The theater world saw a series of setbacks in 2023, as companies and venues across the country grappled with layoffs, postponements, limited performance schedules, and even closures — the legacy of a prolonged pandemic and with other factors at play. New York has hardly been immune from this behind-the-scenes drama, particularly in the nonprofit sector, despite a few high-profile successes such as the Alicia Keys musical, “Hell’s Kitchen,” which opened recently at the Public Theater and is set to transfer to Broadway next spring.

Yet it was off-Broadway where theater truly thrived over the past year, with new works and fresh interpretations of established pieces spotlighting seasoned and rising artists alike. Here, roughly in order of arrival, are 16 productions — including several Broadway entries — that stood out, and in doing so offered hope for the year ahead.