LAST UPDATED: 7/2/2025
Friends always ask me how I see so manyy 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. (But good news if you’re under 30, 35 or even 40: Quite a few theaters have great ticket discount programs.)1
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. I’ll annotate when it feels right: a star* means I have a ticket, two stars** means I liked it (or, honestly, a trusted friend-of-the-newsletter did) This letter will appear in your inbox when there’s enough worthy of an update. Otherwise, please check back regularly! If you’re looking to see something on stage (and off-Broadway) TODAY, check out Stage Spotlight NYC.
SEEN ANYTHING GOOD LATELY? REPLY TO THIS EMAIL & TELL ME! PLEASE!
currently running (and about to run)
All’s Well That Ends Well by William Shakespeare (June 3 — July 6, Central Park, The Battery & Carl Schultz Park)
When Helena—a brilliant, determined young woman—heals a king, she earns the right to choose her husband. But love isn’t so simple, and she must use wit, courage, and a daring plan to win the life she desires. Totally FREE. Reservations encouraged, not required.
WINNING IS WINNING by Hoi Polloi (July 3 — 13, JACK)*
In this kaleidoscopic dance-theater piece, over 20 performers depict a community reeling in the aftermath of the recent U.S. election.
The Gospel at Colonus by Lee Breuer (July 8 — 26, The Amph at Little Island)**
The epic myth of Oedipus is reborn as a Pentecostal ritual that remakes prophecy as testimony and brokenness as transcendence. A man condemned from birth searches for grace. A choir lifts him up. The congregation – the audience – bears witness to his tale. But here, tragedy is not an ending – it’s the road to deliverance.
ta-da! by Josh Sharp (July 7 — Aug 23, Greenwich House Theater)**2
A one-man comedy show inside of a manic 2000 slide Powerpoint. Expect dumb but erudite jokes and sad but sweet stories alongside the Herculean feat of stupidity that is memorizing a slide every 2.1 seconds.
The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin (Aug 30 – Sept 28, The Shed)
A modern-day fable about the bonds of brotherhood and life after incarceration. Ogun and Oshoosi Size are loyal brothers. But, when Oshoosi’s charismatic friend shows up, will he be tempted back to old habits?
Viola’s Room by Daisy Johnson & Punchdrunk (June 17 — Oct 19, The Shed)
An audio-driven journey through a moonlit fever dream. Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter, this haunting sensory experience invites you to explore a labyrinthine dreamscape where innocence unravels into obsession.
festivals & series
Summer Season 2025 at Marist University (July 11 - Aug 3)**
A really stunning line up if you’re willing to schlep up to Poughkeepsie — don’t miss new shows from Heather Christian, Dave Harris and Hansol Jung.
theater over $50 & probably worth it (and sometimes there’s a discount if you’re under 40, so check the fine print!)
Out of Order by Carl Holder (June 22 — July 27, East Village Basement)
Carl's written plays for 20 years, but when Carl turned 40, something strange happened—he couldn’t write plays anymore. So he made this instead. It’s a game. A challenge. A bowl of index cards, pulled at random, now controls his fate. Part play, part high-stakes game of emotional Russian Roulette.
Lowcountry by Abby Rosebrock (June 4 – July 13, The Atlantic)*
When Tally, a down-and-out actress and gig worker, returns to her rural hometown, she swipes right on a disgraced high-school teacher fresh out of an ankle bracelet. A dark, twisted romcom about the psychic distress of looking for love in the digital age and the carceral state.
Trophy Boys by Emmanuelle Mattana (June 5 — July 13, MCC Theater)
In a culture set on punishing and criticizing men for just existing, the Trophy Boys prepare for the final debate of their undefeated high school careers. Going up against their sister school, they get a debate topic so weighted there’s no way they could possibly win—or could they?
Prince Faggot by Jordan Tannahill (May 30 — Aug 3, The Peter Jay Sharp Theater)* [EXTENDEDx2]
In this meta-theatrical satire, an ensemble of queer, trans, and nonbinary performers reckon with how the forces of power, privilege, and colonization play upon their lives as the playwright offers a central provocation: what if queer people dared to imagine a future monarch having a life that resembled their own?
Dilaria by Julia Randall (June 13 — Aug 3, DR2 Theater)3
Overflowing with caustic humor, Dilaria explores the ecstasy and ennui of a generation raised on true crime, reality TV, and social media.
Angry Alan by Penelope Skinner (May 23 — Aug 3, Studio Seaview)
Roger is divorced, demoted, and drifting—lost in an era that no longer makes sense. But when an online personality promises clarity, Roger dives in without looking back.
Duke & Roya by Charles Randolph-Wright (June 10 — Aug 23, Lucille Lortel)
Discover the electrifying connection between Duke, an international hip-hop artist, and Roya, a fearless Afghan interpreter, who find love in the unlikeliest of places: war-torn Kabul.
Well, I'll Let You Go by Bubba Weiler (Jul 29 — Aug 29, Irondale)**
Set in a small Midwestern town, Well, I'll Let You Go is a portrait of a woman and a community in crisis. Alternately vast and personal in scope, shifting backwards and forwards in time, this expansive, yet incredibly intimate, debut play sifts through the rubble of a town, a marriage, and a life built on an American Dream that’s crumbled.
Endgame by Samuel Beckett (Oct 22 – Nov 23, Irish Arts Center)
In their 50th anniversary year, the celebrated Irish theatre company Druid return to New York with a masterpiece from the Irish theatrical canon.
This World of Tomorrow by Tom Hanks and James Glossman (Oct 30 — Dec 21, The Shed)
It’s the end of the 21st-century and Bert Allenberry is longing for the past. When Bert embarks on a time-traveling quest for true love, he returns—again, and again, and again—to one special day at the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, New York.
Quite a few theaters have “Under 30”, “Under 35” or “Under 40”! programs OR student discounts. Check for them when you’re buying tickets — for example, Manhattan Theatre Club’s 30 Under 35, HIPTIX at Roundabout (if you’re under 40!), Lincoln Center Theater’s LincTix for Under 35s, Second Stage Theatre’s $30 Under 30, Irish Rep’s GreenSeats for Under 35s, Playwrights Horizons’ 30 & Under Membership, Vineyard Theater’s 40 Under 40 (where for $40 (once) you can get any ticket to any show for $20), and New York City Center’s “Access Club” just extended their age limit from 35 to 40(!) — according to this TikToker. Other ways to get cheaper tickets: sign up for the theater’s newsletter (they’ll often send out codes for discounts) or check TodayTix.
Use code BARROW10 for $10 off most tickets, for performances July 7 - July 19.
Use code FRIENDS10 for 10% off tickets