Theatre for a New Audience

10/31/2023

Watch Michael Shannon chat with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show about Waiting for Godot! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUvTZP_gZpM

Performances start Nov. 4! Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/waiting-for-godot/overview

10/27/2023

Shannon 🤝 Sparks

Watch Waiting for Godot cast members Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks tell the story of the first time they met 👬

Godot performances start Nov. 4! Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/waiting-for-godot/overview

10/13/2023

We’re thrilled to be a part of the return of the UNDER THE RADAR festival with the Soho Rep. and National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) production of PUBLIC OBSCENITIES co-presented with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and written and directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury

“I love my programing, but I’ve had 18 years of that. Now I have a dozen curators. It’s bigger than me, so we made something bigger.” – Mark Russell, Festival Director

Thank you to our partners for making this festival unstoppable.

NYU Skirball Center
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club
Japan Society
Lincoln Center
St. Ann's Warehouse
Abrons Arts Center
Theatre for a New Audience
Ping Chong and Company
New York Live Arts
Performance Space New York
Mabou Mines
The Invisible Dog Art Center
Fisher Center at Bard
HowlRound Theatre Commons
Produced by ArKtype

Read the article in the The New York Times for more on the festival's return.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/theater/under-the-radar-festival-returns.html

10/12/2023

❤️

10/12/2023

The WAIT is over❗️Tickets are on sale now for WAITING FOR GODOT

Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks reunite on stage for the first time since our production of The Killer in 2014.

Featuring Michael Shannon as Estragon, Paul Sparks as Vladimir, Toussaint Francois Battiste as a boy, Jeff Biehl as Lucky, and Ajay Naidu as Pozzo. Directed by Arin Arbus.

Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/waiting-for-godot/overview

📷: Travis Emery Hackett

10/11/2023

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Fulton Hall for our latest Reflections talkback hosted by Bianca Vivion (with special guest, Annie Dorsen), and New Deal Night for PROMETHEUS FIREBRINGER!

Save the date now! Our next Reflections/New Deal Night for WAITING FOR GODOT is Friday, Dec. 1. Get your ticket for the 7pm performance and join us post-show at Fulton Hall with special guests.... Godot cast members Michael Shannon and Paul Sparks! We can't WAIT to see you there🥂

📷: Travis Emery Hackett

10/05/2023

The readthrough photos we've all been WAITING for (us included ✋️)

Originally scheduled as part of our 2019-2020 season but ultimately postponed due to COVID-19, we are thrilled that Samuel Beckett’s WAITING FOR GODOT has officially begun rehearsals!

𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄. 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟮! (subscription tickets are on sale now!)

Featuring Michael Shannon, Paul Sparks, Toussaint Francois Battiste, Jeff Biehl, and Ajay Naidu. Directed by Arin Arbus. November 4–December 3 https://www.tfana.org/current-season/waiting-for-godot/overview

📷: Travis Emery Hackett

10/01/2023

"I hope people approach them (the AI tools used in Prometheus Firebringer) critically, with an awareness of the current harm that they cause. So we don't get distracted by the fantasies of hypothetical future harms or benefits that the guys who own the companies want us to be thinking about."–Annie Dorsen, writer, director, and performer of Prometheus Firebringer.

Tonight, we close Annie Dorsen's . We celebrate all the humans who helped create/engage with this Off-Broadway premiere; the TFANA Talk guests who joined us to discuss the current and urgent topic of generative AI, (Edward Ongweso, Jr., Bianca Vivion, Kate Crawford, and Simon Critchley), our tireless staff, the audiences who joined us for this thought-provoking piece, and of course, the ingenious artist Annie Dorsen. “But something else is true as well.”

📷: Maria Baranova

09/21/2023

Don’t miss Annie Dorsen’s “quietly stunning” Prometheus Firebringer – playing now thru Oct 1 only! https://www.tfana.org/current-season/prometheus-firebringer/overview

📷: Maria Baranova

09/19/2023

👀 First look at Annie Dorsen's PROMETHEUS FIREBRINGER. Now playing thru October 1!

Written, directed, and performed by
Annie Dorsen
Video & Systems Design by Ryan Holsopple
Lighting Design by Ruth Waldeyer
Sound Design by Ian Douglas Moore
Software Design & Programming by
Sukanya Aneja
Voiceprint by Okwui Okpokwasili
Voiceprint by Livia Reiner
3D Art by Harry Kleeman
Dramaturgy by Tom Sellar
Producer, Natasha Katerinopoulos

📷 Credits
1, 2, 3, 5, and 6: Maria Baranova
4: Gerry Goodstein

Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/prometheus-firebringer/overview

09/15/2023

𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮-𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗻'𝘀 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗨𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥 🔥
Written, directed and performed by Annie Dorsen (Passing Strange, Hello Hi There), this hybrid performance/lecture uses AI to generate missing portions of Aeschylus's ancient Greek saga while engaging the audience in reflections on power, knowledge, and doubt.

More info at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/prometheus-firebringer/overview

08/31/2023

"The piece (Prometheus Firebringer) riffs on the lost final play of Aeschylus’s Prometheus trilogy as a way of thinking about the relationship between technology and power." –Annie Dorsen, writer, director, and performer of

Read the full American Theatre magazine
piece discussing the dangers of AI intoxication by pioneering artist Annie Dorsen.

We are only 2 weeks away from the first performance of Prometheus Firebringer! Get tickets now to this limited run 🔥

Can theatre artists use the tools of Big Tech to dismantle its influence?

08/23/2023

Fall is right around the corner, and so is the start of our 23/24 season! Check out New York Magazine Fall Preview by Sara Holdren and Jackson McHenry featuring Prometheus Firebringer (starting performances 9/15) and Waiting for Godot as "Best New Shows to See This Fall."🍂 https://www.vulture.com/article/best-new-shows-broadway-off-broadway-in-2023.html

08/18/2023

“𝟱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹” –Zachary Stewart, TheaterMania

Tickets are on sale now for Annie Dorsen’s PROMETHEUS FIREBRINGER

Written, directed, and performed by Annie Dorsen (Passing Strange, Hello Hi There) this hybrid performance/lecture uses GPT-3.5 (the same model that runs ChatGPT) to generate speculative versions of the missing portions of Aeschylus’s ancient Greek saga. Each night, a chorus of AI-generated Greek masks will perform a different iteration, while Dorsen will engage the audience in reflections on power, knowledge, and doubt.

The Off-off Broadway premiere was co-presented by The Chocolate Factory Theater

Get tickets now for this limited run at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/prometheus-firebringer/overview

08/06/2023

"𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.” –𝗧𝗲𝗻𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺𝘀

Tonight, we close the final production of our 22-23 season. Originally planned to be a part of our 20/21 season, this seldom-done work about the treatment of outsiders proved even more timely in our current season.

We celebrate our incredible company who helped bring this story to life, our tireless staff, our audiences, and the author of this American classic, Tennessee Williams. It was a true privilege to revive this heartfelt and gripping play with such an extraordinary company. ❤️

📷: Gerry Goodstein
Scenic Design: Amy Rubin

07/31/2023

It's your FINAL WEEK to see Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING. Don't miss this rare revival directed by Erica Schmidt playing thru Aug. 6 only! Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/orpheus-descending/overview

07/28/2023

See what season 44 has in store 👀

1️⃣The Off-Broadway Premiere of
𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗨𝗦 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗘𝗥
a hybrid performance/lecture written, directed, and performed by Annie Dorsen

2️⃣Samuel Beckett’s 𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗢𝗗𝗢𝗧 featuring Michael Shannon as Estragon and Paul Sparks as Vladimir and Jeffrey Biehl as Lucky and Ajay Naidu as Pozzo, directed by Arin Arbus.

3️⃣Presented with Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Soho Rep. and National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO)
𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖 𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 written and directed by Misha Chowdhury.

4️⃣In association with Rose Theatre
the U.S Premiere of 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗛 (𝗔𝗡 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗚), a Lyceum Theatre production, written and directed by Zinnie Harris

🎉 Subscribe NOW for best prices and ticket flexibility at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/23-24-season?dm_i=7CVZ,7WNO,2S8X1B,14IBZ,1

07/26/2023

Don't miss the final weeks of Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING directed by Erica Schmidt—plays now through August 6 only!

Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/orpheus-descending/overview

07/21/2023

"That call to live, which, to me, is the heart of the play, feels more vital and intense because of the horror of the place they’re in.

The desire to get out of hell that is the Orpheus myth—to be led out, to find love, to connect with another person—makes the language an important character within the piece. Williams was trying to engage with a kind of activism that we can hear now in a way that we didn’t before."
–Erica Schmidt, Orpheus Descending director

Read the full Vogue Magazine feature with Erica Schmidt and written by Liz Appel on this "powerful and searching production."

Schmidt, whose production of “Orpheus Descending” is at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center through August 6, about how the play speaks to the current moment in the United States and the difference between seeing and knowing.

07/18/2023

Happy Opening night to the exceptional company of Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING directed by Erica Schmidt

Celebrating with a release of new photos of this stunning production ✨️

It takes a village, and we couldn't be more thankful for this extraordinary team of artists that helped revive this seldom-seen Williams masterpiece ❤️

CAST: Pico Alexander, Molly Kate Babos, Michael Cullen, Matt DeAngelis, Gene Gillette, Laura Heisler, Prudence Wright Holmes, Brian Keane, Julia McDermott, Ana Reeder, Maggie Siff, Kate Skinner, Fiana Tóibín, James Waterston, Dathan B. Williams

Scenic Design, Amy Rubin
Costume Design, Jennifer Moeller
Lighting Design, David Weiner
Sound Design/Music Composition,
Justin Ellington
Hair & Wig Design, Cookie Jordan
Physical Movement Coordination,
Lorenzo Pisoni
Property Supervision, Justin Cox
Dramaturgy, John Lahr
Voice Direction, Andrew Wade
Dialect Coach, Xavier Clark
Production Stage Management
Shane Schnetzler

📷: Gerry Goodstein & Hollis King

07/13/2023

First look at Tennessee Williams’ ORPHEUS DESCENDING, directed by Erica Schmidt. Now playing thru August 6🔥

CAST: Pico Alexander, Molly Kate Babos, Michael Cullen, Matt DeAngelis, Gene Gillette, Laura Heisler, Prudence Wright Holmes, Brian Keane, Julia McDermott, Ana Reeder, Maggie Siff, Kate Skinner, Fiana Tóibín, James Waterston, Dathan B. Williams

Scenic Design by Amy Rubin
Costume Design by Jennifer Moeller
Lighting Design by David Weiner
Sound Design/Music Composition by
Justin Ellington
Hair & Wig Design by Cookie Jordan
Physical Movement Coordination by
Lorenzo Pisoni
Property Supervision by Justin Cox
Dramaturgy by John Lahr
Voice Direction by Andrew Wade

📸: Gerry Goodstein & Hollis King

Get tickets at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/orpheus-descending/overview

07/12/2023

“The play is shot through with desire; this need to really live life and to cling to what matters to you with both your hands until your fingers break.”—Erica Schmidt, director of Orpheus Descending

Read the full The New York Times preview featuring a discussion with director Erica Schmidt & cast member Maggie Siff (Lady Torrance) on how this classic play resonates with our world today. Tennessee Williams’ Orpheus Descending plays now thru August 6 only!

“Orpheus Descending,” a rarely revived play about the treatment of outsiders, has only become more meaningful for its star and its director.

07/09/2023

Theatre for a New Audience presents the work at Brooklyn's Polonsky Shakespeare Center.

07/09/2023

Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING begins previews tonight! Don't miss this seldom-seen Williams masterpiece directed by Erica Schmidt, playing now through August 6 only🎸

06/27/2023

Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING begins performances in 2 weeks—Don't miss this seldom-seen Williams masterpiece featuring Maggie Siff as Lady Torrance and Pico Alexander as Valentine Xavier, directed by Erica Schmidt.

Performances start July 9 — Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/orpheus-descending/overview

📷: Sabrina Santiago

Hair & Makeup: Seiya Makeup

06/13/2023

Rehearsals are underway for Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING!

Performances start July 9— Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/orpheus-descending/overview

📷: Hollis King

06/09/2023

Thrilled to announce the cast heating up our stage this summer in Tennessee Williams' ORPHEUS DESCENDING!🔥

Directed by Erica Schmidt, this seldom-seen Williams masterpiece marks the final show of our 22-23 Season.

Runs July 9—August 6. Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/orpheus-descending/overview

05/28/2023

Tonight, we close the Off-Broadway Premiere in English of Lope de Vega's Fuente Ovejuna.

While fewer shows were performed than planned due to COVID-19, we were able to have one final weekend sharing this Spanish Golden Age classic- a classic that feels ever-present with its themes of collective resistance, class, and human rights- a classic that mixes music, singing, dance and humor, yet grapples with deep political questions- a classic about love. We celebrate this extraordinary company, author Lope de Vega, translator Adrian Mitchell, our tireless staff, and our audiences. It was a true privilege to share this Lope de Vega epic work that is rarely done in the United States. ❤️

Cast photo including ALL fabulous 15 members❤️)

05/16/2023

Thank you so much to everyone that joined us for our 2023 Annual Gala last night!

Every donation helps in supporting our productions and education programs. Watch the video from last night's speaker, Catherine Lewis who teaches at The Bensonhurst School, PS 128 and has witnessed the direct impact our education programs have had on her students ❤️

To support now, visit https://e.givesmart.com/events/v5s/i/_Auction/m8Vc/

05/11/2023

You can help support Theatre for a New Audience's productions and education programs by participating in our 2023 Spring Gala Auction! Check out our highlighted items and visit https://e.givesmart.com/events/v5s/ to browse and bid!

05/10/2023

Lope de Vega’s FUENTE OVEJUNA plays through May 28 only. Get tickets now to this powerful production translated by Adrian Mitchell and directed by Flordelino Lagundino. https://www.tfana.org/current-season/fuente-ovejuna/overview

📷: Gerry Goodstein and Hollis King

05/05/2023

👀 First look at Lope de Vega’s FUENTE OVEJUNA, translated by Adrian Mitchell and directed by Flordelino Lagundino. Now playing thru May 28!

CAST: Barzin Akhavan, Carlo Albán, Jack Berenholtz, Stephen Berenson, Jo Brook, Jonathan Cake, Ben Chase, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, Kenneth De Abrew, José Espinosa, Paco Lozano, Brian McEleney, Brenda Meaney, Ricardo Vázquez, Carmen Zilles

Scenic Design by Afsoon Pajoufar
Costume Design by Linda Cho
Lighting Design by Jiyoun Chang
Music Composition/Direction by Paddy Cunneen
Choreography/Movement Direction by Brian Brooks
Fight Choreography by J. David Brimmer
Associate Fight Choreography/Intimacy Direction by Dan O’Driscoll
Property Supervision by Justin Cox
Dramaturgy by Jonathan Kalb
Voice Direction by Andrew Wade

📸: Gerry Goodstein & Hollis King

04/30/2023

Lope de Vega's FUENTE OVEJUNA begins previews tonight! We are thrilled to be premiering Adrian Mitchell's translation of this Spanish Golden Age epic play on the New York stage directed by Flordelino Lagundino.🔥

04/28/2023

We can’t wait for this incredible cast to take the stage in FUENTE OVEJUNA, starting previews this Sunday night on April 30🔥

Don’t miss Lope de Vega’s powerful mix of music, dance, humor, and unforgettable drama in the New York premiere of Adrian Mitchell’s translation of FUENTE OVEJUNA directed by Flordelino Lagundino. Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/fuente-ovejuna/overview

📷: Travis Emery Hackett

04/27/2023

Even MORE congratulations are in order! We couldn't be happier to share that Alice Childress' WEDDING BAND has now received FOUR Drama Desk Award nominations. Tomorrow marks 1 year since Wedding Band was revived for the first time in 50 years on the New York stage and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate. Congratulations to this incredible company 💚

✨️Wedding Band- Outstanding Revival of a Play
✨️Brittany Bradford- Outstanding Lead Performance
✨️Jason Ardizzone-West - Outstanding Scenic Design
✨️Qween Jean - Outstanding Costume Design

04/27/2023

“We can all witness a story that unites us in real time… If you weren’t there, you didn’t see it. It happens, it’s built, its over, and that’s what human experience is.” —Jonathan Cake

Hear from FUENTE OVEJUNA cast members Carlo Albán and Jonathan Cake on the beauty of live theatre ✨️FUENTE OVEJUNA begins previews April 30. Translation by Adrian Mitchell. Directed by Flordelino Lagundino. Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/fuente-ovejuna/overview

04/26/2023

Congratulations to the exceptional company of Alice Childress' WEDDING BAND for receiving 4 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations! Our incredible nominees include, WEDDING BAND for Outstanding Revival of a Play, Brittany Bradford, Veanne Cox, and Jason Ardizzone-West 🎉🎉🎉

04/25/2023

We are thrilled to share that the company of Alice Childress' WEDDING BAND has been honored with three The Drama League nominations!

✨️ - Outstanding Revival of a Play
✨️Awoye Timpo- Outstanding direction of a Play
✨️Brittany Bradford- Distinguished Performance

Congratulations to this exceptional company!!

04/24/2023

I’m continually struck by how modern it feels, how many of these issues are things that we’re still really dealing with today.” —Carmen Zilles

begins performances in only 5️⃣ days! Listen to cast members Carmen Zilles and Brenda Meaney on why this Spanish Golden Age classic by Lope de Vega is an important play for our moment.

FUENTE OVEJUNA begins previews April 29. Translation by Adrian Mitchell. Directed by Flordelino Lagunino. Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/fuente-ovejuna/overview

✨️✨️$20 tickets available for anyone 30 years old and younger/full time students of any age

04/20/2023

We are only 9️⃣ days away from the first performance of Lope de Vega's FUENTE OVEJUNA!

Check out an exclusive look of this incredible cast in rehearsal.

Don't miss the New York Premiere of Adrian Mitchell's translation of FUENTE OVEJUNA directed by Flordelino Lagundino. Get tickets now at https://www.tfana.org/current-season/fuente-ovejuna/overview

✨️✨️$20 tickets available for anyone 30 years old and younger/full-time students of any age!

📷: Travis Emery Hackett