Encores! 

Encores!  is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations.  Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores!  has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim, among many others.  The series has spawned nineteen cast recordings and numerous Broadway transfers, including Kander and Ebb's Chicago, which is now the second longest-running musical in Broadway history.  Videotapes of many Encores!  productions are collected at the Billy Rose Theater Collection of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.  Since 2000, the series has been led by artistic director Jack Viertel. 

From 2007 to 2009, City Center presented a spin-off series, Encores!  Summer Stars, which produced well-known Broadway shows in fully staged productions.  The first musical in the series was Gypsy, starring Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, and Laura Benanti.  Gypsy received unprecedented attention for an Encores!  show and eventually transferred to Broadway; LuPone, Gaines, and Benanti all won Tony Awards for their performances. 

In 2013, City Center launched Encores!  Off-Center!,  a sister series devoted to groundbreaking Off-Broadway musicals.  Led by founding artistic director Jeanine Tesori for its first four seasons, Encores!  Off-Center was subsequently led by Michael Friedman.  Following Friedman's death, it is currently led by co-artistic directors Jeanine Tesori and Anne Kauffman. 

Encores!  Productions

Encores!  Summer Stars

Encores!  Off-Center

Special Events

Notes

Transferred to Broadway. 
Received a cast recording. 

References

External links
Encores!  on the New York City Center website
2005 American Theatre Wing interview with Jack Viertel
2007 American Theatre Wing panel "The Evolution of Encores!",  featuring Ted Chapin, Judith Daykin, Rob Fisher, David Ives, and Jack Viertel

Category:Musical theatre companies
Category:Theatre in New York City
Category:1994 establishments in New York (state)