Staff Picks No. 136
Fork’s Amazing Day : Jove Tripp-Thompson, Ryan Hartley, Cowtow
First Look Series at TheaterLab
February 20th-21st 2026
There’s a lotta doggy stuff going on in 2026 theater… It is too early to say what it’s all about. All I know is, I was told this show was “surprisingly sensual”. What does that mean?! I want to know! So, please attend and then report back!
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
THE MALL THE MALL THE MALL : Philip Kenner, James Wyrwicz, Christian & Eliza Lange, Liz Coulter, Ellie Berry, Benny Pitt, Vittoria Orlando, Patricia Marjorie, Kurt Cruz, & Daniel Light
The Tank
February 26th-March 22nd 2026
Do you remember the mall? My dad and I used to go to Kings Plaza when I was a wee lad and I can still remember the smell of sugared treats wafting through the awfully shiny halls. Children of the mall, come to the Tank for a story of conspiracy, evil, and merch. American capitalism's cannibalization of third spaces is the ultimate theatrical conspiracy, really.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Florist : Florist w/ Hello Shark
Le Poisson Rouge
Saturday February 21st 2026
I come to Florist’s music via the brilliant, tender, hazy instrumental ambient of Emily Sprague. Here Sprague leads a four piece indie folk ensemble with that same softness, but with a dash of groove, longing, tension, and gorgeous caring vocals. The band will perform their first two albums (now a decade old) and I’m stoked to get to see these songs live. Hello Shark opens. Come through!
Staffer: Joshua Dumas
The Shit Show : Kachonk (Suz Murray)
LifeWorld
Wednesday March 4th 2026
You had me at "anal retentive clown" and "Kachonk." Two nights only.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
remini,scent : Chaesong Kim, Soo Young Choi, Manatsu Tanaka, Fernando Moya Delgado, Sam Morreale, Begüm Inal, Andrew Agress, Anthony S. Dean, Hope Kay, Taeuk Kang, Esther Chilson, Ari Kim, Pa:nStori Productions
Moonzescope
February 14th - March 8th 2026
This one’s crazy. Kind of daunting, entirely intriguing, and nothing less than bold. Performances are limited to two audience members (!) connected by a literal thread (!!) and led blindfolded (!!!) through a space that’s been thoroughly scent designed (!!!!). Simultaneous sensory heightening and deprivation, intimate touch, acts of vulnerability… as a woman well-versed in the power of sensory sensitivity, I’m thrilled by this.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
showbabies : a brick fundraiser for brick shows. : too many artists to possibly list
The Brick Theater
Sunday March 8th from noon to midnight 2026
This is a 12-hour performance party FUNdraiser for Baby Butcher Choke for Free and Meaghan Robichaud Is The Greatest Show On Earth. 12-hour events are bonkers and I suggest you go for the entire thing. And then also go to the shows that it is raising funds to support, obviously. I have no idea what will go on at this.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
***No ticket link available so just show up
Experiments with Ca Trù : Anh Vo, Jessica Pavone, gabby fluke-mogul, Marija Kovačević, Barley Nortion
Roulette
Wednesday March 4th 2026
Anh Vo brings together contemporary and Ca Trù musicians in what sounds like a unique music-dance hybrid that only a place like Roulette can foster. A traditional form of music from Vietnam, Ca Trù was banned after the communist revolution in Vietnam due to associations with immoral & transgressive behavior - here, Anh Vo brings together experimental dance, once-banned music, and new perspectives to bring us something new. I think it will be one of a kind.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Two Girls: a homeric retelling in the oral tradition : Eliya Smith, The Goat Exchange (Mitchell Polonsky & Chloe Claudel), Juliana Jass, Forest Entsminger, Finn Bamber, Kerrigan Quenemoen
Ars Nova
Thursday February 19th 2026
So....this is definitely sold out and you should waitlist it. BUT! I think it'll be worth the try: the Goat Exchange adapts (with GRIEF CAMP scribe and DEADCLASS, OHIO co-creator Eliya Smith) the internet's most infamous porno. A homeric retelling in the oral tradition....the references write themselves, people. If you missed their Woolf-ian sharknado, TIME PASSES, luck you, you've got another shot at seeing what these guys come up with.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Seconding Reuven! Waitlist this one! Also, maybe Ars will bring it back? Can that happen? As a person who did not grow up with the internet, Two Girls, One Cup was very formative for me re my experience with “finding stuff online”. In the hands of this team? I feel like I would be finding stuff anew…
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Liberty Scrap : Christine Masciotti, T. Ryder Smith
CultureLab LIC
March 5th-29th 2026
Christine Masciotti returns with a new work about a young woman working in a scrap metal workhouse trying to survive the day-to-day, only for the forces of immigration and family to turn her life upside down. Color me intrigued.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Pincushion Puppet Club Puppet Slam : Pincushion Puppet Club
Seventh Heaven
Sunday February 22nd 2026
Take a chance on Pincushion Puppet Club’s upcoming free puppet slam! The lineup for this one is a mystery, but I know that Pompom Pirate is involved, which is more than enough to sell me on any event. Pincushion also has a track record of shows featuring enchantingly grotesque puppets, and I’m know there’s quite a few of you who would be perfect audience members for them. Once again: 2026 is the year of the puppet!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Psychotherapy LIVE! with Dr. Lisa : Lisa Levy
LifeWorld
Thursday February 26th 2026
If these grey winter months have got you down, I prescribe you a visit to Dr. Lisa, who is not a doctor. However, “despite being unlicensed”— her words, not mine— she’s achieved a rich performance career out of therapizing audience members onstage. There’s a world in which this is used to sinister means, but I don’t get the sense that that’s what’s going on here. I need whoever goes to this to report back to me ASAP.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Giddy-Yup! Year of the Horse Drag Show : Tuna Melt, Chad Rangoon, Dill Dough King, Bacterial Vaginosis, Prince Adoring, Scarlett Menass, Zz Chic, Pissy Print
pinkFROG Cafe
Tuesday March 3rd 2026
Start your Year of the Horse off on the right hoof with this all-APINH drag show. This lineup looks deeply silly and horny as hell, which are the vibes I am personally invoking for the year ahead. Wear red!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener