Pray choreographed by Tina Bararian, featuring Monica Plaza and Lorenzo Guerrini. Photo by Reza Mirjalili.
(NEW YORK, NY) -- Emerging Artists Theatre's Spark Theatre Festival NYC returns September 9–29, 2024 at The Chain Theatre in midtown. Over 60 workshop presentations will premiere during the 3-week festival including new musicals, dance, solo shows, sketch comedy, drag/burlesque, and plays.
Vincent Van Gogh’s ghost, dancing subway riders, and Gloria Swansong’s drag follies converge on stage during Emerging Artists Theatre’s (EAT) bi-annual Spark Theatre Festival NYC. Over the course of 3 weeks, 60 new works will be showcased. The festival features a wide range of programming that is sure to entertain and delight New York City theatergoers including new musicals, plays, dance, solo shows, drag follies, and sketch comedy in various stages of development.
Award-winning EAT, now in its 32nd year of presenting exciting and diverse new work, is proud to announce that the festival has moved to their new home at The Chain Theatre, located at 312 W 36th Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY, 10018. During the festival, shows run nightly, with multiple shows on the weekend. Most productions receive one performance, with shorter shows grouped together to form a full evening of entertainment. Short talkbacks with the artists will follow some of the performances. Tickets prices range from $20 to $40.
The full schedule can be found here.
EATs Artistic Director and Founder Paul Adams shared his thoughts on the upcoming festival, “We’re thrilled to have our Fall Spark Theatre Festival premiere for the first time at The Chain Theatre, where we hope to have a long and creative life. We’re also excited to be part of the New York Premiere of Pamela Weiler Grayson’s timely new play Observant, which previously had a reading at last year's festival. And lastly, we have 60 new shows taking the stage. The talent, creativity and dedication these artists bring to their productions is inspiring. New York audiences are in for a treat.”
Headlining the festival is the full length play Observant written by Pamela Weiler Grayson. Observant will receive 9 performances over the course of the festival and is directed by Shellen Lubin. In the play, three generations of women confront their relationships to their Jewish identities—and to each other. Comedy and tragedy entwine, like a braided challah, when a mass shooting in their community tests the bonds of faith and family. The cast features Yair Ben-Dor, Fady Demian, Arielle Flax, Rebecca Hoodwin, Arielle Beth Klein, and Melissa Wolff.
The cast of Observant. Yair Ben-Dor, Arielle Flax, Rebecca Hoodwin, Arielle Beth Klein, Melissa Wolff, and Fady Demian
Eight new musicals will be presented including In Justice about an ambitious prosecutor pursuing a case against a female tech icon. The creative team includes book and lyrics by Sonya Baehr, music by Thomas W Jones, and book, lyrics, music by Vanessa Baehr-Jones. The musical was inspired by real events, Baehr-Jones was one of the prosecutors on Elizabeth Holmes' (Theranos) trial. In Vincent the Musical, a middle schooler recently diagnosed with ADHD finds his own voice with the help of Vincent Van Gogh’s ghost. Lyrics and book by Gabi Ammirato, music by Yen Nien Hsu. The timely musical Olivia O follows a young girl as she tries to maintain hope and strength after she is separated from her mother at the US/Mexican border. Book by Diane Currie Sam and Jessica Carmona, lyrics by Jessica Carmona and Diane Currie Sam, and music by Gil Yaron.
A record breaking thirty seven dance pieces will be presented, including Subway Windows, choreographed by Beth Jucovy in collaboration with the dancers, which showcases a diverse group of subway riders, The Regret, choreographed by Abby Zeng, where the ancient art of Chinese classical dance meets modern techno, A Lamp in a Dark Room, choreographed by Laura Ardner, an interpretation of the 79 AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, and Pray, where the scarcity of water and the danger it poses to the future of Iran is explored, choreographed by Tina Bararian.
A Path to Travel, choreographed/performed by Rachel Daly and Caroline Sherwood. Photo by Jay Bradnová.
Numerous solo shows will be showcased including Swan Song for a Starboy written by Cris Eli Blak and the return of Elizabeth Alice Murray’s show Con*cussed and Billy Hipkins' The Also-Ran which were previously presented at the festival. Several plays will be featured including Gloria's Swansong Follies with special guests special guests include Andy Starling, Phoebe Jeebies, Zelda Garment, and Valentino West, and Burning written by Rebecca Nyahay. Comedy will be in no short supply, the popular shows/groups The Ruthless Comedy Hour and Model Majority Masterpiece Theater will be performing.
Spark Theatre Festival NYC (formerly called the New Work Series) has presented new work for the stage since 2006. In the Fall of 2023, EAT returned to Off-Broadway by producing three plays that ran in rep: Anne Being Frank by Ron Elisha, Doris Day: My Secret Love by Paul Adams, and Sex Work/Sex Play by Caytha Jentis. Each of these shows was previously presented at the festival. Since its inception, numerous musicals, plays, solo shows, and dance pieces workshopped at the series have gone on to have full productions at the Edinburgh Fringe, NYMF, FringeNYC & Encores, Off-Broadway, as well as National and International productions.
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