It’s been in rough shape since its founder, Edith O’Hara, passed away in 2020, but the storied 13th Street Repertory Theater between Fifth and Sixth Avenues has really never looked worse. On my way to my video shoot over the weekend, I passed by the once-lively little venue and snapped the picture above. The entrances have all been fenced off, the windows boarded-up and the awning has been stripped. It’s not looking promising.
Despite being founded in 1972 and playing host to a wide range of renowned thespians over the decades, the theater was never landmarked. News reports have suggested that there is significant structural damage throughout the building. The more recent update I’ve seen, by way of Village Preservation last November, did not paint a pretty picture.
Personally speaking, the only performances I ever attended at the 13th Street Repertory Theater – although I attended five or six of them – were by the late, great Brother Theodore, who performed a remarkable two-decade residency at the theater prior to his death in 2001. Suffice to say, his was sort of a niche appeal.
It was an intimate space, but always richly rewarding. Here’s hoping fate intervenes and it rises again.
Meanwhile, here’s a fleeting taste of Brother Theodore….
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