Cafe Wha? ca. 1933.

The cafe and theater has a rich history. Built in 1907, it is one of the oldest Off-Broadway venues still in operation. It was originally used to house horses but was converted into a theater in the 1958. The Players Theatre contains a main stage with more than 200 seats and a 50-seat black box theatre as well as four rehearsal rooms. According to the South Village Historic District Designation Report, “Gene Frankel directed and held theatre workshops at the Players Theater from 1959 to at least 1968. The Café Wha? has occupied part of the building since the 1950s except for a period when it was replaced by the Café Feenjon. Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Richard Pryor, and Bill Cosby are among the performers who played the Café Wha?” Players Theatre has hosted a large number of off-Broadway productions since opening its doors. Most notably in the early 1990s, Natalie Portman starred in the musical Ruthless, in which Britney Spears also participated as an understudy. An archive of every production at the theater can be found here.