Harvey Fierstein Donates $250K Matching Grant to La MaMa

 Harvey Fierstein Donates $250K Matching Grant to La MaMa

‍The donation will help complete the renovation and restoration of the historic theatre, where the four-time Tony winner got his start.

BY LOGAN CULWELL-BLOCK
JANUARY 04, 2023

Read the article in Playbill.

Harvey Fierstein has donated a $250,000 matching grant to La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club's capital campaign, with funds going to help complete the renovation and restoration of the company's building in NYC's East Village.

The four-time Tony-winning actor and writer, who got his start at the landmark Off-Off-Broadway institution, is encouraging the public to make their own donations so his matching grant can be used in full.

"[La MaMa founder] Ellen Stewart, La MaMa, called us her babies and tended to us in the nurseries that were her theatres," says Fierstein in a statement. "Every artist needs a safe place to develop, to experiment, to engage other artists, to seek the feedback of audiences, and to grow. I, and thousands of other artists, found that place to be La MaMa ETC. Please join in this effort to modernize and strengthen the nursery for the generations of theatre artists and audiences to come. There’s no better way to support the arts than by supporting the arts."

Fierstein, currently represented on Broadway with Funny Girl (for which he penned a new book), made his La MaMa acting debut in Andy Warhol's Pork, later appearing in Robert Patrick's The Haunted Host. He would go on to debut much of his early work as a playwright at the Off-Off-Broadway theatre, including the three one-act plays that would later collectively become Torch Song Trilogy; the work earned Fierstein his first two Tony Awards (Best Actor in a Play and Best Play) when it transferred to Broadway in 1982.

"Harvey is a revolutionary artist who breaks boundaries using his heart and his mind to speak truth through his work," shares La MaMa Artistic Director Mia Yoo. "He paved the way for so many other artists who came after him, helping to shape La MaMa's legacy. We are deeply grateful for his gift which will help ensure that artists of all identities can continue to pursue their creative dreams at La MaMa."

Among the improvements planned for the historic building are ADA accessibility on all floors, an enlarged lobby, dedicated community space, an outdoor terrace, and a building-wide data network.

To donate to the campaign, visit lamama.org.

Five La MaMa Alumni Receive Tony Nominations

Congratulations to all the 2019 Tony Nominees especially 
our La MaMa Alumni on Broadway!

Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song, which began its life at La MaMa as three one-act plays that eventually became the Torch Song Trilogy. Torch Song is nominated for Best Revival of a Play.  Harvey made his acting debut at La MaMa in 1971 in Andy Warhol's only play, Pork.  He went on to write and perform in many shows at La MaMa in the 1970s, 80s & 90s.

Heidi Schreck is nominated for both writing and staring in her play What The Constitution Means to Me, now playing at the Helen Hayes Theater. Heidi played the title role in Shaw's Major Barbara directed by Brooke O'Harra for her company The Theater of a Two-headed Calf  at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre in 2006.

Taylor Mac's play Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus is nominated for Best Play. Taylor has performed numerous times at La MaMa including Walk Across America for Mother Earth (with Talking Band) in 2011, The Foundry Theater's production of Good Person of Szechwan in 2013 and The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac in The Club at La MaMa in 2007.

David Neumann is nominated for Best Choreography for Hadestown on Broadway! Neumann most recently performed in the Jane Comfort: 40th Anniversary Retrospective in 2018. 

André De Shields is nominated for Supporting Actor in a Musical for his fierce performance in Hadestown. André began performing at La MaMa on the 1970s and appeared in such shows as Ken Rubenstein's Sacred Guard (1973), Lamar Alford's Thoughts (1974), Haarlem Nocturne (1984) and the Cotton Club Gala with music by Aaron Bell and directed by Ellen Stewart (1985). 

Congratulations again to these and all the nominees and good luck on June 9th!