Thinking Theater NYC

Photo courtesy of Emily Owens PR FRIGID New York has announced the recipients of its annual New York City Fringe Festival Awards, which were bestowed to recipients on the closing night of the 2024 New York City Fringe Festival on Sunday, April 21. The New York City Fringe Festival (formally the FRIGID Fringe Festival), a proud member of the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) and the United States Association of Fringe Festivals (USAFF), is an open, lottery-based theater festival that gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in an environment that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of the Indie Theater Community, 100% of box office proceeds go directly to the artists whose work is being presented. This year's festival was the most financially successful and highly attended festival in FRIGID New York’s 15-year history. Over $125,000 in box office proceeds will be paid out to the 46 NYC Fringe Festival artists. Sel...

47 Chairs Written and performed by Ziggy Klett Presented at The Barrow Group Performing Arts Center 520 8th Ave., 9th Fl., Manhattan, NYC April 26-27, 2024 Photo source: Media | Ziggy Klett 47 Chairs , the title of a solo show from Michigan-based stand-up Ziggy Klett, refers to a nun's admonishment when he misbehaved in elementary school about the limited spots in heaven, but this image could perhaps also stand in for the luck or karma to which the show alludes, the way things can take a good turn despite unlikely odds. Klett shares several of these good turns, which occur in the context of struggles imposed by family, romance and marriage, and more, including what the show perceptively divides into "wrong choices" (which can be fun) and "bad decisions" (which can derail one's entire life). Over 72 funny, poignant minutes comprising four stories titled "Cancer," "5th grade," "Fast Daters," and "Alma Mater"–echoed in t...

Emil Amok: Lost NPR Host, Wiley Filipino, Vegan Transdad Written and performed by Emil Amok Guillermo Presented at  UNDER St. Marks 94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC April 5-21, 2024 Emil Amok Guillermo. Photo courtesy of the artist. Weaving together biography with the twentieth-century history of American colonialism in the Philippines, Emil Amok: Lost NPR Host, Wiley Filipino, Vegan Transdad is part stand-up comedy, part pathos-infused monologue. In the production, Emil tells the story of his father’s immigration to the United States and subsequent exclusion from American society as well as his own life as a white-sounding first-generation American whose seeming successes in graduating from Harvard and in broadcast journalism are belied by more subtle but nonetheless very present racism and discrimination. Emil Amok is part of the 2024 New York City Fringe Festival, which features 46 plays over multiple venues and gives 100% of its ticket sales to its artists.  Additional...

Sonnets from a Sin-Eater Written and performed by Kara Hadden Directed by Jack McAuliffe Presented by La Trobe at  UNDER St. Marks 94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC April 4-19, 2024 Kara Hadden. Photo by Aaron Petykowski Demonstrating perhaps more than anything the hold the sonnet has on contemporary American poetry, Sonnets from a Sin-Eater is a one-person show highlighting the impact of social media, celebrity, canceling, and fad diets on present-day society, with the occasional light-hearted jab at the “woke agenda.” Kara Hadden deftly plays the roles of K, a recent college grad struggling from a break-up with her long-term girlfriend as well as the death of her family pet; Calgary, a musical artist perpetually getting canceled; and a poet-nun, writer of the titular sonnets. Sonnets from a Sin-Eater is part of the 2024 New York City Fringe Festival, which features 46 plays over multiple venues and gives 100% of its ticket sales to its artists. According to K, sin-eating is a...

Lost Sock Laundry Written by Ivan Faute Directed by Madelyn Chapman Presented by UP Theater at Fort Washington Collegiate Church 729 W 181st St., Manhattan, NYC April 10-27, 2024   Michelle Feza Kuchuk, Haneen Arafat Murphy, and Maria Peyramaure. Photo by Jody Christopherson In Ivan Faute's Lost Sock Laundry , a communal space functions as a microcosm of New York City, which functions, or has the potential to, as a microcosm of the nation. A neighborhood laundromat provides the site for the play's examination of how strangers become neighbors become friends, how the bounds and bonds of community can form, shift, and grow. At the same time, such boundaries, including the literal borders of the nation, are policed in multiple ways, and characters' everyday personal and familial dramas are thus also haunted by xenophobia and hostile government policies. With compassion, humor, and authenticity, Lost Sock Laundry –which is offering Spanish translated performances on Saturday,...

Passing & Failing in Paradise , by Tori Barron, is a new play that serves up the joys, anxieties and absurdities of transition with a twist of mahalo (a Hawaiian word used to express gratitude and respect.) Playful Substance is celebrating Trans Youth and the people who love, accept, and embrace them by offering FREE tickets to the May 9th performance (7:00pm) of Passing & Failing in Paradis e. This special performance has been made possible by generous contributions from Ronald Steckman and Pamela Steckman. Playful Substance is incredibly grateful for their kindness! Mahalo! Ticket information will be distributed through LGBTQ+ school clubs and advocacy groups as well as on the company's Instagram page @playfulsubstance. Interested parties may contact Bree O’Connor directly at artisticdirector@playfulsubstance.com to RSVP. Age Recommendation: Passing & Failing in Paradise is suitable for anyone (13+) who can tolerate a 90-minute show with mild profanity and a celebrat...

Plague Play , written by Erin Proctor (The Tank, The Brick), based on The Book of Exodus Chapters 7-11, and directed by Brandon Urrutia, is set to make its NYC premiere at IATI Theater 2 from April 25 through May 5. Plague Play asks the question: Does violence simply beget more violence? Aaron discovers his body is simply a vessel to destroy a civilization. Supernatural disasters ravage his oppressors, as well as his own body, mind, and soul. His little brother Moses can see what is to come...and it's not very pretty. They are frightened, they are emboldened, and they have no idea what they're doing.  The cast for Plague Play includes Samekh Resh as Moses, Mia Soriano as Miriam, Samantha Morato as Tzipporah, and Mark Yowakim as Aaron. Plague Play will feature scenic design by Donnie Woodard, costume design by Sabrina Ehrnstein, and sound and foley design by Maleeha Naseer. Karlie Robinson is the Stage Manager and Adam Wassilchalk is the Production Manager. Danielle Breitstein...

Join Cause Celebre Productions — a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization — for the upcoming Bread and Roses Gala on Sunday, April 21st, at 2 PM ET at the Ethical Culture Society (64th Street and CPW). The Gala will include: a performance of Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story , followed by a special tribute to iconic folk singer Judy Collins, legendary attorney Martin Garbus, and former Deputy Chief of the NYPD Mike Osgood, as well as a very special surprise. A VIP reception follows. The Bread and Roses Gala takes its name from one of Collins' albums and has been a powerful political slogan — "Bread for all and roses too — striving for dignity and respect." Unlucky Gal: The Jane Doe Story , is the second production in the series, “All The Court’s A Stage,” exploring seven controversial cases of legendary attorney Martin Garbus, described by The Guardian as “one of the world’s finest trial lawyers.” Other plays from the series, originally produced by Food For Thought Produ...

Coming off the massive success of the Lighthouse Series 2022’s winner, Job , with two sold out runs, and with the 2023 winner, It's Not What It Looks Like , primed to take the stage later this summer, SoHo Playhouse is thrilled to announce the 2024 Lighthouse Series lineup.SoHo Playhouse’s Managing Director Britt Lafield says, “We are thrilled with the success of JOB coming out of the Lighthouse Series. It shows our commitment to developing new works and that this model can produce compelling fresh productions that would otherwise have a difficult time producing a full production on their own.” Amazing works by NYC’s talented up-and-comers. A competition, first of its kind, specifically designed to showcase the best new talent and writers across the New York City area. 3 weeks. 15 shows. 5 groups. 5 winners. Each night is built as an eclectic and diverse experience with themes and performances ranging from drama to comedy, and everything in between. Winners go on and have the abili...

Brokeneck Girls: The Murder Ballad Musical Written by Eve Blackwater Directed by Michael Hagins Presented at the wild project 195 E 3rd St., Manhattan, NYC April 6-19, 2024 L to R: Jeannie Skelly, Eve Blackwater, Kendra MacDevitt. Photo by Adrian Buckmaster. The 1890s-set Brokeneck Girls: The Murder Ballad Musical positions itself at a fertile crossing of several cultural currents, marrying–perhaps a bit of a loaded term here–historically and socially conscious theater with a dark folk scene including bands such as Bridge City Sinners and, more appositely here, American Murder Song and with the recent concept of the " Good for Her " subgenre, which itself emerged in the wake of #MeToo movement. The Brokeneck Girls of the title are a folk noir band based in NYC, comprising vocalists Eve Blackwater, who also wrote The Murder Ballad Musical , on guitar; Kendra Macdevitt on fiddle; and Jeannie Skully on banjo; and, within the world of the play, they function as the house band f...

A Little Less Than Kind Written by Gracie Rittenberg Directed by Slaney Rose Jordan Presented by Bluebird Theatre Company at UNDER St. Marks 94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC April 5-20, 2024 A Little Less Than Kind is not the first Hamlet adaptation to re-envision Shakespeare's Danish royal family as a powerful corporate clan (see, for example, the 2000 film starring Ethan Hawke), but it's probably the first to do so in tandem with some canny gender swapping that includes a 21-year-old bisexual protagonist and some fruitful ratcheting up of multiple characters' moral ambiguity. From playwright, filmmaker, and actor Gracie Rittenberg, A Little Less Than Kind , which adopts modern language and a satirical tone in addition to its Silicon Valley setting, highlights the way in which women's lived experiences, from love to grief to ambition, are misjudged and misnamed by a patriarchal culture with a vested interest in doing so without insulating certain of their behavior...

Solitary Written and directed by Seán Griffin Presented at UNDER St. Marks 94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC April 3-20, 2024 It is not controversial to assert that isolation is mentally and physically unhealthy for human beings. And while representatives of the carceral state may insist that isolation of individuals in the form of solitary confinement is a necessary tool, others more accurately view is as at best an injurious punishment and at worst, state-enacted torture (see Solitary Watch for reporting and other resources on this matter, as well as the ACLU on prisoners' rights more broadly). While organizations such as Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement are working to end this inhumane practice, it remains in widespread use across the United States. Seán Griffin's short play Solitary approaches the issue through a 30-minute real-time snapshot of one man in the midst of a stint in the eponymous confinement. Solitary is part of the 2024 New York C...

Climate Fables: Debating Extinction Written by Padraig Bond Directed by Padraig Bond and Torch Ensemble Presented by Torch Ensemble at UNDER St. Marks 94 St. Marks Place, Manhattan, NYC April 3-17, 2024 Penelope Deen and Kristen Hoffman. Photo by Terrell Lopez Geologists may have recently rejected the Anthropocene as a unit of geologic time, but even in doing so, they acknowledged its usefulness in thinking about what has brought the world to its current climate crisis. Playwright Padraig Bond's Climate Fables: Debating Extinction peers compellingly into the apocalyptic future of the Anthropocene and wonders not only whether the age of humankind will continue but also whether it should. Debating Extinction played the 2024 New York City Fringe Festival–which features 46 plays over multiple venues and gives 100% of ticket sales to the artists–in repertory with a second climate fable titled The Trash Garden , a comedic twist on Adam and Eve in which the two remaining human beings ...

Conversations with My Divorce Attorney Written and directed by Suzanne Bachner Presented by JMTC Theatre at the 14Y Theater 344 E 14th St, Manhattan, NYC April 5-19, 2024 Bob Brader and Kat Nardizzi. Photograph by Nadia Volvic. Divorce and its aftermath feel rather at home in New York, one half of the setting of Suzanne Bachner’s excellent two-hander Conversations with My Divorce Attorney . Set also in Los Angeles, its bicoastal setting not only provides a backdrop but offers something near a supporting character to the burgeoning relationship between a heartbroken New York playwright and her slick divorce attorney on the West Coast. What begins as a relationship defined by the parameters of attorney-client privilege evolves over the course of a fast-paced 90 minutes into something else altogether. Throughout the play we witness the development of a true love, as well as the negotiation of what power often means in a relationship. Bachner’s script shines with a startling blend of wit...