Chelsea Theater Center

Chelsea Theater Center

Company type	Nonprofit
Industry	Theater
Founded	1965
Founder	Robert Kalfin
Defunct	1984
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	New York City

The Chelsea Theater Center was a nonprofit theater company established in 1965 by Robert Kalfin, an alumnus of the Yale School of Drama. Originally situated in a church in Chelsea, it moved to the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1968, where it remained resident for ten years.

History

As artistic producer, Kalfin sought to rekindle the creative energy characteristic of commercial off-Broadway theater, which had become financially unsustainable due to escalating production expenses. By 1969, he was joined by partners and fellow Yale graduates Michael David (executive producer) and Burl Hash (production manager), who helped bring his vision to fruition.

Throughout the 1970s, Chelsea focused on presenting challenging and lesser-known plays—including European classics, contemporary works, and complex productions that were prohibitively expensive for most nonprofit theaters and lacked broad commercial appeal. Among its significant offerings were the first unabridged staging of Jean Genet's seven-hour The Screens and New York’s premiere of Peter Handke's Kaspar. The company introduced audiences to modern English dramatists from the Royal Court Theatre, such as Edward Bond, Christopher Hampton, David Storey, and Heathcote Williams. It also revived overlooked works like Kleist's The Prince of Homburg, Witkiewicz's surreal plays The Crazy Locomotive and The Water Hen, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera and Polly, as well as Isaac Babel's Sunset.

Chelsea pioneered by adapting various genres into multimedia theatrical experiences: for instance, Kaddish was derived from a screenplay inspired by an Allen Ginsberg poem; Yentl the Yeshiva Boy dramatized a short story by Isaac Singer. Their rendition of Candide blended elements of commercial musical theater with avant-garde environmental staging. The company garnered critical praise and attracted prominent artists—actors like Frank Langella, Meryl Streep, and director Hal Prince were drawn to collaborate. Early appearances by future stars including Glenn Close, Brent Spiner, and Des McAnuff further enhanced its prestige.

As detailed in Davi Napoleon's Chelsea on the Edge: The Adventures of an American Theater, Chelsea cultivated deep loyalty among its performers. For example, when funding shortages halted rehearsals for Strider, the Story of a Horse, the entire cast petitioned the Actors' Equity Association to permit unpaid rehearsals—an uncommon exception.

Nevertheless, diminishing financial backing ultimately compelled Chelsea to leave Brooklyn. Efforts to broaden its audience base in Manhattan involved launching the off-Broadway Westside Theatre, but monetary difficulties continued. The company ultimately closed its doors in 1984.

External links

• Chelsea Theatre Center profile at the Internet off-Broadway Database
• Chelsea Theater Center archives, 1968-1984, maintained by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
• Articles on Chelsea Theater Center in The New York Times