Located in the West Village in Manhattan, the Lucille Lortel Theatre was first built 1926 as a 590-seat movie theatre. Converted into an Off-Broadway theatre in the early 1950s, the venue opened with Maya in June 1953.

In 1955, Louis Schweitzer acquired the building as an anniversary present for his wife, actress-producer Lucille Lortel. To celebrate her 81st birthday, the theatre was re-christened the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 1981. Since Lortel’s death, the theatre has been under the ownership of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

The venue is currently home to MCC Theater — the Manhattan Class Company. Initially founded by a collective of young aspiring actors, writers and directors eager to showcase their own talents, MCC Theater developed over the years into one of off-Broadway’s leading theatre companies, producing annual programmes of full-scale productions.