History & Alumni

History

The Blank Theatre Company is the recipient of the 2008 Hollywood Arts Council’s “Charlie Award” for outstanding contribution to Hollywood and its arts.

The Blank won 6 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding Production, 4 NAACP Theatre Awards including Best Production, 7 BackStage West Garland Awards including Best Production and 3 LA Weekly Awards ...All in 2006 & 2007!

The Blank Theatre Company was founded in 1990 as a non-profit corporation by its current Artistic Director/Producer Daniel Henning. With a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Henning moved to Los Angeles and saw an opportunity to increase the quality of theatre in town. So at the age of 24 he started The Blank.

The Blank’s mission is clear: The Blank is committed to the enrichment of Hollywood’s cultural life through production of first-rate theatre, education of current and future artists, and creation of groundbreaking new works for the theatrical repertoire.

In the past nineteen years, The Blank has won every major theatre production award in Los Angeles, raised thousands of dollars for worthy charities and produced over 38 Mainstage Productions. The Blank also created its annual Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival (2010 marks YPF’s 18th anniversary) which has aided, encouraged and produced 196 playwrights aged nineteen and younger. The Blank presents its Living Room Series, workshop presentations of new plays. The LRS allows theatre artists a chance to perform their skills in a safe and nurturing environment and culminates in a Monday night performance presented nearly every Monday night Labor Day to Memorial Day.

In April 1996, The Blank Theatre Company took up residence at the 53-seat 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood.

Our Los Angeles premiere of Amy and David Sedaris’ THE BOOK OF LIZ ran for a year, playing an unprecedented 172 performances. It became one of the longest running shows in LA history.

The Blank has been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Outstanding Production for THE WILD PARTY & BREAKING THE CODE, the NAACP Theatre Award for Best Production for THE WILD PARTY, the L.A. Weekly Award for Musical of the Year for THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, the Ovation Award for Best Musical-Smaller Theatre for THE FANTASTICKS.

The Blank’s production of Michael John LaChiusa’s musical LITTLE FISH was released on Ghostlight/Sh-k-boom Records in spring 2008. The Blank’s FIRST LADY SUITE was recorded by Grammy-nominated record producer Tommy Krasker for the PS Classics label. The Blank’s recording of THE CRADLE WILL ROCK is available at Amazon.com.

Alumni

*indicates Academy Award, Tony Award or Emmy Award winner or nominee