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Naked Angels (theater company)

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Coordinates: 40°45′35″N 73°59′18″W / 40.759789°N 73.988242°W / 40.759789; -73.988242
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Naked Angels
Formation1986
TypeTheatre group
Naked Angels
Naked Angels at St Luke's Theatre
Map
Interactive map of Naked Angels
Address308 West 46th Street
Manhattan, New York City 10036
United States
Coordinates40°45′35″N 73°59′18″W / 40.759789°N 73.988242°W / 40.759789; -73.988242
TypeOff-Broadway
Capacity174
Website
www.nakedangels.com

Naked Angels is an Off-Broadway theatre company founded in 1986 by a collective of theatre artists in a converted picture frame factory in Manhattan, New York City. The company’s name was inspired by John Tytell’s book Naked Angels,[1] about the Beat Generation. They are known for developing socially conscious work through their weekly cold reading series.

The theatre has premiered works that have transferred to Broadway and been adapted for film, including Richard Linklater’s Tape, starring Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman.

History

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Naked Angels was founded in 1986 by an ensemble of writers, directors, actors, producers, and designers. The company originated in a defunct picture frame factory at 117 West 17th Street, often called "The Space",[2] which quickly became a creative hub for emerging artists. By 1995, the venue closed as many founding members pursued successful careers in Hollywood and on Broadway. It was at Naked Angels that actor Matthew Broderick and his wife actress Sarah Jessica Parker began dating.[3]

By the mid-1990s, Naked Angels transitioned from a collectively run ensemble to a company guided by an Artistic Director. Artistic leadership during this era included founding members Tim Ransom, Geoffrey Nauffts, and Pippin Parker, as well as producers Jenny Gersten, Andy Donald, and Liz Carlson. In 2017, founding member Jean Marie McKee became Artistic Director, leading the company toward a focus on program-based development and community engagement.

Since 2023, Naked Angels has served as a company-in-residence with Out of the Box Theatrics, hosting its New York programming at Theatre 154 on Christopher Street. In 2026, both organizations will relocate to St. Luke's Theatre, a 174-seat Off-Broadway venue in Manhattan’s Theater District.[4]

The Naked Angels office is at The New School for Drama.[5]

Programs

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Launched in 1991 in response to the Gulf War, Tuesdays@9 began as an outlet for artists to process current events. It has since become Naked Angels’ flagship weekly series for new works-in-progress. Hosted in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, the program invites writers to submit short excerpts of plays, screenplays, prose, or other material, which are then cast on the spot and read aloud before a live audience of artists and supporters. Running from September through May, the series operates with an open-submission policy and remains entirely free to attend or participate.[6]

In 2003, the company introduced 1st Mondays, a monthly reading series dedicated to full-length plays developed through Tuesdays@9. Each selected play is given a public reading with a director, cast, and brief rehearsal period. The program has featured works that later achieved critical success, including Geoffrey Nauffts’ Broadway transfer Next Fall. 1st Mondays are held at the School of Drama at The New School.[7]

In 2005, Naked Angels partnered with Fox to create Naked TV, an annual showcase of short plays by emerging playwrights. Several of these works were later developed into television pilots for the network.[8][9][10]

In 2010, Jean Marie McKee established 3T Writing Workshops, the educational and outreach branch of the company. The program offers free creative writing instruction for students in New York City public schools, District 79 alternative schools, and youth in foster care.[11]

Naked Angels has also produced The Issues Project, a long-running initiative that develops plays centered on pressing social and political themes. The series has collaborated with advocacy and humanitarian organizations such as Amnesty International and The Center for American Progress. The most recent edition of The Issues Project was presented in 2022.[12]

Members

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Naked Angels has included a wide range of artists in its membership since its founding. Notable past and present members include:

Founding company

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Later participants

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Productions

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Notable productions include:

References

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  1. ^ Tytell, John (1976). Naked Angels: The Lives & Literature of the Beat Generation. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-065724-3. Retrieved February 9, 2026 – via archive.org.
  2. ^ "Production History". naked-angels | naked angels. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  3. ^ "For Naked Angels, the Party's Over. Time to Get Serious Again". Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  4. ^ "Out of the Box Theatrics Finds a New Off-Broadway Home". Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  5. ^ "Contact". naked-angels | naked angels. Retrieved February 9, 2026.
  6. ^ "Tuesdays@9". Naked Angels. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  7. ^ "1st Mondays". Naked Angels. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  8. ^ Kirk, Lee (April 6, 2005). "Fox Gets 'Naked'". Backstage. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  9. ^ Adalian, Joseph (February 22, 2004). "Network bares 'Naked TV' search for material". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  10. ^ Lacob, Jace (May 8, 2006). "Television That's a Little More "Naked"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  11. ^ "3T Writing Workshops". Naked Angels. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  12. ^ "Issues Project". Naked Angels. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
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