Clubbed Thumb[1][2] is a downtown theater company in New York City that commissions, develops, and produces "funny, strange, and provocative new plays by living American writers.
Throughout its history, the company has produced work by Gregory Moss,[2] Madeleine George, Kristin Newbom, Wallace Shawn, Mac Wellman, Charles Mee, Sarah Ruhl, Adam Bock, Gina Gionfriddo, Rinne Groff, Sheila Callaghan, Lisa D'Amour, Anne Washburn, Sigrid Gilmer, Erin Courtney, Karl Gajdusek, Clare Barron, Jaclyn Backhaus, Tanya Saracho, Will Arbery, Heidi Schreck and others.
The Summerworks home at the Wild Project in the East Village, with its garage-door entry open to the street, makes seeing the plays seem like a friendly invitation instead of a cultural duty.
In 2019 the production transferred to a Broadway run at the Helen Hayes Theater, for which it was nominated for two Tony Awards (including Best Play and Best Actress), and well as winning a number of other accolades and being named a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Clubbed Thumb's first production was dragged fitfully to the stage by the four members of a semi-regular bridge game in the snowbound winter of 1996: Meg MacCary, Maria Striar, Arne Jokela (Joe), and Jay Worthington.
The House of Candles (fondly remembered as the 'House of Firetraps') was rented, roles were divvied up (Meg starring, Maria directing, Joe and Jay designing, as it turned out), dozens of friends were enlisted, and what would become Clubbed Thumb's provocative and influential Summerworks series was born.
This flexibility served: Summerworks swiftly established its reputation as a new-play series with an emphasis on formally innovative (even specifically difficult) structures and fully dimensional roles for actors of both genders.
In addition to the four founders, major contributions were made by Erich Strom (2000–2002) and Ian Helfer (2000–2003) to the board and creative team, as well as staff members from over the years: Michael Levinton (2004 - 2007; 2018–Present), Diana Konopka (2006 - 2011), Nora DeVeau-Rosen (2011 - 2014), Sarah McLellan (2014 - 2018) and Quinn Metal Corbin (2018–2020).