Mint Theater Company


Mint Theater Company was founded in 1992 in New York City. Their mission is to find, produce, and advocate for "worthwhile plays from the past that have been lost or forgotten". They have been instrumental in restoring the theatrical legacy of several playwrights notably; Teresa Deevy, Rachel Crothers, and Miles Malleson. In addition to producing less produced or forgotten works by noted playwrights such as A. A. Milne, Lillian Hellman, and J. M. Barrie, they have also produced frequently ignored theatrical works by noted authors such as Ernest Hemingway, D. H. Lawrence, and Leo Tolstoy.
New York Times critic Ben Brantley credited Mint Theater Company as a "resurrectionist extraordinaire of forgotten plays". pointing to the company as a torchbearer "devoted to overlooked plays of other times."

History

The Mint Theater Company was founded in 1992 by Kelly Morgan. The mission was further solidified when Jonathan Bank took over as artistic director in 1995, deciding to focus on lost, neglected, or forgotten plays. This focus came from his interest in narrative driven plays that audiences didn't already know. The company's full commitment to neglected works came as audience interest in seeing recovered plays increased, eventually prompting the company to re-establish their mission and change their slogan to "Lost Plays Found Here."
They have done significant work to revive the works of several playwrights who had fallen into obscurity. Their on-going Teresa Deevy Project works to rediscover, produce, and publish works of Irish playwright Teresa Deevy, who despite early success and several productions at the Dublin Abbey Theatre during her lifetime has been largely neglected and her work forgotten. The Mint Theater has produced four plays and published two anthologies of Deevy's work.
The theater's revival of Rachel Crothers' Susan and God in 2006 was the first New York City revival since 1943. Crothers' work had rarely been seen since her death in 1953. The theater also revived her Pulitzer Prize nominated play, A Little Journey in 2011.
They have also revived or sometimes premiered neglected works by famous authors. In 2008 they produced Hemingway's The Fifth Column, using the original text, the first professional production to do so as the 1940 Broadway production used an adapted script by Benjamin Glazer which Hemingway ultimately did not approve. They have produced both of D. H. Lawrence's plays, The Daughter-in-Law in 2003 and The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd in 2009.
In addition to citations for individual productions, the company has received several awards. In 2001 they received an Obie Grant. In 2002 they were awarded a Drama Desk Special Award for "unearthing, presenting and preserving forgotten plays of merit". In 2010 they were awarded The Theatre Museum's Theatre History Preservation Award.

Notable productions

A Day by the Sea by N. C. HunterAlison's House by Susan GlaspellA Little Journey by Rachel CrothersBecomes A Woman by Betty SmithConflict by Miles MallesonGarside's Career by Harold BrighouseHindle Wakes by Stanley HoughtonKatie Roche by Teresa DeevyMiss Lulu Bett by Zona GaleSo Help Me God! by Maurine Dallas WatkinsSusan and God by Rachel CrothersTemporal Powers by Teresa DeevyThe Daughter-in-Law by D.H. LawrenceThe Fifth Column by Ernest HemingwayThe Power of Darkness by Leo TolstoyThe Price of Thomas Scott by Elizabeth BakerThe Suitcase Under the Bed by Teresa DeevyWife to James Whelan by Teresa DeevyYours Unfaithfully by Miles Malleson
The Daughter-in-Law, Soldier's Wife, The Return of the Prodigal, So Help Me God!, A Little Journey, London Wall, Fashions For Men, Women Without Men, Hindle Wakes, and Garside's Career were all nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play.

Publications

Mint Theater Company has published six anthologies from the works of authors that they have produced.Worthy But Neglected Plays of the Mint Theater Company