En Garde Arts

En Garde Arts, which was originally founded in 1986 and re-launched with a revitalized mission in 2014, creates, produces and presents bold theatre experiences that reach across artistic, physical and social boundaries. We aim to increase empathy and open-mindedness by illuminating nuanced perspectives and unspoken truths behind the salient issues of our time. By bringing together artistic teams with non-arts partners from the outset, and merging seasoned theatre-goers with new audiences, En Garde Arts sparks dialogue among people not normally in conversation, both in New York and beyond. We aim to bring people together who are most affected by the subject matter at hand with those who know little-to-nothing about the issues being addressed. En Garde Arts uses theatre to build a bridge between people and, break down the barriers that separate us and reveal the ties that bind us.

Founded by Anne Hamburger, En Garde Arts initiated and led the site-specific theatre movement in New York from 1985-99. During this period, visionary artists including Chuck Mee, Anne Bogart, Mac Wellman and Tina Landau created iconoclastic productions for the city’s landmarks and public spaces, earning 5 OBIEs, 2 Drama Desks and an Outer Critics Circle Award. 

Hamburger relocated to the west coast from 1999 to 2013 to lead a global entertainment division for Disney. In 2014, she re-launched En Garde with a renewed mission around social change. The first production was BASETRACK Live, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). Named one of the top ten productions of the year by The New York Times, the piece employed a boundary-breaking form of multimedia documentary theatre-making, combining real life narratives with journalistic footage, music and movement to elucidate the impact of war on the 21^st Century veterans and their families. A 40-city national tour extended the impact of En Garde Arts ethos – once reserved solely for the people of New York – and marked the beginning of the organization’s integrated approach to creative development and community engagement.

2020 is a year of growth and capacity building for En Garde Arts. Our upcoming production of Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) by Andrea Thome, with direction by José Zayas and music by Sinuhé Padilla is inspired by interviews with undocumented immigrants. The show will launch at La MaMa and tour to all five boroughs of New York City in February/March, 2020. We will continue our Uncommon Voices series, a monthly event that creates an intergenerational space for art, activism, conversation and community at The Commons Café in Brooklyn. And we will continue to develop and enter pre-production for our commission of Mix & Match by Leila Buck with direction by Tamilla Woodard.