New 42 was originally established in 1990 by New York City and State (as The New 42nd Street) to revive what Rolling Stone called “the sleaziest block in America”–West 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The independent nonprofit was given the 99-year lease of the block’s seven historic theaters to find new uses for the Apollo Theatre, Empire Theatre, Liberty Theatre, Lyric Theatre, Selwyn Theatre, Victory Theatre and Times Square Theater.

The metamorphosis of the block was launched by New 42’s reinvention of the XXX-rated movie house The Victory into the New Victory Theater, opening as the City’s first theater for kids and families in 1995. In 2000, New 42 opened New 42 Studios, a 10-story performing arts complex hosting rehearsals of commercial and nonprofit performing arts companies. These signature projects have brought millions of New Yorkers and visitors to the City of all ages to the block, cultivating a unique family-friendly hub for creativity and play.  

In the years since its founding, New 42 has transformed from an urban redevelopment organization to one of New York City’s most visionary cultural nonprofits. Its community includes professional artists rehearsing shows from Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters to the West End, teens participating in award-winning workforce development programs, international and American artists debuting work for young people, and educators and school kids and families from across the five boroughs. All of them are part of New 42’s mission to engage people in the arts at the earliest age possible, with a commitment to accessibility and affordability.

Post-global pandemic, New 42’s role in leading the dynamic evolution of 42nd Street is more important than ever. New 42 stewards the block as a safe and exciting destination, bringing life to the block through its projects and historic theater properties on a daily basis. 

The New Victory opens new worlds to young people and families through extraordinary performances, education and engagement programs. Bringing kids to the arts and the arts to kids since 1995, this nonprofit theater has become a standard-bearer of quality performing arts for young audiences in the United States. Reflecting and serving the multicultural city it calls home, New Victory is committed to arts access for all communities of New York to experience and engage with the exemplary international shows on its stages. A global leader in arts education, youth development and audience engagement, the New Victory Theater has been honored by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, by Americans for the Arts with a national Arts Education Award, and by the Drama Desk for “providing enchanting, sophisticated children’s theater that appeals to the child in all of us, and for nurturing a love of theater in young people.”

New 42 Studios has evolved over the years into an incubator for developing new works, many of which have defined Broadway history in recent decades. Since its opening in 2000, New 42 Studios has served as the rehearsal space for over 1,000 Broadway/Off-Broadway/Touring companies, 655 workshops and readings, 431 regional theater productions, and more than 1,500 other creative projects. The historic productions that have rehearsed at New 42 Studios include sixteen Tony Award® winners for Best Musical or Best Play: The Producers (2001), Hairspray (2002), Jersey Boys (2005), Spring Awakening (2006), In the Heights (2008), Kinky Boots (2012), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2014), Hamilton (2015), Dear Evan Hansen (2016), The Band’s Visit (2017), The Ferryman (2018), Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2018), Hadestown (2019), Moulin Rouge (2019), The Inheritance (2019) and Leopoldstadt (2022).