1979-1984

Jeffrey Horowitz, a classically trained actor, uses the modest settlement from a personal injury lawsuit to found a theatre company devoted to Shakespeare. TFANA begins by touring the northeast with collages of Shakespeare scenes, soliloquies and songs directed by Frank Cosaro. Horowitz himself plays Petruchio.

1984

A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed Amy Saltz and designed by Julie Taymor, is invited to play at the Public Theater. In partnership with the New York City Public Schools, TFANA launches The World Theatre Project for middle schools, and several years later, New Voices for high schools. Both programs introduce students to Shakespeare and the classics.

1986

Julie Taymor directs The Tempest, her first Shakespeare play. The production is hailed by The New York Times as "fresh, intelligent and elegant" and in 1987 is remounted at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut.

1987

An OBIE Grant for Artistic Achievement brings credibility and recognition to the company, supporting its continued growth.

1988

Macbeth, directed by Nicholas Mahon with Joseph Zeigler and Nancy Palk, is named "Critics Choice" by Time magazine.

1989

The Red Sneaks, written and directed by Elizabeth Swados, commissioned and produced by TFANA, plays to sold out houses in New York, and later tours to Aspen, Colorado.

1990

William Gaskill, former director of Britain's Royal Court and National Theatres, directs Othello, his first Shakespeare production in New York City. Clive Barnes calls it "one of the best New York Shakespeare productions of the past 20 years."

1991

Romeo and Juliet, directed by Bill Alexander (Royal Shakespeare Company) and presented in the decrepit shell of 42nd Street's old Victory Theatre, is the first Shakespeare production in Times Square in 60 years.

1993

Barry Kyle directs Henry V with Mark Rylance in the title role. The production receives a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival, and Clive Barnes names it one of the Ten Best Off-Broadway Productions of the Year.

1994

Robert Stattel plays Titus Andronicus, directed by Julie Taymor, and receives a Callaway Award for Best Classical Performance. Excerpts are later aired on PBS. Also this year, TFANA receives a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, and a TFANA commission, The America Play by Suzan Lori Parks, is produced in association with The Public Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre.

1995

Shakespeare's Henry VI directed by Barry Kyle, the first New York production of the play in 25 years, receives two Drama Desk Award nominations. Clive Barnes cites Henry VI as one of the Ten Best Off-Broadway Productions of the Year.

1996

TFANA returns to the now-refurbished New Victory Theater with Gozzi's The Green Bird, directed by Julie Taymor, translated by Albert Bernel, and with music by Elliot Goldenthal. It receives numerous awards, including a Drama Desk Citation and an Obie Award for actor Derek Smith, before transferring to the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego -- TFANA's West Coast debut.

1997

The Two Gentlemen of Verona, produced in association with London's Globe Theatre, marks the U.S. premiere of the company headed by TFANA veteran Mark Rylance. TFANA also mounts the first major New York production of The Changeling in over 30 years. The New Yorker calls the production "a feverish, sensual spectacle."

The American Directors Project, a program dedicated to developing young and mid-career American directors of Shakespeare, is launched.

1998

Richard II and Richard III, directed by Ron Daniels, mark the plays' first engagement in repertory by a New York company. Steven Skybell and Chris McCann portray the two tragic kings.

1999

Titus Andronicus, directed by Julie Taymor in 1994, is made into a major motion picture starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange.

2000

Julie Taymor's production of The Green Bird, originally produced by TFANA in 1996, is produced on Broadway.

Waste by Harley Granville Barker, directed by Bartlett Sher, wins several OBIE Awards, including "Best Play."

John Heilpern of the New York Observer names Karin Coonrod's King John "Best Production of the Year."

2001

Sir Peter Hall, founder, Royal Shakespeare Company, directs Troilus & Cressida. The engagement marks Sir Peter's first Shakespeare production Off-Broadway.

Theatre for a New Audience becomes the first American theatre company invited to present Shakespeare at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

2002

Theatre for a New Audience successfully completes fund raising goal of $3 million for the Artistic Growth Fund. The fund will support TFANA expanding its season to three major classical productions. The 2002-03 season offers three plays: The New York premiere of Richard Nelson's The General from America, Shakespeare's Julius Caeser, Moliére's Don Juan.

Audience attendance grows to 25,000.