Mission & History

The Obie Award-winning Chocolate Factory Theater supports the creation of new work in a variety of disciplines including theater, dance, music, multimedia and the visual arts. The Factory's 5,000 square foot facility is home to new work by the company's founding artists; and provides support to visiting artists in the form of multi-week creative residencies; dedicated access to space and technical equipment free of charge; marketing, press, and administrative assistance; commissioning support; and a guaranteed artist fee. Since its first season in Fall 2005, the Visiting Artist Program (curated by Artistic Director Brian Rogers) has become a leading incubator for new developments in experimental performance, supporting the work of more than 400 artists including Tere O'Connor, NTUSA, Mac Wellman/Paul Lazar/Steve Mellor, Target Margin Theater, Aki Sasamoto & Arturo Vidich, Juliana F. May / Maydance, Red Metal Mailbox, Colin Gee, Nancy Bannon, Chase Granoff & Jon Moniaci, The Brooklyn Adult Recorder Choir, Temporary Distortion, Eleanor Bauer, and many many more.

The Chocolate Factory values the process of creation and the spirit of experimentation. The work of our founding artists and our dedication to supporting the creation of new work by Visiting Artists bears this out. theater et al, the company from which The Chocolate Factory emerged, was for many years an itinerant producing organization, renting theaters and rehearsal spaces by the hour. The Factory was founded in part to alleviate many of the challenges - lack of affordable space, lack of adequate time for creative and technical rehearsals, expensive technical equipment - typical of independent theater production in New York. The Factory's founding artists needed a space in which to create and present their work on their own terms, with full technical support, over an extended period of time. Our work with Visiting Artists is an extension of this principle.

Artists invited to work at The Chocolate Factory receive dedicated rehearsal and performance residencies and are encouraged to put our space and technical resources to use in imaginative ways, with very few practical limitations. To this end, our multi-use spaces are designed for maximum flexibility.