New on the Radar: Oct 8-9

Dreamers at the Precipice (play)

Oct 9 - 11, 2026

Premiere Presentation of "Dreamers at the Precipice," a groundbreaking new play that awakens audiences from the dream of extremism!
Presented as part of the Factory Series at Chain Theatre, "Dreamers at the Precipice" is a necessary antidote to the polarizing world we live in. Using real dreams from the present and the past, this play will awaken audiences from the nightmare of totalitarianism, and have them moving toward kindness, respect, and deceny!

Aphasia (play)

Oct 9 - 11, 2026

For three performances only, Studio Theatre in Exile will present acclaimed poet, playwright, physician, and art collector, Marc J. Straus, who will bring his deeply personal play inverse, APHASIA, to New York City from October 9 through October 11, 2026. As part of the Factory Series at the Chain Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 3rd floor.
Written and performed by Straus, APHASIA is directed by Mara Mills, with stage production by Jeremy Gratt. The play was… Read More

The Julia Variations (play)

Oct 11 - 18, 2026

Introducing Pedro Dinavez as Raul Julia and featuring Jay Michaels as Joseph Papp.
Cast includes Patrice Battey, Giuan Warren, Frank Petrovich, Benjamin Hard (as Errol Flynn), Tauqeer Paul, Rachel Marcus (as Meryl Streep), Leia Martin, Bianca Torrente, Brenna Peerbolt
A poignant, biographical memory play exploring the artistic brilliance, generosity and final days of beloved stage and screen actor Raul Julia. Moving through eight theatrical ‘variations’,… Read More

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda (play)

Oct 20 - 25, 2026

Celebrated with critical awards and an acclaimed off-Broadway contact run in 1997, Liebowitz’ flagship drama depicts the raw, heartbreaking, and darkly comedic final weeks in the life of degenerate gambler Allie Neiterman, a character based on the playwright’s own father.

The Pearlmistresses of Broome (play, reading)

Oct 17, 2026

Broome, Western Australia, in the late monsoon season between the wars. The pearling industry is in decline, the Depression has set in, and news of Japan’s growing power is reaching a town built on a fragile racial hierarchy.
Two murders have just shaken the port. Yui Tanaka, a Japanese investor in pearl luggers, is under suspicion. Martha Lawrence, an Irish pioneer and midwife, is out of money and about to ask Yui for a loan, putting up her husband’s old… Read More

Heart of a Dog (play)

Nov 5 - Dec 6, 2026

Theater 86 opens its new permanent Midtown Manhattan home with a bold stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s darkly comic masterpiece, Heart of a Dog, directed by founder and Artistic Director Aleksey Burago.
Written in 1925, Heart of a Dog follows a celebrated Moscow surgeon whose experiment transforms a stray dog into a man—with chaotic and unsettling consequences. Blending satire, absurdist humor, and philosophical inquiry, Bulgakov’s story explores… Read More

Don't Call Me Virgin (play) Free

Oct 18, 2026

When you’re caught up in an arranged marriage ordained by God, things aren’t always easy. A fun little slice of life, from the Espousal through the Nativity, we follow Mary and Joseph as they navigate their new relationship and approach the birth of their child.
Content Warnings: Religion, violence, and sexual situations

Wars & Diners (play)

Nov 15 - 22, 2026

One night, two full length plays, one comedy and one drama: Inspired by a compilation of epic wartime poems, The War Play follows three couples through a tale of heartbreak and renewal, ultimately exploring the place where loss, grief, and hope interconnect. While in rural Florida, The Diner Play follows a determined young activist, who convinces the townswomen to withhold sex from the gun-crazed men of their small alligator-infested town, inspiring… Read More

The Goldsmith (play, reading)

Nov 9, 2026

Stemming from her family’s true journey, Sharone Sayegh (The Band’s Visit, Come From Away) weaves a remarkable story through the golden jewelry passed down in her family across borders, cultures, and generations. Each treasured piece reveals another chapter – from Iraq to Israel and ultimately to America – as she wrestles with identity, belonging, and the complexities of love and acceptance. Moving, surprising, and deeply personal, The Goldsmith invites… Read More

The Road to Jerusalem (play, reading)

Nov 30, 2026

The Road to Jerusalem intertwines seven interconnected stories of hope, hunger, and destiny in the unforgiving American West. Set in and around the small town of Jerusalem, Arizona in 1879, this emotionally charged new play is a thought-provoking journey through the challenges of making a new world from the remnants of the old.

Performing Filipina! (musical, concert)

Dec 1, 2026

Join us at 54 Below for an evening featuring the songs of Performing Filipina! The musical follows six Filipinas that piece together history, memory, and identity, finding new meaning in their relation to themselves, their communities, and each other. Celebrating the recent release of the musical’s concept album, come hear some of Lianah Sta. Ana’s originals and reimagined Filipino folk songs live. Featuring an all-star Filipina cast, this concert is… Read More

The Maker & The Muse (musical, concert)

Mar 7, 2027

In her first two packed shows at 54 Below, Schuyler Iona Press played herself in a show about growing up as a wannabe Irish step dancer. The songs were all composed by Schuyler. And the reactions at both shows were electric! She is clearly an original, exciting new voice in musical theater — as both a composer and an endearingly charming performer. And now this…
Instead of playing herself in her new show on Sunday, March 7th at 7pm at 54 Below, she will… Read More