9. Kirk Douglas helped expand the theater program

Ars Nova performance
Photo Courtesy of Greenwich House

In 1917, Greenwich House Theater got its start as a children’s theater offering classes and productions for the local community. Actor Kirk Douglas, who performed at Greenwich House early in his career, helped to expand the program in the 1940s. Programming was added for teens and young adults.

Since 2019, Ars Nova theater company has partnered with Greenwich House. Headquartered at 511 West 54th Street, Ars Nova “welcomes emerging artists from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, and serves as a creative home and laboratory for meeting collaborators, testing ideas, developing new work, and launching unique voices and careers.”