HELL’S KITCHEN — An off-Broadway theater that has seen performances by such acclaimed actors as Philip Seymour Hoffman and Sigourney Weaver will break ground on its first permanent home this month.
MCC Theater, which has operated out of the Lucille Lortel Theater in the West Village for a decade, will start construction on its new theater space at 515 W. 52nd St. on March 22, it announced this week.
“We are proud of what we’ve built, but we’ve been missing a home of our own in which the community can grow together and learn from one another — all under the same roof,” co-artistic director Robert LuPone said in a statement.
“We are so thrilled to break ground on a home that will help us do just this, and we look forward to welcoming our artists and audiences here in the years to come,” he added.
The theater’s new 27,000-square-foot home base will include two theaters with 249 and 99 seats, rehearsal and workshop space, a public lobby and an outdoor courtyard.
A collage of historic imagery “that speaks to the cultural and ecological history of the neighborhood” will grace its West 53rd Street facade, the theater company added.
Over the course of 30 years, the theater has staged productions like Robert Askins’ Tony-nominated “Hand to God” and 2009 Tony nominee “Reasons to be Pretty.”
It will put on six productions per season instead of its usual four when the new space opens in 2018, the company noted.
With the new space, the theater will also be able to expand the arts education programs it currently runs in New York City public schools, MCC said.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that the new theater would allow for four productions per season instead of six.
