Thinking Theater NYC

  Mine Created and performed by Shayna Strype Presented by Dixon Place via Theatermania.stream Streaming live April 21-24, 2021 and on demand April 26-May 3, 2021 Photo courtesy Michelle Tabnick PR Not many plays come to mind that feature a mountain as a central character. Creator and performer Shayna Strype, in her new show Mine , inhabits characters from said mountain to some sentient home appliances to a TV psychic by way of an eclectic mix of costumes, puppets, green screen, and more. Even her toes get to dress up and take part. Strype makes a wry gesture to the show's being livestreamed by replacing the usual request for audience members (here composed of claymation figures) to silence their cell phones with encouragement to close their other browser tabs. Visions , a psychic call-in show of the type that one might find on late-night cable and complete with a satirical commercial break, provides the frame for Mine 's meditations on ecosystems both actual and emotional. Wh

  Planet of the Grapes Live Created by Peter Michael Marino Directed by Michole Biancosino Presented by Project Y Theatre Company and PM2 Entertainment via YouTube Live April 16-May 15, 2021 Photo credit: Mikiodo Even if you've somehow managed never to see 1968's Planet of the Apes , moments of which remain cultural touchstones more than 50 years later, that won't make Peter Michael Marino's Planet of the Grapes Live any less of a blast. Marino reimagines the sci-fi classic as a live hourlong toy theater production, blending the main beats of the film's story and its unintentional humor with some added comedy (yes, there are some grape puns; and yes, at least one of them made us laugh out loud). The show's website includes some great background on toy theater, as well as on the Apes film and the creation of this miniaturized parody, which viewers should make some time to peruse before or after their live Grapes experience. The plot finds a quartet of astro

What the Fuck Just Happened? Created and performed by Mike Daisey Presented by FRIGID New York at the Kraine Theater  85 E 4th St., Manhattan, NYC and via YouTube Live April 2, 2021; encore performance: May 7, 2021 Mike Daisey. Photo Credit Ursa Waz While it may be spring in the city, the East Village was feeling FRIGID this weekend. On April 2, indie theater stalwarts FRIGID New York opened the doors of the Kraine Theater on East 4th Street to a live audience for monologuist Mike Daisey's one-man reflection on the past year, What the Fuck Just Happened? Following the Kraine's health and safety protocols for reopening, in-person audience members were required to be fully vaccinated, to wear masks while inside the theater, and to adhere to pod seating. The Kraine has also installed a new ventilation system designed specifically to mitigate COVID exposure, and the mask-less Daisey performed at a minimum distance of ten feet from the audience. Having not yet ascended to the rank