A LETTER FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

THE SPIRIT OF WORK IN PROGRESS IS WHAT EST IS ALL ABOUT.

Over thirty-five years ago a small band of pioneers lead by Curt Dempster ventured far West on 52nd Street into territory that was then called Hell's Kitchen. They staked out a theatrical homestead dedicated to developing new work and sustaining its member artists over a lifetime...

Since then The Ensemble Studio Theatre has grown into the premier deveopmental theatre in this country with a membership of over five hundred artists. Now Hell's Kitchen is being called Clinton. But we remain true to those original pioneers and the spirit of work in progress. To us, this place will always be a kitchen for the imagination, a place of invention, discovery and risk where many voices have the opportunity to be heard. Nothing expresses that spirit better than our roster of this season's events and programs.

So, if you believe in discovery, if you want to be entertained by the unexpected, surprised by the spontaneous, if you want to hear a new voice for the first time, or a familiar voice in a new way, if you want to experience the spirit of work in progress: join us on our Mainstage, check out a Youngblood Brunch, come to Memberfest, Thicker Than Water, First Light, Going to the River, EST-Sloan Project, Playwrights Unit Workshops, and of course the Marathon. Be a pioneer on West 52nd. As long as we are here, it is still Hell's Kitchen. Take the journey. We'll be waiting.





William Carden
Artistic Director