About

Vision

The Barrow Group is an artistic home—a nurturing, accessible, collaborative, and inclusive community dedicated to bringing humanity, authenticity, and spontaneity to the performing arts.

Founded in New York City in 1986, The Barrow Group has spent nearly four decades developing artists and creating work rooted in lived experience, generosity of spirit, and deep respect for the audience. From our earliest days as a small ensemble of artists committed to truthful storytelling, TBG has grown into an internationally recognized center for training, development, and performance—while remaining grounded in the belief that kindness and rigor can coexist.

We exist to transform people’s experience through:

• Creative expression
• Storytelling
• Community

What We Do

We:

• Train and develop artists to create impactful, meaningful stories
• Teach storytelling grounded in reality, spontaneity, and human connection
• Create beautiful, honest work that inspires, challenges, and enlightens
• Empower people to experience themselves as creative and capable
• Serve as a home for real, lively, relatable storytelling
• Act as a beacon of excellence in training, development, and production
• Support and value our staff, faculty, and artists as whole people

Through our training programs, productions, and artist development work, The Barrow Group changes the world one story at a time—by changing how stories are made, shared, and received.

Purpose (Mission)

The Barrow Group combines spontaneous acting with well-crafted stories that engage social, spiritual, and political questions—enriching our community with a deeper understanding of ourselves, others, and the world we share.

Our Values

Integrity
Faithful to our vision, our word, and our responsibility to artists, audiences, and one another.

Kindness
At the center of our culture, pedagogy, and practice—how we teach, create, and collaborate.

Innovation
Open, curious, and adaptive—continually evolving in response to artists, audiences, and the world around us.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Embedded across all our work. We strive to offer programs that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of the diversity of New York City and the global community, with meaningful and measurable impact.

Excellence
High standards in artistry, training, and operations. We value professional rigor within a supportive, humane working environment and expect excellence from the artists, staff, board, and volunteers with whom we work.

What Makes The Barrow Group Unique

• Storytelling rooted in reality and spontaneity
• A culture of kindness and trust
• Leading with what’s working (“yes, and”)
• A safe, nurturing environment for artistic risk-taking
• “Clearing a path through the forest” rather than judging
• A deep focus on the audience’s experience
• Emphasis on what is happening rather than how it looks
• Strong commitment to accessibility and thoughtful pricing
• Multiple entry points into training and community
• Renowned solo show development and sculpting
• A robust teacher-training pipeline
• Cross-collaboration among actors, writers, directors, and filmmakers
• Faculty and staff developed from within TBG’s culture
• An “all-in-it-together” ethos
• A clear “story first” orientation
• A respectful, engaged, and deeply supportive working board

A Legacy of Award-Winning Work

Since its founding, The Barrow Group has been a launching pad for bold, original storytelling that resonates far beyond our walls.

Awards & Honors

• Lucille Lortel Award – Best Solo Show
  All the Rage by Martin Moran (2013)
• Drama Desk Nomination – Best Play
  Pentecost by David Edgar (2005)
• Drama Desk Award for Off-Off Broadway Excellence
  The Barrow Group Theatre Company (1995)

Award-Winning Plays Developed at The Barrow Group

• My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (2011)
  – Lucille Lortel Award, Best Solo Show
• The Temperamentals by Jon Marans (2009)
  – Drama Desk Award, Best Ensemble
• Sleepwalk With Me by Mike Birbiglia (2008)
  – Nightlife Award for Outstanding Comedian
  – Lucille Lortel Award Nomination, Best Solo Show
  – Drama Desk Nomination, Best Solo Show
  – Outer Critics Circle Nomination, Best Solo Show
• The Tricky Part by Martin Moran (2004)
  – OBIE Award Winner
  – Drama Desk Award Nomination, Best Play
  – Drama Desk Award Nomination, Best Solo Show
• Honey Brown Eyes by Stefanie Zadravec (2009)
  – Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play

Theater Productions & New Work

Each year, we produce intimate Off-Broadway productions and solo shows in our 70-seat theater, alongside robust support for new play development. Our free artist programs—including FAB Women, Artist Residencies, and in-house readings—ensure that new work has the time, space, and community it needs to grow.

Since 1986, The Barrow Group has developed and/or produced more than 150 shows, including award-winning and nationally recognized works by Martin Moran, Jon Marans, Mike Birbiglia, and David Edgar. In 2005, we received the Drama Desk Award for Off-Off-Broadway Excellence.

Training & Education

Training is central to everything we do. Our approach focuses on clear, practical tools that support authenticity, freedom, and ease—outlined in An Actor’s Companion: Tools for the Working Actor by founder and Co-Artistic Director Seth Barrish.

All teaching artists complete a rigorous one-year teacher training program, ensuring a consistent, high-quality experience across all classes.

• Youth Programs (ages 5–18): online and in-person classes in acting, improv, musical theatre, playwriting, and on-camera work
• Adult Programs: classes for beginners through professionals in acting, directing, playwriting, filmmaking, screenwriting, voice, dialects, Alexander Technique, clowning, solo show development, auditioning, improv, and the business of acting
• Community & Institutional Programs: workshops for corporations, artist residencies, and partnerships with higher education and K–12 schools

Each year, more than 4,000 students train with The Barrow Group. Time Out New York, Backstage, and CBS New York consistently name TBG one of New York City’s top places to study.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

The Barrow Group believes stories have the power to transform lives for the better. We also recognize that historically marginalized groups of people have not had a fair opportunity to share their stories. To address this inequity, we have created several programs to advance diverse voices in American theatre, television, and film. Our goals are:

1) to create a pipeline of talent that better reflects the eclectic tapestry of our culture

2) to empower artists that have historically been marginalized through scholarships for BIPOC artists