Staff Picks No. 160
HOW TO BE NORMAL AND REGULAR : Celia Krefter, Kate Purdum, Thaleia Dasberg, Sydney Gerlach, John R. Howley, Annika Voorheis, Mimi Wu
Brick Aux
August 27th-30th, 2026
I was drawn in to the title, because I am curious how to do that. I knew about the title because I know about Celia and Kate, whom I have followed since Everything Changes, Nothing is Lost (the first show they did at Brick Aux in 2023). BUT THEN I read the description. I was such a big fan of Dick Tracy, the 1990 film starring Madonna (and others), that I drew beauty marks on myself and any dolls I could get my hands on. This show is about Breathless Mahoney, her character (amongst other things). I was already in, but but now I am SO IN.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Godfriend : Hal Cosentino, Ellenor Riley-Condit, Hannah Read, Caley Chase
The Tank
August 14th-16th 2026
A real medium melange: play, music, spiritual gathering. Creators Hal and Elle are a a trans-man-and-cis-woman couple asking if they should have a child, set to a live score and imbued with a Quaker sensibility of deep listening and sharing that erupts from trembling. Come to The Tank for a small, magical reflection.
Staffer: Billy McEntee
Godfriend looks like it will dole out the ideal set of variables to get Laia in the audience: religion, music, autofiction, college professors, complex decisions about core life changes. I'm on my experimental narrativized music kick this summer and I've been a longtime fan of Hannah Read's (Lomelda) music, so I'm excited to experience all these bits and pieces together in one room, live. Maybe the spirit will even move me.
Staffer: Laia Comas
Hitting a perfect wavelength for me: part experimental music, part true story, part participatory Quaker meeting. Included in the Tank's Lime Fest, Godfriend features real-life couple Hal Cosentino & Ellenor Riley-Condit, based in Central Arkansas, as they explore gender, queerness, whether to have children, and the Public Universal Friend. Sounds complex and tender and potentially joyful - can't wait!
Staffer: Blake Bolan
A new unclassifiable work (the best kind) about faith, children, love, the Public Universal Friend. 3 nights only.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
POPS : Zara Roy, Dany Powers
The Tank
Saturday August 15th 2026
Zara and Dany are two artists who I have spent a lot of time with and who's own creative work I have yet to see, much to my chagrin. POPS promises a perfect storm of dramatized awkwardness, and grief, and the awkwardness of grief. I'm excited to see what these two make when they get together.
Staffer: Alex Aguirre
International Relations : Catt Filippov
Brooklyn ArtHaus
Tuesday August 25th 2026
I HAVE LONG DREAMED OF AN UNCLE COUSIN SOLO SHOW AND NOW I AM REWARDED. For one night only, most world famoust Russian patriot Uncle Cousin invites his American friends to join him in the making of international relations. With Uncle Cousin, Catt Filippov has cooked us a balm for our times, the clown we both deserve and need: a warm, wide-eyed, wise-cracking fellow eager to share his hard-earned wisdom with his newfound pals. Expect sunflower seeds, vodka, and unexpectedly crying about your grandma.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
MELT.PUNISH : James LaBella, Matt Romein
ARS NOVA
Friday September 11th 2026
Oh the torment of knowing I will be back in Kansas when this is happening. WHYyyyYYYYyyyy?! I am a fan of James and a fan of Matt, separately, and they are together for his piece about what happened to my favorite childhood villains?! (We may have different ones because of age, but the idea still works for me) This will certainly be relatable AND unique, strange AND entertaining, dark AND delightful. Don’t. Miss. Out. On. MELT.PUNISH.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
RADIO BETTE : Chloe Claudel, Mitchell Polonsky, Ruth Negga, Jess Barbagallo, Michael Cerveris, Roberto Colindrez, Paul Lazar, Marcus Amaglo, Peter Smith, Kayta Thomas
Theater for a New Audience
August 14th-15th, 2026
The Goat Exchange has been on a hot streak this year with the beautifully strange Time Passes and the hilarious yet tender Two Girls (as well as an assortment of other amazing projects taken on by co-founders Chloe Claudel and Mitchell Polonsky). Don't miss their sure-to-be-fire ode to Bette Davis's films with this exclusive 2-night run at TFANA with a squad of absolute legends such as Ruth Negga, Jess Barbagallo, and Paul Lazar before the team heads to Ireland with it!
Staffer: Alex Aguirre
wanna cyber? : Serena Berman, Jake Beckhard, Alex Gibson, Dela Meskienyar, Liz Leimkuhler, Jesse Itskowitz, Ari Cleveland, Cori Diaz
Loading Dock
August 14th - 15th, 2026
When real couples make theatre together and said theatre is about sex I go crazy. 24 Hour Nationals co-directors (and real couple) Serena Berman and Jake Beckhard gift us with some earpiece verbatim docutheatre about the most consistent way sex education was doled out in the early 2000s: chatrooms on your family Dell. Can’t wait to giggle AND be scared!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Sublimation / Irisation : Jacqueline Scaletta, Coral Cohen
The Tank
Sunday August 23rd 2026
First seen at this year’s ?!: New Works, Sublimation / Irisation is the solo work of the incomparable Jacqueline Scaletta, whose work you’ve likely already seen if you saw more than one Exponential show this past January. As I wrote in my 2026 festival diary, “I am forever in awe of lighting designer Jacqueline Scaletta’s ability to elevate the theatre spaces we know so well into the otherworldly.” What happens when she puts herself in that room? I’m eager to find out.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
My Finest Work : Dean Evans
Life World
Thursday August 6th 2026
After spending a week training at a mime/clown barn last month, I have been absolutely STARVED for some comedic movement-based performance. Thankfully LA-based icon and teacher Dean Evans is here to quench our collective desires.
Staffer: Travis Amiel
SHOWGASM ANT Fest Edition : Erin Markey, Buong-Buo Collective, Ivy Wolk, Maljo Blu, MIA the MVP, Tom Achilles
ARS NOVA
Friday September 25th 2026
You’ve officially been warned : get your tickets now or may goddd have mercy on your soul because it WILL sell out. This line-up is wild. It is hosted by THE Erin Markey. And it is a SHOWGASM in the middle of an ANT Fest, the first that Matthew Antoci has had a hand in. If you do not know why those things excite me, I encourage you to look up each of these people and projects immediately. I don’t know what they will be doing, and honestly, I don’t need to.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister