CURRENT & UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS
A Seasonal Press Calendar

Publicity photos for most shows are available for free download.

Closed productions have been removed from this list.
If you need info or photos for a production which has closed, please email us.

LIMITED RUNS

AUGUST 4 TO SEPTEMBER 16
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY STREET THEATER
"SHAME OR THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE"
Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company will open its 42nd annual tour August 4 with "Shame or the Doomsday Machine," a rip-roaring musical. Free performances will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 16. Book, lyrics and direction are by Crystal Field; the musical score is composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/stth18.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/B1wQGFPas1LziBHL7

AUGUST 26 TO SEPTEMBER 16
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
NINTH ANNUAL DREAM UP FESTIVAL
Theater for the New City, under the direction of Crystal Field, Artistic Director, will present its ninth Dream Up Festival, a feast of adventurous theater featuring new works from across the country and abroad. Helmed by the theater's Literary Manager, Michael Scott-Price, the festival will offer over 20 plays, mixing world premieres. American premieres and New York premieres. It's an ultimate new work festival dedicated to the joy of discovering new authors and edgy, innovative performances.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/dreamup2018.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/e1pxCX4oeTwshVwn7

AUGUST 26 TO SEPTEMBER 5
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"ARIZONA JUSTICE"
"Arizona Justice," written and performed by Katherine Brann Fredericks, is a Michael Moore/Spalding Gray style documentary exposé of corruption in Arizona, involving Senator Barry Goldwater, land fraud, water rights, the mob, money laundering and murder between the 1960's and the early 2000's.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/Arizona_Justice.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uUNP8zkRtJ1w94mR9

AUGUST 27 TO SEPTEMBER 4
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY'S DREAM UP FESTIVAL
"CREDITORS" BY AUGUST STRINDBERG
"Creditors" by August Strindberg, a masterpiece from his naturalist period, is newly translated and directed by Robert Greer. During an afternoon in a lounge at a seaside resort, a revenge is played out. A credulous artist has his mind poisoned against his wife by her former husband. The play is rarely excelled in its unity of construction, dramatic tension and acute psychological analysis, but it is far less anthologized than "The Father" or "Miss Julie," two of Strindberg's plays that are similar in style. Theater for the New City, in association with August Strindberg Rep, presents this new translation as part of its 2018 Dream Up Festival.

COMPLETE INFO: http://www.jsnyc.com/season/creditors.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TkQvi3BnCmJkm9t62

SEPTEMBER 7-8
KAYE PLAYHOUSE
"FEATHERS OF FIRE"
"Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic" is a visually breathtaking cinematic shadow play for all ages, created and directed by Hamid Rahmanian, a 2014 Guggenheim fellowship-winning filmmaker/visual artist. Inspired by the tenth century Persian epic "Shahnameh" (The Book of Kings), it dramatizes the origin story from the tale with elaborate shadow puppets, multimedia and live actors. The production, which debuted at BAM in 2016 and was presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art the same year, has toured nationally and internationally. It returns to New York next month for two days only, to be presented by Fictionville Studio September 7 and 8 at Kaye Playhouse, 695 Park Ave. (at 68th Street) for three performances before it travels to China and Paris.

The play is an action-packed magical tale of star-crossed lovers. An outcast albino boy, Zaul, is brought up by a bird-goddess and grows up into a wise ruler. He enters into a forbidden love with princess Rudabeh, the granddaughter of the dreaded Serpent King. Their young, impetuous romance survives many precarious adventures before they finally receive blessings for their union. When they ultimately have a child, it is Rostam, "the Hercules of Iran." Aspects of the story are reminiscent of "Romeo and Juliet," "Rapunzel," "The Firebird" and "Jungle Book."

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/feathers.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/yYdbq7uPJHdAy1qXA

SEPTEMBER 8 TO 16
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY'S DREAM UP FESTIVAL
"OCCASIONALLY NOTHING" BY NATALIE MENNA
It's the near future and the world is nearing its end. In a bizarre bomb shelter,  Harry, Clay and Luella, all British expats, cope by taunting each other with warped games of verbal wordplay and by blurring each other's realities while losing touch with their own. A bleak glimpse at life in the wake of a dystopian presidency, where wars abound, words have lost their meaning and people have lost their way. How did the world get there? The play won four awards in Planet Connections Festivity for developmental stagings between 2015 and 2017 and Menna was widely commended for her virtuosity in Theatre of the Absurd. Presented as part of Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/occasionally_nothing.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kTTGZVE85YcWwrfX7

SEPTEMBER 14 & 15
TENRI CULTURAL CENTER, 43 W.13TH STREET
NEW AIR FESTIVAL
Mari Kimura and Harvestworks present "New AIR Festival," featuring traditional and New Music by a variety of artists.

OPENS SEPTEMBER 20 FOR OPEN-ENDED RUN
"CHASING PAPER"
5TH WALL STUDIO, 160 N. 4TH STREET, BROOKLYN
5th Wall Studio offers an entirely new dance theater experience with "Chasing Paper," which tells of a man's journey into his own imagination using breath-taking acrobatics, aerial dance, whimsical immersive imagery, water and flight. With only 36 seats for each performance, each viewer is transported into an individual dreamscape, awakening inner magic with a tale of love. The piece is adapted by AiRealistic from its 2013 production, "Breaking Surface."Reviewing that production at Theater for the New City, Jack Anderson (NY Theatre Wire) wrote that it "defied expectations not only of how the law of gravity is supposed to operate, but also of what theatrical combinations of dance and acrobatics look like.” Julia Kennedy wrote in Broadway World Dance, "Breaking Surface has gone where few other dance performances dare to go. It was a thrilling multi-faceted performance of incredible skill and poetic beauty....The cast’s physical feats, while suspended on delicate harnesses or gliding across the water logged stage, displayed their sheer technical aptitude. The audience was mystified by the quality of the performers, as well as their ability to create a fully immersive and passionate experience." Co-created, co-choreographed and co-directed by Gwyneth Larsen and William Mulholland.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/chasing_paper.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iLcTDnuHTjqTe9aZ8

SEPTEMBER 21 TO OCTOBER 13
"SPIN OFF" BY BERNARD POMERANCE
THE RIVERSIDE THEATRE, 91 CLAREMONT AVE.
Creative Women New York will present the world premiere of "Spin Off" by the late Bernard Pomerance, author of "The Elephant Man," in a production directed by Ron Canada. The play is set within the world of a network television series and weaves a surrealistic tale of characters attempting to "immigrate" from the world of fiction into reality and beyond the soundstage. Figures from television's seemingly endless stream of cop shows have been mysteriously awakened to the narrow limits of their existence as TV stereotypes. They devise a plan to "cross over" in order to find fully dimensional lives. In preparing to escape the confines of their artificial world, they make discoveries about the nature of memory, aspiration, identity, loyalty and, most importantly, love.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/spin_off.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/23UENeos4MVw5Aub9

SEPTEMBER 27 TO OCTOBER 14
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"ARENDT-HEIDEGGER" BY DOUGLAS LACKEY
Martin Heidegger and Hannah Arendt were leading intellectuals of the twentieth century. In the 1920’s, they had a passionate affair. In the 1930’s, Heidegger became an ardent Nazi while Arendt became an ardent Zionist. Nevertheless, after the war, they still continued to correspond and to meet. Douglas Lackey dramatizes their relationship. The dialogue and action of the play go beyond known facts, but everything in the play is consistent with them. Directed by Alexander Harrington.

OCTOBER 6-27
BOHEMIAN NATIONAL HALL, 321 E. 73RD ST. & JAN HUS CHURCH (CHAPEL), 351 E. 74TH ST.
CZECHOSLOVAK-AMERICAN MARIONETTE THEATRE'S FALL CENTENNIAL HERITAGE FESTIVAL
Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre (CAMT) presents a Centennial Heritage Festival to celebrate two auspicious anniversaries: the Centennial Anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia (1918) and the Millennial Anniversary of the unification of the Lands of the Czech Crown, under Duke Oldřich (1018). Events include a mainstage production, "Duke Oldřich & Washerwoman Božena, the True Story," and a play for young audiences (and their parents), "Water Goblin, Kacha and the Devil, & How the Little Cat Kochichka, and the Little Dog Pejsek Baked a Birthday Cake." Also: film screenings, a participatory SongFest and an array of traditional Czech foods and beverages.

NOVEMBER 9 TO 25
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"CITIZENS OF THE GRAY OR THE DARK THING THAT SLEEPS INSIDE ME" BY ELIA SCHNEIDER
Playwright/director Elia Schneider, formerly of Venezuela, is known for hauntingly visual productions that transcend language with strong imagery and a dreamlike fresco of movement and design. Her newest, as yet untitled, work deals with the war of the sexes in the age of the #MeToo Movement. Hitherto, her theatrical productions have mostly emerged from ideas derived from Kafka. Now she is channeling Strindberg for a new work of ensemble creation with her Teatro Dramma. The piece, now in process, is a choreography of movement and actions. The setting is clean, empty and minimal. Every detail is controlled. The mood is dark, gray and post-apocalyptic. Women fight against men for control and domination. Sometimes, they sacrifice control for care and sometimes the men weaken and seek comfort, but there is no connection between the sexes. Robotically, they pair for sex, which they often use to punish. How can they survive if they exist to destroy each other? Music by Osvaldo Montes, a renowned Argentine composer of Tangos. Texts from poets including Sylvia Plath and Heiner Müller. Lighting by José Ramón Novoa. Cast of ten actors, all of Latin American background.

MORE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/Elia_Schneider_2018.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/YtWhZMrW89kACQy28

DECEMBER 6 TO 21
TEATRO CIRCULO, 64 E. 4TH STREET
CELESTE MORATTI DIRECTS "MACBETH"
First Maria LLC will present Shakespeare's "Macbeth," directed by Celeste Moratti and performed by a mixed American-Italian company. With Tristan Colton as Macbeth, Celeste Moratti as Lady Macbeth. Francesco Santalucia and Papaceccio will compose the musical score and direct the chorus. Set and costumes by Raffaella Toni. The entire company will play the witches, who will become an omni-present counterpoint to the action. Celeste Moratti is an Italian-born actress who is best known for both realistic and surrealistic leading roles in the "Pathological Theater" productions of Dario D'Ambrosi. Her vision is informed by her work at La MaMa and The Living Theater. Her company, First Maria LLC, first took stage with Moratti's directorial debut, "Hamlet," at Teatro Circulo in 2016. Theater Pizazz (JK Clarke) declared, "This season has seen a lot of good small-company productions of Shakespeare plays, and First Maria’s Hamlet is one of the best." Front Row Center (Holli Harms) added, "Here is hoping that Celeste Moratti continues on this trajectory of directorial discoveries."

ONGOING SHOWS

EXTENDED THROUGH NOVEMBER 24, 2018
HARLEM REPERTORY THEATRE
TATO LAVIERA THEATRE, 240 E. 123RD STREET
"THE WIZARD OF OZ: A JAZZ MUSICAL FOR ALL AGES "
Harlem Repertory Theatre stages "The Wizard of Oz: a Jazz Musical for All Ages," co-produced by the Yip Harburg Foundation, for young (and young-at-heart) audiences. This production of the classic musical has a multi-racial cast, a jazzy underscore and authoritative dramaturgy by representatives of the Yip Harburg Foundation. Director/choreographer is Keith Lee Grant, Artistic Director of Harlem Rep, who is in the midst of a four-year project of presenting four classic musicals that have lyrics by E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, who was known in his lifetime as the "social conscience of Broadway."

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/oz.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KTXnAJaAgtPQDSW12

# # #