OUR STATEMENT ON THE CONNELLY THEATER LOSS

WE’RE LOSING OUR HOME OF 8 YEARS, THE CONNELLY THEATER, BECAUSE THEIR LANDLORD DOESN’T WANT SHOWS ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND GENDER DIVERSITY IN THE THEATER.

It’s a total shock that somehow, strict conservative ideals are dictating what can happen in a New York City theater, and we’re heartbroken by this development. 

We’re not going to lie – this puts us in a tough spot for our 2025 season, which is also our 10-year anniversary. 

THE BACKGROUND

The Connelly Theater’s building is owned by the Archdiocese of New York, and recently, there’s been a change in leadership at the Archdiocese office that oversees the building. 

This new leadership says that the Connelly Theater must enforce strict content rules in the shows that take place there – nothing that the Catholic Church would deem inappropriate can be performed at the Connelly, and the priest in charge is personally screening scripts to ensure that they comply. 

THE CONTEXT

We’ve been told that plays about gender, sexuality, and especially reproductive rights (with the church specifically calling out shows we’ve done in the past at the theater) will not be approved going forward, and are considered “not appropriate” for the venue. 

Our contract will only be renewed for 2025 if we only select shows that avoid these topics – topics that are so important to our artists, audience, and mission. This makes it impossible to produce the SheNYC Festival at the Connelly in alignment with our mission and values.

THE IMPACT

We’re now in a tight spot, trying to find a new theater to house our 2025 Festival, and it’s likely to be way more expensive than what we’ve got the budget for, as we had a generous rate with the Connelly. Our 2025 budget was already stretched thin due to the addition of new programs for our 10-year anniversary, and we expect this change to put us in a deficit. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Donating to help us fund a new theater is the most wonderful gift anyone could give us right now. We are working hard behind the scenes to make sure that our 2025 season can go off as planned, and any amount you can donate would help immensely. 

INTERESTED IN SPONSORSHIP? GET IN TOUCH AT [email protected]. 

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