Open Jar Studios Celebrates Grand Opening for New Rehearsal Space Created for the Broadway Community

	Photo Credit: Brian Doherty

Open Jar Studios, Manhattan's newest and largest rehearsal space, celebrated its Grand Opening on June 17, 2019 with a star-studded crowd. Created in partnership with several Broadway luminaries and led by project manager Jeff Whiting, Open Jar Studios is located in the heart of Times Square and offers multiple, expansive studios for rehearsals, auditions, and support offices for large-scale Broadway productions.

The Grand Opening featured a dedication ceremony led by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers), and performances by Tony Award Nominee Joshua Henry (Carousel) and Tony Award Nominee Kate Baldwin (Hello, Dolly!). A crowd of luminaries including Tony Winner Beowulf Boritt, Tony Winner Karen Ziemba, and Tony Winner Ken Billington roamed the spaces that were fully occupied with dance rehearsals, costume fittings, meetings, and more. The studios have proved so necessary and in-demand that the whole first year is nearly completely booked.

Located at 1601 Broadway, the studios span the entire 11th and 12th floors, featuring 51,346 sq. ft. of rehearsal space and support offices. The space includes two 4,000 sq. ft. studios with 22' high ceilings (making them the largest studios in Manhattan) in addition to numerous studios suited perfectly for dance and music rehearsals, production offices, and even costume fittings.

Whiting has brought together a partnership filled with Broadway insiders, including: The Shubert Organization, Jeffrey Seller (producer of Hamilton), Music Theatre International, Barry Weissler (producer of Chicago), Fred Gallo (PRG), Tony Award-winning director/choreographers Stroman and Andy Blankenbuehler, composer Stephen Flaherty, designers Billington (lighting), Howell Binkley (lighting), Boritt (scenic), David Korins (scenic), Kai Harada (sound), Alex Lacamoire (music supervisor) and acclaimed actor Henry. "We want to build a home for artists to create," Whiting says, "and we dedicate this space to the creation of art and the cultivation of the artist." In addition to rehearsal space, the studios will also serve as the headquarters to The Open Jar Institute, a theatre training institute now in its 15th year, providing in-depth training for the next generation of theatre artists, as well as Whiting's software company, Stage Write Software, the industry's standard platform to capture staging and choreography for theatrical productions in use by over 50,000 users worldwide.

Complete list of partners includes Don Alden, Kenneth Alhadeff, James Anderson, Gary Beestone, Ken Billington, Howell Binkley, Black Paint Productions, William and Shirlee Blanken, Andy Blankenbuehler, Mimi Bilinski and Beowulf Boritt, Sharon A. Carr, James Cleary, Vibecke Dahl, David DeSilva, Matt DeWaal, Tanner DeWaal, Parveen Dhupar, EnJoY! Productions/Eric Jordan Young, Stephen Flaherty, Trevor Hardwick, Fred and Hillary Gallo, Nancy Gibbs, Good Judgement Trust, Ryan Hales, Kai Harada, Josh and Cathryn Henry, Chris Higbee, Knikki Jacobsmeyer, Wendy Jacobsmeyer, JFA, Inc., Kelly and Kevin Joedicke-Lawrence, Tucker Johann, Kim Jordan, Juniper Street Investments, Nathan Keller, Alex Lacamoire and Ileana Ferreras, Todd Lacy, Mark Leonard, Jill Lesser and Jonathan Diesenhaus, Marci and Richard LeSueur, Justin Mabardi, Michael McCorry Rose, Chris Melton, Music Theatre International, George Nelson, Overland Entertainment, Carl Pasbjerg, Sally Rosenberg and Bruce Charendoff, Brett Rosenblatt, Jeffrey Rosenblatt, Adam Rushefsky and Julie Schubert, Peter Glicklich, Jeffrey Seller, Laurie Sherman, Alan Shorr, The Shubert Organization, David Skinner, Alex Stone, Howard Stone, Abbie Strassler, Susan Stroman, Think System Productions, Jennifer Tingey, Barry Weissler, Jeff Whiting/Open Jar Productions, Todd Whiting, Schele Williams, Kenneth Willman, David Wilson, Richard Winkler, and Kumiko Yoshii.