Staff Picks No. 168
all dogs go to heaven: a variety show : Nicole Bates, Abby Griffith, Matt York, Aurora, Andrew Bourne, Meaghan Robichaud, Zoe Larkin, Elaine, Tess Nealon Raskin
Nicole Bates’s home — text for address
Friday October 9th, 2026
Nicole Bates built a stage in her home (with wood! I’ve seen photos!) and now baptizes it with an inaugural variety show. I am forever happy to celebrate great gestures of DIY theatricality, particularly those involving a hammer and nails. Also, if you haven’t seen Meaghan Robichaud perform in a domestic setting, I highly recommend it.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
The Kick Inside : The Million Underscores_ _, Nicolás Noreña, Timothy Scott, Penny Arcade, Jess Barbagallo, Ethan Fishbane, Richard Foreman, Hillary Gao, Nazareth Hassan, John Jesurun, Marvin Just, Dhari Noel, Normandy Sherwood, Hayley Stahl, Fiona Templeton, Benjamin Forster, Yuki Kawahisa, Tatyana Kot, Essence Lotus, Frankie Placidi, Felix Teich, Alenka Kraigher, Marija Kovačević, Robin Margolis, Daisy Long, John Del Gaudio, Caroline DeFazio
HERE Arts
October 21st - November 7th, 2026
Sharing a name with Kate Bush's debut album, The Kick Inside from THE MILLION UNDERSCORES features text from a legendary lineup of 12 writers, aged teenaged to the late Richard Foreman. THE MILLION UNDERSCORES turn performance spaces upside down and backwards and make time expand and contract (yes, seeing SECONDS in Williamstown this spring changed my life!!!), so I can't wait to see how they transform HERE with layers of language experiments.
Staffer: Celia Krefter
The torment of missing this one rips at my very soul. I have been living inside of the creations of The Million Underscores_ _ for a decade now. They transport me, beguile me, amaze me and never cease to surprise me. I hate knowing what to expect or feeling ahead of a show I am seeing. With The Million Underscores _ _, I feel IN it. Not ahead. Not behind. IN. It.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Show Trial : Laura Zlatos, Tom Costello, Justin Ahdoot, Brian Bock, Kalusha Brutlag, Jessie Cannizzaro, Jessica Frey, Alex J. Gould, Alex Mandell, Tom Mezger, Ema Zivkovic, Cat Raynor, Patricia Marjorie, Sawyer Smith, Nicholas Webster, Scott Yezzi, Haley Fragen, Whitney Fabre
The Tank
October 15th-November 8th, 2026
My little Eastern European heart loves a work about state propaganda, hypocrisy behind the Iron Curtain, and live transcripts used as source material! Satire, people, do you remember when this was something people knew how to do?
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
The Woman on the Edge : Elf Lyons
SoHo Playhouse
October 8th-18th, 2026
A solo show of glamorous proportions lands at Soho Playhouse after a marvelous Edinburgh Fringe run. Act now or be probed by alien life later.
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
The Nicest Body Ever Seen Around These Parts : Josep Maria Miró, Rachel Crowl, Mei Ann Teo, Jian Jung, Olivera Gajić, Kate McGee
122CC
October 7th-November 7th, 2026
This is a PlayCo production (always a good sign) and the NYC premiere of a solo show by Catalonian writer Josep Maria Miró about one actor embodying the members of an entire town that has recently discovered the lifeless body of a young man in a field. Expect a virtuosic and emotional performance from two-time Obie award-winner Rachel Crowl and a chance to experience the art of one of Spain's most important contemporary writers.
Staffer: Alex Aguirre
SHE SPITS (AGAIN AGAIN) : Val Ramirez, Eulàlia Comas, Dany Powers, Matt Genkin, Lucky Kiernan, Carter
La MaMa
Monday October 12th, 2026
The first public reading of a new play by incandescent multihyphenate Val Ramirez, wherein dysfunction and enmeshment seep through a surreal tale of queer domesticity. For those who sleep with their friends, long after their roommates, and think heavily of the seductiveness of skin and shadows. Directed by my partner-in-crime Laia Comas and featuring a slate of stars. Free!
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Oooooh if you love to get in on something at the earliest stages like moi, this is one to check out. A very exciting team of collaborators making something that, simply based on the description, has me intrigued.
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
Carpal Tunnel : Cori Diaz, Molly Shayna Cohen
IRT
October 6th-11th, 2026
WE LOVE CORI! But also: look at the description of this play. See the list of mediums? That's what theater is about. Theater is truly at its best when it races through the mediums, contorting them all to its shape. I'm so so so hyped for this show! And you should try to come through!
Staffer: kanishk pandey
KACHONK : Suz Murray
Life World
Monday October 12th 2026
MY SCHEDULE NEVER ALIGNS WITH KACHONK AND IT MAKES ME SO MAD. But, Suz and I are fixing that in 2027, so do not worry. For now, go KACHONK for free because you CAN!
Staffer: Theresa Buchheister
You guys....Kachonk is back....admission is free....need I say more?
Staffer: Reuven Glezer
Rena Anakwe + Muyassar Kurdi : Rena Anakwe, Muyassar Kurdi, Dorchel Haqq, Kwami Winfield
Poetry Project
Monday October 19th, 2026
I love the words “interdisciplinary sonic works at the Poetry Project” and I love them dearly. Additionally, Kurdi is teaming up with Fresh Tracks resident and Narcissister co-conspirator Dorchel Haqq and noise artist Kwami Winfield, whose mesmerizing work launched me outside of my body at Fringe Records earlier this year.
Staffer: Leah Plante-Wiener
Allegra : Benjamin Akio Kimitch
New York Live Arts
October 8th-10th, 2026
I’ve been looking forward to this for so long! A contemporary historical fantasy exploration of the Japanese dance form Bugaku.
Staffer: Travis Amiel
a sign, a signal, a delivery, a deliverance : Anh Vo
Danspace Project
October 8th-October 10th, 2026
I woke up the other day to an email from Anh’s mailing list with the subject “I Probably Shouldn't Put This in Writing...”
I love Anh’s transcendent solo performance work and writing about queerness, immigration, fascism, Vietnam, and so much more.
Here’s a unique chance to see them in a nice big space with a large musical ensemble!!
Staffer: Travis Amiel