There is a breathtaking playhouse tucked away on East 68th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues—a stunning, mid-century portal into New York City’s vibrant cultural heartbeat. The Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse is certainly not your average collegiate auditorium, boasting a storied and fascinating past. Serving as the quintessential centerpiece for the performing arts at Hunter College, this gorgeous venue welcomes around 100,000 theatregoers annually to one of the largest and most historic performance spaces on the Upper East Side. You can catch everything from Broadway rehearsals to traditional ballet and even the modern Ballet of Lights with its fibre-optic costumes.
3 October 2026 16:00 + more dates
27 September 2026 16:00 + more dates
From Fire to FDR: the dramatic fall and million-dollar rebirth of a historic stage
The history of this stage reads like a sweeping Broadway drama. After a massive fire completely destroyed the original footprint in 1936, the resilient space was rebuilt and personally dedicated by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the early 1940s. It reigned as a principal hub for New York music and dance for decades before tragically falling into severe physical decay and shuttering its doors in the 1980s. But a miraculous $4.1 million rescue from the Sylvia and Danny Kaye Foundation brought it brilliantly back to life in 1993.
Why this historic, 624-seat theater is a must-visit
You can practically feel the echoes of greatness vibrating in the walls. Legendary icons like Marian Anderson, Jussi Bjoerling, and Martha Graham made their New York debuts right on this very stage. Today, the programming is wonderfully eclectic, boasting over 200 live events each season. You might catch a traditional classical ballet or Shakespearean play one evening, and a highly experimental, immersive Ballet of Lights the next. It even serves as a thrilling live testing laboratory. The creative team behind the musical SMASH actually used this room to test alternative story endings in front of a live survey audience!
Plan your visit to Kaye Playhouse
Finding to the venue is delightfully simple, as the 6 subway train leaves you right at the 68th Street station, and the M66 crosstown bus drops you just steps from the door. Whether you are a lifelong devotee of the performing arts or simply dipping your toes into a modern dance performance for the very first time, this transformative space offers the perfect evening out.