Indie Theater Thursday – August 7
It’s Indie Theater Thursday!
We share upcoming indie theater shows/productions happening in New York City. These are submitted by members of the IndieSpace community.
The preview image for this email is from FRIGID New York, which is available for rentals.
Do you have an upcoming show to share? Use the Show/Production Sharing Form to share the details of your show/production with IndieSpace so that we can share with the community.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: The Meganne George Women's Work Short Play Festival
Location: New Perspectives Theatre
Dates: August 4-9
New Perspectives Theatre Company (NPTC) is pleased to announce Artificial Intelligence, our 17th Annual Women's Work Short Play Festival, running Monday, August 4 through Saturday, August 9, 2025. The Festival performs in two programs on an alternating schedule of 4:00pm and 8:00pm, with a combined program on August 9 at 2pm and 5pm.
The festival is comprised of six plays performed in two programs. Program A includes: Customs by Erin Moughon, directed by Melody Brooks; A Laugh Too Far by Yekta Khaghani, directed by Kristen Kelso; and The Future is Female by Melissa Maney, directed by Jennie Reich Litzky.
Program B includes: Bargaining CHIP by Teresa Mella Fogel, directed by Catalina Beltrán; The Manifestation of Sunny Black by Seshat Yon'Shea Walker, directed by Dani Ortiz, and Daisy Knows Best by Patricia Lynn, directed by Kristen Kelso. Rychard Curtiss is Production Designer and Ximena Morellón is Production Stage Manager.
Rogue Theater Festival
Location: the flea
Dates: August 4 to August 10 – Twenty Shows (Fully Staged, Staged Readings, and Short Plays)
Located in the heart of New York City, the Rogue Theater Festival stands as a beacon for theatrical innovation and creativity. Devoted to nurturing new voices and championing fresh perspectives, this dynamic festival serves as a platform for both emerging talents and seasoned artists to showcase their latest works.
With a commitment to inclusivity and diversity, Rogue Theater Festival welcomes submissions from playwrights of all backgrounds, fostering a vibrant community of storytellers who push the boundaries of conventional theatre. Since its inception, Rogue Theater Festival has been committed to fostering creativity, diversity, and innovation in theatre, both on and off the stage.
Chain NYC Film Fest Panel Series
Location: Chain Theatre
Date: The Chain NYC Film Festival is August 7-17
The Chain NYC Film Fest Panel Series is August 11, 16, and 17
Panels are free, Reservations required.
A series of free, in-person panels designed to educate, inspire, and build community among filmmakers during our 2025 festival, running August 7–17 at Chain Theatre in Midtown Manhattan
How to Market Your Film, 4th Floor Studio Theatre
Monday, August 11 at 6:30 PM
Learn how to build buzz and reach your audience with marketing and publicity expert Katie Rosin (Kampfire Films PR), who has helped guide indie films, Off-Broadway shows, and major benefit events to public success.
Navigating the Film Festival Circuit: A Filmmaker’s Perspective, 4th Floor Studio Theatre
Saturday, August 16 at 3:00 PM
Award-winning filmmakers Adrienne Acevedo Lovette and Brian Russell share tips on submitting, standing out, and staying sane as you take your work on the road.
Industry Panel with Geoffrey Cantor, 3rd Floor Mainstage Theatre
Sunday, August 17 at 2:00 PM
Actor and filmmaker Geoffrey Cantor (Daredevil, The Punisher) discusses the business of acting and producing in today’s landscape. Moderated by Festival Director Kirk Gostkowski.
Women’s Playwrights Collective: New Worlds & Not Forgotten Plays Festival
Location: Staten Island Playhouse
Date: New Worlds: August 8-10
Not Forgotten Plays: August 15-17
The mission of the Women’s Playwright Collective (WPC), founded in Staten Island in 2018, is to play one small part in the steady amplification of women’s voices in theatre. WPC believes that the showcasing of original, contemporary work is an essential component of any healthy, vibrant local arts community, and is emboldened by, and passionate about, bringing this energy and momentum to the local arts scene.
Jazz, Laughs & Burlesque
Location: Comedy In Harlem
Date: August 8
CSE returns with *Jazz, Laughs & Burlesque, featuring a live band, jazz vocalists, a comedic host, burlesque performances, and special guests.
Doors 10pm | Showtime 10:30pm
metamorphosis III
Location: Collapsable Hole
Dates: August 8 and 9
Collapsable Hole premieres metamorphosis III, a new, multi-episode dance performance by Bessie Award nominated choreographer, Stacy Grossfield.
This is the threequel to metamorphosis 2, presented at The Chocolate Factory Theater, 2024, and metamorphosis - presented at The Kitchen as part of the Dance and Process series in 2019.
Stacy Grossfield’s new dance/theater work will be presented monthly in 4 evolving episodes.
The work is situated throughout Collapsable Hole’s black box theater, for an intentionally limited audience and begins outside in the Westbeth complex on the Bank Street side.
Two for One
Location: The Tank NYC
Date: August 9
Two for One explores maternal bonds and entanglement in post-war Germany through a haunting, multi-media performance. As memories spin into an ever-growing, intertwining, spiraling spider web, the audience is invited to witness the final moment between mother and daughter. Will the mother ever let go? Can the daughter ever break free? “Women can’t master the other, but to give master to themselves.” She screams - out of pleasure, out of caprice.
Significant Contacts
Location: The Tank
Date: August 10
In the wake of mass loss — of life, sustenance, and water — the world order has collapsed. Governments have crumbled, leaving only civilians and the military locked in yet another war. The United States has become a barren wasteland.
Diana Winters lives in solitude on the fringes of this fractured world... until a soldier collapses in what was once her driveway. She brings him, Larkin, into her shelter. But with him comes uncertainty. Is he a threat, a lifeline, or something else entirely? As Diana navigates her first significant contact in years, trust and survival hang in the balance.
Sincerely,
Location: Soho Playhouse
Date: August 10
Sincerely, is a one-act play about sixteen year old Alex, who, after a mental health crisis, finds herself in a psychiatric ward left with only letters addressed to her best friend and confidant, Liam. As the line between memory and reality blurs, Alex navigates friendship, identity, and the painful process of letting go.
The Broken Lute
Location: The Back Room (speakeasy LES)
Date: August 12
Use code 'indie' for 30% off tix!
It's 1915 and Anthony Patch, son of Wall Street tycoon-turned Prohibitionist Adam J. Patch, is having one last hurrah. Drink along with him as the party of the decade unfolds in real time, all right in front of your eyes.
The show is performed in a real speakeasy. It's not marked or visible from the street. Follow the sign for the "Lower East Side Toy Company", go down the stairs, through the alley, and you'll soon hear the sounds of jazz. And don't worrry, if someone rats on us and the coppers get called....all of the drinks are served in teacups and paper bags. Those proposers of the 18th Amendment won't catch us!
Ghost Writer, an Abolitionist's Tale premieres at the 2025 Broadway Bound Theater Festival
Location: AMT Theater
Dates: August 13, 14, and 16
The August 14 performance includes a talkback with playwright after the show
July 1833. Kellington, New York. As the state prepares to celebrate the end of slavery within its borders, a famed novelist and company arrive to this bustling port town—ostensibly to promote his literary success. But beneath the public applause and sale of books lies a secret mission: to liberate a cargo of enslaved Negroes, orchestrated by the town’s unscrupulous mayor. Secrets will be revealed and threaten to destroy many a reputation. As alliances fray and masks slip, the question lingers: who will pay the price for freedom?
RETROSPECTIVE, A new comedy
Location: AMT theater
Dates: August 13, 15, and 16
The question puzzling famous painter, Rory McGrory, in Retrospective is ‘Asleep or Afterlife? Rory, who may or may not be dreaming, encounters his first wife and two other frenemies from his past amidst a show of his work. This mischievous menage a trois claim to their reluctant plus one they just want to help him get to next while he just wants to wake up. Which will it be? Either way --sleeping giggles or eternal laughter -- you will enjoy meeting these spirits.
Much Ado About Nothing
Location: El Barrio's ArtSpace PS109
Dates: August 14-24
Benedick and Beatrice have history. Big, messy, will-they-won’t-they, love/hate history. The best kind, am I right? And everyone knows it. So when Benedick, along with the regiment of soldiers he belongs to returns to Leonato’s four star resort in Messina, where Beatrice happens to be living, things are about to get fun. Oh, there’s also Claudio and Hero, who totally have the hots for each other but aren’t ever going to make a move- without a little help. And then there’s Don John, he’s gorg but likes to cause a little (well, a lot) of trouble. And all taking place at a beautiful beachside resort? It’s giving White Lotus- we just hope everyone makes it out alive.
After the smashing success of last summer’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, Tier5 is ecstatic to bring another of Shakespeare’s iconic comedies to life and put their signature twist on this classic about rumors, gossip, falling in love, and falling out of it.
So grab your suntan lotion, a big floppy hat, and join us at the beach (or El Barrio) for another summer of Shakespeare like you’ve never seen it before!
Echoes of Her
Location: Arts On Site NYC
Date: August 16 at 6:30pm and 8:30pm
"Echoes of Her", a performance dedicated to uplifting and celebrating female voices in dance.
From emerging talent to seasoned artists, Echoes of Her will give women the platform they deserve to present their work in front of a vibrant and supportive community. This is more than a performance—it's a step toward equal representation in the dance world and an opportunity for artists to grow and thrive.
The evening will feature works from Gemma Bond, Katy E. Cashin, Maia Culbreath, Kailei Sin, Michelle Thompson, and Amanda Treiber.
Checkmark's 2025 Summer Reading Series
Location: INTAR Theatre
Dates: August 18, 21, and 22
Tickets are free!
Checkmark's presenting our second, annual Summer Reading Series of three new plays written and directed by artists of the global majority!
When we decided to reopen our doors, we knew the best way to do so was to welcome as many new artists into the Checkmark fold as possible. That’s why we began producing an annual, Summer Reading Series and, this year, we are workshopping three new plays by Abigail C. Onwunali, Megan Chan Meinero, and Esperanza Rosales Balcárcel.
Each piece is provided with rehearsal space, casting resources, and dramaturgical support, culminating in a public presentation for industry and community members alike. Most importantly, every artist involved is paid $26/hour so Checkmark can role model what equitable, community-driven new work development looks like for the industry at large.
Three Cis-ters
Location: The Tank
Date: August 21
In this modern, queer adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s classic play, Three Cis-ters follows the Prozorov family through their unfulfilled dreams in their provincial Russian town. Unhappy unions lead to clandestine affairs, clandestine affairs crash and burn, a gun goes off, and tragedy strikes.
Bedtime Stories: A Dreamy Experience
Location: The Hidden Jewel Box Theater
Dates: August 22 and 23
Tucked away in a hidden location revealed only to ticket holders, this immersive performance invites you into a living storybook. Dancers emerge from the trees, fairy tales and folklore are brought to life in an intimate evening of whimsy, beauty and enchantment.
Bedtime Stories is a love letter to the nights when the air feels heavy with wonder and heat, and every shadow holds a sexy secret. Come step into our dream.
This special event takes place at The Hidden Jewel Box, a clandestine speakeasy nestled snugly in Manhattan’s Theater District.
Tucked away in a secret corner of the Theater District, The Hidden Jewel Box is a space like none other, a bohemian haven mixing decorative elements drawing from Rococo paintings, Victorian boudoirs, 1970s discotheques and Grimm fairy tales. Get your tickets now and become part of the secret, only at The Hidden Jewel Box Theater. The location of the theater is strictly on a need-to-know basis and will be revealed only to those who have purchased tickets to a show. Exact location and instructions for theater entrance will be emailed upon ticket purchase.
Tickets are limited. Each ticket comes with 2 refreshments.
Vamos A Reir Un Poco (Let’s laugh a little)
Location: Open Jar Studios
Date: August 23
Note: This staged reading is free.
Rick goes on a funny and heartfelt journey reflecting on his childhood to fatherhood.
His vivid memories growing up in Brooklyn, New York and colorful characters, embraces the highs and lows of his life.
Rick is faced with the fears of becoming a father, while revisiting the anger and abandonment of not having his father around.
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark
Location: 14Y Blackbox
Dates: August 29 and 30
Note: Tickets are pay as you can!
Hamlet: Prince of Denmark is an original adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet co-created by Cary Sasso and Ryan Dukes which reimagines the titular prince as a ftm transgender teenager.
Picking up on strong affinity queer teens have for Hamlet - he's something of an icon for trans youth - this adaptation asks the question: what if Hamlet was not a prince at all, but a transgender teenager using Shakespeare's text to cope with his grief and isolation, framing the people in his life as queens, kings, and lords and himself as the heroic Prince of Denmark as part of a desperate quest for meaning and dignity? As the story progresses and Hamlet begins to lose his grip on reality, the line between Hamlet's imposed Shakespearean narrative and the underlying reality begins to blur, leaving Hamlet alone with his hoodie, his taped-together paper crown which the other characters constantly try to destroy, and his faltering princely persona to navigate a hostile world of genuine royalty hell-bent on ripping away his sense of identity.
Tree Confessions
Location: Site-specific audio play for a tree on Governors Island
Dates: Anytime! It is self-scheduled audio play: scan the QR code, find a tree, and press play on the audio!
It is free for the entire summer on Governors Island.
See poster with QR code! Audiences can scan the QR code, which leads them to the play.
Trees talk! In a landmark study, a scientist learned everything about how trees communicate. — Or did she? One tree tells the story of what really happened, reminding us that human beings and plants live in one interconnected ecosystem.
Presenting the world’s first play told entirely from the point of view of a tree. To experience this site-specific audio play, find a tree near you, sit under it (or nearby), press play, and listen to the tree’s confessions.