The Barrow Group

The Barrow Group (TBG) is a 32-year-old non-profit performing arts organization located in midtown Manhattan comprised of The Barrow Group Theatre Company and The Barrow Group School. The Barrow Group Theatre Company’s artistic programming includes theatrical productions for the general public and developmental readings for professional artists. The Barrow Group School’s artistic programming includes performing arts classes for youth and adult students, as well as student performance residencies. Binding all of these programs together is TBG’s unique ensemble-based performance approach, refined over the past 32 years by co-Artistic Directors Seth Barrish and Lee Brock, which encourages simplicity, authenticity, and spontaneity. Through its productions, readings, and training, TBG aims to inspire positive change in the lives of its audience members, artists, and students.

The Barrow Group Theatre Company’s goal is to produce entertaining, compelling plays that explore socially relevant issues and encourage an audience’s capacity for compassion, giving them a greater understanding of the world. The Theatre Company has developed and/or produced over 150 shows since 1986, including Martin Moran’s The Tricky Part (2004 Obie Award and two Drama Desk nominations), Jon Marans’ The Temperamentals (2009 Drama Desk Award), Mike Birbiglia’s My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (2011 Lucille Lortel Award), David Edgar’s Pentecost (2013 Drama Desk nomination), and Martin Moran’s All the Rage (2013 Lucille Lortel Award). In 2005, TBG received a Drama Desk Award for Off-off-Broadway Excellence. TBG serves nearly 5,000 patrons each year with its productions.

The Barrow Group Theatre Company also produces in-house readings year-round to help both experienced and emerging writers bring their visions to life. Many of the readings feature work from artists with whom TBG has worked in the past, or those who have studied in TBG’s playwriting master classes, offering them the opportunity to refine their work with constructive feedback from TBG’s artistic leaders. Additionally, in 2009 Ms. Brock created F.A.B. (For, About, and By Women), TBG’s developmental program devoted to the work of women theatre artists. With over 100 participants, F.A.B. Women has flourished. Across this developmental programming, TBG serves approximately 120 artists each year.

The Barrow Group School’s goal is to offer world-class performing arts training year-round to students of all ages and backgrounds (professional and amateur) in a variety of subjects, including playwriting, acting, directing, solo shows, Shakespeare, script analysis, voice, movement, and filmmaking. TBG classes follow an approach summarized in Mr. Barrish’s book An Actor’s Companion: Tools for The Working Actor (published by Theatre Communication Group), which explores practical ways to strip away artifice and create performances that feel vividly real for audiences. TBG alumni include Anne Hathaway (Academy Award winner), Jennifer Landon (three-time Emmy Award winner) and Tony Hale (Emmy Award winner). Since 2010, the number of students training at TBG has increased from 340 to over 3,700 per year. The Barrow Group School also offers a Student Performance Residency Program, which provides opportunities throughout the year to advance the artistic development of its students. Through this program, enrolled students can use TBG’s 40-seat Studio Theatre to rehearse and present scenes and short plays publicly. This program is free-of-charge to both students and audiences. It gives students the chance to practice their craft outside of the classroom, while offering audience members a window into the process of developing new theatrical pieces.