OCTOBER 2 TO 12
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
AUGUST STRINDBERG REP IN "FIRST WARNING"
Theater for the New City will present August Strindberg Rep in the English-language premiere of Strindberg's little-known "First Warning" (1892), directed and newly translated by Robert Greer. The play, Strindberg's only comedy, explores his fascination with love, jealousy, and the battle of the sexes through a farcical exploration of a stormy marital quarrel. This semi-autobiographical marital comedy has never before been produced in English. It offers audiences a glimpse of Strindberg as a provocateur, challenging morality and social convention, and as a craftsman experimenting with new theatrical forms. It offers a surprising glimpse of Strindberg in a lighter, satirical mood. Known worldwide for the searing naturalism of "Miss Julie" and "The Father," Strindberg here turns his attention to the follies of marriage, jealousy, and vanity with a comic touch.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/FirstWarning.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XcME195FnG4K21yc9

OCTOBER 31
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
VILLAGE HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL
To delight its community and celebrate the creativity that comes with the season, Theater for the New City (TNC), 155 First Ave., will present its annual Village Halloween Costume Ball October 31. A large outdoor festivity will be held from 3:30 PM to 7:00 PM outside the Theater on East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues (or if it rains, in a big tent), featuring performances and a costume competition for kids. This will be followed by indoor performances from 7:00 PM to 11:00 plus ballroom dancing to Art Lillard's Heavenly Swing Band and MisterPablo (Latin Dance band) and an aerial dance concert by Constellation Moving Company. An indoor restaurant (The Witch's Cauldron) opens at 7:00 PM, where guests can eat dinner for $4 with delightful gourmet dishes donated by local restaurants. Admission is free for the outdoor program and $20 for the indoor festivities. Costumes or formal wear are requested.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/Halloween2025.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/prEwwsQct9R5SC9G7

NOVEMBER 5 TO 15
CHAIN THEATRE, 312 W. 36TH STREET
"44 LIGHTS"
From tragedy, sometimes beauty and art can arise. After witnessing the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and losing over 30 friends, neighbors and co-workers in the attacks, Tim Tuttle discovered something surprising: the power of music. Though he had never written music before, the night of 9/11 compelled him to put his grief into song. One song became many, eventually leading to the creation of an annual memorial concert named "Music from Ground Zero." Now, more than two decades later, that concert has evolved into "44 Lights," a full-scale musical theater work for eleven actors and four musicians. It tells the story of how one man processed his pain and loss through music, and how his circle of friends came together to support each other in the aftermath. With songs, dialogue, and memory, the musical explores the ways art can emerge from tragedy, how grief can transform into community, and how remembrance becomes a form of resilience. This unique musical is being produced by Extreme Girl Productions in conjunction with Kindred Spirits November 4 to 15, 2025 at Chain Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, 3 fl. Abigail Zealey Bess directs.

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/44Lights.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xmzWrzd2dszWDEF58

NOVEMBER 20 TO DECEMBER 14
WP THEATRE, 2162 BROADWAY
WOODIE KING, JR.'S NEW FEDERAL THEATRE PRESENTS RETURN ENGAGEMENT
OF "THE WASH" BY KELUNDRA SMITH
To share an outstanding production of last season with a wider audience, Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre will present a return engagement of "The Wash" by Kelundra Smith, directed by Awoye Timpo, at WP Theatre, 2162 Broadway (at 76th Street), NYC. The play is an intimate and often funny portrait of ordinary women who initiated and led The Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike of 1881, the first successful interracial, organized labor strike of the post-Civil War era. The play's New York premiere, presented May 30 to June 29, 2025, delighted audiences and critics alike. As the houses swelled in the show's final weeks, the theater was unable to accommodate the rush of theatergoers.

COMPLETE INFO: http://www.jsnyc.com/season/the_wash_redux.htm
PHOTOS: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1bTdE6d9n9H4Ayw26

JANUARY 30 TO FEBRUARY 8
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS POW WOW AND DANCE CONCERT
A Pow-Wow is more than just a spectator event: it is a joyous reunion for native peoples nationwide and an opportunity for the non-Indian community to voyage into the philosophy and beauty of Native culture. Traditionally a gathering and sharing of events, Pow-Wows have come to include spectacular dance competitions, exhibitions, and enjoyment of traditional foods. There will be dances, stories and traditional music from Native Peoples of the Northeast, Southwest and Great Plains regions. The event has become a treasured New York tradition for celebrating our diversity by honoring the culture of our first Americans. TNC donates all proceeds from the event to college scholarship funds for Native American students. Throughout the performance, all elements are explained in depth through detailed introductions by the troupe's Director and Emcee Louis Mofsie (Hopi/Winnebago). An educator, Mofsie plays an important part in the event by his ability to present a comprehensive view of native culture.

RECENT YEARS' PHOTOS: https://goo.gl/photos/tcrxbtPYtF2hdvhV6 and https://goo.gl/photos/SLr4PXEHJrsq34j9A
HISTORICAL PHOTOS of Pow-Wows from 2004 to 2015 are available for download at: https://goo.gl/photos/wUcenp6ZcPDcBCYD7

FEBRUARY 12 TO MARCH 1
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"ROLLIN' WITH STEVENS AND STEWART"
For Black History Month, Ronald "Smokey" Stevens and Jaye Stewart, co-authors, perform a tribute to the last days of Black Vaudeville, resurrecting its laughter, rhythm, and genius. They take us back to the artists who danced, sang, and joked their way through America’s darkest times, leaving a legacy of courage and brilliance. Imagine the bright lights of a vaudeville stage in the early 1900s, with Black performers--singers, dancers, comedians--fighting through racism and segregation to bring joy, laughter, and artistry to audiences who didn’t always see their worth. These pioneers paved the way for Broadway, for jazz, for film, for every Black performer who came after and yet, their names and stories are disappearing from history. Ronald "Smokey" Stevens directs the piece, which is based on his book, "The First 60 Years: The History of Afro-American Musical Theatre and Entertainment."

"Smokey" Stevens is author-performer of "I Just Want to Tell Somebody," a one-man, two character theater production which earned critical plaudits when TNC presented its New York premiere in 2022. It was originally a three week run and was extended twice. Mr. Stevens received a 2022 AUDELCO Award for Solo Performance in recognition of this piece, which dramatized his meteoric rise in the entertainment industry and his life long battle with drugs in which he, at long last, prevailed.

MAY 22 TO JUNE 28
WP THEATRE, 2162 BROADWAY
WOODIE KING, JR.'S NEW FEDERAL THEATRE PRESENTS
"BLOOMING IN DRY SEASON" BY ELJON WARDALLY
"Blooming in Dry Season" by Eljon Wardally is a Caribbean tale set in a rum shop in Grenada. The plot centers on Rose, an oppressed housewife who has put her dreams on hold for her husband and daughter. She is forced to make a decision about her own future when a life-changing opportunity presents itself for her daughter. The play features a Calypso-infused score composed by jazz musician Etienne Charles. In 2024, it won the International Black Theatre Festival—Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award. 

Eljon Wardally is an award-winning Grenadian Italian-American playwright and screenwriter. Her work focuses on amplifying underrepresented voices with authentic, socially relevant stories, often with a dark comedic twist.

VIDEO ON DEMAND

"USED AND BORROWED TIME" BY SOPHIA ROMMA
"Used and Borrowed Time," written and directed by Sophia Romma, is now available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku and the Vyre Network. This experimental avant-garde film, a psychological drama phantasma, has amassed over 45 festival awards and 26 festival film selections. An interracial couple's idyllic love rises above the hatred of a vengeful white supremacist family in segregationist Alabama during the 1960s. The film pays homage to the French New Wave films of Goddard, Truffaut and Agnès Varda. It has been translated from its original English into Greek, Spanish and Italian.

COMPLETE INFO: www.usedandborrowedtime.com

THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY & NEW YIDDISH REP PRODUCTION OF "THE DYBBUK"
"The Dybbuk" is arguably the most well-known play in the Yiddish theater lexicon. It was premiered on December 9, 1920 by the Vilna Troupe at the Eizeum theater in Warsaw. Its success catapulted that company onto the International stage. It has since been translated into 27 languages and performed worldwide. From December 9-13, New Yiddish Rep celebrated the play's 100th birthday with a live performance streamed from Theater For The New City. A recording of the production has now been released for the general public to view on Vimeo.

MORE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/Dybbuk.htm

"Feathers of Fire" is the most elaborate shadow theater experience ever created, and this recording, captured on an actual theater stage, transforms it into a video-on-demand production for all ages. The story is adapted from Shahnameh (the Persian Book of Kings) and tells the action-packed tale of two star-crossed lovers of old Persia. Zaul, an outcast albino boy, is brought up by a bird-goddess and grows up into a wise ruler. He enters into a forbidden love with Rudabeh, a princess who is 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."

The piece is created and directed by Hamid Rahmanian, a 2014 Guggenheim fellowship-winning filmmaker/visual artist living in Brooklyn. It is endorsed by Francis Ford Coppola, who called the production "Fantastic! One of the greatest epics of all time and my favorite Shahnameh brought to life in a spectacular fashion by Hamid Rahmanian with shadow puppets design and cinematic wizardry."

COMPLETE INFO: www.jsnyc.com/season/feathers.htm