THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th & 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
The year is 1959, and Franz’ art dealer, Sidney Janis, refuses to include his new color abstractions in an upcoming one-man show. Franz wants to include two new ones and Sidney threatens that if he does, this will be his last show at his gallery.
Later, at the Cedar Tavern, Franz’ interview with young art critic Artie Mendelbaum starts a roller coaster ride of stories, surprises, and a cavalcade of emotions ranging from grief to laughter.
The show at Sidney’s gallery presents a twist involving his biggest collector, a couple of disguises, and Sidney.
CAST
Franz Kline: Daniel Yaiullo
Sidney Janis: Jack Kerouac, Ben Shaw
Dr. Marsh: Peter Welch
John the Bartender: David Dobbs: John Barilla
Artie Mendelbaum: Alex Elmaleh
Jerry: Dr. Fenneman, Jackson Pollock
David Amram: Peter Welch
Willem de Kooning: Prologue
Robert Motherwell: Alex Elmaleh
Joan Mitchell and Elizabeth: Zoe Anastassiou
Grace Hartigan and Annie: Alexandra Laliberte
BIO
Carl Kline has been a farmhand, a factory worker, a soil conservationist, an actor, a teacher, and a writer who received a BS in Agronomy from Delaware Valley College, worked for the USDA Soil Conservation Service, and received an MFA in Theatre from Michigan State University. While living in Los Angeles in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s, he started writing poetry because he thought that he had something to say.
Since then, acting and writing have been like two slow horses limping neck and neck, pulling his many jobs and his imagination along with them. Writing won. To date, writing has spawned a cookbook, The Cookbook for Actors and Other Survivors, a book of fiction, Blue Collar Kids, a book of poems, On My Sleeve, and his play, A Part of the Noise.
The Musical chronicles three generations of an immigrant family. The main character, Bobby, while working, suffers a life changing trauma after the tragic death of a young girl. The show begins 20 years late when an old love interest shows up. She works alongside her Vietnam vet father, and her uncle, along with her Aunt,The show explores the human tragedy of longing for redemption and absolution only to find the forgiveness we’re all seeking is our own.
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field
Presents
A Rome Neal Banana Puddin’ Jazz Production
OMAR EDWARDS & THE NEW YORK JAZZ GYPSIES
Monday, November 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Tickets: $20 General Admission
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
“Where the Tap Dancer Leads the Band”
New York, NY — Prepare to be transported through a powerful pool of sound as virtuoso rhythm tap-dancer Omar Edwards and The New York Jazz Gypsies take audiences on a vibrant journey from Jazz to Funk—and beyond.
The driving percussion of Edwards’s tap shoes, combined with the rich instrumentation of horns, congas, drums, keyboards, and bass, creates a one-of-a-kind experience where the cadence and rhythm of his feet—not his voice—lead the way.
“In my work, I use the tap-dance vocabulary to speak the language of music to the audience,” says Edwards. “My feet sing, dance, and recite poetry. I call my dance Afro-feet—honoring the spirit of the ancestors.”
ABOUT OMAR EDWARDS
An internationally acclaimed dancer, Omar Edwards’s “foot music” has taken him to more than 20 countries and countless stages across the globe. His credits include:
Broadway’s “Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk”
The national touring company of “Black and Blue”
A seven-year run as The Sandman on NBC’s Showtime at the Apollo
Performances at the Hollywood Bowl with Alicia Keys and a Command Performance at the White House alongside Savion Glover
Featured artist at the 2021 Soul Train Music Awards, where he reprised his role as The Sandman
Recent appearances at the Harlem Cultural Festival and the Inaugural John Coltrane Festival in Harlem, NYC
Edwards continues to push boundaries where music and movement meet, bridging the power of rhythm, spirit, and storytelling through tap.
LISTEN & LEARN MORE
🎧 Latest Album: All Unique – Where the Tap Dancer Leads the Band
Available now: https://omaredwards.hearnow.com
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field
Presents
Beauty Bites
a new play with music Written and Directed by Terry Lee King
December 18 2025 – January 4, 2026
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM No shows on: Thursday, December 25, 2025, and Thursday, January 1, 2026
LAST SHOW on Sunday, January 4, the showtime will start at 3:00 PM
Tickets $20, Students & Seniors $15
Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
CABARET THEATER
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
In this musical fantasy extravaganza, conceived and created by Terry Lee King (featuring the soundtrack of our lives), there is a popular quiet area where many neighborhood residents park their vehicles at the cul-de-sac. Some to have a quick snack, many to make out or even to star gaze at night. All of a sudden, there has been some strange goings-on. Neighborhood people are disappearing from this certain location, and no one knows why.
Performed by the Award-Winning Theater Group “Jewel’s Earthbound Angels”.
PRODUCTION
Written and Directed by Terry Lee King
Assistant Director – Mathew Seepersad
Stage Manager – Lola Lukas
Production Assistant – Maria Lucena
Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution in Progress Circus
Wednesday, December 3 @ 8pm
Thursday, December 4 @ 8pm
Friday, December 5 @ 8pm
Saturday, December 6 @ 3pm
Saturday, December 6 @ 8pm
Sunday, December 7 @ 3pm
Ladles and Jellyspoons! The one and only Bread & Puppet Circus is back with Anti-Empire Art that acknowledges our beloved Mother Dirt, who makes us and unmakes us, and who presents urgently needed domestic resurrection services for the victims of this latest genocide. We are joined by Palestinian cranes on their way to Washington to replace the excrement in the White House with organic bird droppings, green frogs who teach the art of hopping over seemingly insurmountable problems, and gaggles of kindergarten butterflies who frolic to their hearts’ desire. Join us for a serious and silly circus: Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution In Progress!
The Christmas Story
Thursday, December 11 @ 8pm
Friday, December 12 @ 8pm
Saturday, December 13 @ 3pm
Saturday, December 13 @ 8pm
Sunday, December 14 @ 3pm
Join Bread & Puppet for an urgently-needed retelling of the first Christmas. In the tradition of the medieval mystery plays, this show combines reverence and impudence to speak to this exact moment. Mary and Joseph sleep with the cows because they don’t have $26.50 for a room at the Sandy Arms motel. King Herod laments the balance-of-payment deficit. The bubble-headed bourgeoisie of Jerusalem dismiss the star in the east as a publicity stunt. See this ancient story remade for today’s horrors and today’s badly needed cry for an end to war.
Originally created in 1962, Bread & Puppet’s The Christmas Story was performed every year at Christmastime until the mid 1980’s. The puppeteers have revived the show with the help of archival video and interviews with the original performers. In 1967 The New York Times said of the piece: “The scene is at once the holy land and super America; the time then, and now… The approach may seem campy or sacrilegious. It is neither. The play says that Jesus’s world was, in essence, ours; that both need saving.”
As always, the shows will include puppets large and small, music, up-to-the-minute politics, and spectacles not to be missed. After the show Bread & Puppet will serve its famous sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field
Presents
SACRED MONSTERS
November 6 – November 23, 2025
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM
Tickets $20, Students & Seniors $15
Run Time: 75 minutes
CABARET THEATER
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
In SACRED MONSTERS, dancing is the addiction in a Dancers Anonymous support group, and all are transformed. In the tradition of documentary theater, SACRED MONSTERS began as interviews, then, in collaboration with the playwright and directors, seven dancers rewrote their experiences of mentorship, injury, isolation, impoverishment, and love in movement and dialogue unifying medium and message.
CAST
Fina
Puspa Ghalley
Merrill Joseffer
Marie Baker Lee
Devorah Shubowitz
Edwin Tolentino
Gwendolyn Torrence
Simeng Wang
PRODUCTION
Devorah Shubowitz
Playwright and Producer
Gina Bonati and Jennifer Stepanyk
Director
Leah Wilks
Movement Director and Sound Designer
Andy Farley Shimota
Movement Director
Megan Lighty
Set Designer, Costume Designer, Art Designer, and Development
Joshua Groth
Lighting Designer, Videographer, and Development
Mackenzie Grace
Stage Manager, Sound and Lighting Engineer
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field
Presents
A Rome Neal Banana Puddin’ Jazz Production
JAZZY THESPIANS NIGHT
Monday, October 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Tickets: $20 General Admission
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
Featuring:
TINA FABRIQUE, JEFFERY V. THOMPSON, FRANK SENIOR, OMAR EDWARDS
Musicians:
ANDRE CHEZ LEWIS (piano)
PATIENCE HIGGINS (saxophone)
TBA (Bass and Drums)
Also Featuring:
Open Mic Jazz Jam Session
Complimentary Banana Puddin’
A Celebration of Black Theatre Excellence
Join us for a pre-AUDELCO celebration honoring Black Theatre’s AUDELCO Awards and the visionary women behind it — the late Vivian Robinson, Grace L. Jones, and current president Jackie Jefferies.
This Jazzy Thespians Night sets the stage for the upcoming 2025 AUDELCO Awards, taking place Monday, November 24, 2025.
Let’s celebrate over 53 years of AUDELCO’s commitment to recognizing excellence in Black theatre!
For early reservations call Rome Neal: 718-288-8048
About Theater for the New City
Founded in 1971, Theater for the New City (TNC) is an award-winning community cultural center dedicated to producing innovative theatre and fostering diverse artistic voices. Under the direction of Crystal Field, TNC remains a vital East Village institution where art and activism meet.
About Rome Neal
Rome Neal is an acclaimed actor, director, and producer, best known for his long-running series Banana Puddin’ Jazz, which brings together jazz artists, poets, and actors in joyful collaboration. Neal continues to be a cultural bridge-builder, celebrating the intersections of Black theatre and jazz.
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field
Presents
Sensor of the God Mind: The Creek Sage Speaks
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Tickets $20
Run Time: 95 minutes
JOHNSON THEATER
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
Created and performed by Paul Dederick
It’s called Sensor of the God Mind: The Creek Sage Speaks. It’s essentially a stand-up special/ted talk that addresses the specific questions of “what are we?” And “what is PURPOSE in this physical reality”. “How?!?”, You all scoff! -By exploring exactly that; what reality “Is”, how it’s structured: from atomic to cosmic, how we sense it to establish our perceptions of reality, and what such monolithic structures as religion, science and those that came before us lend to the discussion. Basically; we’re De-Mystifying some stuff!
It’s hilarious. But more importantly; It is a clear and inarguable message of Unity. And I think the vast majority of us out here are CRYING OUT for authenticity, truth, understanding and Peace, more than anything. And we’re not gonna get it from our elected officials or corporate leadership. So I will start. See you there.
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY Executive Director, Crystal Field
Presents
Melanie Maria Goodreaux’s New Play
THE POPES OF FARRAGUT STREET
November 6 – November 23, 2025
Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8:00 PM, Sunday at 3:00 PM
Tickets $20, Students & Seniors $15
Pay What You Can Sundays
Run Time:
CINO THEATER
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
New York, NY — Melanie Maria Goodreaux’s new play “THE POPES OF Farragut STREET” will premiere at Theater for the New City in New York, NY. Following the success of her previous productions, “RITA IS THE GOAT,” “ENOUGH VO5 FOR THE UNIVERSE,” and “THE WHITE BLACKS,” playwright and director Melanie Maria Goodreaux is ready to captivate audiences once again. This limited engagement will run for 12 performances from November 6th to Nov 23rd, 2025.
About the Play:
With the mix-ups and crossed affections of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, The Popes of Farragut Street is a lively examination of regret and romance, family, faith, and identity set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans’ cultural and spiritual life.
The Popes of Farragut Street takes place in Conrad’s ‘shade tree’ auto shop in New Orleans’ “7th Ward,” where grease, gossip, and unexpected desires collide. Conrad Patsy (Benjamin Rowe) runs the shop with Ducky (Marco Cunha), Pee Wee (Javan Robinson) and Shade (Aristotle Stamat)— a group of ‘orphaned souls’ and mechanics who are abuzz over the Black Creole heritage of Pope Leo XIV. The characters beckon Leo to connect with his Black roots by coming ‘home’ to the Seventh Ward of New Orleans— while also hailing as “Pope”– an unorthodox practitioner of her Catholic Faith, Pope Violet (Vienna Carroll) a ‘blind’ woman who sees visions.
Head Mechanic, Conrad Patsy, tries to ‘course correct’ after losing the woman he really loves, Mable Preston (Christian Neal) years prior. He maintains a ‘loveless’ marriage with his “hoarder” wife, Rachel Patsy (Hollie Harper ) who is attention starved. Rachel pursues affairs at the car wash up the street, with an eye-gazing hottie, Tucker (Aristotle Stamat)–while being consoled at confession with the handsome religious “stickler,” Father Omar (Derick Storme). At the heart of the story is Lester (Zus Santos), Conrad’s nonbinary child and mechanic. Though loved and accepted–Lester is pained by his father’s treatment of his mother as “second best.” These characters all long for love and more time. They are tempted by the true desires of their heart– and hope to reach all this before the next dangerous hurricane hits.
CAST
Goodreaux and Casting Director Linda Greene have assembled an excellent cast that features:
Benjamin Rowe
Hollie Harper
Zus Santos
Vienna Carroll
Christian Neal
Marco Antonio Cunha
Derick Storme
Javán Robinson
Aristotle Stamat
PRODUCTION
Producers:
Mark Holloway
David Kahl
Bruce Morrow
Anthony Harper
Norah Lawlor
Costumes: Billy Little
Set/Props: Lytza Colon, Gregory Paul
Sound/Visuals: Urb Alt/ Boston Fielder, Anthony Harper
Stage Manager: Natasha Velez
Script Advisors/Consults:
Russell Kellogg
Rene Lombard
Louis Letizia
Maryam Myika Day
Natasha Ruscoll
Ryan Lawrence
Beau Goodreaux
Greg Paul
Tim Fielder
‘Pat’ of Firestone/Gen Degaulle
Friday, October 31, 2025
Outdoor attractions (Free) 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM
Indoor attractions ($20) 6:30 PM to Midnight Costume or Formal Wear are requested.
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
155 First Avenue (between 9th and 10th Street)
New York, NY 10003 Directions
Halloween spot from 1010 WINS:
NEW YORK — To celebrate the spookiest night of the year with art, music, and community spirit, Theater for the New City (TNC), 155 First Ave., will host its annual Village Halloween Costume Ball on Friday, October 31. A large outdoor festivity will be held from 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM outside the Theater on East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues (or if it rains, in a big tent), featuring performances and a costume competition for kids. The celebration moves inside from 6:30 PM to midnight with nonstop performances, ballroom dancing (to Art Lillard’s Heavenly Swing Band and MisterPablo, a Latin Dance band), an aerial dance concert (by Constellation Moving Company), and dining in a pop-up restaurant (The Witch’s Cauldron) where for $7, guests can savor gourmet dishes donated by local restaurants. The evening culminates in a costume judging with prizes from 11:00 PM to midnight. Admission is free for the outdoor program and $20 for the indoor festivities. Costumes or formal wear are requested.
On every Halloween since 1976, TNC has transformed its theater complex and surrounding streets into a carnival of the unexpected, where neighborhood families, artists, and revelers come together for an evening of spirited fun, live music, and avant-garde theater. This extravaganza has been a point of origin for many of the City’s most original entertainers. Six full-length plays have grown out of playlets written for the fest and it is probable that the theatrical movement in Performance Art began there. It has been a launching pad for such formative artists as Paul Zaloom, Alice Farley, Bloolips, The Red Mole, Penny Arcade, Basil Twist, Alien Comic Tom Murrin, Zero Boy, Charles Busch, Eduardo Machado, Moises Kaufman, Maria Irene Fornes and Phoebe Legere. Each year, many acts, skits, sketches, and skadoodles go on to become the basis of larger theater works. It is also interesting to note that TNC originated the Village Halloween Parade as part of its annual Halloween Ball. The procession wound its way through the Village from TNC’s second home at the corner of Jane and West Streets to Washington Square Park. In the festival’s second year, TNC won an Obie for this parade.
Attractions:
Variety performances by Bond Street Theater, Joe Bendik, Carol Tendava (Belly Dance), Arley Trice, Lily James Roberts, Vadim Astrakhan, George Bellici, Star 69, London Fog, Matthew Mendoza and others. Emceed by Mary Tierney and Rocco Nicholas.
Children’s Costume Contest emceed by T. Scott Lilly and judged by Crystal Field, Terry Lee King and Emily Pezzella. Winners will receive prizes.
Giveaway Table with gifts and racks of clothing.
The Red and Black Masque: an annual Medieval ritual ensemble theater piece which is performed by torchlight with audience participation. (6:00-6:20)
At 7:00 PM, the celebration goes inside the four-theater complex for food, fun, and exciting new theater works, culminating with a costume contest at 11:00 PM whose winners will each receive a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne and a year’s free pass to TNC.
PART 2 – INDOOR EVENTS
6:30 – Midnight ADMISSION $20
CABARET PERFORMANCES (6:30 PM to 11:00 PM, Community Theater))
A succession of live, 10-minute performances staged in the Community Theater. Performing artists will be, among others, Richard West, Inma Heredia, Lei Zhou (directed by Mark Marcante), John Grimaldi, Hollie Harper, TNC’s Street Theater Ensemble, Carol Tendava (Belly Dance), Peter Dizzoza, JC’s Rat Cabaret, Alessandra Belloni, Wise Guise, Emilio Garcia and Fairy Tale Marionettes. There will be playlets including works by Stephan Morrow, Toby Armor and Joan Kane, and an excerpt of “Sartre and Simone” by William Cane, among others. At 9:30, there will be a scream contest run by Lissa Moira. Melanie Maria Goodreaux and Crystal Field are emcees.
BALLROOM DANCING (8:00 PM to 11:00, Johnson Theater)
Art Lillard’s Heavenly Big Band, a 17 piece swing orchestra performing an extensive repertoire of songs from swing to samba to jazz ballad to Bossa Nova with a swinging singing soloist (8:00 – 9:30)
Aerial Dance with Constellation Moving Company, performing high over our heads in exciting new challenges to eye and ear (9:30 – 10:00)
Mr. Pablo’s Latin Dance Band, a five-piece fusion band with vocalist, mixing Salsa, Samba and Flamenco with Rock, Reggae and Funk (10:00 – 11:00)
DINING IN THE WITCHES’ CAULDRON (6:30 to 11:00 PM, Cino Theater)
Downtown’s most sensational Halloween cafe, featuring a variety of American and international delicacies at peoples’ prices ($4 buys you entree and dessert). Holiday dishes are contributed by neighboring East Village restaurants, some with celebrity chefs. Beginning at 7:00 PM, you can gobble couscous from a coffin lid while enjoying spine-tingling performances by performance artists, songwriters, poets and variety artists, including Smokey Stevens, WillieAnn Gissendanner, Pamela Enz, Miguel Loyola, Mimi Block & Rome Neal, ZeroBoy, Sylvain Leroux, Lili Barsha, George Belleci, Marilyn Horan, Sarah Lilly, Ellen Steir, Peter Welch, and The Head Peddlers. There will also be an excerpt from “Dune the Dunsical” (written and directed by Blake Du Bois and TJ Canlon) and a short play from the Mary Tierney Acting Workshop.
MONSTERS AND MIRACLES COSTUME PARADE (11:00 PM to Midnight, Johnson Theater)
This annual costume contest will be accompanied on piano by Peter Dizzoza. All costumed attendees are invited to march past a panel of celebrity judges. Winners receive one-year passes to TNC and a bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne. Attendees will be judged in such categories as “Most Politically Irrelevant,” “Most 1984,” “Most Woke,” “Most Fake News,” “Most Stephen Miller,” “Most Unvaccinated,” and “Most Likely to be Extinct.” Judged by Terry Lee King, Joe Battista, Crystal Field, Andy P. Travis, Phillip Hackett, Lissa Moira, David Willinger and Jenne Vath
VAUDEVILLE PERFORMANCES IN THE WOMB ROOM (8:00 to 11:00 PM, Cabaret Theater)
Performers include Star ’69, Larry Litt & Eleanor Heartney, Bina Sherif, Sue Horowitz, New Yiddish Rep, Joe Bendik, Claude Solnik, Breaking the Trust, Lei Zhou & Peter Dizzoza, Rocco Nicholas, Terry Lee King & Billy Little, Sam Wiek, Danielle Aziza, and others. (8:00 – 10:00)
LOBBY EVENTS (6:30 to 11:00 PM)
Performances by Middy Streeter, Cobu (all-women Taiko drum group), Hellsouls, flute-playing goblin Kahley Mitchell, tap dance with Laraine Goodman and The Mad Tappers, Fish Pond (casting for giveaway gifts), Fortune Teller Penny Diora (free readings), Champagne Bar served over a coffin with a live vampire inside.
BACKGROUND
Since its beginning in 1976, TNC’s Halloween extravaganza has been a point of origin for many of the City’s most original entertainers. Six full-length plays have grown out of playlets written for the fest and it is probable that the theatrical movement in Performance Art began there. It has been a launching pad for such formative artists as Paul Zaloom, Alice Farley, Bloolips, The Red Mole, Penny Arcade, Basil Twist and Alien Comic Tom Murrin. Each year, many acts, skits, sketches, and skadoodles go on to become the basis of larger theater works. It is also interesting to note that TNC originated the Village Halloween Parade as part of its annual Halloween Ball. The procession wound its way through the Village from TNC’s second home at the corner of Jane and West Streets to Washington Square Park. In its second year, TNC won an Obie for this parade.
