Lorcan Otway is the current owner of Theatre 80 St. Marks in the East Village, which has previously been home to the Negro Ensemble Company and The Pearl Theater Company. The theater was started by Lorcan’s father, Howard Otway, in the 1960’s, after he purchased the jazz gallery space from Walter Scheib. Several productions have premiered at the venue including: DAY OF ABSENCE (1965), THIS HERE NICE PLACE (1965), which was written by Howard Otway, YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN (1967), DAUGHTERS OF THE MOCK (1978), THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL (1997), THE WAY OF THE WORLD (2000), and A SOLDIER’S PLAY (2017). DAY OF ABSENCE and DAUGHTERS OF THE MOCK were recently revived by the Negro Ensemble Company and even featured members of the original productions. 

Lorcan grew up in a family that was “generationally in theatre”. His father, Howard, was an actor performing on Broadway in The Barretts of Wimpole Street  with Katharine Cornell and  Let It Be Gay  with Gloria Swanson, as well as a  playwright, and script doctor on several Broadway productions. Lorcan spent his childhood and teenage years in the St. Marks 80 theatre, working concessions and stage managing shows, including YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN. Following his high school years, Otway went off to cover the war in Belfast. Upon his return, he attended NYU Gallatin and continued at NYU Law School. In addition to his work in theater, Otway is a lawyer representing marginalized groups including ‘The Travelers.’  He is the Director and Curator of the Museum of the American Gangster and the owner of 80 St. Mark’s Place, formerly known as Scheib’s Speakeasy at 80 Saint Marks Place. Most recently, Lorcan Otway has been working on a film and a book entitled The Girl in the Safe: A Plausible Explanation for a Jazz-Age Mystery” based on safes found in the basement of the theater containing  valuable information on the murders of Frank Hoffman and  Ghia Ortega.