Provincetown Playhouse, December 29, 1936.

The Provincetown Players were began as a casual performance event put on by a group of writers and friends in the bohemian summer spot of Provincetown, Massachusetts. After two seasons in New England, the group officially organized and moved to New York City to present a season of theatre. They originally performed in a space in 139 MacDougal Street. In 1918 the group converted a former bottling plant into a theatre, known from then on as the Provincetown Playhouse. The original players included Eugene O’Neill, Edna St. Vincent Millay and Djuna Barnes.

After the 1923 season, the Players formally disbanded, though there were a number of related associates who attempted to produce work under the name through the 1920s.

The building that once housed the theatre was purchased by NYU and in 2008 they attempted to demolish the building for a new law school facility. After much community push back, they agreed to preserve the facade and a small section of the interior theatre walls (though a local preservation group has accused the school was breaking this agreement in regard to the interior features).