Playwrights Horizons

The story

The building that houses Playwrights Horizons once held a burlesque house, then became the off-Broadway Maidman Playhouse, then a different kind of stage altogether. Robert Moss founded the theater in 1971 at the Clark Center, and when it moved to 42nd Street in 1977, it was among the original companies that converted adult entertainment venues into Theater Row. That act of reclamation defined the place: a institution devoted entirely to living American playwrights, composers, and lyricists finding their work produced and developed on a serious stage.