Singularity is a collective of individual artists, each of whom retains control of his or her projects. The company supports the work of the individual actor, writer, director, filmmaker, and designer, providing each with production assistance and guiding them to potential collaborators.
Singularity’s continuing mission is to introduce audiences to the most innovative and provocative work in theatre today. From stunning world premieres like David Greenspan’s Five Frozen Embryos and Christopher Shinn’s The Sleepers (2002 FringeNYC Best Overall Production), and forgotten treasures like Harry Kondoleon’s Christmas on Mars, to original pieces by talented newcomers like Sam Forman’s Hunter for Hunter Green, each of Singularity’s productions is a renewal of our commitment to the audience. In addition, Singularity produces an annual festival that features a diverse roster of projects, serving as a launching pad for the city's most talented young artists. Since 1999, Singularity has produced over 60 projects, earning a reputation as "one of the city's fastest growing and most promising collectives" (Time Out New York).
One of the distinguishing achievements in the company’s mission to introduce new forms of theatre has been the highly acclaimed United States Project. The latest installment, Work and Progress, received the 2002 Drama League New Directors/New Works grant and was developed with the guidance of Moises Kaufman (director of The Laramie Project and I Am My Own Wife). This ongoing series of theatrical documentaries follows the lives of real people, creating biographical plays from interviews and observation. Fringe New York described the first play in the series, A Day in the Life of Clark Chipman, as a play where “the prosaic becomes profound… [it] explores the idea that story exists within any day of any person’s life.” Mary Zimmerman, Tony award-winning director of Metamorphoses, lauded it as a play that “reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary, proving that the examined life is one worth watching”. The second installment in the series, Railways and Firework, was named “one of the top off-off Broadway shows of the season” (Time Out New York).
Singularity was founded by Jon Schumacher, Ellen Shanman, and Jeff Tomsic who found themselves arriving in New York along with a large number of college classmates and past collaborators. In the words of the founders, Singularity was created “because we needed a way to harness the potential of an extraordinary group of young artists. We feel that it’s critical to ensure that these talented people are working in the theater now, developing their personal aesthetics, instead of just waiting tables and, frankly, waiting.” If you would like to help our dynamic organization to continue to create challenging and vital work, please contact us.