View source for Brooklyn Academy of Music

{{Short description|Theater and concert hall in Brooklyn, New York}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Brooklyn Academy of Music
| nickname = BAM
| image = Brooklyn_Academy_of_Music_(BAM)_(48228024996).jpg
| image_size = 337
| image_caption = BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building (2019)
| address = 30 Lafayette Avenue (Peter Jay Sharp)<br />651 [[Fulton Street (Brooklyn)|Fulton Street]] (BAM Strong)<br />321 Ashland Place (Fisher)
| location = [[Brooklyn]], New York
| type = [[Performing arts center]]
| genre = 
| built = 1908
| opened = 1908
| renovated = 
| expanded = 
| closed = 
| demolished = 
| owner = 
| construction_cost = 
| former_names = 
| seating_type = 
| publictransit = {{rint|newyork|LIRR}} '''[[Long Island Rail Road]]''': [[Atlantic Branch]] at [[Atlantic Terminal]]<br />'''[[New York City Subway]]''': {{NYCS Atlantic-Barclays header| time=bullets }} at [[Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center station|Atlantic Avenue–Barclays Center]]<br />{{NYCS Crosstown|time=bullets}} at [[Fulton Street station (IND Crosstown Line)|Fulton Street]]<br />{{NYCS Fulton local day|time=bullets}} at [[Lafayette Avenue station (IND Fulton Street Line)|Lafayette Avenue]]
| seating_capacity = Howard Gilman Opera House: 2,109<br />Harvey Theater: 874<br />Lepercq Space: 350<br />Fishman Space: 250<br>Total: 3,583
| website = {{URL|bam.org}}
| embedded =
{{Infobox NRHP
  | embed = yes
  | name = Brooklyn Academy of Music
  | nrhp_type = 
  | image = 
  | caption = 
  | location= 30 Lafayette Ave., [[Brooklyn, New York]]
  | coordinates = {{coord|40|41|11|N|73|58|41|W|region:US_type:landmark|name=Brooklyn Academy of Music|display=inline}}
  | locmapin = New York#USA
  | built = {{Start date|1907}}
  | architect = Herts & Tallant
  | architecture = Renaissance
  | added = May 2, 2006
  | area = less than one acre
  | refnum = 06000251<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2013a}}</ref>
}}
}}

The '''Brooklyn Academy of Music''' ('''BAM''') is a multi-arts center in [[Brooklyn]], New York City. It hosts progressive and [[avant-garde]] performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues.

BAM was chartered in 1859, presented its first show in 1861, and began operations in its present location in [[Fort Greene, Brooklyn]], in 1908. The Academy is incorporated as a New York State [[nonprofit organization|not-for-profit corporation]].<ref>"[https://appext20.dos.ny.gov/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_token=55A4F4AF1AAE0770DB2194DF68FD12F219F621D0D0F5E3423A470F131CCC790B192B036FC38FF17E00B63F595D666E0D&p_nameid=A7ECAEE8A65505BB&p_corpid=CE9F283A668C75CA&p_captcha=18034&p_captcha_check=55A4F4AF1AAE0770DB2194DF68FD12F219F621D0D0F5E3423A470F131CCC790B32F3D4C3ECD3574612FBDAAF94F94EF7&p_entity_name=%62%72%6F%6F%6B%6C%79%6E%20%61%63%61%64%65%6D%79%20%6F%66%20%6D%75%73%69%63&p_name_type=%41&p_search_type=%43%4F%4E%54%41%49%4E%53&p_srch_results_page=0 The Brooklyn Academy of Music, Inc. DOS ID #: 282057]". ''Entity Information''. New York State Department of State, Division of Corporations. Retrieved March 6, 2020.</ref> It has [[501(c)(3)]] status.<ref>"[https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/displayAll.do?dispatchMethod=displayAllInfo&Id=671424&ein=112201344&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchAll&isDescending=false&city=&ein1=&postDateFrom=&exemptTypeCode=al&submitName=&sortColumn=orgName&totalResults=1&names=Brooklyn+Academy+of+Music&resultsPerPage=25&indexOfFirstRow=0&postDateTo=&state=All+States Brooklyn Academy of Music Inc. EIN: 11-2201344]". ''Tax Exempt Organization Search''. [[Internal Revenue Service]]. Retrieved March 6, 2020.</ref> 

==History==

===Original facility===
On October 21, 1858, a meeting was held at the [[Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute|Polytechnic Institute]] to measure support for establishing ''"a hall adapted to Musical, Literary, Scientific and other occasional purposes, of sufficient size to meet the requirements of our large population and worth in style and appearance of our city."''<ref name= meeting>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/50469430/?terms=%22BROOKLYN%2BACADEMY%2BOF%2BMUSIC%22 A Brooklyn Academy of Music]". ''[[The Brooklyn Daily Eagle]]''. October 22, 1858. p. 2.</ref> The group applied to the [[New York State Legislature]] for a charter in the name of Brooklyn Academy of Music.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/50469486/?terms=%22BROOKLYN%2BACADEMY%2BOF%2BMUSIC%22 Local Improvements and Rent Estate in Brooklyn]". ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle''. November 8, 1858. p. 2.</ref> The New York Legislature passed the bill to incorporate the Brooklyn Academy of Music on February 16, 1859.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/20603841/?terms=%22BROOKLYN%2BACADEMY%2BOF%2BMUSIC%22 New-York Legislature]". ''The New York Times''. February 11, 1859. p. 1.</ref> The group raised $60,000 by November 22 and another $90,000 by March 16, 1859.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/556178335/?terms=%22BROOKLYN%2BACADEMY%2BOF%2BMUSIC%22 The Brooklyn Academy of Music]". ''[[Brooklyn Times-Union|Times Union]]'' (Brooklyn, New York). November 22, 1856. p. 2.</ref><ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/321441146/?terms=%22BROOKLYN%2BACADEMY%2BOF%2BMUSIC%22 Items of Interest]". ''The Evansville Daily Journal'' (Evansville, Indiana). March 16, 1859. p. 2.</ref> The Brooklyn Academy of Music opened on January 15, 1861.<ref name=Chittendon>[https://www.newspapers.com/image/50366232/ "Speech of Mr. Chittendon"]. ''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle''. January 16, 1861. pp. 2–3.</ref>

At the inaugural address on the opening, the management announced that no dramatic performance should ever be held within its walls.<ref>"[https://www.newspapers.com/image/264397830/ Piety in the Parquette]". ''The Buffalo Commercial'' (Buffalo, New York). January 23, 1861. p. 3.</ref> The first concert opened with the overture to ''[[Der Freischütz]]'', followed by arias and excerpts from various operas, including the [[William Tell Overture|''William Tell'' Overture]] which opened part 2 of the concert.<ref name=Chittendon />

Founded in 1861, the first BAM facility at 176–194 Montague Street in [[Brooklyn Heights]] was conceived as the home of the [[Brooklyn Philharmonic|Philharmonic Society of Brooklyn]]. The building, designed by architect [[Leopold Eidlitz]], housed a large theater seating 2,109, a smaller concert hall, dressing and chorus rooms, and a vast "baronial" kitchen. BAM presented amateur and professional music and theater productions, including performers such as [[Ellen Terry]], [[Edwin Booth]], and [[Fritz Kreisler]]. On her lecture tour of the United States in 1889-1890, Egyptologist and founder of the [[Egypt Exploration Society]] [[Amelia Edwards]] gave her first and last lectures here, in November and March, respectively.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Muñoz |first=Roberta |date=2017-12-28 |title=Amelia Edwards in America – A Quiet Revolution in Archaeological Science |journal=Bulletin of the History of Archaeology |language=en-US |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=7 |doi=10.5334/bha-598|doi-access=free }}</ref>

=== Current facilities ===
After the building burned to the ground on November 30, 1903,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bam150years.blogspot.com/2011/09/before-and-after-bam-hamm-archvies.html|title=BAM blog: Introducing The BAM Hamm Archives|last=Sharon|date=September 5, 2011|access-date=January 29, 2018}}</ref> BAM made plans to relocate to a new facility in [[Fort Greene, Brooklyn]]. [[Herts & Tallant]] designed the new building.<ref name="nyt-1995-08-06">{{Cite news|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=1995-08-06|title=Streetscapes: The Brooklyn Academy of Music; Restoring the Crown to a 1908 Queen of a Building|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/06/realestate/streetscapes-brooklyn-academy-music-restoring-crown-1908-queen-building.html|access-date=2024-08-04|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cornerstone was laid at 30 Lafayette Avenue on May 25, 1907.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1907-05-26 |title=For the New Academy Cornerstone Is Laid |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-for-the-new-aca/152627445/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle |pages=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1907-05-26 |title=Cornerstone Laid |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-tribune-cornerstone-laid/152627465/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |work=New-York Tribune |pages=7}}</ref>

A series of opening events were held in November 1908; the first opera to be staged there was the [[Metropolitan Opera]] production of ''[[Faust (opera)|Faust]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1908-11-14 |title=Musical Notes |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-standard-union-musical-notes/152627267/ |access-date=2024-08-04 |work=The Standard Union |pages=6}}</ref> It was also used for religious services during the early 1900s, when [[Charles Taze Russell]], founder of the bible students movement (now [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] and [[International Bible Students Association]]), gave sermons there.<ref>{{cite book |last=Colby |first=F.M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TVhMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA608 |title=The New International Year Book: A Compendium of the World's Progress.... |publisher=Dodd, Mead |year=1917 |page=608 |access-date=August 4, 2024}}</ref>

==== 1960s to 1990s ====
The Waltann School of Creative Arts (WSCA), founded in 1959,<ref>{{cite web| url=https://amistad-finding-aids.tulane.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/118709|publisher=[[Amistad Research Center]]| title= Waltann School of Creative Arts (Brooklyn, NY): tenth anniversary luncheon, 1969|type=from the [[Hale Woodruff]] collection, 1900–1980| access-date=31 August 2022}}</ref> located at 1078 Park Place, Brooklyn, was a BAM venue during the 1960s and 1970s.<ref>{{cite web | title=WSCA presents Allen Brown, pianist, Jane Judge, soprano | website=BAM Digital Archive | date=8 November 1970 | url=https://levyarchive.bam.org/Detail/objects/62131 | access-date=31 August 2022}}</ref> One of the dance teachers there was African American contemporary dancer [[Carole Johnson (dancer)|Carole Johnson]],<ref>{{cite web | title=Johnson, Carole (1940–)| website=[[Trove]] | url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/people/1491391?c=people}}</ref> and the [[Eleo Pomare Dance Company]] performed there in 1967.<ref>{{cite web | title= Production : The Eleo Pomare Dance Company [1967f.01828] | website= BAM Digital Archive | date=12 November 1967 | url=https://levyarchive.bam.org/Detail/occurrences/4809 | access-date=31 August 2022}}</ref>

In 1967, [[Harvey Lichtenstein]] was appointed executive director and during his 32 years in that role, BAM experienced a turnaround,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/03/archives/dance-mailbag-dance-mailbag-defending-bam.html|title=Dance Mailbag|date=October 3, 1976|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> attracting audiences with new programming and establishing an endowment.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/05/arts/music/endowment-doubles-for-brooklyn-academy.html|title=Endowment Doubles for Brooklyn Academy|last=Lee|first=Felicia R.|date=October 5, 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref> BAM established a shuttle bus service to Manhattan, the BAMbus, which ran from 1968.<ref name="nyt-2025-03-23">{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=2025-03-23 |title=The Brooklyn Academy of Music Is Fighting to Regain its Mojo |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/23/arts/bam-brooklyn-academy-of-music.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> BAM began hosting the annual Next Wave Festival in 1983, featuring performances by international and American artists.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/13/theater/next-wave-festival-joseph-melillo-brooklyn-academy-of-music.html|title=How Next Wave Is It? Joseph V. Melillo Picks His Kind of Show From His Final Program|last=Libbey|first=Peter|date=September 13, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/23/arts/dance/bam-winter-spring-2019-season.html|title=A 100-Dance Merce Cunningham Celebration Is Coming to BAM|last=Barone|first=Joshua|date=October 23, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref>

The [[Chelsea Theater Center]] was in residence from 1967 to 1977.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} The Harvey Theater was completed in 1987.<ref name="nyt-2025-03-23" />

==== 2000s to present ====
From 1999 to 2015, [[Karen Brooks Hopkins]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |author-link=Robin Pogrebin |date=February 4, 2014 |title=President of BAM Will Leave Next Year |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/arts/president-of-bam-will-leave-next-year.html |access-date=January 30, 2019 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> was president, and [[Joseph V. Melillo]] was executive producer through 2018.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 4, 2017 |title=Joseph V. Melillo to Depart Brooklyn Academy of Music |url=https://www.americantheatre.org/2017/05/04/joseph-v-melillo-to-depart-brooklyn-academy-of-music/ |access-date=January 30, 2019 |website=American Theatre}}</ref> 30 Lafayette Avenue's facade was restored for $8.6 million in 2004.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Collins |first=Glenn |date=2004-05-17 |title=A Brooklyn Landmark Gets Its Crown Back; At Music Academy, Color Supplants Grime |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/17/nyregion/a-brooklyn-landmark-gets-its-crown-back-at-music-academy-color-supplants-grime.html |access-date=2024-08-04 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Due to low ridership and increasing expenses, the BAMbus service was discontinued in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barron |first=James |date=October 10, 2013 |title=In a Safer Brooklyn, the End Nears for an Outbound Bus |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/07/in-a-safer-brooklyn-the-end-nears-for-an-outbound-bus/ |access-date=March 23, 2025 |website=City Room}}</ref>

In 2012, BAM opened its Richard B. Fisher Building, which includes a 250-seat [[experimental theater]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Dailey |first=Jessica |date=June 14, 2012 |title=BAM Ready to Raise the Curtain on New Experimental Theater |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2012/6/14/10361776/bam-ready-to-raise-the-curtain-on-new-experimental-theater |access-date=March 23, 2025 |website=Curbed NY}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |date=2012-06-13 |title=BAM's New Hall Offers Flexibility |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/arts/music/bams-richard-b-fisher-building-to-be-unveiled-thursday.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A regular event at the time was BAMcinemaFest, a festival focusing on [[independent film]]s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Scott |first=A. O. |author-link=A. O. Scott |date=June 19, 2012 |title=BAMcinemaFest, With Jonathan Caouette and Others |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/20/movies/bamcinemafest-with-jonathan-caouette-and-others.html |access-date=January 30, 2019 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Katy Clark was president from 2015<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pogrebin |first=Robin |author-link=Robin Pogrebin |date=April 9, 2015 |title=Brooklyn Academy of Music Chooses New President |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/arts/music/brooklyn-academy-of-music-chooses-new-president.html |access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> and left the institution in 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bahr |first=Sarah |date=2020-11-10 |title=Brooklyn Academy of Music President to Leave Next Year |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/arts/music/bam-president-leaving.html |access-date=2022-01-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The BAM Strong complex opened in October 2019, and a renovation of the Harvey Theater was finished at that time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Roundy |first=Bill |date=October 28, 2019 |title=Going Strong: BAM opens its new venue |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/going-strong-bam-opens-its-new-venue/ |access-date=March 23, 2025 |website=Brooklyn Paper}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=October 16, 2019 |title=Brooklyn Academy of Music Opens BAM Strong And 2019 Next Wave Festival |url=https://bklyner.com/brooklyn-academy-of-music-opens-bam-strong-and-2019-next-wave-festival/ |access-date=March 23, 2025 |website=Bklyner}}</ref> The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted BAM's finances.<ref name="nyt-2025-03-23" /> BAM KBH, which includes a black box theater and an archives space, opened in early 2025.<ref name="nyt-2025-03-23" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Chau |first=Mandie |date=February 26, 2025 |title=BAM brings back pre-pandemic programming, including free concerts |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2025/02/26/bam-brings-back-pre-pandemic-programming/ |access-date=March 23, 2025 |website=Brooklyn Eagle}}</ref> ''The New York Times'' wrote the same year that, while many of BAM's previous executives (including Melillo and Hopkins) had worked there for several decades, their successors had left after only a few years.<ref name="nyt-2025-03-23" />

Gina Duncan served as president from 2022-2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stevens |first=Matt |date=2022-02-08 |title=BAM Taps Former Leader of Its Film Program as Its Next President |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/arts/bam-president-gina-duncan.html |access-date=2023-01-12 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> [[David Binder]] served as artistic director from 2019-2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Paulson |date=February 7, 2018 |title=Broadway Producer Named BAM's New Artistic Director |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/07/theater/broadway-producer-named-bams-new-artistic-director.html |access-date=January 30, 2019 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Amy Cassello served as interim artistic director from 2023-2024 until she was announced as artistic director in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amy Cassello, Artistic Director |url=http://www.bam.org/about/leadership/amy-cassello |access-date=2025-08-11 |website=BAM.org |language=en}}</ref>

==People==
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2025}}
Artists who have presented work at BAM include [[Philip Glass]], [[Trisha Brown]], [[Peter Brook]], [[Pina Bausch]], [[Merce Cunningham]], [[Bill T. Jones]]/Arnie Zane Company, [[Laurie Anderson]], [[Lee Breuer]], [[Ethel (string quartet)|ETHEL]], [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], [[Steve Reich]], [[Seal (musician)|Seal]], [[Mark Morris (choreographer)|Mark Morris]], [[Robert Wilson (director)|Robert Wilson]], [[Peter Sellars]], [[BLACKstreet]], [[Ingmar Bergman]], [[David Van Tieghem]], [[Michael Moschen]], [[Twyla Tharp]], [[Ralph Lemon]], [[Ivo van Hove]], and the [[Mariinsky Theatre|Mariinsky Theater]].

American punk band ''[[Hole (band)|Hole]]'' recorded their live album at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on February 14, 1995. Singer-songwriter [[Tori Amos]] performed for ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'' at BAM in 1996. [[Alice in Chains]] recorded their live album ''[[Unplugged (Alice in Chains album)|Unplugged]]'' on April 10, 1996, at BAM’s Harvey Theater for ''[[MTV Unplugged]]'', and [[Alanis Morissette]] recorded her live album ''[[MTV Unplugged (Alanis Morissette album)|MTV Unplugged]]'' at BAM on September 18, 1999.

==Facilities==
[[File:Brooklyn Academy of Music New York October 2016 001.jpg|thumb|Howard Gilman Opera House]]
The Peter Jay Sharp Building in the [[Fort Greene Historic District]] houses the Howard Gilman Opera House and the BAM Rose Cinemas (formerly the Carey Playhouse). It was designed by the firm [[Herts & Tallant]] in 1908, in the [[Renaissance Revival architecture|renaissance revival]] style. It is a U-shaped building with an open court in the center of the lot between two theater wings above the first story. The building has a high base of gray [[granite]], with cream colored brick trimmed in [[terracotta]] with some [[marble]] detail above.<ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite report|type=none|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318327 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Brooklyn Academy of Music|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |author= Kathy Howe|date= September 1996| access-date=November 2, 2025 }} ({{NationalArchivesNote}})</ref> The Howard Gilman Opera House has 2,109 seats and BAM Rose Cinemas,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/2670/bam-rose-cinemas|title=BAM Rose Cinemas|website=NYC-ARTS|access-date=June 4, 2019}}</ref> which opened in 1998, comprises four screens, and primarily shows first-run, independent and repertory films and series.<ref name="Newman">{{Cite news |last=Newman |first=Andy |date=November 12, 1998 |title=More Than Just a Movie House; A Magnet for Brooklyn's Young Is in Place, but Will It Work? |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/12/movies/more-than-just-movie-house-magnet-for-brooklyn-s-young-place-but-will-it-work.html |access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref>

Also within the Peter Jay Sharp Building is the Lepercq Space,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/15/archives/new-theater-unveiled-at-brooklyn-academy.html|title=New Theater Unveiled At Brooklyn Academy|date=December 15, 1973|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref> originally a ballroom and now a flexible event space which houses the BAMcafé, and the Hillman Attic Studio, a flexible rehearsal/performing space.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/bam-hillman-attic-studio|title=BAM Hillman Attic Studio {{!}} Theater in Fort Greene, Brooklyn|website=[[Time Out New York]]|date=March 29, 2011 |access-date=February 21, 2019}}</ref>

The BAM Strong, an array of spaces, includes the 874-seat BAM Harvey Theater at 651 Fulton Street. Formerly known as the Majestic Theater, it was built in 1904 with 1,708 seats and eventually showed vaudeville and then feature films,<ref>Markisch, Erwin. "[https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/7104 BAM Harvey Theater]". ''Cinema Treasures''.</ref> and was named in Lichtenstein's honor in 1999.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Berkvist|first=Robert|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/arts/music/harvey-lichtenstein-dead-led-bam.html|title=Harvey Lichtenstein, Who Led Brooklyn Academy of Music's Rebirth, Dies at 87|date=February 11, 2017|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref> A renovation by architect [[Hugh Hardy]] left the interior paint faded, with often exposed masonry, giving the theater a unique feel of a "modern ruin". In April 2014, CNN named the BAM Harvey as one of the "15 of the World's Most Spectacular Theaters".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/22/travel/spectacular-theaters/|title=15 of the world's most spectacular theaters|author=Tamara Hinson|date=April 22, 2014|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=September 28, 2015}}</ref> The complex also features a dedicated art gallery.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Passy|first=Charles|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/brooklyn-academy-of-music-set-to-open-art-gallery-11572868800|title=Brooklyn Academy of Music Set to Open Art Gallery|date=November 4, 2019|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=March 16, 2020}}</ref>

The BAM Fisher Building, opened in 2012,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> contains Fishman Space, a 250-seat [[black box theater]], and Fisher Hillman Studio, a flexible rehearsal and performance space,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/35843/bam-fisher-hillman-studio|title=BAM Fisher Hillman Studio|website=NYC-ARTS|access-date=February 21, 2019}}</ref> as well as administrative offices. The BAM Hamm Archives are located in BAM KBH inside of the L10 Arts and Cultural Center at 300 Ashland Place, and the [https://levyarchive.bam.org/ Shelby White & Leon Levy BAM Digital Archive] is available online.

The BAM Sharp and Fisher Buildings are located within the Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District created by the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] in 1978; the BAM Strong is not.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1003.pdf|url-status=live|title=Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District Designation Report|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|date=September 26, 1978|access-date=July 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326220818/http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/BROOKLYN_ACADEMY_OF_MUSIC_HISTORIC_DISTRICT.pdf|archive-date=March 26, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-15 |title=Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District {{!}} HDC |url=https://hdc.org/buildings/brooklyn-academy-of-music-historic-district/ |access-date=2024-01-28 |website=hdc.org |language=en-US}}</ref> BAM is adjacent to [[downtown Brooklyn]], near [[Atlantic Terminal]], the [[Barclays Center]] arena, and the [[Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower]] (once the tallest building in Brooklyn). BAM is part of the Brooklyn Cultural District.<ref name="Newman" />

== Notable productions ==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Playwright
! scope="col" | Cast 
! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| 2024 || ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' || [[Tennessee Williams]] || [[Paul Mescal]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/paul-mescal-star-streetcar-named-191527531.html|title= Paul Mescal to Star in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' in New York and London|website= Yahoo News|access-date= November 11, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2023 || ''[[The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window]]'' || [[Lorraine Hansberry]] || [[Oscar Isaac]] and [[Rachel Brosnahan]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vogue.com/article/oscar-isaac-rachel-brosnahan-lorraine-hansberry-bam|title= Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan Bring a Rarely Seen Lorraine Hansberry Gem Back to New York|first=Marley |last=Marius|website= Vogue|date=April 4, 2023|access-date= April 17, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2022 || ''[[Cyrano de Bergerac|Cyrano]]'' || [[Edmond Rostand]] || [[James McAvoy]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vulture.com/2022/04/theater-review-james-mcavoy-cyrano-bam.html|title= James McAvoy Is Our Generation's Great Cyrano|website= Vulture|access-date= April 17, 2024}}</ref>
|- 
| 2020 || ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]'' || [[Euripides]] || [[Bobby Cannavale]] and [[Rose Byrne]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/read-reviews-for-bams-medea-starring-rose-byrne-and-bobby-cannavale|title= Read Reviews for BAM's Medea, Starring Rose Byrne and Bobby Cannavale|website= Playbill|access-date= April 17, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2016 || ''[[The Judas Kiss (play)|The Judas Kiss]]'' || [[David Hare (playwright)|David Hare]] || [[Rupert Everett]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vulture.com/2016/05/everett-fully-inhabits-wilde-in-judas-kiss.html|title= Rupert Everett Fully Inhabits Oscar Wilde in The Judas Kiss|website= Vulture|access-date= April 17, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Richard II]]'' / ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]'' || [[William Shakespeare]] || [[David Tennant]] ||<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/david-tennant-richard-ii-theater-880109/|title= 'Richard II': Theater Review|website= [[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date= April 17, 2024}}</ref> 
|-
| 2014 || ''[[King Lear]]'' || [[William Shakespeare]] || [[Frank Langella]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/king-lear-starring-frank-langella-arrives-at-brooklyn-academy-of-music-jan-7-com-213482|title= ''King Lear'', Starring Frank Langella, Arrives at Brooklyn Academy of Music Jan. 7|website= Playbill|first=Adam|last=Hetrick|date=January 7, 2014 |access-date= April 25, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2011 || ''[[Diary of a Madman (Nikolai Gogol)|Diary of a Madman]]'' || [[Nikolai Gogol]] || [[Geoffrey Rush]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/geoffrey-rush-pens-the-diary-of-a-madman-at-bam-beginning-feb-11-com-176050|title= Geoffrey Rush Pens ''The Diary of a Madman'' at BAM Beginning Feb. 11|first=Adam|last=Hetrick|date=February 11, 2011|website= Playbill|access-date= April 25, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2009 || ''[[A Streetcar Named Desire]]'' || [[Tennessee Williams]] || [[Cate Blanchett]] || <ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/a-streetcar-named-desire-with-cate-blanchett-to-play-kennedy-center-and-bam-com-152707|title= ''A Streetcar Named Desire'', with Cate Blanchett, to Play Kennedy Center and BAM|first=Adam|last=Hetrick|author2=Andrew Gans|date=August 22, 2008|website= Playbill|access-date= March 11, 2025}}</ref>
|-
| 2008 || ''[[Macbeth]]'' || [[William Shakespeare]] || [[Patrick Stewart]] ||
|-
|}

==See also==
* [[List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Brooklyn Academy of Music}}
* {{official website|https://www.bam.org}}
* [http://www.nyc-arts.org/organizations/347/brooklyn-academy-of-music-bam Brooklyn Academy of Music on NYC-ARTS.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090821013720/http://www.nyckidsarts.org/organizations/347/brooklyn-academy-of-music-bam Brooklyn Academy of Music on NYCkidsARTS.org]
* [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/brooklyn-academy-of-music Brooklyn Academy of Music at Google Cultural Institute]

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