Tony Kiser Theater

681 8th Avenue | also 305 West 43rd Street, 685 8th Avenue, 683 8th Avenue | Hell's Kitchen | built 1929

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The lot about 1940
About 1940. Via 1940s.nyc
The lot about 1985
About 1985. Via 80s.nyc

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

  1. 1999

    Rem Koolhaas converts a 1927 bank into Second Stage's 296-seat Off-Broadway theater

    The building opened in 1927 as a bank, according to Playbill. In 1999 it became Second Stage Theater's flagship Off-Broadway space, with an interior designed by Rem Koolhaas in association with Richard Gluckman. Carol Fishman, a former Second Stage managing director, oversaw that transformation, and the house seats 296.

    Source: playbill.com

  2. 2018

    July 12

    Tracy Letts's Mary Page Marlowe opens Off-Broadway here with Tatiana Maslany and Blair Brown

    Second Stage Theater opened Tracy Letts's play Mary Page Marlowe at the Tony Kiser Theater on July 12, 2018, after previews began on June 19. Lila Neugebauer directed, and six actresses played the title character at different ages, among them Tatiana Maslany and Blair Brown. The run was extended a week, to August 19, and Brown earned a Lucille Lortel Award nomination.

    “…opened Off-Broadway in New York City at the Tony Kiser Theater on July 12, 2018, in a production by the Second Stage Theater…”

    Source: Wikipedia

  3. 2023

    March 15

    Michael R. Jackson's White Girl in Danger begins previews at the Tony Kiser Theater

    The musical White Girl in Danger, a co-production of Vineyard Theatre and Second Stage Theater, began previews at Second Stage's Tony Kiser Theater on March 15, 2023. Lileana Blain-Cruz directed, with choreography by Raja Feather Kelly. The run was scheduled to continue through May 21.

    Source: playbill.com

  4. 2024

    February

    Second Stage decides to give up the Tony Kiser Theater over rent and lease terms

    In February 2024 Second Stage Theater chose to give up the Tony Kiser Theater, its Off-Broadway home, when 2024 ended. High rent and unfavorable lease terms drove the choice. The company said it would keep producing Off-Broadway and planned to open another space elsewhere.

    “Second Stage decided to let go of the Tony Kiser Theater, its off-Broadway space, at the end 2024, due to high rent and unfavorable lease terms.”

    Source: Wikipedia

  5. 2024

    November

    Second Stage stages its last production at the Kiser, Amy Berryman's Walden

    In November 2024 Second Stage Theater presented Amy Berryman's play Walden at the Tony Kiser Theater, directed by Whitney White. Zoe Winters, Emmy Rossum and Motell Foster led the cast. It was the company's final production in the building.

    Source: Wikipedia

  6. 2025

    January

    Seaview buys the Koolhaas-designed theater and renames it Studio Seaview

    In January 2025 the production company Seaview acquired the 296-seat theater, which Second Stage had operated through 2024. It was to be rebranded Studio Seaview, and designer Scott Pask was to oversee a refurbishment while keeping Koolhaas's 1999 design. Carol Fishman, a former Second Stage managing director, was named general manager.

    Source: playbill.com

Further reading

Nearby

All 46 buildings with stories in Hell's Kitchen