Production company Seaview has acquired the Off-Broadway Tony Kiser Theatre.
The 296-seat theater in midtown had previously housed productions from the nonprofit theater company Second Stage Theater, which had staged a number of productions there, including the pre-Broadway run of Dear Evan Hansen, but gave up its lease at the end of 2024. Under the leadership of Seaview, the theater will be rebranded into a commercial Off-Broadway theater under the name Studio Seaview.
Seaview has produced a number of Off-Broadway hits including Hold Onto Me Darling, starring Adam Driver, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, starring Aubrey Plaza, and the immersive Sweeney Todd. The production company is also a prolific producer on Broadway and is represented this season by Once Upon a Mattress, with Sutton Foster, Romeo + Juliet with Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler, John Mulaney’s All In: Comedy About Love, Good Night, and Good Luck with George Clooney; and The Last Five Years with Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren.
The production company said it is taking a “highly flexible” approach to its programming, with shows scheduled on a show-by-show basis rather than by season. The first production will be a a yet-to-be-named title directed by Sam Gold (who directed An Enemy of the People produced by Seaview and Romeo + Juliet) in spring 2025. The goal in programming is to deliver “eventized” theater, according to Seaview.
The theater was originally built as a bank in 1927 and transformed into a theater in 1999. Under Seaview, the theater will maintain its 296-seat capacity and overall design with an update to elements such as the bar and the entry lobby.
“The freedom of off-Broadway allows us to take creative risks and explore new theatrical territory,” said Greg Nobile, co-founder and CEO of Seaview. “We are excited to program the space with shows that challenge the traditional theater model and that might not find room on a Broadway stage. This is a place where we can nurture work that excites us and that we believe will resonate with audiences.”
Carol Fishman, former managing director of Second Stage Theatre who helped bring the theater to life in 1999, will serve as general manager for Studio Seaview.
