Off-Broadway's Playwrights Horizons has rechristened their mainstage theatre for their longtime board chair Judith O. Rubin, who completed her more than 30–year tenure earlier this year. The company says the theatre will be affectionately referred to as "The Judy."

The new name was made official with a plaque outside The Judy, honoring Rubin's 32 years as board chair and 39 years on the board. "Judy has long worked to secure Playwrights’ well-being, safeguard its mission, and champion its artistic excellence," reads the plaque. "Playwrights Horizons would not be what it is today without her decades of leadership. A friend and confidant to generations of theatre-makers, she is a titan of our community."

“Playwrights Horizons, its mission and exemplary work have been essential elements of my life for almost four decades," says Rubin in a statement. "To have my name as a permanent part of our home is deeply gratifying and a great honor. Here’s to many more years of distinguished new work by courageous and gifted playwrights.”

News of Rubin's departure comes at a major moment of change for the Off-Broadway company's board. Rubin will be succeeded by former co-chair Sam Gonzalez, with Alex Levy and Larissa FastHorse as vice chairs. The group has also added eight new faces to its ranks, including Evan Coles, Kelly G. Griffin, Shveta Kakar, Mitra Hormozi O’Neill, John Rose, Candice Cook Simmons, Sean Walsh, and Steven Weinstock.

“Long before I had the privilege of joining the staff of Playwrights Horizons I knew about this theatre’s integrity, and its determined adherence to its mission, so clearly driven by a profound love for writing and respect for writers," adds Artistic Director Adam Greenfield. "When I started up here, first as the theatre’s Literary Manager, it was immediately clear that these values, and the rigor with which they’re held, was in the DNA of this place; and that it emanated from the top. As our board chair, Judy set a standard of excellence, generosity, intelligence, and humanity. She brings enormous care to everything she does, and this care has woven its way through every aspect of the organization. It permeates throughout the building and is felt by the artists who trust us with their work. It’s an honor for our theatre—the home for so many new works—to bear Judy’s name.”

Playwrights Horizons operates two theatres in its building on 416 West 42 Street: the Judy and the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre.