Founded as Performance Space 122, in 1980, from an explosion of radical self-expression amidst the intensifying American culture wars, Performance Space New York is the birthplace of contemporary performance as it is known today.
Performance Space New York stands in solidarity with all who have cried out against police brutality in this country. We mourn the thousands of lives that have been taken by police violence and we are outraged by the continuous and systemic oppression of Black and brown people in this country.
We write out the names of Eric Garner, of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, of Ahmaud Arbery, of Tony McDade, of Nina Pop and we grieve their lives and the thousands of other Black American lives who were murdered at the hands of police.
We hereby commit to standing up against police brutality and join the call to defund the NYPD and invest in our communities to better lives, and to end the intolerable killings.
We hereby officially declare Performance Space New York a safe space for everyone regardless of immigration status, race, or sexuality. Performance Space New York declares Sanctuary in its theatres and no NYPD officer, or ICE agent shall be invited or let into the building without show of cause and/or a valid arrest warrant.
Performance Space New York vows to never willingly enter into any contractual agreements with the NYPD or other government law enforcement agencies.
As an arts institution we commit to providing law enforcement-free space for artistic experimentation and full exercise of our communities’ First Amendment rights.
Performance Space New York vows to actively support the call to defund and dismantle the NYPD and redirect funds to Black and brown communities. Performance Space New York shall do so by signing petitions, calling government representatives and joining coalitions.
We further acknowledge that Performance Space New York has made mistakes in its past and will commit to not accepting internal policing strategies that curtail the First Amendment rights of our staff, artists or communities.
For the year of 2020 a group of NYC based artists and collectives has been given the mandate to run the organization together with our staff, board, and leadership. More
From September to January artists propose new platforms that transgress the black box, by decentering critique in favor of ritual and community. More
From January through May artists and activists locate power and creativity in refusal. More
The Posthuman Series envisions an alternative space for theater by challenging the very idea it is based on—the human. More
The inaugural East Village Series asks what kind of art organization we need to become in light of this ever-more exclusionary social and political context. More