notbroadway.theater
mostly plays, mostly new york city & only $50 (or under)
LAST UPDATED: 3/23/2023
ALWAYS UPDATING! CHECK BACK REGULARLY!
Friends always ask me how I see so many plays that they’ve never even heard of. The long answer is, “I get recommendations, pay attention to playwrights whose work I’ve liked in the past and most crucially, I also subscribe to (and skim) many, many individual theater’s newsletters.” The short answer is, “It’s weirdly hard and annoying!” And EXPENSIVE.
This is a free newsletter, but it’s also an ever-updating landing page and a list of what I’m seeing, as well as what I’d like to see in-theater. But I am not a theater critic! Just a fan. And I’ll annotate when it feels right: a star* means I have tickets and a double star** means I saw something and really enjoyed it. If something disappears from this list, wellllllll, it wasn’t that good. This letter will appear in your inbox when there’s enough worthy of an update. Otherwise, please check back! Now get out there and buy some theater tickets.
currently running (and about to run)
brainsmash by Sophie Weisskoff (March 2 - 19, The Hearth @ 59E59)
Elyria by Deepa Purohit (Feb 10 – March 19, Atlantic Theater Company)
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window by Lorraine Hansberry (Feb 2 - March 19, BAM)
The Jungle by Joe Murphy & Joe Robertson (Feb 18 – March 19, St Ann’s Warehouse)**
LOVE by Alexander Zeldin (Feb 25 - March 25, The Armory)**
sleeper by Morgaine Gooding-Silverwood (March 2 - 26, The Tank)
Sugar Daddy by Sam Morrison (March 3 - April 1, Soho Playhouse)
Pericles by Shakespeare and Others (Feb 25 - April 2, Target Margin Theater)* [EXTENDED]
How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla (Feb 22 - April 2, New York Theatre Workshop)*
MISTY by Arinzé Kene (March 3rd - April 2, The Shed)
Wolf Play by Hansol Jung (Feb 24 - April 2, MCC)** [EXTENDED]
HANG TIME by Zora Howard (Mar 16 - April 3, The Flea)
ROUGH TRADE by Kev Berry (March 17 - April 8, The Tank)
Lunch Bunch by Sarah Einspanier (March 15 - April 8, PlayCo)**
Sancocho by Christin Eve Cato (March 11 - April 9, WP Theater)
Public Obscenities by Shayok Misha Chowdhury (Feb 15 - April 16, Soho Rep)** [EXTENDED] [AGAIN]
Smart by Mary Elizabeth Hamilton (March 30 - April 23, Ensemble Studio Theatre)
Regretfully, So the Birds Are by Julia Izumi (March 27 - April 30, Playwrights Horizons)*
The Cotillion by Colette Robert (May 2 - 27, A.R.T./New York Theatres)*
festivals
Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks #26 by Various (May 18 - July 1, Wild Project)
…featuring works by ruth tang, Abe Koogler & Liza Birkenmeier.
theater over $50 & probably worth it
The Trees by Agnes Borinsky (Feb 12 – March 19, Playwrights Horizons)**
Letters From Max by Sarah Ruhl (thru March 19, Playwrights Horizons)
PUPPETOPIA by VARIOUS (March 8 - 25, HERE)
“Dream Music’s second annual puppetry festival will present new works. Artists Poncili Creación and The Daxophone Consort, Sachiyo Takahashi, gamin, Kalan Shh (enormousface), Tristan Allen, and It Figures will present their new creations for you.”
The Best We Could by Emily Feldman (Feb 6 - March 26, MTC)
The Seagull / Woodstock, NY by Thomas Bradshaw (and Chekhov) (Feb 7 - March 26, The Pershing Square Signature Center)
black odyssey by Marcus Gardley (Feb 9 - March 26, Classic Stage Company)**
Dark Disabled Stories by Ryan J. Haddad (Feb 28 - April 2, The Public) [EXTENDED]
Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage (Feb 21 - April 1, Keen Company @ Theater Five in Theatre Row)
The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler (Jan 26 - April 2, Roundabout Theater)** [EXTENDED]
The Coast Starlight by Keith Bunin (Feb 16 - April 16, Mitzi Newhouse Theater)**
A Simulacrum by Lucas Hnath (May 25 - June 25, The Atlantic Theater Company)*
ILLINOIS by Justin Peck and Jackie Sibblies Drury (June 23 - July 2, Fisher Center at Bard)
I’ll make an exception to my “no musicals” rule (it’s not really a rule), by including this show that is inspired by and uses music from Sufjan Steven’s perfect 2005 concept album, Illinois. He’ll never finish the states, but he will help make this potentially great show.
on the horizon
Grass by Branden Jacob-Jenkins (May 16 - June 25, Signature Theater)
This Land Was Made by Tori Sampson (May 18 - June 25, Vineyard)
The Doctor by Robert Icke (June 3 - Aug 19, Park Avenue Armory)
Quite a few theater companies have “Under 35” OR student discounts. I won’t be noting them here, but you should check for them when you’re buying tickets and you happen to be blessed with the gift of youth. (Or you have an active student ID.) Other ways to get cheaper tickets: sign up for the theater’s newsletter (they’ll often send out codes for discounts) or check TodayTix.
“$25 Access25 tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis beginning approx. 2 weeks before 1st performance.”
Don’t sleep on the completely affordable $85/year BAM membership perk that includes 50% off same-day theater tickets (for two!) for all performances.
LOVE has cheaper tickets if you’re under 30 (code: 30UNDER30), as well as RUSH tickets on TodayTix.com – more info here.
Cheaper tickets if you’re under 30 year old! Check the ticket site.
“The Flea offers a limited number of first-come, first-serve $20 tickets to all performances of HANG TIME."“
Playwrights has their own free Young Memberships for people under 35. If you’re a full time student (any age!) you can also get heavily discounted tickets.
“Buy three shows, get one FREE! The PUPPETOPIA Package includes a ticket to Deeper Closer Warmer, Mother Mold & Tin Iso and the Dawn, The Emotions, and Offal Unstory.”
And don’t sleep on MTC’s 30 Under 35 if you are indeed 35 and under.
Save $10 with the code SEAGULLTIME.
Get tickets for $27 with code WTG23.