OUR HISTORY
Celebrating our 40th anniversary in 2026, Naked Angels was founded by a group of artists in 1986 who were committed to creating a shared home for bold new voices. Bringing together writers, directors, actors, producers, and designers, our founders crafted an open environment where artists support one another in taking risks, exchanging ideas, and bringing new work to life. The company took its name from Naked Angels, John Tytell’s book about the Beat writers, who he described as “a generation that wanted to break out of convention and scream.”
Like the Beats, our founders sought a space where theater could challenge assumptions and meet the urgency of the moment: a place where our mission to support writers and build community through theater took root. Sometimes outraged, often irreverent, occasionally absurd—and always intelligent and fun—Naked Angels’ work became a spark that drew audiences from all backgrounds. The Space, as their 17th Street theater was once known, quickly became a vibrant crossroads where artists gathered to experiment boldly and celebrate the thrill of live performance together.
Beginning in the mid-90s, Naked Angels evolved from a company-led organization to having a single Artistic Director at the helm, allowing the organization to remain nimble and artist-centered as New York City real estate costs surged. Embracing a nomadic spirit, the company continued to cultivate a thriving community of artists across the city. Creative leadership during this period included founding members Tim Ransom, Geoffrey Nauffts, and Pippin Parker, alongside affiliated producers Jenny Gersten, Andy Donald, and Liz Carlson.
In 2017, founding member Jean Marie McKee became Artistic Director of Naked Angels, deepening the company’s commitment to artist-centered development and creative community. While continuing its longstanding support of writers, Naked Angels shifted its focus from full productions to expanding its core platforms for creative exchange: TUESDAYS@9 and 1ST MONDAYS, which bring together a vibrant cross-section of the NYC theater community, and 3T WRITING AND ACTING WORKSHOPS, which engage underserved youth in District 79 schools, foster care, and those impacted by the juvenile justice system.
All three programs are FREE and OPEN, offering welcoming intergenerational spaces where emerging, professional, and student artists can take risks, share work, and learn from one another. Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access is reflected not only in the artists we serve, but in our staffing, outreach, and our work with underserved youth across New York City.
For four decades, Naked Angels has embraced the unconventional. We have supported work that has traveled everywhere from downtown dives to regional theaters, major Off-Broadway stages, and Broadway itself. Yet at the heart of everything we do is a steadfast belief in the power of dynamic storytelling and creative community. As long as we continue to serve artists with a spirit of collaboration and curiosity, we know we are fulfilling the mission that has guided us for 40 years, and will carry us into the future.