The Theater Center

The story

Off-Broadway's first corporate sponsorship opened its marquee on May 22, 2006, with Wendy Kaufman — the Snapple Lady — flipping on the lights. Actress and producer Catherine Russell built the complex in partnership with Snapple, a deal that was genuinely new territory for the form. Inside, one of the two stages was named for Jerry Orbach, who had played El Gallo in The Fantasticks in 1960 — and a revival of that same show was the first production mounted there. In 2016, the Snapple name quietly disappeared, leaving just The Theater Center.