NYC's performing arts clubs — from The Players Club to the Drama League. History, membership, and how to join New York's theater community.
New York City is the theater capital of the world. But behind the marquees of Broadway, beyond the rehearsal rooms and dressing rooms, there has always existed another world — the performing arts clubs where actors, directors, playwrights, and their admirers gather off-stage to continue the conversation that the curtain only temporarily interrupts.
These clubs have served as safe havens, networking hubs, late-night refuges, and living archives of American theatrical history. Some were founded when actors were considered socially disreputable. Others were born from the simple desire to have a place where the people who made New York's cultural life possible could feel at home.
Here is your guide to the performing arts clubs that have shaped — and continue to shape — New York's theatrical identity.
No performing arts club in America has a story quite like The Players.
It was founded by Edwin Booth — arguably the greatest Shakespearean actor of the 19th century, and a man permanently overshadowed by his brother John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In an era when actors were socially marginalized, Edwin Booth wanted to create a place where performers could mingle with artists, writers, and educated society as equals. He purchased the Gramercy Park townhouse, commissioned Stanford White to redesign it, and on December 31, 1888, threw open the doors to a founding membership that included Mark Twain.
The building remains essentially as Booth left it — his personal library, bedroom, and theatrical memorabilia are preserved upstairs as a museum. Downstairs, the club continues its traditions of convivial membership, theatrical programming, and the legendary Pipe Night, an annual celebration of a distinguished member's career.
What makes it special: History, intimacy, and the unmistakable feeling that you're standing in a place where American theatrical culture has been made and celebrated for over 130 years.
Programming highlights: Pipe Night (annual career tribute), theatrical readings, literary events, member exhibitions, the Edwin Booth Award.
How to join: Open to theater, film, television, and performing arts professionals, as well as those who love and support the performing arts. Requires sponsorship by two existing members and committee approval.
Notable past members: Edwin Booth, Mark Twain, Frank Sinatra, Walter Cronkite, Helen Hayes, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Laurence Olivier, Al Pacino
The Lambs Club was the first professional theater club in the United States — a gathering place for actors and entertainers that preceded The Players by over a decade. Named after the London Lambs Club (itself named after the essayist Charles Lamb), the New York chapter became one of the most storied institutions in American show business.
The club's traditional "Gambol" — an annual satirical performance by members — was a beloved institution that attracted some of Broadway's biggest names. Its membership at various points included virtually every major figure in American theater and early Hollywood.
Today, the Lambs brand continues through events and programming, though the club operates differently than its golden-era heyday.
Notable past members: Fred Astaire, Jimmy Durante, Cecil B. DeMille, Spencer Tracy, Douglas Fairbanks, Victor Herbert
The Drama League occupies a unique position in New York's theater ecosystem: it's part professional organization, part civic institution, and part gathering place for the city's most passionate theater community.
Best known for the Drama League Awards — the oldest theatrical honors in America, presented annually since 1935 — the League also operates a Director Fellowship program that has launched the careers of many of today's prominent theater directors.
What makes it special: The Drama League is more open and community-facing than the private clubs. Its annual luncheon is one of the Broadway season's most anticipated events, bringing together theater royalty from performers to producers.
Programming highlights: Drama League Awards (annual), Director Fellowship program, Distinguished Achievement Awards, community events and panel discussions.
How to join: Individual and organization memberships are available. The Drama League is more accessible than many private clubs — membership is open to theater lovers, not just professionals.
The American Theatre Wing is best known as the co-presenter (with Broadway League) of the Tony Awards — the Oscars of Broadway. But its work extends far beyond the ceremony: the Wing has been a cornerstone institution for American theater since World War I, when it was founded to entertain troops through performance.
Today, the Wing runs the prestigious SpringboardNYC emerging artist program, the Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative for high school theater programs, and the acclaimed Downstairs studio space for emerging theater.
What makes it special: The Tony Awards connection gives the Wing unparalleled access to the theatrical world. Its video interview series with leading Broadway figures is among the best freely available theater content online.
The Green Room tradition in New York's theater world refers to the spaces and communities built around the backstage experience. Various Green Room clubs and events serve the community of stagehands, production staff, and performers who share the particular kinship of the theater world's behind-the-scenes life.
While not a "club" in the traditional sense, Actors' Equity Association is the professional home of every union stage actor and stage manager in America. Joining Equity — earning your card — is a milestone in every professional actor's career.
The union maintains a lounge and resource center at its West 46th Street offices that functions as a community space for members.
How to join: Equity membership is earned through professional theater work — either by being cast in an Equity production, working within an Equity Membership Candidate program at a participating theater, or by transfer from a sister union (SAG-AFTRA, AGMA, etc.).
The performing arts clubs of New York have evolved significantly. The golden age of clubs like the Lambs and the Friars — when every major entertainer in America maintained membership — has given way to a more dispersed landscape.
Today, The Players Club remains the most essential and most historically resonant performing arts members' club in the city. The Drama League offers the most active professional programming. And organizations like the American Theatre Wing keep the institutional fabric of New York theater vibrant.
For performers and theater lovers who want community, there's never been more available — the question is simply finding the right room.
How do I join the Drama League?
The Drama League offers membership tiers open to individual theater lovers and professionals. Visit their website for current membership information and to register for events.
What happened to the Lambs Club?
The Lambs Club's original clubhouse on West 44th Street is now the Chatwal Hotel and Lamb's Club restaurant. The organization has undergone various reinventions over the years — check current status for any active programming.
What is the Friars Club known for?
The Friars Club is best known for its "roasts" — comedic tribute events featuring celebrities savagely and affectionately skewering a guest of honor. These events have been a cornerstone of American comedy culture for over a century.
Are there theater clubs open to theater lovers who aren't professional performers?
Yes — the Drama League is explicitly open to theater lovers regardless of professional status. The Players Club also welcomes those who love and support the performing arts, not only working performers.
See also: