Caribbean American Repertory Theatre (CART) was founded in 1975 by a core group of Caribbean Actors. Our Mission is to provide Caribbean, African and African-American Theatre to audiences in New York City and beyond. CART creates a cultural, artistic arena for theatre artists to display their talents and creative diversity.

Through our productions, CART strives to present a deeper view of the lives of Caribbean, African, and African-American people, encouraging cross-cultural communication and understanding. We also team up with other companies. in order to increase outreach to more diverse communities.

We regularly collaborate with the famed Theatre of the Living Word. Together, we presented Oliver Stephenson's Tradewinds, at the Metropolitan Community Church, Lorey Hayes’ Haiti’s Children of God at Manhattan’s Dwyer Center, and Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl at Henry Street Settlement.. In Queens, we staged Anthony Wisdom’s uproarious domestic play, Love Is (which explores issues of race, identity and politics in Jamaica), as well as the South African apartheid dramas Steve Who? Biko! and Sizwe Bansi is Dead.

Our company's history includes performances in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan. Several seasons included the repertoire production of Echoes From the Diaspora, which was created from our free workshops at the Black Spectrum Theatre, under the aegis of the Southern Queens Park Association. This production featured actors who wrote and performed stories based on their own experiences as immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa. Excerpts of this production aired on public access channels in Queens and Brooklyn.

CART collaborated with the Southern Queens Park Association and Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn to present performances in Queens and Brooklyn by the Mighty Sparrow of Trinidad and Tobago; conferring an honorary doctorate upon this "Calypso King of the World."
CART has presented staged-readings of new plays through collaborations with Radio Station WWRL, Community United Methodist Church of Harlem and this year with the New Federal Theatre and Metropolitan College of Manhattan.

Our history also includes a collaboration with radio station WBAI to present the radio play Sweet Karaila by the Guyanese playwright Dr. Victor Forsythe. We also teamed with the famed Theatre of the Living Word to present Oliver Stephenson's biting political satire, In the Palace Where He Sits, and Errol John's Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (also presented in Manhattan with support from Woodie King, Jr.'s New Federal Theatre) Recent collaborations with the Black Spectrum Theater in Queens and Metro Arts at the Community United Methodist church of Harlem, the company was able to present Jestina's Calypso and The New Hardware Store by Earl Lovelace of Trinidad and Tobago and brought Mr. Lovelace to New York as an artist-in-residence and host of our two symposiums on Caribbean Theatre.

CART also extended Drama Workshops to the Harlem community under the auspices of the Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church.

As we actively plan upcoming productions, we are also building the curriculum and Staff for a career-oriented Drama & Technical Theatre Program.     

The purpose of this program is to develop an appreciation of the Theatre, and understanding of the real-world elements of dramatic presentation. Students will produce and attend live theatre performances, evaluating style and impact.

Further, they will be challenged to compare and contrast various other expressive forms such as music, dance, visual art, and digital media--exploring methods for incorporating them into performances. Experienced Instructors and detailed coursework will provide technical expertise, intellectual tools, and creative skills to students in crafting and presenting their own messages.