Between Edward Albee's ME, MYSELF, AND I on Sept 9, 2010 and Sam Shepard's HEARTLESS on Aug 12, 2012 I saw 193 plays. How do I know this? Over the two years I lived in New York City I obsessively took notes on each and every play that I saw. I haven't taken that close a look at my notes since moving a few weeks ago, but this morning I decided to see what kind of trends were hidden inside those numbers.
193 plays over two years averages out to a play every 3.8 days. The playwright I saw the most (unsurprisingly since he's produced so often) was William Shakespeare at 12. Three other playwrights were tied for second: Terrence McNally, Daniel Goldfarb, and Will Eno at 3 plays apiece. I assumed Shakespeare would far and away be the winner in that category, but the directors I saw the most were a little more surprising. Daniel Sullivan won out with 7 plays, Leigh Silverman: 6, Ed Sylvanus Iskandar: 5, Joe Mantello: 5, Sam Gold: 4, and Sam Buntrock rounded it out with 3.
I figured the theatre company where I saw the most work would be Manhattan Theatre Club. I was the literary intern there for nine months and got to see each and every show they did over that period (and beyond, come to think of it). But looking back at my numbers I was pretty surprised to see that The Public beat them out by quite a margin: 12 plays at MTC and 20 at the Public. I figure that's due to two factors: first, the Public produces a lot more plays than MTC, and second, this past year I saw almost every show they produced as a part of their stellar Under the Radar Festival. The next highest was Ars Nova and Roundabout, both at 9, followed by BAM: 5, Exit, Pursued by a Bear: 5, and Second Stage: 5. The Broadway house where I saw the most shows was MTC's Friedman at 6, followed by the Barrymore and the Walter Kerr at 3 each.
In March of 2011 I saw 17 plays, which is the most in any month over the two years span. Upon closer inspection, that March turned out to be one incredible month of plays for me. I saw ARCADIA, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, a reading of TRIBES, THE DREAM OF THE BURNING BOY, THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES and THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE HAT.
While in New York I also saw a number of plays more than once. I went back to see CLYBOURNE PARK, JERUSALEM, ARCADIA, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, CYMBELINE, FOLLIES, GOOD PEOPLE, and THE PITMAN PAINTERS all a second time.
Having seen so much I obviously never would have been able to keep all this information stored in my head. I feel pretty lucky to have seen each of the 193 productions, the good ones and the bad ones, and I'm looking forward to moving on to Philly and seeing what kind of theatre they have to offer. I'm sure I won't be seeing a play every four days, but I think I'll be okay with getting a bit of a breather.
193 plays over two years averages out to a play every 3.8 days. The playwright I saw the most (unsurprisingly since he's produced so often) was William Shakespeare at 12. Three other playwrights were tied for second: Terrence McNally, Daniel Goldfarb, and Will Eno at 3 plays apiece. I assumed Shakespeare would far and away be the winner in that category, but the directors I saw the most were a little more surprising. Daniel Sullivan won out with 7 plays, Leigh Silverman: 6, Ed Sylvanus Iskandar: 5, Joe Mantello: 5, Sam Gold: 4, and Sam Buntrock rounded it out with 3.
I figured the theatre company where I saw the most work would be Manhattan Theatre Club. I was the literary intern there for nine months and got to see each and every show they did over that period (and beyond, come to think of it). But looking back at my numbers I was pretty surprised to see that The Public beat them out by quite a margin: 12 plays at MTC and 20 at the Public. I figure that's due to two factors: first, the Public produces a lot more plays than MTC, and second, this past year I saw almost every show they produced as a part of their stellar Under the Radar Festival. The next highest was Ars Nova and Roundabout, both at 9, followed by BAM: 5, Exit, Pursued by a Bear: 5, and Second Stage: 5. The Broadway house where I saw the most shows was MTC's Friedman at 6, followed by the Barrymore and the Walter Kerr at 3 each.
In March of 2011 I saw 17 plays, which is the most in any month over the two years span. Upon closer inspection, that March turned out to be one incredible month of plays for me. I saw ARCADIA, BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, a reading of TRIBES, THE DREAM OF THE BURNING BOY, THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES and THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE HAT.
While in New York I also saw a number of plays more than once. I went back to see CLYBOURNE PARK, JERUSALEM, ARCADIA, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, CYMBELINE, FOLLIES, GOOD PEOPLE, and THE PITMAN PAINTERS all a second time.
Having seen so much I obviously never would have been able to keep all this information stored in my head. I feel pretty lucky to have seen each of the 193 productions, the good ones and the bad ones, and I'm looking forward to moving on to Philly and seeing what kind of theatre they have to offer. I'm sure I won't be seeing a play every four days, but I think I'll be okay with getting a bit of a breather.