Following its 2012 spring season at its current Water Street address, St. Ann's will relocate to the 19,000 square foot industrial space at 29 Jay Street, located three blocks from the company's current address. The open space will allow St. Ann's to use numerous configurations for its productions.
Executives plan to begin offering programming at 29 Jay for the fall 2012 season. "If you love our current space, you will love the new one. We can’t wait to see you there next season," St. Ann's artistic director Susan Feldman said in a statement.
In 2009, St. Ann's announced that its Water Street location in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood had been approved by the city for redevelopment as a school and apartment complex. The organization made plans to relocate to the Tobacco Warehouse on the Empire Fulton Ferry Park; however, in July a federal judge found that the National Parks Service, which oversaw the warehouse and the park, illegally made the agreement without permitted public hearings.
St. Ann's has been presenting at 38 Water Street for 11 years. The company has served as one of Brooklyn and New York City's major cultural hubs. The National Theatre of Scotland's Iraq War drama Black Watch made its U.S. premiere there in a sold-out run (and returned for several engagements). The U.K. Kneehigh Theatre production of Brief Encounter made its New York City premiere there; the title later transferred to Broadway. St. Ann's has also earned critical praise for staging the U.S. premiere of plays by Irish playwright Enda Walsh.
