Circle in the Square – the guide of Broadway’s major theater company

Overview of the Broadway theater company and conservatory

Overview
History
About the Theatre School
List of theaters
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Overview of Circle in the Square

Circle in the Square was launched by theater producer Theodore Mann together with director José Quintero, actor Jason Wingreen, dancer Aileen Cramer, and actor Emily Stevens. They also operate the Circle in the Square Theatre and the training conservatory Circle in the Square Theatre School, which prepares performers, creative staff, directors, and future theater professionals for work on Broadway and beyond.

History of Circle in the Square

From an Off Broadway venue to a company and school

The founders first opened the Circle in the Square Theatre Off Broadway in Greenwich Village. Because the venue initially lacked a theatrical license, Theodore Mann obtained a cabaret license and ran it as a nightclub with dance and comedy while the company built momentum. During this period, Mann also offered private acting and producing classes and began planning a full-time conservatory.

In 1960 the company moved the Circle in the Square Theatre to Bleecker Street and formally launched the Circle in the Square producing organization. Soon after, the Circle in the Square Theatre School began with an inaugural class of fifteen students, expanding the mission from producing to professional training.

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How Circle in the Square helped define Off Broadway

In the early 1950s, small houses with about 100 to 299 seats were not yet widely recognized as part of the mainstream theater landscape. In 1952, Circle in the Square revived Tennessee Williams’s “Summer and Smoke,” a work that had struggled on Broadway, and the production became a landmark success for Off Broadway. This model—reviving overlooked plays or staging new work with young actors on modest budgets—proved highly influential. The period also saw the rise of notable writers and performers such as Edward Albee and Dustin Hoffman, who would go on to major recognition on stage and screen.

From Off Broadway house to Tony-winning Broadway venue

After Circle in the Square Theatre was formally established Off Broadway, the organization and its theatre school later relocated to Paramount Plaza next to the Gershwin Theatre. The complex includes the 776-seat Circle in the Square Theatre, plus classrooms, rehearsal studios, and administrative offices that support both productions and training.

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About the Circle in the Square Theatre School

The Circle in the Square Theatre School is a leading professional training conservatory for stage performers. Its mission is to train actors and singers for careers in theater, film, and television through practical studio work and performance.

Learn directly from working Broadway artists

Students can choose between two core tracks in acting and musical theater, including a two-year professional program and a seven-week Summer Workshop. Classes are small and taught by working producers, actors, and directors from Broadway. Film and stage actor Jacqueline Brookes taught at the school from the 1970s until her passing in 2013.

Training emphasizes a range of acting methods and viewpoints while helping each student develop an individual style. Students also gain ensemble experience for musical theater and present free performances on the Circle in the Square Theatre stage as part of their studies.

Student performance programs

Each spring since 1994, the school has presented the “Festival of Theater,” a series that showcases student productions of plays and musicals. Admission is free for the public, with a suggested five-dollar donation. A third-year capstone course, “Playwriting Residency at PS 11,” is an eighteen-day writing program in which students first create an abstract piece, then adapt that material into a realistic work for presentation on the Circle in the Square stage.

Arts education and community programs

The school offers opportunities for alumni to continue working in the field, including scholarships and pathways to teaching certification. It also partners with New York City public schools to deliver literature and arts education programs to local students.