NEXT STEP FEST

NEXT STEP FEST The Next Step Theatre Fest is a brand new celebration of storytelling, collaboration, and the messy, magical process of making theatre.

Founded by artists for artists, this inaugural festival brings together emerging playwrights, directors, and creatives.

Opening today! Get your tickets now! Link in bio as well as down below. Directed by the incredible and written by the w...
05/27/2025

Opening today! Get your tickets now! Link in bio as well as down below. Directed by the incredible and written by the wonderful !


About the play - Amy has found the perfect man, except he wants many children, but she wants one – maybe. So, she secretly visits a futuristic computer lab to meet an AI-based, DNA-integrated teenage version of the child they’d create together, and is surprised to discover that the actual spirit of her future daughter is trying to communicate with her through a glitch in the AI software.

May 27th, May 28th, May 31st, and June 6th!

Written by
Director

Ticket link in bio!

Find ticket link here as well - https://onthestage.tickets/show/nextsteptheatrefestival/67f43a48e2f1567c264c6279/tickets #/productions-view

The Next Step Theatre Festival began with a simple “what if” conversation.What if a few writers joined forces to share t...
05/19/2025

The Next Step Theatre Festival began with a simple “what if” conversation.

What if a few writers joined forces to share the costs of mounting a show in NYC? What if we supported each other—not just financially, but creatively too? Would anyone be interested?

The question went out through writers’ groups, theatre chat rooms, and email chains. The response was immediate: Yes, we need this. Yes, let’s do it.

What started as a “what if” quickly grew into something much bigger—a festival fueled by writers supporting writers, each one ready to take the next step together.

And so, the Next Step Theatre Festival was born.

Today, it features 15 writers and 34 performances—a true testament to what happens when artists lift each other up.

🔥 JUST ANNOUNCED! 🔥The 2025 Next Step Festival is set to premier Off-Broadway this spring at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural...
04/29/2025

🔥 JUST ANNOUNCED! 🔥

The 2025 Next Step Festival is set to premier Off-Broadway this spring at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at ART/NY! 🎭

Running May 27 – June 8, this bold new festival showcases emerging voices, urgent storytelling, and boundary-pushing performances. From experimental theater to unforgettable narratives, it’s a launchpad for the next generation of changemakers in the arts.

🎟️ Details & tix: nextsteptheatrefest.com

📍 502 W 53rd Street, NYC

📰 As featured in BroadwayWorld:

https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/2025-Next-Step-Festival-to-Premiere-at-the-Gural-Theatre-This-Spring-20250422

“Next Step Festival provides a vital platform for artists exploring identity, culture, and resilience.”

'The Guest At Central Park West' is coming to the THE NEXT STEP FEST, we are so excited! Written by Audelco Award-winnin...
04/29/2025

'The Guest At Central Park West' is coming to the THE NEXT STEP FEST, we are so excited!



Written by Audelco Award-winning playwright Levy Lee Simon.
A chance encounter at a luxury Manhattan apartment brings together two former lifelong best friends and Harvard University classmates. One is now a successful college Professor & Nobel Peace Prize winning author, the other is a homeless man and former prison inmate. As the two discussed old times the conversation began leading into a tense and thought provoking exploration of privilege, compassion, and the human cost of social inequity.
For tickets and more information, visit…
https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/nextsteptheatrefestival/68066815ae967d0f5f5348b7/tickets #/productions-view

Excited for 'Stowaway to PARADISE' to hit the NEXT STEP FEST! A sailor. A scholar. A soul adrift between two worlds.Base...
04/29/2025

Excited for 'Stowaway to PARADISE' to hit the NEXT STEP FEST!



A sailor. A scholar. A soul adrift between two worlds.
Based on Jack London’s Martin Eden, this soaring new musical examines the cost of ambition, the ache of class division, and the longing to belong. Music by W. Gregory Nissen, directed by Austin Pendleton.
Running time: 135 minutes, one intermission
To reserve a seat, visit…
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc2mNsKtHNFLFGSTat5SzUppEvzEBF0aNmlphbBhXxbaFs2ng/viewform

So excited for ' Orientation ' to come to THE NEXT STEP FEST! In the basement of a domestic violence shelter, four women...
04/29/2025

So excited for ' Orientation ' to come to THE NEXT STEP FEST!



In the basement of a domestic violence shelter, four women begin to write their own rules.

After a traumatic ER visit, four women find themselves at a domestic violence shelter, grappling with a new reality. Guided by a rule-defying survivor, they begin to question everything—especially how to reclaim their lives. When the Authority arrives, will their newfound understanding endure, or will they return to fear? It's a journey toward reclaiming life.

Running time: 60-90 minutes
For tickets and more information, visit…
https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/nextsteptheatrefestival/67f89bee71e45b43d2f8d7f1/tickets #/productions-view

So excited for "Next Big Hit' to hit the NEXT STEP FEST! Winner of the 2021 TheatreMakers Studio Award for Best Collabo...
04/29/2025

So excited for "Next Big Hit' to hit the NEXT STEP FEST!



Winner of the 2021 TheatreMakers Studio Award for Best Collaboration.

Small-town girl Lara McDowell becomes the winner of a nationally televised singing competition, but soon realizes that fame comes with a price. With the guidance of her songwriter, Jesse Stone, and mentor, Amber Ross, Lara must navigate the cutthroat music industry and her manipulative producer, Ronnie Rostone, who will stop at nothing to ensure his niece, Ellie Price, wins the title. If Smash met American Idol, you'd get NEXT BIG HIT!

Running time: 130 minutes, one intermission
For tickets and more information, visit…
https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/jk-entertainment1/67faa9de0401c9339659767a/tickets #/productions-view

So happy to announce 'Ocean In A Teacup' is coming to the NEXT STEP FEST! Winner of the 2022 TheatreMakers Award for Bes...
04/29/2025

So happy to announce 'Ocean In A Teacup' is coming to the NEXT STEP FEST!



Winner of the 2022 TheatreMakers Award for Best Music, Lyrics, and Score.

A sweeping musical drama set during India’s independence movement, based on a true story of transformation and spiritual redemption. Guided by a Bengali spiritual teacher and the woman he loves, a disillusioned American medic gets a 2nd chance at life in war-torn India. Joel Krantz's lush score and profound narrative deliver a universal message of love and forgiveness.

Running time: 130 minutes, one intermission
For tickets and more information, visit…
https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/jk-entertainment1/67f98a6931dba70f686434f3/tickets #/productions-view

'Hollywood Treatment' is coming to the NEXT STEP FEST and we could not be more excited! HOLLYWOOD TREATMENT is a ‘feel b...
04/29/2025

'Hollywood Treatment' is coming to the NEXT STEP FEST and we could not be more excited!



HOLLYWOOD TREATMENT is a ‘feel bad comedy’ about the thrills of artistic success and the collateral damage following in its wake, told through the most private moments of therapy sessions.
Up-and-coming actress Gabrielle's starring role in a steamy arthouse picture is causing havoc all around her: her relationship with her kind fiancé, Oliver, is falling apart; her fun and foul-mouthed sister, Maggie, is no longer speaking with her; even her A-type agent, Thom’s, love life wilts in the heat of her rising star. They all turn to highly recommended Hollywood therapist, Dr. Manwick, for help - but she, too, begins to self-destruct when private issues seep into her professional life. Will anyone's relationship survive - or must love be sacrificed on the altar of success?
Running time: 60 minutes
For tickets and more information, visit…
https://onthestage.tickets/show/nextsteptheatrefestival/67f8906b48748f4eecf7b78a/tickets #/productions-view

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