Circle in the Square Theatre

<p> Based on years of research as well as interviews conducted with Circle in the Square's major contributing artists this book records the entire history of this distinguished theatre from its nightclub origins to its current status as a Tony Award-winning Broadway institution. Over the course of seven decades Circle in the Square theatre profoundly changed ideas of what American theatre could be. Founded by Theodore Mann and Jose Quintero in an abandoned Off-Broadway nightclub just after WWII it was a catalyst for the Off-Broadway movement. The building had a unique arena-shaped performance space that became Circle in the Square theatre New York's first Off-Broadway arena stage and currently Broadway's only arena stage. The theatre was precedent-setting in many other regards including operating as a non-profit contracting with trade unions establishing a school and serving as a home for blacklisted artists. It sparked a resurgence of interest in playwright Eugene O'Neill's canon and was famous for landmark revivals and American premieres of his plays. The theatre also fostered the careers of such luminaries as Geraldine Page Colleen Dewhurst George C. Scott Jason Robards James Earl Jones Cecily Tyson Dustin Hoffman Irene Papas Alan Arkin Philip Bosco Al Pacino Amy Irving Pamela Payton-Wright Vanessa Redgrave Julie Christie John Malkovich Lynn Redgrave and Annette Bening.</p>