20th Century Project

In 2011, in celebration of our 10th Anniversary, Transport Group launched a ten-year cycle of curated and commissioned works: The 20th Century Project.  Each of the ten productions in this chronological cycle will explore the American experience and identity particular to each decadeof the 20th century.  We are inviting some of today’s most significant theatre artists to join us in capturing transformational moments – historical, emotional, and cultural – of this pivotal time in America.  Five of the productions in this cycle will re-imagine classic American works while five additional productions will tell new stories through commissioned plays and musicals about our collective past.

Our inaugural production of this ambitious initiative, Queen of the Mist, based in 1901, premiered in the fall of 2011.  Queen of the Mist told the real life story of Anna Edson Taylor who at the age of 63 became the first person to successfully go over Niagara Fall in a barrel and live.  Transport Group commissioned writer/composer Michael John LaChuisa to write this explosive musical which won the Outer Critic's Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, and received seven Drama Desk Award nominations, two Lucille Lortel Award nominations, two Drama League Award Nominations, and was filmed for the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive for the New York Public Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center.  Ghostlight Records released the original cast album of Queen of the Mist in June of 2012.

We are proud to be introducing artists to challenging, new material and supporting the transformation of history into art.  In addition to Queen of the Mist, we are in the process of commissioning two more musicals, as well as two new plays.  We are also combing through the existing American canon for three additional plays and two additional musicals to revive with productions that will bring renewed immediacy to some historically overlooked works and reintroduce forgotten voices to new generations. 

Our next play in the cycle will be a production of John Van Druten's I Remember Mama in the winter of 2014.  Our arresting new production of this sincere family drama stumbles upon unexpected urgency when this 1910 story is performed by a company of ten dynamic actresses, all born in the first half of the 20th century.  

The productions comprising The 20th Century Project will create a testimony for the stage that gives a life and voice to our American identity, enriching our past, present, and future.

Commission and Producer Opportunities Available for The 20th Century Project

Would you like to be responsible for the next great American play or musical?

If you are interested in sponsoring a commission or producing a revival for The 20th Century Project, please contact our offices at info This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (212) 564-0333.