberty’s Bicentennial Party (1hr)
9/27- 1987’s Hit the Road w/ documentary about TNC moving from 2nd Ave to 1st. (1hr and 30)
10/4- 1997’s Pirates! (1hr)
10/11- 2001’s The Patients Are Running the Asylum w/ documentary (2hrs)
10/18- 2012’s 99% Reduced Fat or You can Bank on Us! (1hr and 15)
10/25- 2024’s Socialization of a Social Worker or Justice in a Time of Need (1hr)