Best Local Theater
KAYE PLAYHOUSE AT HUNTER COLLEGE 695 Park Ave.
212-772-4448
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College presents some 200 plays, concerts and dance performances a year in a small, comfortable space with great acoustics and a warm, welcoming staff. If you missed the recent run of “Uncle Vanya,” it’s not too late to see the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players’ presentation of the “Pirates of Penzance” on Dec. 27-30.
ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE 545 West 52nd St.
212-247-4982
The venerable Ensemble Studio Theatre is celebrating its 50th anniversary season with a series of mainstage productions, including “Behind the Sheet” and “Georgia Mertching is Dead.” For the 37th year, EST will present its Marathon of One-Act Plays in the spring. There are two sets, and each offers a variety of themes. The venue is comfortable, albeit on the second floor of an old building that has seen better days, Ensemble artists and writers over the years have included Ellen Barkin, Danny DeVito and Sarah Jessica Parker.
IATI THEATER 64 East 4th St.
212-505-6757
IATI is a bilingual Latinx theater company that prides itself on presenting original, bold and experimental comedies and dramas that explore and redefine Latino culture. At this small theater in the East Village, the writers and performers are a mix of emerging and established Latino artists, including Chilean actress and singer Andrea Velasco.