Working Theater

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Working Theater

http://www.theworkingtheater.org

09/11/2026

Let us introduce you to C. Lee Dionne!

Joining us this season as one of the Mark Plesent Commission Fund recipients, C. Lee dreams of writing stories that are whimsically mundane, melodramatic procedurals that get stuck so deeply in the muck of made-for-TV banality they have to kick grime into the audience to break free. When asked to describe their upcoming presentation piece, AUTHORITY TERMINAL, in 3 words or less they said "Time meets choice."

Celebrate C. Lee and their work at the upcoming final presentations for the Mark Plesent Commission Fund on Oct 5th.

https://www.theworkingtheater.org/mpcf2026

09/09/2026

Join us for the invited readings of new one-act plays from our 2026-2027 Mark Plesent Commission Fund recipients, C. Lee Dionne and Ashley Graves.

I Could Be A Florist by Ashley Graves
Authority Terminal by C. Lee Dionne

As the culmination of their commission, we could not be more thrilled to present this reading series and celebrate the artistry of these talented playwrights alongside our Working Theater community. Please join us in supporting the development of these brand-new one-act plays and the playwrights behind them as they hear their work out loud for the first time with an audience.

https://www.theworkingtheater.org/mpcf2026

09/04/2026

Last season we broke ground. This season we seize the means of production.

We’re testing the limits of what a civic theater is capable of by asking: what would an American theater built for working people actually look like? Who gets to make it? Who gets to see it? What should it cost? What happens when we stop accepting that access and artistic excellence are mutually exclusive?

As the nonprofit arts model faces an uncertain future and the cost of just about everything keeps climbing, we’re interested in something more useful than just declaring the old system “is dead.” We want to be the leaders who build what comes next.

That means rethinking ticket prices and how that cost is subsidized. It means blowing up assumptions about what ‘working-class theater’ is supposed to look like. It means experimenting with new ways of funding, making, and sharing art. More than anything, it means centering working people in conversation about the future of the American theater.

Check out what you can expect to see from us this season and then join us at our Housewarming Party to kick off Season 42.

https://ci.ovationtix.com/35029/production/1290397?performanceId=11865472

08/31/2026

Our friends The Bushwick Starr present:
I’M NOT EVEN HALF
Created and Performed by Layla Khoshnoudi
Directed by Machel Ross
Produced in Association with ¡OYE! Group
October 6 - 24, 2026

Glued to her phone, watching a violent uprising unfold in Iran, S gets hit by a car while crossing the street in Brooklyn. She may have a concussion but the driver is cute. Darkly funny, and deeply relatable, I’m Not Even Half takes us on an odyssey of pick-me antics and self-discovery, where physical impact interrupts psychic patterns, forcing S to confront: what is worthy of faith and what is worthy of being gut-punched to hell?

Check them out to get your tickets now!
https://www.thebushwickstarr.org/

08/27/2026

This is an EXTRA SPECIAL friends that are working!!!👏

Our very first Mark Plesent Commission Fund recipient, John Dennis David Keane, has a premier of SIGNS OF SOLIDARITY at the Summer Shortcuts festival and it is being directed by TheaterWorks! Alum, Tim Main. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. Creating access to the arts so that all people, and especially working people, know that the theater is for them!

We are absolutely over the moon to be a part of these artists' community, and we hope you will find your way to Summer Shortcuts to support them.

The Open Eye Theater

08/13/2026

Don't Make us Dance; Part 3

At this point, we're going to have to admit that we do like dancing and if it works as a marketing tool than that's just a happy accident. Still pretty pumped about this new office and we can't wait to show it off. Housewarming party is loading for Sept. Stay tuned for more info!

08/10/2026

"Those that seek to divide us are not as powerful as the working people."

We have always believed that through theater we have the power to unite communities and create the world we want to see. Thank you to New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO President, Brendan Griffith, for sharing this thoughtful remarks about our work and the power of solidarity at this year's Bridge Awards and Benefit. We're looking forward to season 42 and all the ways we plan to embody this mission.

08/06/2026

but in a down to earth kind of way, ya know? 🤘

08/04/2026

And we have an amazing time doing it.

It may be the summer off-season, but Team WT is hard at work planning for a 42nd season that continues to bridge the gap between art and labor. If you're new here, welcome. If you've always been here, we can't wait to share what's coming up with you. And no matter who you are, we guarantee it's going to be a kick-ass time.

See you soon.

08/03/2026

Come enjoy a staged reading of cathartic comedy by Laura Neill on Friday, August 7 at 6:30pm at the Prospect Park Peristyle! This is a free way to see the show outdoors in Brooklyn before its ticketed run at the Tank August 24-Sept 4. This event is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.

August 7 event link: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/themoonrituals/the-moon-rituals-in-prospect-park

Address

138 South Oxford Street, Suite 2A
New York, NY
11217

Telephone

+1 212-244-3300

Website

http://www.theworkingtheater.org/

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