Go See a Show‪!‬ Robert A. K. Gonyo

Listen in as the director of Lost Sock Laundry, Madelyn Chapman, along with the full cast—Jesse Castellanos, Michelle Feza Kuchuk, Fernando Mateo, Jr., Haneen Arafat Murphy, Maria Peyramaure, & Yasmin Ranz-Lind—discuss variations on the immigrant experience, finding the political in the quotidian, theatre in/of/for the community, laundry jokes, cast bonding, actual lost socks, and the freedom to play.

“…it’s a very human play. It’s looking at the day-to-day life of folks who are struggling with different aspects of the immigrant experience…The sort of ordinary heroism that is in the play…people just do that in life, and it’s not sung very much, the ways that people stand up for each other.”



UP Theater Company presents

Lost Sock Laundry

written by Ivan Faute

directed by Madelyn Chapman

thru April 27, 2024

Fort Washington Collegiate Church

729 West 181st Street

Manhattan

tickets: $15–25, available via EventCombo

photos by Jody Christopherson

Listen in as Dorothea Gloria, Joe Staton, Natasha Jain, Francesca Bolam, Kevin Rios, Jandel Camilo, Mila Besson, Nicholas Bompart, and Pablo Gatto of RiffRaff NYC‘s Immigrants in New York short play festival discuss mother-daughter relationships, unpacking baggage, why clowns, the superpowers bestowed by costumes, personifying statues, and wearing masks over masks.

“…I wanted to show their lives, their dreams, their feelings…for me, it was important to show these professions, also…sometimes we take for granted, there are people who do it for passion, and some of them, they do it because they need to bring in money…”



RiffRaff NYC presents

Immigrants In New York,

a showcase of 5 short plays

Dream Card

written by Francesca Bolam

directed by Joseph Fusco

Funland

written by Russell Legaspi

directed by Guelan Luarka

Lady Liberty

written & directed by Nicholas Bompart

Pizza From Nowhere

written & directed by Cara Ronzetti

Raw

written by Kevin Rios

directed by Mila Besson

March 8–10, 2024

Court Square Theater

44-02 23rd Street

Long Island City





photos by Hraban Luyat

Listen in as Warrior Sisters of Wu performers Nancy Ma, Kim Wuan, David Lee Huynh, & Vin Kridakorn discuss navigating and connecting times and traditions, how conflicts can grow relationships and solve problems, respect and love for the audience, the changing moment when you discover your character’s love for another, fighting as conversation, grounding your role in the personal, and the permission to be anything and everything.

“…a great deal of love should be able to hold conflict…”



Pan Asian Repertory Theatre presents

Warrior Sisters of Wu

written by Damon Chua

directed by Jeff Liu

fight choreography by Michael G. Chin

thru March 10, 2024

A.R.T./New York

502 W 53rd Street

Manhattan

tickets: $65 regular, $50 senior, $30 student, available via OvationTix

photos by Russ Rowland

Listen in Deadly Stages co-authors Mark Finley (who directs) and Marc Castle (who portrays the glamorous Veronica Traymore), along with fellow performer Dani Marcus (Phoebe/Connie), discuss love of old movies, where reality meets camp, red herrings, writing like directors, pulling in new company members, pre-determined tracks, and finally getting a chance to collaborate.

“…I love when theatre doesn’t apologize for itself…”



Emerging Artists Theatre, in association with No Anita No Productions, presents

Deadly Stages

written by Marc Castle and Mark Finley

directed by Mark Finley

thru March 16, 2024

Theatre Five at Theatre Row

410 W. 42nd Street

Manhattan

tickets: $67.50 via Building For the Arts, $35 on TDF, with $20 student rush tickets available









photos by Stephen Webster

Listen in as the adapter/director of New Relic Theatre’s production of Sophocles, Eliza Palter, along with composer Paul Rochford and performers Thammie Laine Quách, Eli Wassertzug, & Ana Prí, discuss Swedish pop musical inspiration, creating otherworldly characters, deep research, discovering levity, and moving Antigone to Viking culture.

“I think there is something so beautiful about making theatre for young people, and showing them that centuries and centuries and centuries ago, humans were just as vivid and complex, queer, complicated, as shameful as we are now. And bringing, especially young audiences, into the theater, and see the sweat on people from times of yore, see them struggle, see them be embarrassed, see them grapple with big ideas…”



New Relic Theatre presents

Antigone

written by Sophocles

adapted & directed by Eliza Palter

thru February 25, 2024

TheaterLab

357 W. 36th Street, 3rd Floor

Manhattan

tickets: $40, available via OvationTix

Listen in as Tourist Trap writer Elijah Guo, director Dylin Taylor, and performers Marsha Yuan, Misako Yamagishi, & Anthony Naranjo discuss the absurdity of unbelonging, the universality of beans, the authority of tour/play guides, and where physical space meets the ephemeral.

“…we spoke about the idea of how definitions of ‘Asian-ness,’ we didn’t necessary relate to them, or like, resonate with them. But we still identified as Asians, and we’re seen as Asians…so it’s, creating work that we do resonate with, that is Asian. And I don’t know that it’s us trying to be different, we’re trying to expand…”

“I know what it is: we’re Asian. It’s not a non-Asian writing about Asian. So it’s not, like, [insert stereotypical music here]—you don’t hear that in the background. It’s real life stories, real personalities…”



The 2024 Chain Theatre Winter One-Act Festival presents

Tourist Trap

written by Elijah Guo

directed by Dylin Taylor

thru February 22, 2024

Chain Theatre

312 W 36 St 4th Floor

4th Floor

Manhattan

tickets: $22 in advance, $25 at the tour, available via chaintheatre.org