The Play Company

05/03/2026

On this day, May 3rd, 2015, THE DUCHAMP SYNDROME, our second collaboration with Por Piedad Teatro, opened in NYC. This was PlayCo’s first play to utilize puppets. The story follows Juan, a lonely Mexican immigrant in New York who dreams of becoming a famous stand-up comedian. Inspired by a Marcel Duchamp museum show, Juan populates his world with found objects and companions like Tony the Cockroach. Before the show, writer, actor, and puppetmaker Antonio Vega would wear Juan’s janitor outfit and clean outside the theater, unnoticed by most people who passed by or entered the building. The artistry of Por Piedad Teatro always balances soulful human experience with celebratory theatricality.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.

05/01/2026

We're excited to share that applications are now open for a two-week residency (October 24 - November 8, 2026) for two U.S.-based playwrights with Prague’s Švanda Theatre. Playwrights-in-residence will have the opportunity to collaborate on readings of their work translated into Czech, discuss their work in a public forum, and learn about the Czech theatre scene by meeting members of the local artistic community, seeing productions and visiting selected important venues and sites.

Applications are open from today, May 1st, through Sunday, June 7th. Learn more and apply:

PlayCo is excited to announce that applications are open for a two-week residency (October 24 - November 8, 2026) in the Czech Republic for two U.S.-based …

05/01/2026

On this day, May 1st, 2004, TRUST made its NYC debut. The play, written by Gary Mitchell, originally premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1999, and follows a loyalist family in Belfast and their close-knit circle in a story that is both comical and terrifying. Director Erica Schmidt visited Belfast to research the production for PlayCo. The year after TRUST’s NYC run, Gary and his family were forced to flee their home and go into hiding under attack from local paramilitaries, putting his playwriting career on a five year hiatus.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.

04/29/2026

This Sunday! PlayCo, New York Theatre Workshop, and the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, in association with 55B Productions, present a hilarious showcase of Palestinian comedians, Sunday, May 3, at 7pm at Top Secret Comedy Club (44 Avenue A in Manhattan). Hosted by Suzie Afridi and featuring an All-Star lineup: Eman El-Husseini, Demetrius Fields, Nina Kharoufeh, Dean Obeidallah, Atheer Yacoub, Maysoon Zayid and more!

Tickets are $15. Learn more and grab tickets:

April 20th Update: Comedian Mohanad Elshieky is no longer able to attend.  We are excited to announce that comedian and TikTok star Demetrius Fields has j…

04/09/2026

PlayCo, New York Theatre Workshop, and the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, in association with 55B Productions, present a hilarious showcase of Palestinian comedians, Sunday, May 3, at 7pm at Top Secret Comedy Club (44 Avenue A in Manhattan). Featuring an All-Star lineup: Suzie Afridi, Eman El-Husseini, Mohanad Elshieky, Nina Kharoufeh, Dean Obeidallah, Atheer Yacoub, Maysoon Zayid and more!

Tickets are $15 General Admission. More info and buy tickets: www.playco.org/community/palestine-comedy-night

04/01/2026

On this day, April 1st, 2015, LUDIC PROXY entered previews in NYC as PlayCo’s first-ever commission for an original play. Frequent collaborator (and current board member) Aya Ogawa drew inspiration from gaming, environmental disasters, and the nature of “home” to create an unsettling theatrical world that blurred the lines between waking dreams and virtual reality, and made characters and audience members alike wrestle with interactive choices and their consequences.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.

03/28/2026

On this day, March 28th, 2010, A COOL DIP IN THE BARREN SAHARAN CRICK opened in NYC. Kia Corthron’s 2007 trip to the World Social Forum in Nairobi sparked the idea for this play and its focus on water–its beauty, scarcity and the critical role it plays in our lives, no matter where we live. Kia creates plays that stem from urgent socio-political issues, but live and breathe through her characters that make the stakes personal. A COOL DIP feels even more prescient and relevant now.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.

03/28/2026

On this day, March 28th, 2010, ENJOY–a quirky portrait of listless, alienated workers conveyed through “hyper-real language and choreographic clarity” (Theater Is Easy)–made its U.S. premiere in NYC. Aya Ogawa’s expert translation of playwright Toshiki Okada’s script, alongside Dan Rothenberg’s inventive direction, plugged right in with NY audiences living through the Great Recession. This production launched many treasured relationships with artists we went on to work with numerous times–author Toshiki Okada, director Dan Rothenberg (his first project outside of his Philadelphia-based Pig Iron Theatre Company), scenic designer Mimi Lien, actors Steven Boyer, Stacey Yen, and Yoko Shioya and the Japan Society, a valued partner and ally across multiple projects over the years.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.

03/26/2026

When PlayCo decided to present DEAR LAILA in NYC, Bay Ridge seemed a natural fit. This cozy, South Brooklyn neighborhood is home to NYC’s largest Arab community, as evidenced by the many Arabic storefronts, Yemeni coffee houses, and, of course, rich Palestinian culture and cuisine—a reputation that earned this area its “Little Palestine” nickname.

In sharing this show with Bay Ridge, we want to make sure that we, in turn, share some of Bay Ridge's amazing warmth and hospitality with you all. To that end, we've collaborated with local Palestinian businesses and created a map of nearby restaurants, sweet shots, and coffee houses--all within walking distance.

Grab some fresh falafel and hummus at Al-Aqsa for a waterfront picnic at Shore Road Park, or dine-in with a party at Tanoreen or the newly-opened Soul of Palestine. Wherever home may be to you, it’s impossible not to appreciate the beauty found in Little Palestine’s solidarity.

Visit playco.org to learn more and buy your tickets for DEAR LAILA today!

03/15/2026

On this day, March 15th, 2023, LUNCH BUNCH opened in NYC, approximately three years after COVID forced us to halt its initial production right before tech. The play developed and originally premiered through Clubbed Thumb's Winterworks and Summerworks programs, and we were devoted fans all along the way. Our community partnership with The Bronx Defenders (who served as inspiration for the play) meant so much to us: we welcomed their staff lawyers to performances, featured them in our community Idea Lab conversations, and honored them at our 2023 Spring Benefit. The cast and artistic team weathered the roller coaster process of bringing the show to stage, and Adrian Einspanier's play brought joy to audiences at every single performance.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.

03/13/2026

On this day, March 13th, 2025, AMM(I)GONE, created, performed and co-directed by Adil Mansoor and co-directed by Lyam B. Gabel, entered previews in NYC. The show, coproduced by PlayCo and The Flea alongside Woolly Mammoth and Kelly Strayhorn Theatre, documented Adil’s experience as he developed a space for himself, as a q***r theatremaker, and his mother, a Quranic scholar, to engage authentically with one another as they endeavor to translate Sophocle’s ANTIGONE into Urdu. The show and its surrounding community programming intentionally held space for faith and q***rness in tandem, with a non-denominational, gender-neutral prayer room available for the entirety of its run, an iftar led by musician Shahzad Ismaily, and a special presentation of AuntieSocial from drag queen extraordinaire Lawhore Vagistan.

Join us all year as PlayCo celebrates a quarter century's worth of global productions. Visit playco.org to learn more and support "inter-national" theatre in NYC.