Since 1985, En Garde Arts has turned unexpected places into unforgettable stages. New York City’s streets, piers, and hidden corners become sites where audience and architecture blur, and urgent, poetic, and political stories come alive. Born from the belief that art belongs everywhere and to everyone, En Garde launched the site-specific theater movement, redefining how audiences experience performance by collapsing the distance between space, story, and spectator.

Now, as we approach our 40th anniversary, En Garde Arts is more alive than ever. We’re investing in tomorrow’s voices; artists who demand change, invent new forms, and hold space for stories too often silenced. Through our signature programs like Uncommon Voices, The Joan D. Firestone Award, and Playdate / Playdate FEST, we incubate 5–7 bold new projects every year. Recent works by artists such as Samora la Perdida, Irina Kruzhilina, Sarah Gancher, Aya Ogawa, and Jared Mezzocchi push boundaries and reimagine how theater can heal, unsettle, and transform.

We believe in theater that is socially resonant, deeply rooted in a distinct place, and unafraid of the messiness of now. The city is our stage, and our craft is connection. Connection between artist and audience, site and story. As we step into the next decade, En Garde Arts remains dedicated to risk, reinvention, and making performance that speaks to the world as it is, and what it might become.