Thinking Theater NYC

Has 2024 left you feeling like a loser without any plans? Double D is here to help! Join them at Rejects Anonymous  on Monday, December 30th at 7:00 PM at Caveat NYC. Hey, at least THEY think you're cool! Staying in NYC for NYE? What better way to shake off the year and all your cringey moments than by coming to  Rejects Anonymous , the improvised 12-step meeting for chronic losers! Conceived and performed by Double D, who take the audience’s true (but anonymous) stories of rejection and use them as inspiration to create a whole cast of wacky characters helping each other make peace with their inner reject. And like any decent self-help meeting, there will be donuts! Double D is made up of Nannette Deasy and Graceann Dorse. Nannette Deasy has performed at theatres including the Public Theatre, La Mama Etc., Ensemble Studio Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, NJ Rep, the PIT, UCB, Chicago City Limits, Gotham City lmprov, Gotham Comedy Club, theatre festivals all around the coun...

Theater for the New City and Crystal Field proudly present the world premiere of A Shift of Opinion , a powerful new play by Vadim Astrakhan, directed by Joe John Battista. A Shift of Opinion is a historical drama that delves into timeless questions of identity, power, and resistance. It explores the story of Jacob Schiff, a Jewish American banker and philanthropist who confronts the Jewish Massacres in the Russian Empire. “The story of Jacob Schiff fascinated me, and I saw multiple similarities to today’s events: Russia at war with a smaller neighbor, the Jewish pogroms, the rise of anti-immigrant sentiments in America, and the need for the Jewish State. Additionally, I saw an opportunity to bring to life some of my favorite giants of American literature: Mark Twain, O. Henry, and Jack London,” says Astrakhan. Set between 1903 and 1917, A Shift of Opinion brings to life the untold true story of Schiff as he secretly funds the downfall of the Russian Empire in retribut...

  After the Revolution Written by Amy Herzog Directed by Susanna Frazer Presented by Morningside Players Theater Co. at The Morningside Players Theater Space 100 LaSalle Street, Manhattan, NYC October 17-November 3, 2024 Natalie Pernick as Emma, Matthew Cubillos as Miguel in After the Revolution.  Photo by Bridget Leicester. Family secrets, protecting the innocent, taking the wrap: when facts come to light, when push comes to shove, what measure do ethics, morals, standards, and loyalty really have? What's the tipping point between burying truth and outright betrayal? Director Susana Frazer gifted the packed house an energetically paced, thoughtfully staged production of After the Revolution , bringing together a tight talented ensemble of seasoned actors, The Morningside Players. All of the nuances and subtleties of this well-crafted, mostly autobiographical play by Amy Herzog were brought to the surface, educating and illuminating the responsive audience. The play, and its...

Alexander Klaus, the One-Legged Shoemaker Man Written and performed by Christian Hege Directed by Jenny Mercein Presented by Christian Hege, Epyllionard at 59E59 Theaters 59 East 59th Street, Manhattan, NYC December 4-22, 2024 Christian Hege in Alexander Klaus, the One-Legged Shoemaker Man . Photo by Carol Rosegg. The opening of Alexander Klaus, the One-Legged Shoemaker Man presents an image that blends beauty and blood: apple tree petals filling the air as the eponymous character suffers a horrific leg wound during the American Civil War. That sort of duality characterizes the central feeling of this wonderfully crafted play, written and performed - in verse, no less - by Christian Hege. Hege's historical research - and an evocative visit to Lower Manhattan's Tenement Museum - heavily informed the process of creating Alexander Klaus and his story, which he relates to us from his vantage point as an older man, a tale in which loss and struggle feature prominently but in which,...

The Hand That Feeds You Written by Sarah Groustra Directed by Jennie Hughes Presented by Forager Theatre Company , the Players Theatre Residency Program, and Sarah Groustra at The Players Theatre 115 MacDougal Street, Manhattan, NYC December 5-22, 2024 L to R: Laurel Andersen, Juan Castro, and Jonathan Lorenzo Price. Photo by Kat duPont Veccio. Film critic and scholar Robin Wood described the monster as the return of the repressed, and if Wood is focused more specifically on social repression than individual psychology, his description is nevertheless a useful way to think about the dynamic at the center of Sarah Groustra's new play, The Hand That Feeds You . Seen symbolically, the monster in this winningly outlandish comedy horror manifests feelings about self and family that protagonist John Gerber ( Juan Castro ) would prefer to avoid and forget (some of which certainly link to larger social attitudes). In The Hand That Feeds You , the monstrous prompts us to wonder what might b...

Failsafe Written by Phil Carroll Directed by Lily Goldman Presented at The Tank 312 W 36th St, Manhattan, NYC December 8-14, 2024 Poster photography by Kobe Gillespie New play Failsafe , from playwright Phil Carroll, begins with its cast of two performing some impressionistic movement together, accompanied by a voiceover that calls to mind the ill-fated "bumble of joy" in Edward Albee's The American Dream (1961), evoking from the outset the concerns with familial dysfunction, toxic relationships, and death shared by both plays. Following this opening, dreaminess gives way sharply to reality as Ivy (Grayce Toon) forcibly wakes up Jones (Johncarlo Zani), who promptly and quite realistically vomits. The pill bottles scattered around the tarp-covered set testify to this moment as the aftermath of yet another suicide attempt by the pair, part of a string of such failures that form an unsettled seam running through the abovementioned reality. With dark humor and psychological ...

RACECAR RACECAR RACECAR Written by Kallan Dana Directed by Sarah Blush Presented by The Hearth at A.R.T./New York Theatres 502 W 53rd St., Manhattan, NYC December 6-22, 2024 Julia Greer and Bruce McKenzie. Photo credit: Travis Emery Hackett Having been displaced by the closing of the Connelly Theater due to censorship by the venue's owner, the Archdiocese of New York, playwright Kallan Dana's RACECAR RACECAR RACECAR , presented by The Hearth, is making its world premiere at A.R.T./New York, giving audiences the chance to see this adventurous, affecting production as originally planned. The play expertly uses absurdity, including breakdowns in logic and language, as a vehicle for resonant emotional authenticity - much, perhaps, like its protagonists mask their personal turmoil with displays of bonhomie. The resulting experience is, in multiple senses, quite a trip. The literal trip in question structures the play: an unnamed dad (Bruce McKenzie) and his unnamed daughter ( Julia...

Christmas Time in the City 2023. Photo courtesy of The PR Social Returning for its second year after a sold-out debut, Christmas Time in the City will once again fill the historic Church of St. Paul the Apostle with the sounds of the season on December 12, 2024. Featuring original Broadway-style arrangements of beloved Christmas classics, this enchanting evening brings together seven celebrated Broadway stars, a 25-piece orchestra, and a 70-voice cross-borough community chorus for a performance that is quickly becoming a must-see holiday tradition in New York City. The concert blends the timeless spirit of Christmas with fresh, creative interpretations, capturing the energy and warmth of the season in a setting that enhances the musical experience. This year’s performers include Tony nominees Eden Espinosa ( Lempicka , Wicked ), and Chris Fitzgerald ( Wicked , Waitress , Spamalot ), Quinten Earl Darrington ( MJ The Musical , Once on this Island ), Tiffany Mann ( Be More Chill , O...

Jack's Bean Stalked Written by Robert K. Benson Directed by Madeline Wall Presented by R & R Productions at Parkside Lounge 317 E. Houston, Manhattan, NYC November 23-December 14, 2024 Gabriel Spector and Lily Ali-Oshatz. Photo by Michael Russell. For many of us, at least, this may not feel like the most joyful holiday season, given the state of, well, seemingly everything. Luckily, there's Jack's Bean Stalked , a new British-style panto in which the recovery of stolen joy is both a narrative element of the show and a byproduct of being in the audience. For those unfamiliar with panto, it is a popular Christmas-season tradition in the U.K. - alongside the ghost story, another holiday tradition which these particular Americans would love to see culturally appropriated - a form of musical comedy based on folk or fairy tales and featuring jokes on contemporary topics, a handful of prescribed character types (a Hero and Villain, a talking animal, and so on), and a bit of R...