Downtown Art has a history of working with young artists and community members to create performance, festivals, and other special events. Through our art and collaborations, we seek to build a...

by Downtown Art (DTA ABOUT The Waistmaker’s Opera, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the shirtwaist maker’s strike, one of the first major strikes led by women, premiered in May 2010;...

by Downtown Art From the document Bowery Wars Info… Downtown Art continues its ‘Inheritance’ series with The Bowery Wars, Part 1, an original music theaterwork, book and lyrics by Ryan Gilliam,...

by Downtown Art A street musical / rock opera based on the 1902 Kosher Meat boycott led by Lower East Side women.  The strike by Jewish immigrant women to protest...

1. Add to The People’s LES The People’s LES Do you have a story, oral history project, piece of writing, lesson plan, or photo archive you’d like to share?  Let’s add...

Lower East Side Community Hero Nominated by Briana Bartenieff Photo by Jonathan Slaff, The Village Sun OBIE Award winning actress Crystal Field is co-founder and Artistic Director of Theater for...

By Ryan Gilliam In the winter of 1914, there was mass unemployment.  At a time without government assistance hardly existed, most charitable giving was managed by churches, synagogues, and religiously...

by Ryan Gilliam In the early 20th century, New York, like many other cities, sought to combat infant mortality with city-wide cultural events like Baby Week.  The Lower East Side...