News: Free Performances of "Please Don't Flush!" During NYC Climate Week

In partnership with the New York City Emergency Management and the Waterfront Alliance, Rainy Day Plays presents Please Don’t Flush!, a municipal comedy with music and flood preparedness resources activating public spaces throughout New York City during Climate Week NYC 2026. Performanceswill be staged throughout the five boroughs from September 19-27, 2026. All performances are free to the public.

Please Don’t Flush! is a municipal comedy about a community board scheduled to vote on a mysterious waterfront development that neighbors and seagulls and plumbers are worried will increase inland flooding. Instead, the board is derailed by planning their bi-annual gala, celebrating their second-vice-chair’s half birthday, and locking the anti-anti-anti-anti-development coalition in the bathroom. Developed in deep partnership with NYC Emergency Management and the Waterfront Alliance, come find the show in public spaces across the city with music, laughs, and resources about flooding this September. Audiences will leave with bellies full of (oat milk) chai, resources, information, laughs, and calls to action about flood resiliency.

“Flooding is a dangerous hazard, but preparedness messaging doesn’t always have to be serious for effectiveness,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell. “Please Don’t Flush uses humor to start important conversations about flood risk and resilience, helping New Yorkers learn how to prepare before the next storm. We’re proud to partner with Flood Sensor Aunty to bring this unique production to communities across the city and connect residents with the resources they need to stay safe.”

The free public events will be staged on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (Staten Island Urban Center in Stapleton, Staten Island); Sunday, September 20, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. (Baisley Pond Park, Jamaica, Queens); Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. (Van Alen in Gowanus, Brooklyn); and Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. (Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing, Queens).

Photo by Cameron Blaylock

"Waterfront Alliance is proud to support the production of Please Don't Flush, which uses the power of storytelling to make flood preparedness personal, relatable, and actionable,” shared Julie Raskin, President and CEO, Waterfront Alliance. “As climate impacts become more frequent and visible, we need new ways to engage communities in preparedness and resilience. By centering lived experiences and local voices, this production helps audiences connect with the importance of flood preparedness while reminding us that resilience is built together."

Sabina Sethi Unni directs a cast of 10, including Ray Jordan Achan, Fahad Ahmad, Amr Kotb, Amar Baines, Kshithij Hegde, Jess Balgobin, Jill Cornell, Maribelle Flint, Tom Lee, and Josabeth Simisterra. Music Direction by Tom Lee.

Other creatives include: Costume Designer: Zen Tunsaringkran, Sound engineer: Maxi Glenn, The Tea Stand: Miles Kirsch, Illustrator: Abbie Preston, Videographer: Max Czerski, Photographer:Jesse Herndon, Prop Fabrication: Caitlin Eder.

Please Don’t Flush! is part of the Flood Sensor Aunty extended universe, a play which toured twenty public spaces across New York City and beyond. Visit PleaseDontFlush.com.

This marks the fourth iteration of Rainy Day Plays’ public events, following Flood Sensor Aunty’s public performances in 2024 and 2025 at Qahwah House (Astoria, Queens), Edgemere Farm (Far Rockaway, Queens), Lt. Frank McConnell Park (Richmond Hill, Queens), Snug Harbor Botanical Garden (Stapleton, Staten Island), Queens College (Flushing, Queens), Domino Square (Williamsburg, Brooklyn), Queens Public Library (Elmhurst, Queens), Orchard Alley Community Garden (LES, Manhattan), Travers Park (Jackson Heights, Queens), PYO Chai (Floral Park, Long Island), Fordham University (Fordham, Bronx), and Wellesley College (Wellesley, MA).

Past and current partners offering support, resources, information, funding, stewardship, love, and support include: NYC Emergency Management, NYC Health Department, Waterfront Alliance, Asian Women’s Giving Fund, Queens Memory Project / Queens Public Library, Staten Island Urban Center, Nonprofit Staten Island, Staten Island Community Partnership, 149th South Ozone Park Civic Association, Center for Urban Pedagogy, Van Alen, Fifth Avenue Committee, Chhaya CDC, Center for NYC Neighborhoods, South Queens Women’s March, Rebuild by Design, and more!