One Year Lease Theater Company has been creating theater, building community, and mentoring the next generation of artists for 25 years. Help us raise $25,000 to celebrate our 25th birthday, so we can continue to present thought-provoking theater, host free artistic workshops in NYC, and grow our international performance residencies.

25 Years of OYL—Here’s to 25 More! 🥂

Twenty-five years ago, we were a handful of Vassar graduates with a passion for theater and some very big dreams. We didn’t have money or New York connections, but we were scrappy, resourceful, and infectious in our enthusiasm. We convinced friends and artists to join our seemingly insane mission—and just one year later, we were on our way to Athens and Milan with 24 artists and a commissioned adaptation of The Oresteia. It was a Herculean effort, an absolute blast, and just the beginning for One Year Lease Theater Company (OYL).

Since then, we have performed to tiny but hard-won audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and sold-out houses in off-Broadway venues. We’ve performed on the hallowed grounds of Ancient Corinth for hundreds, and under a downpour in a nearly abandoned village for its last two residents.

Our Mission 🎭

We create spaces where time-honored theatrical forms, languages, and stories are put front and center as contemporary practice. We bring artists out of black boxes and invite them into extraordinary spaces to explore the boundlessness of creativity.

We champion spaces where the whole world fits. Our rehearsals and productions bring together rooms full of artists—including students, parents, and professional artists in their 70s mentoring the next generation—and a beautiful tapestry of global languages. Here, every identity doesn't just coexist. They unite under a singular, defiant mission: to create theater.

For 25 years, OYL has been a home to a diverse and ever-growing company of artists. Together, we conceive new works, build community, question our past, and reimagine our future. We remain scrappy, nimble, and deeply invested in the power of possibility.

Help Us Grow, Help Us Raise $25,000 🌟

You have been the backbone of our first quarter-century. Now, we look to the next 25 years! We need to raise at least $25,000 this fall to continue building new shows, running our summer residencies, and supporting incredible artists in New York and around the world.

OYL By The Numbers 📊

With your support over the last 25 years, we have accomplished a lot!

29 Full-Length Productions: Presented to audiences across New York City.

25 International Shows: Staged in Greece, Italy, Japan, and India.

20+ Years of Education: Our successful summer performance residency and educational program in Greece.

Global Expansion: Summer residencies in India and Japan are now in their 4th year.

Touring History: 2 US tours, 3 European tours, and 1 radio play.

400+ Company Members: We’ve trained, mentored, and performed alongside rising talents in the US and abroad.

Hundreds of Jobs: We’ve hired artists to write scripts, design sets, compose music, perform on stage, and run workshops.

Global Audiences: We’ve entertained thousands of people across New York, Boston, Houston, Athens, Milan, Nagano, Varadenahalli, Papingo, Corinth, Delphi, Ioannina, Monodendri, Aristi, Vikos, and beyond.

Award-Winning Theater: We’ve won the prestigious Edinburgh Stage Award and a Houston Theater Award, and received 2 Drama Desk nominations.

What Your Gift Funds ✨

Please take a moment to support OYL. Every single donation is tax-deductible, vital, and deeply appreciated. Here is exactly how your contribution creates an impact:

$35 (Script Prep): Prints and formats scripts for a new reading or workshop.

$50 (Set Construction): Purchases select hardware and materials to build our next physical set.

$75 (Artistic Training): Funds essential supplies for a specialized clowning, puppetry, or movement workshop.

$100 (Wardrobe): Covers the cost of a custom costume for a live performance.

$150 (Global Connectivity): Provides a month of internet access for our international summer company to conduct research and share updates.

$250 (Rehearsal Space): Rents studio space to host a free-to-attend script-writing or musical improvisation workshop.

$750 (Production Design): Funds a portion of the design fees for our expert costume, set, or lighting designers.
$1,000 (Artist Fair Pay): Directly supports an actor’s weekly salary for an upcoming production.

$2,500 (Partial Scholarship): Provides a partial scholarship for a talented summer company member who needs financial assistance.

$5,000 (Full Fellowship): Covers a full scholarship to allow an artist to study and create abroad with us. Please email us at ianthe@oneyearlease.org to set up a named scholarship.

About One Year Lease (OYL)

Founded in 2001, One Year Lease Theater Company (OYL) is a professional theater company based in New York City with a one-of-a-kind international summer performance residency program. We serve as an artistic fulcrum around which theater, education, training, and inspiration spin—a creative lab for experimentation, risk-taking, and deep community collaboration.

OYL turns 25!

Help us celebrate 25 years in NYC and beyond