“The Pearl may be as crucial to the future of New York theatre as any of the larger companies uptown: it is a caretaker of the legacy.” – The New York Times

“The premier Off-Broadway classical rep group.” – Variety

“Off-Broadway theatre at its absolute finest.” – nytheatre.com

Since 1984, The Pearl Theatre Company has created a home for audiences and theatre artists to experience great plays. By presenting consistently high-caliber, textually faithful productions of dramatic masterpieces that transform and entertain the audience, The Pearl appeals to the sophisticated theatre aficionado as well as to anyone looking for a classic night on the town. The Pearl Theatre Company’s home at the historic Theatre 80 is in the heart of New York’s vibrant East Village, the ideal location for it to fulfill its dual roles as caretaker of a theatrical legacy and neighborhood favorite.

The Pearl has produced 105 classical masterpieces. Of the 49 of these plays originally written in another language, The Pearl Theatre Company gave world premiere productions of 19 new translations, 14 of which were commissioned by The Pearl to be added to the existing canon. Though it primarily is focused on the classic dramatic works, The Pearl also has presented two world premiere plays, “The Three Zeks” by Marvin Pletzke and Deep Swimmer by Dale Ramsey, and the New York premiere of Alexander Ostrovsky’s The Forest (1870). The 2005-2006 season includes the New York premiere of Wycherley’s The Gentleman Dancing-Master, a 333-year-old play! The great playwrights all have been well-represented at The Pearl, including 21 Shakespeares, nine Shaws, seven Ibsens, five Sophocles, and four each of Molière, Chekhov, and Racine.

Aside from their remarkable ongoing work at The Pearl, the collective resume of the Resident Acting Company is an impressive one: members have trained at such well-respected schools as Juilliard, Columbia, and NYU’s Tisch School, among others, and many have substantial Broadway, Off-Broadway, film, and television credits. Theatre-lovers recognize that the opportunity to experience these distinguished actors in the dramatic masterpieces on a regular basis, season after season, is a genuine privilege. Although The Pearl firmly believes that the plays it presents and the combined skill and experience of the Resident Acting Company are the true “stars” of its productions, such well-known actors and directors as David Hyde Pierce, Marylouise Burke, Mary Lou Rosato, George Morfogen, and Carmen de Lavallade have displayed their talents in Pearl productions.

Theatre 80, current home to The Pearl Theatre Company, has a fascinating history itself. After starting as a speakeasy in the 1920s, it became the original home to the long-running musical You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and later was a popular movie revival house for more than two decades before The Pearl claimed it as home to New York’s only classical Resident Acting Company. In the sidewalk outside Theatre 80 is New York’s answer to Hollywood’s “Walk of Fame”; the cemented signatures and hand and footprints of old-time movie stars such as Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, Gloria Swanson, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy, Kitty Carlisle, and Allan Jones attract the attention of passers-by and patrons arriving at the theatre for The Pearl’s performances.

In its 21-season history, The Pearl’s work has been recognized with:
- an OBIE grant for continued artistic excellence
- two Drama League Award nominations for outstanding play
- an American Theatre Wing grant for consistent commitment to excellence in the professional theatre
- Century Center’s only “Bear” Award given to a theatre company for its contribution to New York theatre.

Performances by members of The Pearl’s Resident Acting Company have been recognized numerous times as well, including:
- six of the Actors’ Equity Association’s Joe A. Callaway Awards for best performance in a classical play (Pearl actors won both 2004 Callaway Awards)
- a clean sweep of Actors’ Equity’s 2002 awards for performance in classical plays
- a special OBIE Award in recognition of Resident Acting Company member Joanne Camp’s sustained excellence of performance.

During the 2003-2004 season, The Pearl was recognized by Manhattan Borough President Virginia Fields and by New York City Councilperson Margarita Lopez for 20 years of Outstanding Contributions to the Cultural Life of New York City. The Pearl Theatre Company is the subject of David Hapgood’s book Year of the Pearl, and the subject of more than a half-dozen New Yorker illustrations.