Upcoming Events

12/09	A Chanukah Concert
12/13	Canadian Brass

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Profile

From the beginning, The Town Hall has been more focused on ideas than grandiosity, and it carries on that legacy by acting as a hub for performance. The Not Just Jazz series uses an improvisational approach to a mélange of poetry, film, music, and dance performances. (Lionel Hampton, Regina Carter, and Bill Cosby are just a few of the series' past contributors.) And the Broadway by the Year program invites audience members to indulge in some show tune nostalgia. The building itself has quite a history of its own as well. As the former headquarters for The League of Political Education, a suffragist group dedicated to educating women about socio-economic issues, the Georgian-Colonial-style Town Hall, designed by McKim, Mead and White, was unveiled five months after the 19th Amendment was ratified, on January 12, 1921. To honor its political genesis, the Hall was designed to be democratic, providing both acoustic clarity and unobstructed sightlines from every seat in the house. As a nod to those egalitarian roots, the workaday exterior is reminiscent of a school building, composed of simple brick with only a few theatrical flourishes such as arches above the windows. Inside, the space feels like an elegant community center—much in keeping with its programming. — Rebecca Amato

An online picture gallery presents the history of The Town Hall's famous guests, from its inception to the present.

School Programs
For New York City's public school students grades K through 12, free Morning Performances are offered free of charge. Contests and curricula in art, music, theatre and dance are linked up with the program to keep teachers and students alike involved.

Student Discounts
Full-time students with a valid ID may purchase (with cash only) half-price tickets a half-hour before Not Just Jazz events.