THE TIGER’S BRIDE

in a co-production with Theatre Uzume

written and directed by Suzanne Karpinski

Part circus theater, part haunted house, and fully immersive, The Tiger's Bride brings you, the guest, to the wedding night of Giles de Rais, aka "Bluebeard." What lies within his mansion is up to you to explore and discover.

Each performance of The Tiger's Bride welcomes 40 guests to explore Monsieur de Rais' Manhattan mansion - a four-story immersive space - while helping the new bride unlock his secrets and being entertained by his mysterious staff.

Inspired by the stories of Angela Carter

featuring Will Watt, Sammy Marsh, Tara Quinn, Rob Williams, Molly Siskin, Danie Kohn, Maggie McMuffin, Heater Meyer, Maks Turner, Lily Desmond

with Lighting Design by Cate DiGirolamo, Sound Design by Will Watt, Projection Design by Steve Pavlovsky, Creature Design by Jen Tases, Stage Management by Sarah Jones, Production Consultation by Theresa Galeani, Produced by Anton Nickel,

“★★★★"– Plays to see
“Truly immersive theatre done to perfection”– Electronic Link

“Gorgeous”-No Proscenium

February 14-March 10

cryptochrome

written, directed, composed & performed by  Evan Silver aka Tiresias

music direction by Tristan Allen

cryptochrome is a sonic odyssey across the animal kingdom that invites audiences to imagine themselves in the sensory worlds of other living things. Named after a protein believed to be responsible for the ability to navigate using the Earth’s geomagnetic field, cryptochrome explores realms of perception beyond the visible.

light designed by Chris Voegels
artwork by Deborah Maris Lader

“one of the most enchanting performers in New York City”
– Billy Mcentee, The Brooklyn Rail
“A gorgeous, trippy eco-cabaret”
– Helen Shaw, The New Yorker

November 30—December 16, 2023

BEATRICE

a new play by Wendy Biller

music by Caroline Hawthorne

Beatrice is a nuanced exploration of trauma, set against an operatic landscape, which veers from the comic to the absurd as Beatrice and her twin sister dive into their tortured memories of the Mengele experiments, helped along by a chorus of dancing Carmelite nuns.

featuring Louise Heller,  Jorge Carrión Álvarez, Tiffani Grace, Nicole Borbone,  James Clements, Luke Couzens, Caroline Hawthorne, Hallie Chametzky, Macie Harris, Collin Hendley

lighting design by Julian Singer-Corbin

stage management by Gabriela King Rios

November 16-18, 2023

COMMUNION

written and performed by Matthew LaBanca

directed by Kira Simring

Communion is a one-man show about a gay Catholic school teacher who is fired when the church discovers that he married a man. His termination causes a crisis of faith, not only for himself but for his entire community. Based on the real-life story of Broadway actor and playwright Matthew LaBanca, Communion spotlights themes of delusion, spiritual trauma, and hope, reminding those who would use religion to discriminate against LGBTQ people that the most basic tenet of spiritual life is that we are called to love one another.

Written and performed by Matthew LaBanca, directed by Kira Simring, projection music and sound by Julianne Merrill, additional projections by Ryan Belock, set and costumes by Rodrigo Hernandez, production stage management by Richard Urquiza, technical direction by Julian Singer-Corbin, associate producer Mara Jill Herman, co-producer Ron Lasko/Spin Cycle NYC.

September 22—October 8, 2023

Jacob Stuckelman Watermark Productions + Nancy Manocherian’s the cell presents

I’M GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE

a new play by Samantha Hurley

directed by Tyler Struble

featuring Tessa Albertson, Scott Thomas, and Janae Robinson

To cope with the absence of her father, neglect of her mother, and ridicule by her classmates, eighth-grader Shelby Hinkley has put all of her time and energy into the only thing that matters in 2004: Spiderman. When leading a devout online fan club proves insufficient to her needs, Shelby decides to risk it all for love, kidnap famous actor Tobey Maguire and marry him in her basement. Her fantasies of happily ever after start to crumble as she realizes Tobey may not be the charismatic, heartthrob actor she thinks she knows. A Y2K farce, I’M GONNA MARRY YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE is a full-throttle explosion of our para-social relationships and the obsessions that detonate them.

Kacey Bradshaw (production stage manager) Matt Lazarus (Lighting Design) Rodrigo Hernandez (Scenic/Lighting Design) Nina Field (Sound Design), Anna Fredrick (Props Supervisor) Jorgensen Public Relations (Press Representative) Joseph Hayes (Casting), Matt Krauss (Associate Producer), Samantha Estrella (Associate Director)

JULY 8-29, 2023

“Original, cutting-edge, hilarious, and thoughtfully provocative” - DC Metro

“Laugh out loud funny” - Theatre Pizzazz

“[Tobey] is just what we need” - Theatrely

★★★★★ “A wild and wonderful ride” - The Front Row Center

“A sharp and funny new play” - The Daily Beast

Patchwork Adventures and Nancy Manocherian’s the cell present

THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN SCRIBE

created by Shuai Chen and Arlo Howard

directed by Arlo Howard

Join us in a pop-up escape game dining experience unlike any you’ve seen before. Teams of four will work together to decipher clues, solve puzzles, and unlock teas, finger sandwiches, scones, desserts. But if you talk to the right order members you might find there is something else afoot. You are formally invited to the high tea and initiation ceremony for new recruits into The Order of the Golden Scribe. This secret Order goes back as long as history has been written, destroyed and rewritten. The key to the Order’s power is utter secrecy. As a new recruit, this shall be your formal induction into the Order. Alongside your tea, you will be presented with the final tests of your training. These puzzles are a mere formality and should be child’s play for someone with your status within the sect. We look forward to your official RSVP to attend this most prestigious and highly secret event.

featuring André Sguerra, Sarah Sutliff, Max Henry, and Ella Raymont

*Golden Lock Award Winner

FEB 12 - JUNE 4, 2023

PROPHET$

composed by Calvin Hitchcock

PROPHET$ is a multimedia opera-theatre work by Calvin Hitchcock, Delilah McCrea, and David Grandouiller which explores the complexity of a child’s religious experience growing up in American Evangelicalism. By interweaving hymn tunes, Sunday school songs, sacred classical music, children’s literature, and 1950s military propaganda with the parables of Jesus, PROPHET$ lives in the space between the Sacred and the Profane, challenging binaries, certainties, and ultimately cynicism.

PERFORMERS

TRIO Paul Chwe MinChul An, Paul Pinto, Pamela Terry

CHILD August Felsenfeld

TELEVANGELIST David Widder-Varhegyi

MUSICIANS Calvin Hitchcock

CREATIVE TEAM

Calvin Hitchcock, composer/co-librettist/concept, Delilah McCrea, co-librettist/concept, David Grandouiller, co-librettist/concept, Madeline Whitesell, workshop director, Avery Redic, choreographer, Calvin Hitchcock, music director, Matt Lazarus, technical director, Weijing Xiao, costume/masks/prop design, Karl Ronneberg, dramaturg, Murphy Severtson, stage manager

The Why Collective and Nancy Manocherican’s the cell presents

THE WOMEN HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY

conceived and directed by Nicole Kenley-Miller

original music by Madeline Styskal

The Women Have Something to Say, conceived by Nicole Kenley-Miller of Intersection Arts Houston and composed by Madeline Styskal, marks the fourth and final project in The Why Collective’s four-show series while in residence at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre. This genre-bending theatrical work tells, through monologue and song, the true stories of 13 women artists as they recount the moments of discovering their unique voice, as well as the shattering moments when their voices had been silenced.

Interwoven with original music, dance, and graphic art, this piece explores discriminatory industry standards in the arts, racism, ageism, body image, the immigrant experience, and motherhood. This presentation is conceived, directed, performed, and produced entirely by womxn.

For ADA accessibility, the text of all songs will be embedded in the projected graphic art, and the text of the monologues will be available in digital and printed form.

CAST (in order of appearance):

Jessica Blau, librettist/mezzo-soprano; Cynthia Clayton, librettist/soprano; Mary-Angela Granberry, actor/dancer; Gracie Ibemere, librettist/bassist; Shannon Hesse, librettist/pianist; Ingrid Gerling, librettist/violinist; Tali Morgulis, librettist/pianist; Marianna Morgulis, actor; Lisa Vickers, librettist/soprano; Sydney Anderson, librettist/soprano; Gwen Alfred, librettist/soprano; Newsha Farahani, librettist/actor/visual artist; Isabelle Ganz, librettist/mezzo-soprano; Laura Dearman, Choreographer/Dancer; Uila Marx (they/them), Dancer; Manatsu Tanaka (they/them), Dancer; Nicole Kenley-Miller, librettist/mezzo-soprano

CREATIVE TEAM

Nicole Kenley-Miller, Conceiver/Director/Workshop Facilitator; Sydney Anderson, Executive Producer/Assistant Director; Madeline Styskal, Composer; Laura Dearman, Choreographer/Dancer; Janine Dworin, Graphic Designer; Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, Dramaturg/Workshop Facilitator; Julian Wild, Director of Production/Technical Director; Macy Lyne, Costume Consultant

The Why Collective and Nancy Manocherican’s the cell presents

WORDS OF THE PROPHETS

a new play by Vayl Larkin

directed by JNK Enzo

marks the third project in The Why Collective’s four-show series while in residence at Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre. This one-act theatrical poem weaves lyrical language, dance and movement, and an original, experimental score into the stories of five characters experiencing homelessness. A trans sex worker, a war veteran experiencing PTSD, a wheelchair-using skater youth, a woman with schizophrenia, and a busking musician make up an ensemble of characters that tell the story of the dangerous and unforgiving landscape of homelessness in America and the redemptive and joyful experiences that can be found as well. The creative team believes that to understand the truth, and hope to heal it, we must see it all without filter, and the play seeks to promote empathy above all.

This workshop features a diverse cast and creative team, the majority of which has personal experience with homelessness or housing insecurity, and it employs a number of disabled artists, including wheelchair users and Deaf artists. As such, this workshop seeks to be accessible to the d/Deaf community, as well as providing ADA-accessible seating.

CAST (in order of appearance):

Julian Wild, Narrator Body; Dickie Hearts, Narrator ASL; Norm Mattox, Storyteller Voice; Alberto Medero, Storyteller ASL; JNK Enzo, Graffiti Body; Justin B. Withers, Broadside Body; DeMarco Sleeper, Ballet Body; Mary-Angela Granberry, Trompe-l’œil Body

CREATIVE TEAM

Vayl Larkin, Playwright; JNK Enzo, Director; Maleni Chaitoo, Director of Artistic Sign Language; Sydney Anderson, Music Director/Executive Producer; Julian Wild, Director of Production/Technical Director; Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, Dramaturg; Elemen2al the Poet, Poetry/Bias Consultant

COMPOSERS

Derek Weagle, Graffiti Scene; Vasily Ratmansky, Broadside Scene; Elizabeth Gartman, Ballet Scene; Tyson Gholston Davis, Trompe-l’œil Scene; Julian Wild, Narrator Scene

IT’S IN THE PLAY

written by Orlagh Cassidy and Kate Lardner

directed by Kira Simring

In the rich tradition of Irish storytelling, It’s In The Play is a brave and intimate reconstruction of the puzzle of a fractured family’s story. Exploring memory, loss, and love and revolving around the promise of a sister, It’s In The Play is both heartbreaking and humorous as it captures the words, sound, and spirit of this knotty Irish story. Part of Origin Theatre’s 1st Irish Theatre Festival.

Produced & performed by Orlagh Cassidy; written by Orlagh Cassidy & Kate Lardner; Production design by Anita Sibony de Adelsberg; Directed by Kira Simring.

The Why Collective and Nancy Manocherican’s the cell presents

THE SMALLEST SOUND IN THE SMALLEST PLACE

a new play by Bryce McClendon

directed by Katy Early

In The Smallest Sound, in the Smallest Space, a new play by Bryce McClendon, graduate students Lee, Lizzy, Brittain, and Michael study singing with Professor Kent Randall, an operatic tenor of international acclaim. Kent is under investigation for sexual misconduct, and each student has agreed to provide an anonymous statement. As a representative from the University Office of Institutional Compliance interviews the four, their lessons overlay the conversations, combining reality, memory, and imagination as illustrations of Kent's influence over their memories and testimonies.

CAST (in order of appearance)

Shah Motia, Kent Randall; Shelly Lynn Walsh, The Compliance Officer; Alexander J. Rodriguez, Lee; Rachel Policar, Lizzy; Ai Chaim Ra, Jarrett, Kent u/s; Heather Jones, Brittain; Morgan Mastrangelo, Michael; Nathaniel LaNasa, Mel; Savannah Bergli, Daniela; Mary-Angela Granberry, The Compliance Officer u/s, Daniela u/s, Roberto Colon, Michael u/s, Sophie Delphis, Brittain u/s, Sebastian Armendariz, Lee u/s

CREATIVE TEAM

Bryce McClendon, Playwright, Katy Early, Director, Nathaniel LaNasa, Music Director, Givens Parr, Dramaturg, Julian Wild, Director of Production, Stage Manager, Roberto Colon, Assistant Stage Manager, Sydney Anderson, Executive Producer

UNBURDENED I

conceived and performed by Sita Chay

text by Nikolai Chapochnikov

Sita Chay’s Unburdened I is part of a larger series that ritualistically explores a unique model of psychotherapy in collaboration with neuroscientist Dr. Nikolai Chapochnikov. Through music, ritual, and installation art, Unburdened I explores the love that pervades all human hearts and the rejected parts of us that express themselves in hurtful ways.

Featuring Sita Chay (violin) Nikolai Chapochnikov (text and narration) Shoko Nagai (piano, accordion), Satoshi Takeishi (percussion) Yasmine Lee (choreography), Roy Chay (installation) and Jeff Yang (costumes).

Thursday, January 12, 2023.

WHAT KIND OF WOMAN

a new play by Abbe Tanenbaum

directed by Kira Simring

Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre and off the WALL productions in Pittsburgh present the World Premiere of What Kind of Woman by Abbe Tanenbaum. While working as a personal organizer in New York City, Tanenbaum and her client uncovered twenty letters from women seeking abortions in the 1970’s. Written to the landmark Women's Health & Abortion Project in Chelsea, just blocks from the cell theatre, these pleas for assistance are the inspiration for this play.

What Kind of Woman is a story of empowerment and the choices we make, for better or worse. When aging feminist and lifetime ‘collector’, Nora gets a final opportunity to reconnect with her estranged son, she hires personal organizer and struggling actress Anne to whip her apartment into shape for his visit. But letting go of the past to make space for the present isn’t always straightforward.

What Kind of Woman is directed by Kira Simring starring Virginia Wall Gruenert and Abbe Tanenbaum.

Virginia Wall Gruenert* (Nora) Abbe Tanenbaum* (Anne) Tucker Topel (set design), Forrest Trimble (lighting design), Laura Irene Young (costume design), Shannon Knapp (sound design), Andrew Sours (associate sound design), Katie MACK (dramaturg and associate producer), Carly Long (technical director) Sarah Shea (stage manager) Claudia Zajic (stage manager).

"WILDLY FUNNY"
"SUBTLY ALERT, AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY ASTUTE"

-The Village Voice

"ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS OF THE YEAR"
-Jeff Myhre Stage Biz

"A POWERFUL PERFORMANCE"
"GUARANTEED TO SPARK MORE JOY
THAN A MARIE KONDO SPECIAL"
-Michael Buzzelli Burgh on Vivant

photo by Walter Wlodarcyzk

WHEN THE BLOSSOM PASSES, WHAT REMAINS?

direction, concept, choreography, & performance by Gwendolyn Gussman

musical direction, musical co-composition, & performance by Jett Kwong

sound design, musical co-composition, & performance by Odinn Orn Hilmarsson

creative collaboration & performance by Nico Gonzales

creative collaboration & performance by Xenia Mansour

scenography by Anna Driftmier

lighting design & production management by Alex Taylor

costume design & responsible sourcing by Gwendolyn Gussman

when the blossom passes, what remains? is HOLDTIGHT’s latest site-specific work asking the audience to reconsider how humans can better live in holistic balance with the earth by tuning in and tending to our own and collective bodies. Combining embodied movement, live music, personal storytelling, audience engagement, and sustainable scenography, this work asks audience and performers alike to use the container of the show to practice reciprocity. Through psychological, ecological, somatic, and artistic research, this work explores how our connection to our own bodies -- in the physical, emotional, and spiritual senses -- mirrors our connection to the earth. Participatory and intimate, this work delves into how care, collective grief, listening, and healing come into play when we are navigating eco-psychology. All aspects of this work's production are as intentionally sourced, utilized, and recycled as possible, to ensure that the lifecycle of this project is continuous and thoughtful.

★★★★ 1/2 "This is more than dance. This is more than theater. This is a full on experience. A calming, contemplative, thought and feeling provoking, all-around wonderful experience."

-David Walters Front Row Center

THE FINAL VEIL

composed by JL Marlor

directed by Cassandra Rosebeetle

The Final Veil is a movement opera co-created by composer JL Marlor and dancer/director Cassandra Rosebeetle. Through music and dance, we tell the true story of Franceska Mann, a Polish-Jewish dancer who demonstrated resistance and strength amid the horrors of the Holocaust. When Mann was brought to Auschwitz, she and the other arrivals were sent to the gas chambers and told to remove their clothing. According to eyewitnesses, Franceska performed a distracting striptease, after which she managed to grab a gun, shoot, and fatally wound one SS Guard and injure a second, before her own subsequent death. Her actions in Auschwitz tell the story of a woman desperate to spare her life and others, using the tools she gathered as a ballerina in occupied Poland.

Conducted by Micah Gleason; additional text and dramaturgy by Kate Mulley; choreographed by Katherine Crockett and Cassandra Rosebeetle; assistant directed by Carly Dorman; dancers: Cassandra Rosebeetle, Hallie Chametzky, Lauren Pagano, Lauren Barette; singers: Heather Michele, Katie Lipow, Abagael Cheng, Katherine Lerner Lee; quartet: Connie Li, YoonJung Hwang, Camille Dietrich, Sean Flynn; swing performers: Perri di Christina, Raychel Mareesa; scenic design by Dan Daly; lighting design by Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa, sound design by Matthew Yohn; production stage manager Sarah Jones, assistant stage managers Denah Seepersaud and Claudia  Zajic.

"TRANSFIXING" JL Marlor’s music is beautifully performed by a live quartet of string musicians. The four vocalists are each a powerhouse in their own right, and together their voices cut to the bone with a libretto made up of the words of Holocaust victims and survivors."-Eye on Dance

"DEVASTATING" "The female and non-binary quartet of singers and trio of dancers form a unified ensemble--a nuanced rethinking of Ancient Greek and grand opera choruses."-Stage Biz

"IMPECCABLE" "Rosebeetle's extensive burlesque experience results in a culminating striptease that is as masterful as it is alluring." -Opplaud

July 2022

NIGHTCLUB CANTATA

conceived and written by Elizabeth Swados

directed by Bill Castellino 

Based on texts by Sylvia Plath, Pablo Neruda and other poets, Nightclub Cantata is a joyful song cycle of world poetry set to music and movement about what compels us back to life and to living as one. Created by innovator, activist and theatre icon Elizabeth Swados, the eclectic review of sound, literature, poetry, and bold physicality melds to intrigue, provoke, and engage the listener. Whimsical, intense, insightful and singular, Nightclub Cantata is a theatrical creation combining the seriousness of a cantata with the frivolousness of a nightclub. The ground-breaking work premiered at The Village Gate in 1977 and has not been seen on the NYC stage for over 40 years! It is born of the avant-garde tradition of the 1960s and 70s, yet it is fresh, vital and relevant to our lives today.

Featuring Almeria Campbell, Victoria Casillo, Daniela Dellahuerta, Matthew Liu, Jesse Manocherian, Sarah Nandola, Pearl Rein, Noah Rubeck, Hansel Tan and Miles Whitaker

Nightclub Cantata is presented by Nightclub Cantata LLC (Jesse Manocherian, producer) and by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals. Music Director: Miles Plant; Lighting Designer: Matt Lazarus;  Costume Designer: Nicole Wee; Set Designer: Romello Huins Stage Manager: Arthur Atkinson; Assistant Stage Manager: Richard Urquiza; Dialect Coach Charlotte Cohn; Percussion Jessie Nelson; Casting: Stephanie Yankwitt, CSA; Public Relations: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR

May 2022

This production of Nightclub Cantata is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.

SCIENCE IN THEATRE FESTIVAL

presented with Transforma Theatre (Founder Tjasa Ferme)

November 12-14, 2021

The festival’s goal is to align forms of theater with current scientific research in neuroscience, artificial intelligence and epigenetics, and communicate this knowledge of technological possibilities to audiences through innovative storytelling. Each night will feature a fully staged theatrical work, followed by presentations and panels consisting of scientists and artists.

During the day a host of different innovation technology brands will be present their latest multi-purposed inventions such as 3-D printing, haptics, EEG devices, and wearables.

Affinity by Alexis Roblan.
directed by Bryn Herdrich. lighting design by Matt Lazarus.
featuring Tay Bass, Doug Barron and Andrea Lopez

Zebra 2.0 by Saviana Stanescu.
directed by Jeremy Goren. lighting design by Matt Lazarus.
featuring Amy Liou and Timothy Craig

Eden by Wi-Moto Nyoka.
directed by Ana Margineanu. lighting design by Matt Lazarus.
featuring Gaia Visnar, Rachel Leighson and Monica Joelle

WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?

conceived and performed by HOLDTIGHT Company

Through an organic blend of dance, storytelling, live music, and video, What Keeps You Going? is an intimate experience that invites audiences to immerse themselves in performances on multiple levels of the cell’s historic townhouse. What Keeps You Going? explores what it means to live in the present moment, versus in a memory of the past, or the fantasy of the future as the artists of HOLDTIGHT delve into moments of chaos, joy, grief, isolation, belonging, and hope.

Direction & Concept by Gwendolyn Gussman Choreography & Creation by Gwendolyn Gussman in collaboration with Nico Gonzales, Emily Haughton, Dervla Carey-Jones, Xenia Mansour & Johnny Butler, music & sound design by Johnny Butler scenography by Anna Driftmier (assisted by Laura Pressler) video design & production managing by Alex Taylor lighting design by Aja M. Jackson

September 15-Oct. 2nd, 2021

“Soul elevating…Told through text, sound, video, and movement, their tales accrue in heft and texture as they weave into one story of reconciling hopes with reality.” - Dance Enthusiast Magazine

PERSOU

co-created by One Whale’s Tale (Ellpetha Tsivicos and Camilo Quiroz-Vazquez)

Drawing on Homeric hymns, the poetry of Giorgos Seferis, and traditional dances, Persou will transport audiences to the Temple of Aphrodite in Paphos, Cyprus, where they become witness to an ancient, mysterious ceremony welcoming spring.

Directed by Ellpetha Tsivicos and written by Quiroz-Vazquez, Persou features set design and art direction by Kendra Eaves, lighting design by Megan Lang, mask design by Zoë Andrea Batson and Gamma Lister, costume design by Scarlet Moreno, and prop design by Quiroz-Vazquez and Emma Lauren Fasulo.

The cast includes Anthoula Katsimatides, Ioanna Katsarou, Katherine Hreib, Vassilea Terzaki, Alia Scheirman, Kristina Maria Headrick, and Stefani Charitou Segal.

“One Whale's Tale deserves credit for having the ambition to produce theater you can smell, taste, and touch in a time when direct human contact has become practically taboo.” - Theatremania

April 2021

LIFE IS DRAG

by Rachel Rampleman

Exploring subjects such as gender, artifice and spectacle, Rampleman documents the most innovative and singular performers of the currently exploding international alt-drag and burlesque scenes, a portion of which have been filmed throughout the pandemic at the cell’s space on West 23rd Street. On view since February 13th on the Gallery Floor, this exhibit is free and open to the public.

Rachel Rampleman utilizes processes ranging from directorial to curatorial to anthropological to showcase exuberantly irrepressible personalities who revel in challenging clichés associated with masculinity and femininity. A sampling of subjects include Girls Girls Girls (the world's first and only all-female Mötley Crüe tribute band), Tazzie Colomb (the world's longest competing female bodybuilder), and LACTIC Incorporated (an avant-garde clothing brand that takes the detritus of corporate life and reinterprets it into one-of-a-kind structural garments that challenge the polarization of gender) as well as drag and burlesque stars Untitled Queen, Fem Appeal, Darlinda Just Darlinda, C'etait BonTemps, Chartruice,Mimi Silk, Dick TransDyke, JAX, Robyn Edges, Sham Payne, Just JP, Stixen Stones, Kiara Chimera, Barbie Crash, Bunny Wonderland, Robin from Human Resources, Geo Soctomah Neptune, Jayden Jamison, Mike Hawk, Arabella LaDessé, Bender Bluefish, and Zayn-X.

CELESTIAL CITIES

by Sébastien Aurillon

Sébastien Aurillon’s exhibition is a dynamic amalgamation of the ancient studies of astrology with modern day photography, digital work and the timeless elements of painting and drawing, combining them to create visual studies of a city’s astral map. The result is a mesmerizing portal through which the viewer can experience multiple dimensions as well as the city itself.

November 12, 2020 - January 10, 2021

TREASURES AND TREMORS

by Chaney Trotter

Treasures and Tremors investigates how mythology has become deeply buried beneath the surface of current landscapes, silently pulsing within the fibers of a modern world. As stories and empires are idolized, criticized, untraveled and retold, so is our understanding of what it means to exist as an organic entity in an ever-expanding industrial empire. From fault lines and animal identities to LEDs and resin figures, the series illustrates a hybridity between modern bodies and an atavistic reverence for the ancient wisdoms that have held our stories along the way.  

October 2020

GARDEN OF EDEN

by Dark Matter Immersive

Nancy Manocherian’s the cell theatre, in association with Dark Matter Immersive, presents a unique individual experience in an indoor labyrinth “garden” inspired by traditional Tarot symbols, New Orleans, and backwoods wanderings. Designed and created by Dark Matter co-founders Ereka Duncan and Jaclyn Atkinson, the multimedia exploration invites audiences to embrace the unknown, to contemplate the unconscious realm, to connect with their inner selves, and to unlock the eponymous “sacred home to the First Children of Earth” through reflective questions, introspection, meditation, and movement. The Garden of Eden journey includes a virtual tarot reading from Melissa Madara and an ambient soundscape composed and engineered by Ricardo Romaneiro.

September 2020 - January 2021

TOLERANCE PARTY

by Joseph Hendel

Six strangers are brought together in a video chat by an unknown entity and are given a group task, but no one can agree what it is. They've received written instructions--they think-- and carry with them a belief in a larger purpose. How can these folks learn to co-exist inside a new world order that doesn’t obey the rules of time and space? This dark comedy written and directed by Joseph Hendel (Katzelmacher USA, Beware the Ides of Monday) is a serialized plunge into the social politics of the xenosphere.

featuring Corey Allen, Ji Chung, Bob Jaffe, Nidalas Madden, Heather Mo’Witz, Richard Urquiza, India Meñete, Brian Reager, Peyton Rowe, and Steven Simring. 

production design is by DimlyWit Productions, original music by Ricardo Romaneiro, co-concieved by Artistic Director Kira Simring

Episodes:
#1 - Ice-Breakers
#2 - Role Call
#3 - Two Truths and a Lie
#4a - The Signal Through the Noise
#4b - Waiting For I Dunno

HOARD

with Off The WALL Productions Pittsburgh, PA
a new play by Lissa Brennan
directed by Brian Reager
featuring Virginia Wall Gruenert and Erika Cuenca
set design by Tucker Topel, lighting design by Paige Borak, stage management Kayla Santos

Meet Viv: a Pittsburgh woman living alone in a house cluttered by a troubled past. Meet Claire: an organizational life consultant living a life filled with secrets. When Claire comes to assist Viv sort through her things, both women must face some difficult truths, without which neither can hope to persist beyond the walls that they have created for themselves. HOARD is a dark comedy that explores the things we choose to keep close to us and the things we choose to let go.

*HOARD was originally commissioned by Off The WALL Productions with a run March 6-21 at Carnegie Stage and an additional run in April 2020 in New York. The production was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

DOLL DNA

created and performed by Sister Sylvester

the cell | October 2019

Performed by humans and micro-organisms, DOLL DNA invites audience members to drink genetically modified cocktails and see human-jellyfish bacteria perform on a petri-dish stage, all while exploring Mikel Glass’ art installation. Sister Sylvester’s work, often essayistic performances, uses first-hand research and found documents, inviting disruption into both the performance and the process, while looking for dissonance and difficulty in text, image and sound.

DOLL DNA is performed by Kathryn Hamilton with percussion by Mike Perdue, Jude Traxler and Drosophila, and video design by Alex Reeves.

THE PINK UNICORN

a co-production with Out of the Box Theatrics (Artist Director Liz Flemming)

by Elise Forier Edie

directed by Amy Jones

starring Alice Ripley

The production team includes: Chris Steckel (Production Designer) Adam First (Assistant Production Designer) Tina Scariano (Production Stage Manager) Sarah Disney (Assistant Stage Manager) Charlotte Cohn (Producing Advisor) Carrie Greenberg (OOTB Director of Development) Ethan Paulini (OOTB Associate Artistic Director) Charlie Johnson (OOTB Director of New Works) Liz Flemming (OOTB Producing Artistic Director)

the cell | August 2019

Trisha Lee is a Christian widow living in a conservative Texas town. Her life is suddenly upended when her 14-year-old daughter Jolene announces she is “gender queer” and starting a chapter of the Gay and Straight Alliance at the local high school. In THE PINK UNICORN, Trisha recounts her story about facing a crisis she never saw coming, at a time when transgender people and gender issues weren't even on her radar.

“[A] real treat” - New York Times

“Alice Ripley is simultaneously radiant and real.” -Theatre is Easy

“Ripley fully inhabits the role, employing a profound command of inflection and mannerism that makes her character engrossingly genuine and conversational; she finds humor in the most unexpected little places.”— The New Yorker

THE EVOLUTION OF MANN

music and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen

book and lyrics by Dan Elish

directed by Joe Barros

Cast: Max Crumm, Allie Trimm, and Leslie Hiatt

The production team includes Vadim Feichtner (music supervisor) Libby Stadstad (set), Chris Steckel (lighting), Siena Zoë Allen (costumes), Nathan Scheuer (projections), Ellen Fitton (sound design), Kayla Santos (production stage manager), Brian Reager (associate director) and Liz Flemming (associate producer).

the cell | September 2018

The Evolution of Mann follows Henry Mann, a thirty-something year-old single New Yorker eager to settle down…or so he thinks. After receiving an invitation to his ex- fiancée's wedding, he and his lesbian roommate embark on a quest to find his soulmate, his perfect date. Featuring music and lyrics by Drama Desk nominee Douglas J. Cohen (Children's Letters to God) and book and lyrics by Dan Elish (13: The Musical) and directed by Joe Barros (Bastard Jones), The Evolution of Mann is a musical comedy that explores love in all its forms and how to build a lasting relationship in the 21st century.

KATZELMACHER, USA

written and directed by Joseph Hendel

after Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Cast: Chris Blem, Sam Disney, Alex Galan, Frank Hartley, Chelsea Lesage, Heather O’Sullivan, Madeline Adelle Phillips, Brendt Reil, Ellen White, and Ryan Wright

Joseph Hendel (original music) Jeffery Sims (associate director), Brian Reager (dramaturgy), Frank Hartley (lighting design), Bianca Nagel (set design) Joshua Christensen (sound design) Unkle Dave’s Fight House (fight direction) Liz Flemming (production manager/casting director) Mackenzie Meeks (production stage manager) Elia Tzoukermann, Kate Wauschek, Richard Urquiza (Production Interns).

the cell | July 2018

Written and directed by Joseph Hendel, Katzlemacher, U.S.A. tells the story of a group of aimless and sexually frustrated young people in Missouri as they grapple with an outsider who has come to work at the local winery. Freely adapted from Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s classic, this new adaptation explores the middle-american identity in a changing world.

DEATH, DATING, & I DO

written and performed by Paige Jennifer Barr

directed by Kira Simring

Kayla Santos (production stage manager) Elia Tzoukermann, Kate Wauschek, Richard Urquiza (production interns).

the cell | June 2018

Edinburgh Fringe Festival | August 2018

Paige’s life has changed in five years—cancer killed her husband, she had her first one-night stand and now she’s marrying a British accountant. When life gives you lemons, screw it, learn to play the ukulele.

THE WOMEN WHO RODE AWAY

written and performed by Natalia Zukerman

projection design by Gertjan Houben

directed by Kira Simring

Jennifer Delac (Production Stage Manager) Elia Tzoukermann, Kate Wauschek, Richard Urquiza (Production Interns).

the cell | May 2018

Written and performed by Natalia Zukerman, The Women Who Rode Away: Songs and Portraits is a project inspired by women who define and defy boundaries. Join us to see how this dialogue between paint, canvas, and song plays out. Performing as part of the cell's 2018 Residency Program, this performance will be directed by Artistic Director Kira Simring and features production design by Gertjan Houben.

SAM’S ROOM

A developmental production presented with New York Theatre Barn

book by Dale Sampson with Trey Coates-Mitchell

music and lyrics by Marc Campbell, Caitlin Marie Bell, Dale Sampson

directed / choreographed by Trey Coates-Mitchell

the cell | November 2017

Cast: Dale Sampson, Laura Jordan, Mallory Hawks

Kayla Santos (Production Stage Manager) Chris Steckel (Lighting Design) Liz Flemming (Line Producer) Caitlin Marie Bell (Music Direction) Jason Pomerantz (Keyboard) Marc Campbell (Guitar) Will Hehir (Bass) Austin Perez (Drums) Michael Murphy (Saxophone)

It’s 1998 and Sam is a nonverbal teenager with special needs, trapped in his own body and yearning for a voice. Shifting between cruel reality and pop star fantasy, this groundbreaking new musical invites audiences inside the imagination of one young man's universal struggle to communicate. While we see those who are nonverbal only in silence, Sam teaches us that in his mind there may be a world that is anything but silent.

BASTARD JONES

book, lyrics, and direction by Marc Acito

music and lyrics by Amy Engelhardt

based on the novel The History of Tom Jones: A Foundling by Henry Fielding

Choreographed by Joe Barros

the cell | June-July 2017

Time Out New York Recommended

Drama Desk Award Nomination - Evan Ruggiero

Off-Broadway Alliance Award Nomination - Best New Musical

Chita Rivera Award Nomination - Evan Ruggiero

Clive Barnes Award Winner - Evan Ruggiero

Cast: Evan Ruggiero, Elena Wang, Crystal Lucas-Perry, Cheryl Stern, Adam B. Shapiro, Alie B. Gorrie, Matthew McGloin, Tony Perry, Rene Ruiz

Matthew Liu (Music Director) Louisa Pough (Production Stage Manager) Kayla Santos (Assistant Stage Manager) Gertjan Houben (Lighting) M. Florian Staab (Sound Design) Siena Zoë Allen (Costumes) Bethany Mullins (Wardrobe Supervisor) Federico Berte (Fight Choreography)

Bastard Jones follows Tom Jones, a bastard-born charmer with a heart of gold and a knack for getting intro trouble. When Tom is banned from the only home he knows, an adventure leads him to the army, a romp at a country inn, and in a sticky situation with an aristocrat with a taste for boy-toys. All of the production’s proceeds will benefit Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund.

“High Spirited…It’s non judgmental approach to sex and disability, and its brash desire to entertain are winning” -The New York Times

“★★★★!”“Impressive…smartly plotted and irrepressible” -Time Out New York

“If I could fill this review with synonyms for ‘brilliant’ it still wouldn’t be enough” -Stage Buddy

THE YEAR OF THE BICYCLE

by Joanna Evans

directed by Shariffa Ali

the cell | May 2017

Cast: Elaine Ivey Harris and Kambi Gathesa

You Shin-Chen (set design) Chris Steckel (lighting design) Kayla Santos (stage management) Babette Riddick (assistant stage manager)

This new play by South African playwright Joanna Evans chronicles the unlikely relationship between two children as they navigate their friendship and the tumultuous political landscape that seperates them.

"The play muses on some profound issues including racial segregation in South Africa...Director Ali makes full use of the space and lifts Evans' poetic, dreamlike text off the page into a kaleidoscopic narrative...Gathesha and Harris, both dynamic performers, embody the vulnerability and strength that co-exist in every child. It’s impossible to look away from their magnetic chemistry on stage. 'Year of the Bicycle' is a bittersweet story that will keep you engaged and leave you wanting more.” -Theatre is Easy

"An energetic physical theatre piece that captures the exuberance of childhood imagination and the heady freedom when they play...Director Shariffa Ali has created an entire world with a few set pieces and finely executed performance moments. -New York Theatre Review

2 0 1 6

CRACKSKULL ROW

by Honor Molloy

Directed by Kira Simring

The Mainstage Theatre at The Workshop Theater | September 2016

Co-Production with Irish Repertory Theatre | January 2017

Cast: Gina Costigan, Terry Donnelly, Colin Lane, John Charles McLaughlin

Chris Steckel (Production Stage Manager) Kayla Santos (Assistant Stage Manager) Brian Reager (Associate Director) Gertjan Houben (Lighting) Daniel Geggatt (Set Design) M. Florian Staab (Sound Design) Siena Zoë Allen (Costumes) Samantha Keogh (Props) Bethany Mullins (Wardrobe Supervisor) Unkle Dave’s Fight House (Fight Choreography)

Rasher Moorigan has a secret that only his mother knows. Tonight — for the first time in over 30 years — mother and son spend May Eve together in a wreck of a house down the back lanes of Dublin. Melding reality and myth, Honor Molloy's Crackskull Row is the story of an Irish family's desperate actions and forbidden loves.

New York Times Critics’ Pick

Winner of 2 1st Irish Awards (Best Director, Best Production)

“Mr. McPherson and Mr. McDonagh might have to set another place at their table…grotesque but richly satisfying…” -The New York Times

“Few Irish playwrights have dared to be this ambitious in years. Crackskull Row blazes to life with an unsettling howl.” -Irish Central

“Crackskull is gorgeous…beautifully constructed” -Time Out New York

SHOES AND BAGGAGE

Written and performed by Cheryl Stern

Music by Tom Kochan

Directed by Joe Barros

the cell | May 2016

Jennifer Delac (Production Stage Manager) Kayla Santos (Assistant Stage Manager) Gertjan Houben (Lighting and Set) M. Florian Staab (Sound Design) Siena Zoë Allen (Costumes)

After a sold out workshop presentation, this hilariously touching one-woman musical meltdown returns to the cell in a full production, written and performed by Broadway veteran Cheryl Stern (La Cage Aux Folles, The Women). Directed by Joe Barros (Gigi, Beaches, A Taste of Things to Come) with music by Emmy Award winning composer Tom Kochan, Shoes and Baggage takes us on a wild, hilarious and heartbreaking ride of hunting, spending and buyer’s remorse. Get high on the buy!

“If you loved Love, Loss, and What I Wore…you’re likely to revel in Cheryl Stern’s Shoes and Baggage” “directed silkily by Joe Barros” -The Huffington Post

“Entertaining, enlightening, and challenging…The show is expertly crafted and directed by Joe Barros.” -Stage Buddy

“Wildly entertaining…Stern hits the nail on the head…”-offoffonline

“A mighty performance…this is a little brown bag full of goodies you just must have!” -NY Theatre Guide

THE HUNDRED WE ARE

An Origin Theatre Company production

by Jonas Hassen Khemiri

translated by Frank Perry

directed by Erwin Maas

the cell | March 2016

Cast: Orlagh Cassidy, Kitty Chen, Caitlyn Cisco, Mirirai Sithole

Michael Palmer (Production Stage Manager) Jack Gilliat (Technical Production Design) Derek Van Heel (lighting) Sam LaFrage (sound design) Jenny Green (costumes)

Three women, three stories. One person? One life? Whose life is it anyway? A young radical, a middle-aged housewife and an old sage battle to make sense of their lives through memory, imagination and fantasy. Did they travel the globe or stay at home? Did they write revolutionary poetry or study dental hygiene? Did they bring down the system or accept the status quo?

“Hundred inevitably brings to mind Edward Albee’s Three Tall Women…grippingly focused” -The New York Times

“A surreal, phantasmagorical piece.” -Theatre Pizzazz

“In a show that features an all-woman cast and revolves around the pluses and negatives of one woman’s life in particular, the show does justice to the female experience.” -Theatre is Easy

2 0 1 5

THE SHAKESPEAREAN JAZZ SHOW

text by William Shakespeare

Alex Ates (co-creator, director, producer)

Patrick Greeley (composer, co-creator, musical director)

the cell | June 2015 | November 2015

Energetic and innovative, The Shakespearean Jazz Show reinvigorates and recontextualizes Shakespearean performance. Experience how the loose, improvisatory nature of jazz music can free Shakespearean text, allowing the feeling and intent of the words to be expressed in a completely new way. The Nine Worthies provide an unforgettable parade of Shakespearean sonnets, songs, and scenes composed to original New Orleans-style jazz.

Alex Ates...co-creator, director, producer

Patrick Greeley...composer, co-creator, musical director

Orrin Whalen...designer
Jason Pacella*...production manager
Megan Harris...stage manager

Sheldon Brown...vocalist
Tyler Catanella...vocalist
Daniel Irwin...vocalist
Jenna Rogalski...vocalist
Emily Skeggs*...vocalist
Adrian Aiello...guitar (June)

Sam Crawford...guitar (November)
Jemila Dunham...bass
Patrick Greeley...piano, clarinet
Adam Salameh...drums (June)

Jordan Ross...drums (November)

Linton Smith...trumpet (November)
Max Sangerman...trumpet (June)

"O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag — / It’s so elegant / So intelligent” wrote Cats lyricist T.S. Eliot in a lesser-known poem called The Waste Land. Now composer Patrick Greeley jazzes up the Bard anew with New Orleans–style settings of classic verse (including sonnets as well as dramatic material). Emily Skeggs, who earned a Tony nom as Medium Alison in Broadway's Fun Home, leads the cast of this concert staging, which was featured in the 2017 New York Musical Festival.” -Time Out New York

STOOPDREAMER

written by Pat Fenton

directed by Kira Simring

September 2015

Cast: Jack O’Connell, Robin Leslie Brown, Bill Cwikowski

Gertjan Houben (production design), Chris Steckel (assistant production design), M. Florian Staab (sound design), Siena Zoé Allen (costume design), Samantha Keogh (Dramaturg), Brian Reager (assistant director) Louisa Pough (stage manager) and Jane Davis (assistant stage manager)

In 1945, Robert Moses began a massive roads project that would displace 1,252 families (a large percentage of them Irish) from Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. Now, seventy years later, haunting memories persist as three stoopdreamers gather in the last remaining Irish saloon from that era. In Stoopdreamer, drinks are poured, stories are shared and secrets are revealed as this trio of Brooklynites imagine a future that might have been.

“Everything changes and nothing stands still' Plato once cautioned. Patrick Fenton’s 'Stoopdreamer' acknowledges this, at the same time asking us to remember, and perhaps defend, those who get trampled in the rush to questionable progress." - Theatre is Easy

HEY JUDE

by Nancy Manocherian

original music by Michael Dellaira

directed by Kira Simring

Urban Stages | June 2015

Cast: Deborah Offner, Larry Cahn, Catherine Dupont, & Adam Weppler

Adrian Pena (Production Stage Manager) Sophia Montgomery (Assistant Stage Manager) Gertjan Houben (Lighting) Peiyi Wong (Set Design) M. Florian Staab (Sound) Rebecca Fruend (Costumes)

In Hey Jude, Anna's losing it, her husband Henry's already lost it and her son Jude is just plain lost. Identity is a slippery slope in this family drama, when a matter of life and death unhinges its members and challenges their basic beliefs.

"The ultimate family drama… (a) thought-provoking and powerful play." - StageBuddy

"Fine and concise direction by Kira Simring... Manocherian has written an interesting work that cannot be easily categorized as 'another dysfunctional family drama.' It is so much more than that." -BlogCritics

THE BISCUIT CLUB

by Marianne Driscoll

directed by Kira Simring

the cell | April 2015

Cast: Jack O’Connell, Paul Nugent, John Charles McLaughlin, Stephane Duret, Judy Rosenblatt, Bob Jaffe

Mackenzie Meeks (Production Stage Manager) Chris Steckel (Assistant Stage Manager) Brian Reager (Associate Director) Gertjan Houben (Production Design) Charles Mueller (Sound Design) Siena Zoë Allen (Costumes)

Ever wonder what goes on in a kennel when people aren't around? The Biscuit Club gives audiences a behind-the-bars peek into Bradley's Bed & Biscuit, a boarding house for dogs. When an aging Bulldog, a jumpy Beagle, a glamorous Shih Tzu, a grumpy Pit Bull, a champion Airedale Terrier and a wide-eyed Labrador pup are locked together for the night, a doggone good time is in store for all.

"a delightful experience for every kind of dog lover, and will leave you barking with laughter long after the dogs go home." -Charged.fm

"Do you find it impossible to walk by a pet store without stopping to ooh and aah at the puppies in the window?...If so, you will likely get a big kick out of The Biscuit Club, a shaggy charmer of a play at the cell." -Talkin' Broadway

PILLOW ON THE STAIRS

by Brona Crehan

directed by John Keating

Cast: John McConnell, Jacqueline Kealy, and Brona Crehan

Makenzie Meeks (Production Stage Manager) Gertjan Houben (Lighting Design) M. Florian Staab (Sound Design)

the cell | January 2015

Ever wonder what your life would be like if you’d made one different choice? An unplanned pregnancy sets off a chain of events in the lives of three people in Pillow on the Stairs. What follows creates a web of secrets and denials that binds this trio of ordinary, flawed individuals together for a lifetime. Every decision has lasting consequences in this intimate story about love, loyalty, betrayal, and trust.

“Pillow on the Stairs is absorbing and full of emotion, vulnerability, and rawness.” -Stage Buddy

“At just over an hour, Pillow on the Stairs is loaded with emotion as it weaves together their individual stories. Monologues allow Jim, Annie and Margaret to tell their versions, which gives the play a lovely rhythm.” -RaveReviewsNYC

2 0 1 4

HORSE GIRLS

by Jenny Rachel Weiner

directed by Sarah Krohn

the cell | December 2014

Cast: Kaley Ronayne, Anna Baryshnikov, Olivia Macklin, Angeliea Stark, Katie Lawson, Maddie Sykes and Eleonore Condo

Daniel Geggatt (Set Design) Alex DeNevers (Lighting) Ben Truppin-Brown (Sound) Siena Zoë Allen (Costumes) Amanda Perry (Special Effects) Alex J. Gould (Fight Direction) Hannah Brooks (Stage Management) Tom Kordenbrock (Assistant Stage Manager) Rachel Birnbaum (General Manager)

Twelve-year-old Ashleigh rules the Lady Jean Ladies, South Florida’s most exclusive horse club. News that her family’s stables are being sold and their horses killed for meat throws the Ladies into crisis in this dark comedy of middle school deception and lies. Horse Girls is a play about pre-teens: their obsessions, their insecurities, their desperate need to find a place in the world.

“…pitch perfect…a 50 minute pop descent into madness” -The New York Times

“Hilarious and terrifying…You may also have to lift your jaw off the floor a few times” -TheaterMania

“A worthy heir to Heathers and Mean Girls…fast-paced, frequently hilarious, and razor sharp.” -FlavorPill

“Excellent” -Time Out New York

THE MCGOWAN TRILOGY

by Seamus Scanlon

Directed by Kira Simring

the cell | September 2014

Kino Theater in Sussex, England | July 2015

Cast: Paul Nugent, Anna Nugent, Cindy Boyle, Philip Callen, Conor McIntyre, Matt Golden

Rachel Kitto (Production Stage Manager) Anne Ciarlone (Assistant Stage Manager) Brian Reager (Associate Director) Gertjan Houben (Production Design) Dylan Fusillo (Sound) Siena Zoë Allen (Costumes) Samantha Keogh (Props) Jed Peterson (Fight Choreography)

Winner of 4 1st Irish Awards: Best Actress (Anna Nugent) Best Director (Kira Simring) Best Design and Best Production

The McGowan Trilogy tells of Irish revolutionary Victor McGowan; cold blooded, warm-hearted and conflicted. In Dancing at Lunacy, McGowan ignores court martial protocol. In The Long Wet Grass, McGowan is forced to choose between his commitment to the cause and a woman who was his childhood companion. In Boys Swam Before Me, McGowan faces painful revelations from his past.

“…like so much of the cell's excellent work, The McGowan Trilogy has timeliness on its side as well as a call for redemption.” -The Huffington Post

“Stunning…perplexing, stirring and unsettling. It is a fine play, not easily forgotten” -Blogcritics

“The McGowan Trilogy is skillfully written and artfully acted -- a meaningful glimpse into Irish history through a detailed portrait of one man’s experience.” -Stage Buddy

BEWARE THE IDES OF MONDAY

a mashup of Julius Caesar and A Comedy of Errors

text by William Shakespeare

directed by Joseph Hendel

the cell | June 2014

Cast: Andy Arena, Michael Brahce, Yvonne Almeria Campbell, Sasha Diamond, Tjasa Ferme, Sarah Group, David Jenkins, Schuyler Mastain, Paul Nugent, Michael Ring, Emma Kathryn, Anya Whelan-Smith, Ayo Cummings, Oscar Montoya

Mackenzie Meeks (production manager) Rachel Kitto (production stage manager) Dylan Fusillo (sound design) Jess Gersz (costume design) Angelica Equality Nicholas (set design) Randy Ginsburg (puppet design)

A 1980's New York modern-dress Shakespeare mash-up of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and The Comedy of Errors that gleefully mangles the Bard in an exploration of fate, politics, and the precarious nature of existence. Mistaken identities, Reagan Revolutionaries, Shakespearean bawdiness, and the occasional stabbing all unite in this soothsaying experimental production.

THE INTERNATIONAL

an Origin Theatre Company Production

written by Tim Ruddy

directed by Christopher Randolph

the cell | April 2014

Cast: Timothy Carter, Ted Schneider, Carey Van Driest

James Maloof (Production Design) Derek van Heel (Lighitng Design) Sam LaFrage (Sound Design) Alexis M. Qualls (Production Stage Manager) George C. Heslin (Artistic Director of Origin Theatre Company)

In this probing three-character play, familiar events taking place during an unnamed war in Eastern Europe are seen through the eyes of three different people in three different parts of the world. Linked in surprising ways through the media, technology and global politics these three people couldn’t be more disconnected.

“Skillfully acted” -The New York Times

“…as spellbinding as it is frightening. The production as a whole is a small, disturbing masterpiece, like a fine painting that provokes contemplation.” -TheaterMania

“It is current, and important, and the execution is faultless…everyone should see this.” -On Stage Blog

2 0 1 3

AN AMERICAN FAMILY TAKES A LOVER

by Amina Henry

directed by Kira Simring

Cast: Bob Jaffe, Lila Donnolo, Tiffany Nicole Greene, Dan Yo Lo

Theatre for the New City | November 2013

Richard David, his wife Lady Anne, and their "other" person Justine, are a uniquely American family. When handyman Thomas arrives to fix a mysterious hole in the wall, his presence threatens to tear the family apart. Through swimming lessons, soap operas, Truth or Dare and dusty flowers, An American Family Takes A Lover explores Stockholm Syndrome through a racial and sexual lens.

Andrew Diaz (set design) Jonathan Cottle (lighting design) Sara Hinkley (costume design) Thomas Kennedy (sound design) Chris Steckel (production stage manager) Mackenzie Meeks (assistant stage manager) Hope Andrejack (production assistant)

“An American Family Takes a Lover exposes society's holes in life—and, in doing so, perhaps makes the first steps towards patching them up.” -Stage Buddy

“Incredible…when I thought [the actors] couldn’t possibly “go there,” they went in flaming chariots, built from the ruins of race relations in our country.” -New York Theatre Review

“I’m looking forward to more writing from Amina Henry” -The Front Row Center

SIGHTLINES

in association with Custom Made Theatre Company

by Mark Eisman

directed by Leah S. Abrams

featuring original photography by Naomi Olson

original music by Rona Siddiqui

Cast: Tamara Scott and Darnell Williams

the cell | November 2013

Ruth finds life is a series of betrayals that have led her to tread between a lonely reality and a dreamlike revision of herself. She meets Davis who will help her navigate an ever-blurring world. Out of the darkness and into the light. Out of the light and into the darkness, they smash their way "through the looking-glass" into a Lewis Carroll world and a love story defying conventional perceptions.

WHEN THOUGHTS ATTACK

written and performed by Kelly Kinsella

directed by Padraic Lillis

the cell | November 2013

In When Thoughts Attack, a woman walks into a restaurant to order lunch and is swept up into a whirlpool of anxiety over every life choice that has led her to this meal. Clinging to her sense of humor and an emergency Xanax, she teeters between the salmon or a complete nervous breakdown. Never has the act of making a decision been so entertaining!

“She’s like us, just funnier.” -nytheatre.com

“Kelly Kinsella manages to pull off one of the hardest tricks in performance: she shares herself” -New York Theatre Review

“Hilarious” -The Huffington Post

MURAKAMI MUSIC: STORIES OF LOSS AND NOSTALGIA

conceived by Eunbi Kim

featuring Eunbi Kim and Laura Snell

text by Haruki Murakami

directed by Kira Simring

special guests: Pat Carroll (saxophone), Itaiguara Brandão (bass)

the cell | November 2013

Inspired by the musical references made in the writings of novelist Haruki Murakami, this one-of-a kind, genre-defying concert pushes artistic and intellectual boundaries as music and drama come together to tell the stories of Murakami's characters. Imagine a world in which the lines between reality and surreality are blurred, ordinary and extraordinary are interchangeable, and music is the only constant that keeps it all together.

“Captivating…spell-binding…Under the gifted guidance of Kira Simring, the pair used both music and drama to appeal to the senses of sound, sight, and spatial awareness. As an audience member, I was on edge waiting for what was to come next.” -The Tuxedo Revolt

COCKTALES: CONFESSIONS OF A NYMPHOMANIAC

written and performed by Tjasa Ferme

directed by Kira Simring

Cast: Michelle Cox, Andrew Arena, Scott Freeman, Rumando Kelly

The Triad | Dixon Place | Bardot, Miami | 2013

A two-woman farce with a three-man parade. Cocktales follows Eve’s escape from the Garden of Eden to Dr. Truth’s TV show. Dr. Truth treats her predilection for erection and forces Eve to face her own twisted sexuality.

"Tjasa Ferme's writing in this piece is nothing short of brilliant... If you’re looking for a show that’s not tame or based in politically correct nonsense, you’d be a fool to miss Cocktales – Confessions of a Nymphomaniac" - Woman Around Town

"raw, funny, and totally entertaining…" - TotalTheater.com

“inspired direction with absurd innovation by Kira Simring" - Richmond Shepard

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

by William Shakespeare

directed by Tim Elliot

original music by John Charles McLaughlin

Cast: Andy Arena, Spencer Aste, Almeria Campbell, Doug Chapman, Gardiner Comfort, Andrew Dahl, Lila Donnolo, Tjasa Ferme, Daniel Lê, Theresa McElwee, John Charles McLaughlin, Paul Nugent, and Jed Peterson

the cell | September 2013

A Romantic Comedy about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Don Pedro has freed Messina and now romances rage between his veterans and the local women. Can they learn to trust each other, or will deceit destroy their community?

MCGOLDRICK’S THREAD

book and lyrics by Marianne Driscoll

music by Ronnie D’Addario

choreography by Joe Barros

step dancing by Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus

directed by Kira Simring

80 St. Marks | August 2013

Cast: Casey Murray, Elizabeth West, Peter Cormican, Paul Nugent, Conor McIntyre, John Charles McLaughlin, Garrett Coleman, Jason Oremus, Jesse Driscoll, Mairead Brown, Declan Byrne, Jessica Byrne, Sean Crosby, Hayleigh Jusas, Ciaran O'Brien, Sheppard Somers, and Natalie Vestergom

Cheryl Crabtree Woertz (Musical Direction) Mackenzie Meeks (Production Stage Manager) Chris Steckel (Assistant Stage Manager) Carl Tallent (Scenic Design) Michael Megliola (Lighting) Thomas Kennedy (Sound) Rachel Guilfoyle, Mary Collins, Danielle O’Leary and Jane Rubinstein (Costumes) Brian Reager (Assistant Director)

*Winner of 3 1st Irish Awards: Best Production, Best Director, Special Jury Prize (Outstanding Choreography)

McGoldrick’s Thread is the story of the O’Reilly family, who have settled in a small apartment in the Bronx after leaving Clonmel, Ireland to raise their four children. Colorfully moving through time and place, the play reveals the trials, triumphs and humor of the O’Reilly and McGoldrick families. In their small apartment, Magee and her family learn a valuable lesson about tradition and the things we give up to create new ones.

“a charming musical..splendid comic timing” - The New York Times

PETER / WENDY

written and directed by Jeremy Bloom

adapted from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

the cell | May 2013

Cast: John Charles McLaughlin, Jessie Shelton, Lachrisha Brown, Julia Steele Allen, Evan Kuzma, Tim Eliot, and Brittany Bellizeare

Mackenzie Meeks (Production Stage Manager) Brian Rady (Scenic Design) Erin Schultz (Costume Design) Gertjan Houben (Lighting Design) Josh Kelley (Assistant Director)

In this lyrical, atmospheric interpretation of Peter Pan, Jeremy Bloom strips the familiar story down to its emotional essence. Peter lures Wendy away from her nursery to the magical world of Neverland, where she joins his adventures with Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily, and the menacing Captain Hook.

“[The play’s] commitment to the purest elements of theatre is refreshing, and commendable.” -NYTheatre.com

“Engagingly explores the questions of innocence, friendship, family and loss that have made the story a classic for more than a century.” -The San Francisco Examiner

“Marvelously subtle…A new and startling interpretation.” -theatrestorm.com

2 0 1 2

HARD TIMES: AN AMERICAN MUSICAL

by Larry Kirwan

directed by Kira Simring

choreographed by Joe Barros

the cell | January 2014, September 2012

New York Times Critics’ Pick

New York Innovative Theatre Award Nomination – Joe Barros

Cast: Jed Peterson, John Charles McLaughlin, Stephane Duret, Jennifer Lorae (2014), Almeria Campbell, James D. Sasser (2014) Phil Callen (2012), Erin West (2012)

Rona Sidiqqi (Musical Director) Mackenzie Meeks (Production Stage Manager) Chris Steckel (Assistant Stage Manager) Brian Reager (Associate Director) Dara Wishingrad (Set Design) Sarah Hinkley (Costume Design 2012) Sarah Gosnell (Costume Design 2014) Gertjan Houben (Lighting) Julian Evans (Sound)

Hard Times is a soulful musical of clashing Irish and Afro-American cultures, written by Larry Kirwan of Black 47. Through a re-imagining of Stephen Foster's songs, Kirwan conjures the creation of tap dance and explores the troubled life of the "father of American Music" against the backdrop of New York City's Civil War draft riots.

"By the end of the evening, the audience is up, cheering and stamping.” -New York Times

“The show’s music…updated by Black 47 member [Larry] Kirwan---is gorgeous.” -The Village Voice

“the major strength of the new musical Hard Times by Larry Kirwan of Black 47 is indeed to remind anyone not paying attention just how vital a great song remains...” -Huffington Post

BLOOD & DANCING AT LUNACY

Blood by Larry Kirwan

Dancing at Lunacy by Seamus Scanlon

directed by Kira Simring

Cast: Brett Aresco, Mac Brydon, Darrell Larson, Spencer Leopold-Cohen, Paul Nugent, Ciaran Byrne, and Jed Peterson.

the cell | March 2012

Joseph Croghan (Set Design) Rachel Guilfoyle (Costumes) Stephanie Riddle (Sound Design) Tim Eliot (fight choreography) Ellie Bye (Props) Amy Jo Jackson (dialect coach) Samantha Keogh (dramaturgy) Jason Najjoum (casting director) Katie Rosin (press) Alison Anderson (Production Stage Manager)

Larry Kirwan's Blood is based on the actual disappearance of James Connolly, trade union organizer and leader of the Irish Citizen Army, on January 19, 1916. Sixty-eight years later in another room - a drinking club in Belfast - in the aftermath of the hunger strikes, a no-less tense situation plays out. Seamus Scanlon's Dancing at Lunacy is a fictionalized story set in 1984, Belfast, centering on an IRA internal security investigation where an alleged informer and an aging commanding officer are in a confrontation with a young sociopath with a penchant for pistols, The Sex Pistols, dancing, Barry's Tea and ruthless efficiency. Dancing At Lunacy and Blood explore the highly charged issue of Irish Republicanism and its ongoing effect on the Irish psyche.

“Scanlon has crafted a powerful piece that refuses to romanticize “The Troubles” and created in McGowan an original, chilling and bizarrely memorable character…There are many St. Patrick’s Day events this week that you may have trouble remembering the next day. This is not one of them.” -The Huffington Post

2 0 1 1

HEROES AND OTHER STRANGERS

written and performed by Zac Jaffee

directed by Christian Haines

the cell | November 2011

It's 1971. Lenny is perfectly content with his life. He works at a camera shop in New York's Greenwich Village. He's not in the war, not fighting against it, not tuning in, turning on, or dropping out. He's not doing anything but standing on one side of a camera watching it all pass him by. But when a neighborhood girl disappears, Lenny finds himself searching for two runaway teenagers in San Francisco, where he finds hippies, revolutionaries, lovers, killers, heroes and other strangers, and, as it turns out, himself. A noir tale told through a psychedelic lens.

“While many characters in one-man shows find the answers they need by the end of it all, the process and tribulations Lenny suffers through not only make him a man by the final curtain, they’ll make his journey personable and memorable.” -Reviewfix

“Jaffee’s writing is crisp and he is masterful at painting a visual scene, leaving the San Francisco cityscapes firmly etched in my mind.” -New York Theatre Review

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM & BAD EVIDENCE

In Association with The Hive Theatre

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

by William Shakespeare

directed by Matthew A.J. Gregory

Bad Evidence

by Terry Quinn

directed by Kira Simring

the cell | July 2011

Cast: Ron Bopst, Erika Cazenueve, Chris Critelli, Lekethia Dalcoe, Samuel T. Gaines, Fernando Gambaroni, Shira Gregory, Meghan Grace O’Leary, Ryan Lee, Marissa Parness, Glenn Quentin, Guy Rader, Michael Raver, Ashley Denise Robinson, Cameron Smith, Chen Tang, Alan Winner, Pamela Weingarden

A faltering marriage compels a husband and wife to make a pact - to confess searing truths in the heat of passion. The exposure leads to a confrontation with four of their friends, and even deeper revelations.

SEE-SAW SOLO FEST

A LONELY MAN’S HABIT

written and performed by Jeremy Lawrence

based on the works and words of Tennessee Williams

directed by Jim Gaylord

…AND THEN YOU GO ON: AN ANTHOLOGY OF THE WORKS OF SAMUEL BECKETT

adapted and performed by Bob Jaffe

based on the works and words of Samuel Beckett

directed by Peter Wallace

SIMPLY COMPLICATED: THE ELEGANT ESCAPADES OF A DANISH-ISRAELI OPERA-SINGING TANK COMMANDER

co-written by Jason Odell Williams and Diana Basmajian

directed by Kira Simring

the cell | March 2011

BALTIMORE IN BLACK AND WHITE

with Bandwagon Productions in association with Small Pond Entertainment

by Jason Odell Williams

directed by Charlotte Cohn

Featuring Judy Jerome, Christopher Burris, Charleigh E. Parker, and Sadrina Renee

A young woman is about to marry an old friend of the family. The only problem: she's white and Jewish; he's black... and not. Eight actors play seventeen different roles in this laugh-out-loud ensemble comedy that looks at how far we've come (and how far we haven't) over the past two decades by exploring two Baltimore family's relationships in 1987 and today.

the cell | March 2011

Felicia Bass (associate producer), Michael Roderick (producer), Lelund Thompson (asst. director), Sivan Hadari (PR & marketing), Andrea Wales (production stage manager), Megan Griffith (asst. stage manager), Lauren Parrish (lighting design), Asa Wember (sound design), Carolyn Hoffmann (costume design), David Arsenault (set design), Lemar Johnson (production assistant), and Russ Rowland (photography).

“A stunning and evocative story.” -urban excavations

2 0 1 0

LIMONADE TOUS LES JOURS

with Joie de Théâtrale and The New Voice Project

by Charles Mee

directed by Diana Basmajian

the cell | April 2010

Cast: Austin Pendleton, Eleanor Handley, and Anton Briones

Set in Paris, Limonade Tous les Jours is a delightful & sparkling romantic comedy that tells the story of an American man who meets a French woman in a cafe. Both of them are recovering from recent ruined love relationships. They spend the day wandering through the city together, and speak of all the reasons why they shouldn't fall in love. And so of course, they do.

““★★★★! [Charles Mee] serves up an honest-to-goodness romantic comedy, temporarily abandoning his frenetic dreamscapes in favor of a winsome bonbon with a sweet, gooey center.” -Time Out New York

“ Pendleton is once again his utterly believable acting self” -TheaterMania

“Mee has created bolder love stories tethered to the Greek models, but when it comes to affirming the human spirit, this simple love story soars.” -Curtain Up

ANCHOR WOMEN

written and conceived by Brian Rady

directed by Jeremy Bloom

live and prerecorded video design by Bonnie Loughner

live music performed and composed by Flutronix

the cell | February 2010

Cast: Holly Chou (Ann Curry), Laila Alj (Annie Liebovitz), Eric Dean Wilson, Kaitlin Colombo, & Sarah Grace Welbourn, Almeria Campbell, Starr Busby, Ciara Gay

Bryce Norbitz (production manager), Juliet Fox (costumes), Chris Wade (video assistance), with additional original music by Andrew Sturman

A multimedia gesamtkunstwerk that shows the high definition foibles of the ladies in front of the American Television camera. The play brings together celebrity, luminary ladies in a real dreamscape – Oprah, Annie Liebovitz, and Ann Curry cross paths via an imagined and fantastical transatlantic flight through a spiritualized and lyrical contemporary zeitgeist.

LEAVES OF GRASS (NUDE)

written and directed by Jeremy Bloom

based on the poetry of Walt Whitman

the cell | August 2009

Cast: Kesh Baggan, Scott Barker, LaChrisha Brown, Tjasa Ferme, Ali Khan, Nicole K., Joel Mercedes, Joyce Miller, Dillon Porter.

Amanda K. Acobes (Production Stage Manager) Amanda Thieroff (Production Manager) Shawn Hollahan (Set) Dan Gallagher and Jeanette Yew (Lighting) Jeremy Bloom (Sound and Audio/Visual).

Leaves of Grass (nude) is a nude choral reading of the poems of Walt Whitman, conceived and directed by Jeremy Bloom.

“Onstage nudity can be a stunt—for better or worse—or a crucial storytelling device... But there seems something appropriately pure about the cell theatre’s production... The director, Jeremy Bloom, has said that the production "celebrates the bare human form as an intersection of nature and industry...Perhaps these lines from the poem tipped him off: 'The atmosphere is not a perfume—it has no taste of the distillation—it is odorless; It is for my mouth forever—I am in love with it; I will go to the bank by the wood, and become undisguised and naked; I am mad for it to be in contact with me.” -The New Yorker

BONFIRE NIGHT

by Joan Baker

directed by Pat Jones

Cast: Kim Weston-Moran, Toccarra Cash, Verna Hampton, Darnell Williams

the cell | May 2009

Dara Wishingrad (set design) Tony Davidson (set construction) Nacinomod Deodee (costume design) Amanda Adobes (production stage manager)

The flames of Bonfire Night in 1968 Birmingham, England, are no match for the inferno that will consume the fading beauty, Cynthis Johnson, if her daughter Lorna makes the leap to the happy life she desperately craves with her secret suitor, Reggie. Written by Joan Baker, this is the first play in a trilogy of works that focuses on the migration of Caribbean peoples to the UK in the 1940s and what has happened to that community since then.

2 0 0 8

DINNER AND DELUSION

music by Michael Sahl

libretto by Nancy Manocherian

directed by Kira Simring

the cell | September 2008

Cast: Demetrios Bonaros, Philip Callen, Peter Clark, Blythe Gaissert, Christopher Herbert, Vivian Krich-Brinton, and Jessica Medoff Bunchman.

Dinner and Delusion begins and ends with Passover Seders that take place sixty years apart. On Passover, 1949, a 15-year-old boy misbehaves with his Aunt Rosie. When he is locked in a closet for his misdeeds, he meets the prophet Elijah, who tells him that Rosie is the Shekinah, the apparition of God as a female body, as known as the Eternal Feminine. Dinner and Delusion explores temporal and mystical aspects of love and family with humor and passion with a stylistically engaging score that references world music, to contemporary Americana, and classic Klezmer sounds.

2 0 0 7

GUILTY

by Nancy Manocherian

directed by Kira Simring

Cast: Tracee Chimo, Mary Ann Conk, Glory Gallo, Heather Kenzie, Ned Massey, Darnell Williams

Acorn Theatre @ Theatre Row | 2007

Guilty follows the unraveling of a group of friends in the top echelon of New York society enjoying their lives of plenty. However, the enjoyment falters when sordid secrets come to light. as the characters' indiscretions culminate, linings of corruption and deceit are stripped away to reveal universal frailty underneath the facade of the social elite

Ken Hypes (Original Music and sound design) Tim McMatch (set designer) Jason A. Bishop (costume designer) Ben Zamora (lighting designer) Mandy Berry (production stage manager) Travis Walker (production manager)

“Manocherian, Simring and their actors have hidden a real lament on the subject of adulthood and aging. There’s no moral here; only an oblique sense of hope for the future, whether we find ourselves able to run there, or in need of a cane and a few stops to catch our breath along the way.” -Variety

“[Tracee Chimo] commits with aplomb” -Broadway World

“The simple honesty of ordinary interactions in the face of extraordinary circumstances is where some of the greatest drama is found.” -Talkin’ Broadway

BLACKOUT

by Michael I. Walker

directed by Kira Simring

Cast: Ryan Patrick Bachand, Almeria Campbell, Kevin Mambo, Teddy Bergman, Kate Goehring, Darnell Williams

Kirk Theatre @ Theatre Row | January 2007

Gabriel Evansohn (set design) Kristin Koury (costume design) Tracis Walker (sound design)

When the lights go out on New York City in the blackout of 2003, six strangers collide on a street corner in Hell's Kitchen. Their lives quickly intertwine, but when the power is restored, this newly formed community struggles to hold on to what they found in the dark. Inspired by the works of James Baldwin, Blackout is a smart, topical illumination of sex, race, faith, and electrical power.

“Impressive…Campbell and Bachand are extraordinarily attractive performers in every sense of the word.” -Theatermania