Staff Picks No. 163

Michael Haggerty's WHERE WERE YOU : Dan Hasse, Zara Zeidman, Jacqueline Scaletta
JACK
September 8th-13th, 2026

Dan Hasse brings a true story to JACK, about a man he met in the woods who passed him along a script for a 9/11 documentary and then…vanished. I am biased, Dan is a great director and performer (did you love MIKEY MAUS at the Brick? Did you see William Sydney’s last two joints? Then you know Dan) and now you get to see something he’s written AND performing in. Wham-bam. Have you seen Michael Haggerty, though? Really. Please contact JACK or Dan at -

Staffer: Reuven Glezer

Are you a person that “picks up shows” and then “makes them happen again”? If so, please go to this show and then pick it up and make it happen again. I hear it has pretty simple tech needs, which belie the intricacy of the art.

Staffer: Theresa Buchheister

Uh Oh Manifest(o)ing! : Theresa Buchheister, Blake Bolan, Aaron LaRoche, Ilana Stuelpner, William Sydney, Thalia Sablon, kanishk pandey, Joey Merlo, Devon Wade Granmo, Teri Madonna, E. Jim Ford, John-Philip Faienza, Paul Ketchum, Ryan William Downey, Ann Marie Dorr, Mark Krawczuk
Target Margin Theater
Wednesday September 30th 2026

Without Theresa Buchheister the city would be a substantially less exciting place for theater. Their artistic influence and endlessly brilliant ways of supporting theatermakers is a blessing to artists looking to make totally unprecedented work on their own terms. This evening at Target Margin will be a celebration (or deconstruction?) of the notion of manifesto-ing, and surely a wonderful chance to get to experience the inner workings of Theresa's always-fascinating insights into the theater landscape as well as to encounter a myriad of other cutting-edge artists' own kaleidoscopic inner worlds. Not to be missed!

Staffer: Alex Aguirre

Dirty Bird : Whit Flint, River Knight, AJ Molder, Mary Bacon, Neal Bledsoe, Cullen Wheeler, Johnny Sanchez, Lindsay Brill, Johnny Sparks, Fiona Rose Dyer, & Trevor Clarkson
ErF Gallery (1 Ingraham st)
November 4th-November 20th, 2026

Is this another adaptation of The Seagull? Yes. Do I have an incredible amount of hope and belief that it will be something unique and worth seeing? Absolutely, yes I do! AJ Molder puts down her bass from one of the indie hits of the summer (Woyzeck at Modern Sweater) and stars in another rock-injected classic, this time at the rising off-kilter warehouse venue, ErF Gallery. I have a feeling this production will have some serious edge, which will always lead me to make something a staff pick!

Staffer: Alex Aguirre

Ni3t Mares: A Club Odyssey : Lou Tides, Lena Engelstein, Sarah Galdes, Devra Hoff, Suz Murray, & more
Life World
Thursday September 3rd, 2026

A multimedia performance piece from Lou Tides, the experimental synth project of Teensy Lieberson. This one “chronicles the fall of Humpty Dumpty through the lens of a charismatic trickster.” Totally! Many artists I love are working on this, in a space that I routinely find myself in.

Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener

Shred For Your Life : Dave Hill
Union Pool
Sunday September 20th 2026

There are few things I would rather do than listen to guitarists absolutely shred on a Sunday. My suggestion for a full day of THIS-IS-WHY-YOU-LIVE-IN-NY-ness… Go get a cheddar biscuit and cold brew at A&C then head over to SLETH’s show, The Wreck of the Unbelievable, at The Brick at 3pm, then go get a beverage, some fried pickles and mac n cheese at Northern Bell AND THEN go see some guitarists fucking shred at Union Pool.

Staffer: Theresa Buchheister

The Wreck of the Unbelievable : Sleth, Frankie Placidi, Gibson Frazier, Zak Sommerfield, Aeon Andreas, Forest Entsminger, Eric Bowers, Tanya Ubeda, Arin Edelstein
The Brick Theater
September 17th-26th, 2026

I heard an early snippet of what would become this play on a hot night in Gowanus last summer, and it was gross. Genuinely unappetizing. It was also deeply touching and gorgeously perverted. Sleth and his artistry are quite important to me and I am very, very excited to see this.

Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener

Field Body : Testu Collective, Raphaël Weikart, Kaleena Miller, Serena Stucke, Dan Tesene
SPR OMEN
Thursday September 10th, 2026

“Participants hold luminous, hand-built EMF-emitting sculptures as movement artists Raphaël Weikart and Kaleena Miller move among them, wearing receiver pods that translate electromagnetic activity into sound.” WHAT????? Desperately need somebody to go on my behalf (I have work) and report back.

Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener

VILE : Francesca Montanile Lyons
Brooklyn Art Haus
Friday September 4th 2026

Direct from Philadelphia, it’s buffon time! The whole NYC Clown Festival this is a part of sounds like a blast. I personally LOVE a show that’s going for the icky and the yippee!

Staffer: Travis Amiel

The Castle of Ghoul Hammond : M Sloth Levine, Mack Brown, Heath Saunders, Brendan George, Natalie Walker, Matt Green, Alanna Saunders, Che Kabia, Erik Hinton, Ali Sousa, Devon Kish, Rose Tablizo, Cat Raynor, Olivia Vaughn Hern, Joyce Ciesil, Jessica Scout Malone, Charlie Hano
Ars Nova
Wednesday September 9th, 2026

Ok, listen. It is sold out. You should waitlist it. Sloth is basically the heir to Charles Ludlam, writing live penny dreadfuls with a sense of flair, camp, style, and goof. The cast is bonkers (Heath Saunders??? Natalie Walker???). The team behind is mucho brilliant (Cat Raynor and Olivia Vaughn Hern on set & costumes???). You will come to see it and tell people who missed it about it, and they will turn to dust.

Staffer: Reuven Glezer

ORPHEOTIC : lids, an, ellen, riley / evelyn / b / kathy, lux, addie 
Future Space (5-84 Woodward Avenue)
Friday September 12th 2026

lids is doing a show at Future Space! I have not seen lids since they did ?!:New Works and I wish I could be there for this one. If you live in Ridgewood, like supporting artist-run spaces, and want a strange night out… this is for you.

Staffer: Theresa Buchheister