Report: Metropolitan Playhouse is closing after 30-plus years of productions

According to published reports, the Metropolitan Playhouse is leaving its longtime home at the Cornelia Connelly Center on Fourth Street and suspending production for the foreseeable future. 

The company has staged 31 seasons and "built a reputation for recovering overlooked theatrical treasures and commissioning new works about the city's history on a small stage upstairs from the Connelly Theater in the East Village," as American Theatre first reported.

Citing changes in the theatre's economic and operational foundations, producing artistic director Alex Roe said in a statement: "Metropolitan has accomplished far more than we might have dreamed in these three decades. We have shone a light on scores of forgotten gems of American theatre to reflect on our contemporary culture and premiered hundreds of new works celebrating our neighborhood. Ultimately, we have reached the limits inherent in a company of our small size, and it is time to draw the curtain on a wonderful run."

Founded in 1993, Metropolitan Playhouse started staging production from a 51-seat theater at the Cornelia Connelly Center between Avenue A and Avenue B in 1997. Roe introduced several series reflecting the neighborhood's history and residents, including the Alphabet City monologues and the East Village Chronicles.

Ray's Candy Store the setting for one of these 'East Side Stories' at the Metropolitan Playhouse

The 14th edition of "East Side Stories," a new collection of one-act plays, premieres tonight at the Metropolitan Playhouse.

The works are "based on the rich history and eclectic character of [the] East Village and Lower East Side."

Here's a quick overview of what you'll find in "East Side Stories, Back Again" ... including one very well-known business on Avenue A...

• "Counting Pedestals" by Carlos Jerome

A community college student, focused on survival after a bid in prison, finds an unlikely bond with his mathematics professor.

• "Iriomote" by Arlene Jaffe

Greed and ego threaten the survival of two irreplaceable communities; one in lower Manhattan, the other more than 7,000 miles away.

• "The Poor Door" by Leonard Goodisman

Two women meet in an apartment building's entrance hall, each affronted by the other, and find they have more in common than they expected.

• "Ray's Candy Store" by Rachael Carnes

An aspiring actress, finding life in the city more difficult than she expected, meets a candy store owner who offers her a new perspective and an egg cream.

The run ends on June 23. You can find ticket info at this link. The Metropolitan Playhouse is at 220 E. Fourth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.