The Roundabout Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabeth Owens. Originally housed at a Chelsea, Manhattan, grocery store, on 26th Street, it moved to the nearby 23rd Street Theatre in 1972, performing there until their lease expired in 1984. Following that, Roundabout leased the theatre space at 44 Union Square until that lease expired in 1990. The company then moved into the Criterion Center in Times Square, a two-auditorium complex. Roundabout used the larger Stage Right space as a small Tony Award-eligible theater while the smaller second theater became the first version of the Laura Pels Theatre. Notable productions during Roundabout's tenure at the Criterion include the 1993 revival of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie (featuring Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson in their Broadway debuts), the 1995 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company, and the 1997 revival of 1776. The company left the space in 1999 when their lease was canceled in favor of a new flagship Toys "R" Us store. The company staged off-Broadway productions in the Gramercy Theatre from 1999 to 2002.
The company now operates three Broadway theatres – the Todd Haimes Theatre, Studio 54, and the Stephen Sondheim TheatreHealy, Patrick. "One More Birthday Gift for Sondheim: A Broadway Theater", The New York Times, March 22, 2010 – and two off-Broadway spaces: the Laura Pels Theatre for new works by established playwrights, and the Roundabout Underground Black Box Theatre for new work of emerging writers and directors. The latter two theatres are located in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (the former American Place Theatre)."A Short History of Roundabout" at RoundaboutTheatre.org. Retrieved March 3, 2010."Roundabout Theatre Company – Our Theatres" at RoundaboutTheatre.org. Retrieved March 3, 2010.Architectural Record Building Types Study – Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre Following the 2023 death of Todd Haimes, Roundabout's longtime artistic director, Christopher Ashley was hired as Roundabout's artistic director in September 2024. From January 2026, Rebecca Habel serves as the managing director.
Production history Criterion Center Stage Right 1991–1999: 1991: The Homecoming 1992: The Visit, Hamlet, The Price, The Fifteen Minute Hamlet and The Real Inspector Hound, The Show Off 1993: Anna Christie, Candida, She Loves Me, The White Liars and Black Comedy, Rodgers and Hammerstein's A Grand Night for Singing 1994: No Man's Land, Picnic, Hedda Gabler, Philadelphia, Here I Come!, The Glass Menagerie 1995: The Molerie Comedies—The School for Husbands and The Imaginary Cuckold, A Month in the Country, The Play's the Thing, Company 1996: The Father, The Night of the Iguana, A Thousand Clowns, Summer and Smoke, The Rehearsal 1997: Three Sisters, London Assurance, 1776, A View from the Bridge 1998: The Deep Blue Sea, Side Man 1999: Little Me, The Lion in Winter
Todd Haimes Theatre
Source: IBDB
Studio 54
Source: IBDB
Laura Pels Theatre 2004: The Foreigner, Intimate Apparel 2005: Mr. Marmalade, Entertaining Mr Sloane, Pig Farm, The Paris Letter 2006: Suddenly Last Summer, Howard Katz, The Home Place 2007: The Overwhelming, Crimes of the Heart 2008: Streamers, Distracted, Tin Pan Ally Rag 2009: The Understudy 2010: The Language Archive 2011: The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, Death Takes a Holiday 2012: If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet, Look Back in Anger 2013: Bad Jews, Talley's Folly 2014: Dinner with Friends, Just Jim Dale, Indian Ink 2015: Into the Woods, Significant Other, The Humans 2016: The Robber Bridegroom; Love, Love, Love 2017: Napoli, Brooklyn; If I Forget; The Last Match 2018: Amy and the Orphans; Skintight, Apologia 2019: Merrily We Roll Along, Toni Stone, Scotland, PA 2020: 72 Miles to Go... 2022: ...what the end will be, You Will Get Sick 2023: The Wanderers, Primary Trust, The Refuge Plays 2024: Jonah, The Counter 2025: Liberation, Joy, Archduke 2026: Chinese Republicans
Gramercy Theatre 1999: Ashes to Ashes, Hurrah at Last 2000: Hotel Suite
Stephen Sondheim Theatre
Source:
Awards
Drama Desk Awards 1993: Revival of a Play – Anna Christie 1994: Musical Revival – She Loves Me 1998: Revival of a Musical – Cabaret 1998: Revival of a Play – A View from the Bridge 2003: Revival of a Musical – Nine 2004: Revival of a Musical – Assassins 2005: Revival of a Play – Twelve Angry Men 2008: Unique Theatrical Experience – The 39 Steps 2011: Revival of a Musical – Anything Goes 2016: Revival of a Musical – She Loves Me 2016: Outstanding Play – The Humans
Laurence Olivier Awards 1995; Best Musical Revival – She Loves Me
Lucille Lortel Awards Roundabout productions have received nine Lucille Lortel Awards. Derek McLane and Catherine Zuber won Outstanding Set and Costume Design Awards for 2004's Intimate Apparel. Reg Rogers won an Outstanding Actor award for 2002's The Dazzle. Kenneth Posner won an Outstanding Lighting Design Award for 2000's Give Me Your Answer, Do!. Robert Brill with Scott Pask, Jess Goldstein, and Kevin Adams won Awards for Outstanding Set, Costume, and Lighting Design for 1999's The Mineola Twins. 1998's All My Sons won an award for Outstanding Revival. 1996's Molly Sweeney won an award for Outstanding Play of the Season.
Theatre World Awards Twenty-nine performers in Roundabout productions have won Theatre World Awards, which honors achievement in "breakout" performances. Winners are Christopher Goutman in 1979's The Promise, Boyd Gaines in 1981's A Month in the Country, Lisa Banes in 1981's Look Back in Anger, Anthony Heald in 1982's Misalliance, Kate Burton in 1983's Winners, Mark Capri in 1985's On Approval, Lindsay Crouse in 1992's The Homecoming, Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson in 1993's Anna Christie, Calista Flockhart and Kevin Kilner in 1995's The Glass Menagerie, Helen Mirren in 1995's A Month in the Country, Alfred Molina in 1996's Molly Sweeney, Helen Carey in 1997's London Assurance, Alan Cumming in 1998's Cabaret, Henry Czerny in 2000's Arms and the Man, Juliette Binoche in 2001's Betrayal, David Warner in 2002's Major Barbara, Victoria Hamilton in 2003's A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, Antonio Banderas and Mary Stuart Masterson for 2003's Nine, Alexander Gemignani in 2004's Assassins, Carla Gugino in 2005's After the Fall, Mamie Gummer in 2006's Mr. Marmalade, Nellie McKay in 2006's The Threepenny Opera, Harry Connick Jr. in 2006's The Pajama Game, Ben Daniels in 2008's Les Liaisons dangereuses, and Jenna Russell in 2008's Sunday in the Park with George.
Tony Awards 1993: Revival – Anna Christie 1998: Revival of a Musical – Cabaret 1998: Revival of a Play – A View from the Bridge 1999: New Play – Side Man 2003: Revival of a Musical – Nine 2004: Revival of a Musical – Assassins 2005: Revival of a Play – Glengarry Glen Ross 2006: Revival of a Musical – The Pajama Game 2011: Revival of a Musical – Anything Goes 2016: New Play – The Humans 2026: New Play - Liberation
Obie Awards They have won eight Obie Awards. 2004's Intimate Apparel, 2003's All Over, 2002's The Dazzle, 1999's The Mineola Twins, and 1981's The Chalk Garden won Performance Awards for Viola Davis, Rosemary Harris, Peter Frechette and Reg Rogers, Swoosie Kurtz, and Irene Worth respectively. Emily Mann also won a Direction Obie Award for 2003's All Over. Most recently, Amy Ryan won in 2017 for her performance in Love, Love, Love.Obie Awards, 2017 Winners.
Other awards Roundabout has received 41 Outer Critics Circle Awards.
References
External links – Roundabout Theatre Company "A Roundabout Way to Broadway", 50th anniversary film, presented by Neil Patrick Harris (sole venue, 1972–1984)
Gene Feist papers, 1930s–2000. Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library