originally published: 04/02/2026
(NEW YORK, NY) -- ARE WE IN LOVE Productions presents the TWO IN LOVE: A Two-Hander Festival, a curated evening of intimate, actor-driven storytelling. Featuring three acclaimed two-person plays: Cindy Lou Johnson's Brilliant Traces directed by Shira Behore, Johnna Adams' World Builders directed by Klara Eales, and David Ives' Venus In Fur directed by Cnaan Lavkovich. The festival will play a three-week limited engagement at Theater Lab weekends from April 9-26, 2026.
Together, these works explore love in its many forms – romantic, platonic, fractured, obsessive, tender, and transformative. Each piece asks, in its own way, the central question that guides the company's work: Are we in love?
Brilliant Traces - The place is Alaska. In the middle of a raging blizzard is a cabin and inside that cabin HENRY HARRY lies sleeping. His remote and hermit-like existence is interrupted by ROSANNAH DELUCE, an agitated young woman fleeing the storm and an impending wedding.
Both running and hiding from life, these two scarred individuals draw closer to each other through a shared feeling of isolation and their desire to find connection.
The production stars Klara Eales (Off-Bway: Brilliant Traces) as Rosannah, and David Stakston (Netflix: Ragnarok, Skam) as Henry Harry.
Venus In Fur - What begins as an unconventional casting session between a promising playwright/director and a magnetic yet unpredictable actress quickly transforms into a charged battle in which the lines between rehearsal and reality blur. As they read the text, authority shifts, roles reverse, and control over the narrative becomes the ultimate weapon. In this intimate theatrical duel, desire, intellect, and storytelling collide, raising the question: Who is really in control?
The production stars Robert L. Bradvica* (Hunger Artist at the New York Theater Festival) as Thomas Novachek, and Mia Jurkunas (Home Sweet Home at the Theater for the New City) as Vanda Jordan. *appears courtesy of the Actors' Equity Association.
World Builders - Max and Whitney do not simply escape reality. They rebuild it. When they enroll in an experimental study designed to dismantle their delusions, the elaborate inner worlds that once protected them begin to collapse. In the rubble of fantasy, something fragile and startlingly real begins to form between them.
As the medication takes hold and imagination gives way to clarity, they are forced to confront a devastating question: When the worlds that kept you alive disappear, what — or who — do you choose to live for?
World Builders explores love and the imagination as both sanctuary and risk. It is a play about survival, connection, and the terrifying beauty of being truly seen.
The production stars Hannah Rose Doherty (Off-Bway: The Glitch) as Whitney, and Patrick Eckland (Little Women at The Actors Temple) as Max.
ARE WE IN LOVE PRODUCTIONS is a female-driven theatre and film company dedicated to bridging divides through story. The company champions young and emerging artists and creates work that prioritizes connection, empathy, and emotional truth. Two In Love highlights close collaborations between actors, directors, and playwrights who are deeply invested in craft and intention, offering audiences a night of stripped-down, powerful performances where language, presence, and relationship take center stage.
The festival features scenic design by Hannah Rose Dohery, costume design by Danny Colon, and lighting design by Andrew LaPointe. Jandre Van Heerden and Cnaan Levkovich are the sound designers and Tanya Agarwal and Erin Flanagan are the stage managers. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
TWO IN LOVE: A Two-Hander Festival plays the following regular schedule through Saturday, April 25:
Brilliant Traces | Thursday, April 9 @ 7:30pm; Thursday, April 16 @ 7:30pm; Saturday, April 18 @ 2:00pm; Friday, April 24 @ 7:30pm; and Sunday, April 26 @ 3:00pm
Venus In Fur | Friday, April 10 @7:30pm; Saturday, April 11 @ 2:00pm; Saturday, April 18 @7:30pm; Sunday, April 19 @ 3:00pm; and Saturday, April 25 @7:30pm
World Builders | Saturday, April 11 @ 7:30pm; Sunday, April 12 @ 3:00pm; Friday, April 17 @ 7:30pm; Thursday, April 23 @ 7:30pm; andSaturday, April 25 @ 2:00pm
Tickets are $38 for single show admission, $80 for a festival pass and available for purchase online or by calling (212) 929.2545. Running Time: 90 minutes. Theater Lab is located at 357 W 36th St, 3rd floor in New York, NY
EVENT PREVIEWS
Be Amazed by the Golden Age of Radio at the Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- Return to the era when families gathered around the wireless set for "theater of the imagination." The Toms River Branch of the Ocean County Library will host a live presentation by WREP: When Radio Entertained People on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. A trivia game will take place before the show at 6:30pm. The performance will begin at 7:00pm. Join them for an evening "broadcast" of skits from the Golden Age of radio, performed live by WREP's veteran actors.
Centenary Stage Company's Women Playwrights Series presents "Not It!" by Kathleen Coudle-King
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company brings its acclaimed Women Playwrights Series to a powerful close on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 7:00pm with a staged reading of Not It! by playwright Kathleen Coudle-King. The performance will take place in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University. Admission is free, with donations welcomed.
RVCC to Present Student Theatre Production of "The Wolves"
(BRANCHBURG, NJ) -- Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department will present The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, April 15-17, 2026 at 7:00pm each night The performances, which are free of charge and open to the public, will be held in the Welpe Theatre at the College's Branchburg campus.
Bridgewater-Raritan High School Theatre Arts presents "Little Shop of Horrors"
(BRIDGEWATER, NJ) -- Bridgewater-Raritan High School Theatre Arts presents Little Shop of Horrors from April 16–18, 2026, in the Bridgewater-Raritan High School Auditorium. This cult-favorite musical comedy features a book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, and tells the delightfully dark story of a shy flower shop assistant who discovers a mysterious plant with an insatiable appetite.
Kean University Theatre Department presents "The Bald Soprano" by Eugène Ionesco
(UNION, NJ) -- Kean University Theatre Department presents The Bald Soprano by Eugène Ionesco from April 10-18, 2026 in the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center. Has your day-to-day life begun to feel like some surreal hallucination?
NJIT's Theatre Arts and Technology Program presents "Curtains"
(NEWARK, NJ) -- New Jersey Institute of Technology's Theatre Arts and Technology Program presents the musical comedy, Curtains, from April 16-18, 2026 in the Jim Wise Theater.
County College of Morris presents "Yankee Doodle Dandy"
(RANDOLPH, NJ) -- As the nation commemorates the Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, County College of Morris (CCM) invites theatergoers to be entertained and experience the life of American composer, playwright, actor, producer and showman George M. Cohan, in the high-energy musical Yankee Doodle Dandy. Presented by the Marielaine Mammon School of Music, Performing Arts, and Music Technologies, performances will take place on Wednesday through Saturday, April 15–18, 2026 at 7:30pm in Dragonetti Auditorium.
Villagers Theatre presents "The Cottage" by Sandy Rustin
(SOMERSET, NJ) -- Villagers Theatre presents The Cottage by Sandy Rustin across two weekends from April 10-19, 2026. This a romantic and (not quite) murderous comedy of manners. Fate, identity and marriage are called into question as a surprising, hilarious web of secrets unravels.
Gateway Playhouse To Hold Auditions For The Classic Musical Comedy "Guys And Dolls" on April 18th and April 22nd
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- Gateway Playhouse will hold auditions for Frank Loesser's Tony Award-winning musical comedy Guys and Dolls on April 18 and April 22, 2026. Anyone age 16 and older, with any theatrical background or experience, is welcome to try out for this much-adored show. No appointments are necessary; all roles are open. Phil Pallitto, artistic director of the Gateway, will direct the musical.
Literature to Life Announces Second Series of Books Unite, Free Community Events in Paterson Supported by NJEDA A.R.T. Phase II Grant
(PATERSON, NJ) -- Literature to Life (LTL) has announced their second series of Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson, consisting of a book club, two live performances, and an interactive workshop all centered around The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Crossroads Theatre Company: Genesis Festival - "The Gypsy Code: A Love Letter to New York"Friday, April 10, 2026 @ 7:00pmNew Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) New Brunswick, NJ
