59E59 Theaters

Profile

Peer through 59E59’s soaring glass façade after the curtains fall on performance nights and you’ll likely witness a particularly British tradition: actors tipping back beers with audience members at the small mezzanine-level bar. The scene is appropriate for a house that frequently looks across the pond for inspiration. The nonprofit arts complex launched in 2004 with Brits Off Broadway, a series of quirky imports�some fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival�that has become an annual rite of spring in New York. But the theater’s Anglophilia has its limits. Small companies from around the world appear throughout the year. Wherever a play’s origins, the atmosphere at 59E59 is always festive, especially at the bar during the pre-show buildup between 6 and 8 p.m. — Eric V. Copage