Staff Picks No. 142
Radio Radio or I Do Like It, As Does Kate : Jesse Bonnell, Ugo Chukwu, Lucy Kaminsky, Aaron Murtagh, Gabriella Rhodeen, Annie Rossi, Jennie Mary Tai Liu, devika v. wickremesinghe and Richard Foreman
The Chocolate Factory
Saturday April 4th 2026
This is a work-in-progress that focuses on the writing of Richard Foreman from 1973-1983, put together by the fascinating artistic mind of Jesse Bonnell. I so deeply wish I could be there and hope that this continues to be in progress.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Diner Fest! : Coren Rhodes, Lana Scott Stringer, Zoe Nelms
Sunview Acropolis
April 4th-5th 2026
Plays set at a diner? Be still my waffle fry heart! Three one-acts come to a Greenpoint diner this weekend, so if you're not celebrating Easter enjoy something even more holy: site-specific theater.
Staffer: Billy McEntee
STAR SPANGLED MANOR : Verbal Animal
Triskelion Arts
April 9th-11th 2026
I don’t know Verbal Animal, but I read the words “sensation-based creation” and I was suddenly levitating. STAR SPANGLED MANOR promises bodily prosthetics, surveillance, and some nasty-ass nude pantyhose. DANCE THEATRE WILL SAVE US!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
You had me at "the piece navigates aesthetics of surveillance and rave culture to expose how systems of power shape collective consciousness" and what looks like some killer design.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
my body is falling apart and i’m not sure what to do anymore : emily/BUBECK, Molly Van Der Mollen, Xander Browne, Henry Lombino, Sophia Quiroga, Michael Ortiz, Josh Reiter, Breaking and Entering Theatre Collective
Makers Ensemble, Brick Aux, Pete’s Candy Store, The Rat NYC, Center at West Park
5 performances between April 20th-May 15th 2026
If my body’s falling apart, and your body’s falling apart… DIY theatre champion and Breaking and Entering co-AD emily/BUBECK takes her Catholic mass of a solo show on a tour of familiar Brooklyn venues. It’s a cool producing model we don’t see much of, and I’m curious to see how it will reflect in the work. Take your pick from Brick Aux, The Rat, Pete’s Candy Store, and more!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
?!:New Works Night 1 : The Buong-Buo Collective, Kyra Sims, Sterling Gates, Sarah Grace & Ian Reid
Brick Theater
Wednesday April 8th 2026
In keeping with the great tradition of ?!:New Works, which began in 2016 under the loft in the north garage of Silent Barn, every night is a wild combination of pieces that inevitably speak to and with each other while also being incredibly different from each other. This first night has a new exploration by Kenneth Keng (who is always surprising me), french horn, romance (?), and a piece with a jacked snake in a gym. I mean, c’mon! How can you not be intrigued? ?!: New Works has a different line-up each night and runs for 3 weeks, so take a risk and check it out!
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Holderlin : Sebas Alarcon, Tenaya Nasser-Frederick, Madeline Friedman, Isa Spector, Candice Saint Williams, Anya Bernstein, Aaron Carico, Bob Murphy, Blake Robbins, Rosa Martinez, Clara Kim, Angelina Hoffman, Chloe Claudel, Alina Jacobs, Guillermo Resto (Didi), Astro Rys, Mallory Baker, Donna Allen, Frances Chang, Noa Ryan, Lucia Zezza, Peli Grietzer, Willa Schwabsky
LifeWorld
Friday April 3rd 2026
This is not your grandma’s Holderlin (the drama by Peter Weiss about the poet of the same name), this will probably be something stranger and expansive and unusual. Chloe Claudel and Isa Spector are in this? A cast of 14, with 3 musicians on top of that? Two nights only. LifeWorld calls out, like a siren on the Rhine…
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
CUMULO : Emily Batsford, Yuliya Tsukerman, David Leon, Vinny Mraz, Allison Costa, Pat Maliwat, Joe Silovsky, Takemi Kitamura, Camille Cooper, Justin Perkins, Gaby FeBland, Concrete Temple Theatre
MITU580
April 15th-May 3rd 2026
It really is the year of puppets, it seems. Emily Batsford’s new show takes us plunging through the sky as our marionette hero discovers a world above the clouds as they fall back down to Earth. I love a strong visual metaphor, I love puppets, I love new work in the Brooklyn theaters I call home. Off to Sackett Street, buckaroos.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Openly Lewd : DJ Accident Report, Hugh Mann Race, Vape Kid Jr., Masc Ari, Koko Momo, Asa Metric, Pachacvnti, Excess Materials, Glistening
The Deep End
ThursdayApril 16th 2026
Raffles! Tarot! Lewd interactive performance! An all-star lineup! Beloved members of the drag, clown, puppet, and nightlife communities (including personal favourites Vape Kid Jr. and Excess Materials) come together to raise funds for trans siblings-in-arms facing unjust legal charges.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Recital for Trans Voices : TRANScend Chorale, Falan Nuhring
Houghton Hall
Saturday April 4th 2026
A free, community-organized afternoon of music sung by trans and gender nonconforming singers. Potentially a great healing opportunity for those who were in their high school choirs!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
?!:New Works Night 2 : Suz Murray, Alexandra Neuman, Lynn Hodeib, Adrian Costa
Brick Theater
Thursday April 9th 2026
Soooooo of course I also want to recommend night 2! This one has some artists who I have loved in the work of other artists - Suz and Lynn! Interestingly, they are both in the clown-realm with their pieces. But that realm is vast and strange. So expect very different vibes from these two! In addition to these two, there’s an exorcism and Mr. Beast. I have a feeling this night is gonna be one for the books.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister