NFT
New Federal Theatre (NFT) founded by Woodie King, Jr. in 1970 grew out of a theatre program at Mobilization for Youth. This neighborhood-based professional theatre was originally funded by the Henry Street Settlement along with a small grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. The theatre’s first season was launched in the basement of St. Augustine’s Church on Henry Street. In 1974, the construction of the Henry Street Settlement’s Louis Abrons Arts Center located at 466 Grand Street was completed. The physical plan included three theatres, rehearsal studios and modern stage equipment-all of which were made available to NFT. In March 1996, New Federal Theatre’s administrative offices returned to St. Augustine’s Church, but maintains its production and training programs at Henry Street Settlement’s Abrons Arts Center. Specializing in minority drama, NFT has brought the joy of the living stage to many minorities who live in the surrounding Lower East Side community and the greater Metropolitan area. NFT has provided emerging playwrights with the opportunity to have their works produced; it has brought minority actors, directors and designers to national attention and sponsored a variety of ethnic theatre groups and events. The vocational training workshops prepare minority people for employment in theatre and theatre-related fields. Most importantly, NFT provides the multi-ethnic Lower East Side as well as New York metropolitan area audiences with first-rate theatre relating to the interest of different cultural groups.
