Upcoming Indie Theater – August 7
Each week, we share upcoming indie theater shows and productions in New York City. These are submitted by members of the IndieSpace community.
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.
For more coverage of indie theater in New York, please visit New York Theatre Review.
The preview image is from JACK, which is available for rentals.
Higher Than a Body
Venue: wild project
Dates: August 7 & 8
Performance art meets supernatural satire in a special work-in-progress presentation of Higher Than A Body, a new solo performance written, composed, and performed by multidisciplinary artist Neil Totton. Developed in residence at wild project, this showing invites audiences into a memory set to music, packed with humor, sass, and deep introspection.
Occupation: Meganne George Women's Work Short Play Festival
Venue: New Perspectives Studio
Dates: August 7 & 8
Named after Meganne George, who served as Resident Production Designer at NPTC for 19 years and was instrumental in creating its structure and design elements, the festival presents original short plays developed in NPTC's Women's Work LAB which takes writers from the first impulse for their play to a rehearsed and staged performance for live audiences, all within six months. There is no other program of its kind in New York City. All themes stem from the social and political discourse percolating in the U.S. at the start of a new LAB. Occupation was inspired by the presence of ICE agents in multiple cities, global conflicts and the changing realities of the job market in the U.S. As always, each writer found her own take on this theme, enabling the creation of plays that are as unique and diverse as the talented writers themselves.
Welcome to Mountport
Venue: 145 W 28th Street, 3rd Floor
Dates: August 7 & 14
Welcome to Mountport is a fully staged version of Dropout's Game Changer episode, "Official Cast Recording." Originally the setting of a fully improvised musical on a game show, the town of Mountport will soon be just a train ride away in NYC. Join Alexa, a baseball-playing girl, as she explores a mountain-seaside town full of music and small-town charm but sadly lacking in tuna fish. Can Alexa prove herself before the maybe-evil Tina and her sidekick, Pinocchio, tear her down?
The Potluck
Venue: Soho Rep and INTAR
Dates: Now through August 9
Solidarity is just another kind of queerness. In 1979, five labor organizers were murdered at a protest in the streets of Greensboro, NC, by members of the KKK and the American Nazi Party. A year later, César James Alvarez was born into the survivor community and named for two of the victims. 37 years after that, César got a commission to write a musical about the Greensboro Massacre, but it turned into a show about ghosts… and capitalism…and how to recuperate from trauma that happened to you before you were even born. The Potluck is a new musical featuring a 12 person intergenerational cast that conjures the soft side of the revolution, and tells a story about what to do when the government is actually trying to kill you.
Real Estate
Venue: The Brick
Dates: August 6-14
After a two week sold out run in January for the Exponential Festival, Real Estate returns to the Brick Theater! The play follows two men through a highly physical and lowly written journey of love. David and Robert are constantly moving; moving houses, moving bodies and moving against their desires. Their push and pull dynamic spins out through dance, turning their awkward dialogue into a romantic ballet, a club dance and a cartoon chase. As the duo continues to find themselves in the wrong place, they draw closer to a fantasy beyond language, gesture and time.
Woyzeck
Venue: Modern Sweater
Dates: Now through August 19
Adult Film will present Woyzeck by Georg Büchner, translated by the late and storied American actor, John Christopher Jones, directed by international director Seth Bockley (2666, Gilgamesh) Summer of Blood!! Woyzeck will be the inaugural production at Modern Sweater, a former sweater factory in the heart of the independent arts capital of New York, Ridgewood. Joining the Adult Film company members is Randall Jaynes, who served as a Blue Man and the Senior Artistic Director with Blue Man Group for over two decades. Woyzeck will present a site-specific exploration of class conflict and madness. A rock musical devising lyrics from 1830s Germany. A horror story through a humanist lens.
Lilith
Venue: The Tank
Date: Now through August 22
Before Eve, there was Lilith—the first woman, who would not bow to Adam or to God’s order. Yet love ties her to the garden as she and Eve forge a bond of desire and defiance. Lilith, a new play by Adina Aaron and directed by Samantha Ozeas, is a new interpretation of the myth that investigates the gender dynamics, narratives about desire, and embrace of duality which continues to define our culture.
The Vessel
Venue: 59E59 Theaters
Dates: Now through August 23
The Vessel is inspired by the controversial honeycomb-like Hudson Yards attraction, which first opened to the public in 2019 and subsequently faced numerous closures due to fatal incidents at the site. The play follows three parks employees working together in that same timeline as the apathetic structure looms over their lives. It is written and directed, respectively, by Drama Desk nominated duo Brendan George and Peter Charney, and features Anastasia Locke, Will Ingram, and Sofonyas, each making their Off-Broadway debut.
The Infinite Wrench
Venue: Asylum NYC (123.E 24th St)
Dates: August 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 29, and 30
The Infinite Wrench is a barrage of 30 short plays the cast attempts to perform within a single hour in a race against the clock. Each play offers something different, be it funny, profound, elegant, disgusting, topical, irrelevant, terrifying, or even a dance or a song. All are truthful and tackle the here-and-now, inspired by the lived experiences of the performers. With new plays every week, The Infinite Wrench is the Neo-Futurists’ ongoing and ever-changing attempt to shift the conventions of live performance and speak to audiences, including those unreached or unmoved by traditional theater.
ISLA
Venue: WP Theater
Dates: August 8-29
ISLA, a new full-length work from the acclaimed theater company Hit The Lights!, is a Latin American coming-of-age story, featuring a full original songbook and a live Latin jazz-influenced score. Cinematic projections, recorded interviews and an extended cast of handmade shadow puppets illustrate the exquisite craft of HTL’s technical team. ISLA’s immersive set is a kinetic picture book in a state of continuous transformation that reveals the magic possibilities of one immigrant family's journey.
Wild is the Witch
Venue: Arts on Site
Date: August 9
“Wild is the Witch” includes two pieces that explore themes of feminine power, healing, and connectivity. “When I die, put me in the earth” is inspired by a desire to decompose after death and return to the ecosystem, rather than being preserved or cremated. “A Spell of Breaking” portrays a coven as they rebuild and reclaim their power after a tragedy. We invite you to come own your power, feel the magic, and remember that endings are also beginnings.
Lunaticus
Venue: The Tank
Date: August 10
When sudden spells of aphasia and mysterious blackout episodes lead to a life-changing neurological diagnosis, Danielle is left to navigate an escalating disability while sorting through her relationships, confronting her mortality, and reckoning with an unexpectedly fractured sense of self. LUNATICUS is a quirky, nuanced, deeply personal take on one of humanity’s most ancient and most misunderstood afflictions. This brand-new solo show dives deep into a real-life story of epilepsy, a condition that's been remarkably underexplored in the American theatre. Despite affecting humans for thousands of years, the experience of epilepsy remains shrouded in mystery and marred by misunderstanding. Danielle Allen’s autobiographical tale of the adult-onset epilepsy that upended her life aims to shed light on the diversity of epileptic experiences while reminding us of the power that comes with speaking our stories out loud.
Ad Hominem
Venue: The Tank
Date: August 11
NYU’s Parliamentary Debate Society has made it to the 2035 World Universities Debating Championship, under the leadership of their go-getter president Bleecker, whose years-long rivalry with Oxford Union president Fish‘N’Chips has been the only thing standing between her and WUDC victory. This year’s championship is a little bit different now that K-pop idol Jungkook has been crowned the Emperor of the World, as he’s set to be the chief judge of the event—meaning every single corporation is sponsoring the event, and every single streaming platform will be broadcasting WUDC internationally. Teams NYU and Oxford must claw their way to the top through debates and minigames alike, all while their presidents fight back feelings for each other.
Replaced!
Venue: The Tank
Date: August 12
Replaced! is a surrealist sci-fi tragicomedy following a young woman identified only as a Daughter who returns to her hometown to find that everyone in it has been replaced by aliens. Hailed as “an invigoratingly surreal body-snatching narrative” by Thinking Theater and “a smart and earnest piece” with “a lot of fun physical absurdity” by Hi! Drama, Replaced! is back for one night only at The Tank on August 12th at 9:30pm. Come out and join us. We’ll get you in the end anyway.
The Hex Pistols! (Part of Little Shakespeare 2026)
Venue: Under St. Marks
Dates: August 12 & 16
“The Hex Pistols!” is a rock opera starring the witches of Macbeth as the titular punk band. This alternative perspective of the Shakespearean tragedy follows the witches as they taunt the other characters and mock their misfortunes through song and spooky hijinks.
MOONBODIES
Venue: The Tank AND The Makers Space (Williamsburg)
Dates: August 13 and 20-22
Space Cowgirl Productions is proud to announce the workshop premiere of MOONBODIES, an Oliver Kelly Award–winning new play written by Halley Platz and directed by Lauren Winnenberg. Following a staged reading at The Flea Theater as part of the Rogue Theatre Festival (July 12, 2026), MOONBODIES receives its fully staged world premiere at The Tank (August 13, 9:30 PM) and continues for a four-performance run at The Makers' Space in Brooklyn (August 20–23, 2026). MOONBODIES is an erotic horror love story set in a near-future New York City that feels uncomfortably close. When Shelley enrolls in an experimental drug trial that transforms her into a werewolf, the only catch is that she has to eat. A volatile, surreal, and deeply funny play about two people changing shape in a world obsessed with making everyone smaller — body horror, puppetry, and two people falling apart and back together in a city that is literally made of bodies. The show centers actors of size, foregrounds queer and neurodivergent voices, and lets the weird, the grotesque, and the tender all live in the same room.
The Bathroom Attendant
Venue: 124 Bank Street Theater
Date: August 13-30
At a ramshackle apartment on the outskirts of Vegas, a pair of neighbors, a former fighter and an ex-porn star, are visited by a young man with a secret and an offer they can’t refuse. Booze, betrayal and blackmail ignite an explosive night that will change their lives forever, in this dark comic thriller.
The Heat
Venue: The Rat
Date: August 14
In the alley behind a mediocre Italian restaurant, four line cooks take breaks whenever they can. Their professional and personal lives clash, with passions put into question in the wake of an absent chef and hectic services. Over the course of three days, they each struggle to find peace amidst the chaos in and out of the kitchen.
Your Queen Presents: PETRUS
Venue: United Palace
Date: August 14
YOUR QUEEN PRESENTS: PETRUS is a darkly comic solo performance blending drag, clown, and magical theatricality to uncover the true story behind Beauty and the Beast. Queen Catherine de’ Medici attempts to summon the life of Petrus Gonsalvus, a Canary Islander with hypertrichosis who was taken to the French court in the 16th century and transformed into a spectacle. Created and performed by fellow Canary Islander Edu Díaz, the piece combines historical material and absurdity to explore power, displacement, and the manufacture of monsters. This new iteration will be presented at the United Palace in New York before traveling to Cannonball at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Chunxiang: A Queer Musical
Venue: Glow Cultural Center
Date: August 15
YOUR QUEEN PRESENTS: PETRUS is a darkly comic solo performance blending drag, clown, and magical theatricality to uncover the true story behind Beauty and the Beast. Queen Catherine de’ Medici attempts to summon the life of Petrus Gonsalvus, a Canary Islander with hypertrichosis who was taken to the French court in the 16th century and transformed into a spectacle. Created and performed by fellow Canary Islander Edu Díaz, the piece combines historical material and absurdity to explore power, displacement, and the manufacture of monsters. This new iteration will be presented at the United Palace in New York before traveling to Cannonball at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
POPS
Venue: The Tank
Date: August 15
Twins Michael and Michaela and their mother Dot have all reunited in their small Southwest town following the untimely passing of their estranged father. Each lost in their own way, they each secretly turn to the arms of the same mysterious escort, "The Man" in order to help them discover, through their own strange means, what it means to be free.
BLACKOUT
Venue: The Tank NYC
Date: August 17
We fight to become someone new, but what if we're destined to repeat the very lives we're trying to escape? Set during a hurricane in Florida, BLACKOUT is a gripping family drama that blends Reiki, queerness, generational trauma, and Latine identity into an intimate yet universal story about love, pain, and the cycles we struggle to break.
Party Girl
Venue: The Tank
Dates: August 20 & 22
Party Girl is the one woman show of your dreams! This girl just wants to have fun and be sexy! And never think about the economy. Or death. After years of losing love, scraping by at minimum wage, and smoking weak-ass weed, she's determined to have the most fabulous night ever, at any cost. Even blood.
Half World
Venue: The Chain
Dates: August 20-23
Through the twisty rhizomes of online chatter and Discord servers, internet friends Bianca and Izzy lament the loss of their pop-culture tether, before the internet pushes them in different and unexpected directions.
Welcome to Clowntown
Venue: Brooklyn Art Haus
Date: August 27
Picture this: you wander into an adorable birthday party-balloons, bright colors, giggling kids- when Pixie the Clown rolls in, beams sweetly, and pops a balloon with suspicious delight: “Awwww, may it rest in pieces.” And just like that, you’re launched into a rock ’n’ roll ride through Tanya Perez’s outrageous true stories of hustling as a party clown in NYC and Hollywood. Fresh off its Orlando Fringe Festival run, Welcome to Clowntown is an NSFW interactive clown show where Pixie spills the wild stuff (like getting chased by a gang) while roping consenting audience members into unhinged party games. This mad‑capped adventure blends oral storytelling, clown chaos, and the survival grind of a Latina entertainer whose alter ego says the quiet part out loud about this topsy‑turvy world.
Dirty Bird
Venue: ErF Gallery
Dates: September 4-20
Summer. A family gathers. And for no good reason, destroys one another. A forensic examination of the transcendence and violence of desire, the insatiable need to discover new forms of human expression and the brutal aches that shape us… a traverse to endure amongst the moments of neon lightening and jagged wounds. Dirty Bird is a radical new adaptation of Chekhov’s The Seagull by writer / director Whit Flint, with a score built around artists like Bowie, the Pixies, and the Zombies.
Persephone: A Garden Between Worlds
Venue: Newtown Creek Nature Walk Phase 3
Dates: October 3, 4, 10, and 11
Journey into the underworld via our immersive reimagining of the Persephone myth. Pulling on the aesthetic traditions of "Viola’s Room" and "Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy", attendees will wander through a fantastical outdoor location in Greenpoint during this intimate adventure. As Homer narrates the tale of Persephone’s kidnapping by the Queen of the Underworld, dancers and large-scale installations bring the myth to life.