President and CEO Ben Sprecher

After assuming the position of General Manager of the Theatre de Lys in 1981, Ben Sprecher quickly realized that the future for intimate plays and musicals for New York was being severely hampered by lack of choices for suitable theatres. Up until that point Off Broadway was limited to very small theatres with the only other option being large Broadway houses.

The Promenade had originally opened with the Musical PROMENADE (for which the Theatre is named) in 1964. Following its long run, the Theatre was the home to the 1970 Pulitzer Prize winner NO PLACE TO BE SOMEBODY, LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT with Geraldine Fitzgerald, and the five-year run of GODSPELL. The Promenade, suffering from the ravages of the early 70's urban decay in the neighborhood it was located in, closed down after the run of ARE YOU NOW OR HAVE YOU EVER BEEN starring Liza Minnelli. The Theatre then was closed for several years while the Upper West Side of Manhattan experienced an urban renaissance.

It was during the run of CLOUD 9 at the Theatre de Lys in 1983 that Ben Sprecher decided to reopen the Promenade Theatre. After an extensive renovation, the Promenade Theatre opened and after several false starts finally became the home of the original New York premiere of David Rabe's HURLYBURLY, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Christopher Walken, Bill Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Judith Ivey, Harvey Keitel and Cynthia Nixon. The Theatre then presented VIVA VITTORIO with the international star Vittorio Gassman, Stephen Sondheim's PACIFIC OVERTURES, Sam Shepard's CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS, and A LIE OF THE MIND.

The Theatre has continued to host some of the most important plays in the American Theatre including Simon Gray's THE COMMON PURSUIT, Athol Fugard's THE ROAD TO MECCA, A. R. Gurney's COCKTAIL HOUR, the original production of LOVE LETTERS, Terrence McNally's LISBON TRAVIATA starring Nathan Lane, Jules Feiffer's ELLIOT LOVES directed by Mike Nichols, BREAKING LEGS starring Vincent Gardenia and Philip Bosco, WRONG TURN AT LUNGFISH starring George C. Scott and Tony Danza, Edward's Albee's Pulitzer Prize winning THREE TALL WOMEN, Steve Martin's PICASSO AT LAPIN AGILE, TWO PIANOS FOUR HANDS, Elaine May and Alan Arkin's POWERPLAYS, Eileen Heckart's farewell performance in THE WAVERLY GALLERY, Alan Bates and Eileen Atkins in Yasmina Reza's THE UNEXPECTED MAN, MADAME MELVILLE starring Macaulay Culkin, THE SHAPE OF THINGS starring Rachel Weitz and Gretchen Mol, MR. GOLDWYN starring Alan King, Kate Mulgrew in TEA AT FIVE, and the musical THE THING ABOUT MEN.

The Promenade Theatre has established itself and remains the Theatre of choice for any important intimate play or musical considering presentation in New York City.

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