(SUMMIT, NJ) -- The Summit Playhouse presents By The Water weekends from October 17 to November 1, 2026. This play by Sharyn Rothstein takes place in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, in which the Murphy family struggles to rebuild their Staten Island home and their lives.
Hurricane Sandy has just ravaged the lifelong Staten Island home of Marty and Mary Murphy. But the storm has ripped apart more than just the walls: with their neighbors too devastated to stay, the couple’s beloved community is in danger of disappearing forever.
Determined to rebuild, Marty wages a campaign to save his neighborhood and his home, but when the Murphys’ sons arrive to help their parents dig out, past betrayals come rushing to the surface. With fierce compassion and poignant humor, By The Water reminds us that the very powers that tear us apart can also bring us together.
Performances take place Saturday, October 17 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 18 at 2:00pm; Friday, October 23 at 7:30pm; Saturday, October 24 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 25 at 2:00pm; Friday, October 30 at 7:30pm; Saturday, October 31 at 7:30pm; and Sunday, November 1 at 2:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. The theater is located at 10 New England Avenue in Summit, New Jersey.
“Rothstein’s affecting play traces the impact of a devastating natural disaster on a middleclass couple who were already trudging uphill. Drawn with acute sympathy and in gritty detail, the play dramatizes the kind of story that filled newspapers in the months after Hurricane Sandy. It’s clear from the pungent dialogue—which is seasoned with salty humor—that Rothstein knows these characters inside out.” —The New York Times.
“A first-rate play. Before she reaches her bittersweet ending, Rothstein has examined a strong marriage that’s greatly tested and has probed deeply into fractious parent-child relationships. What she’s wise about demonstrating is the multi-faceted nature of love.” —Huffington Post.
Sharyn Rothstein is an award-winning playwright and television writer. Her newest play, Best for Baby, about the Johnson & Johnson baby powder scandal, will premiere this summer at the Chautauqua Institution. Her play Bad Books is a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere play and winner of the David Goldman Prize for New American Plays. Bad Books was first produced by Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL), Round House Theatre (Bethesda, MD), Williamston Theatre (Williamston, MI) and Curious Theatre Company (Denver, CO) and will be produced at other theatres across America this year. Sharyn’s Helen Hayes Award-nominated musical adaptation of the beloved film Hester Street (with music and lyrics by Joel Waggoner) was produced at Washington DC’s Theater J. Her play By The Water was first produced by Manhattan Theatre Club and Ars Nova and was the recipient of the American Theatre Critic’s Association Francesca Primus Prize.
Her plays have also been produced at Williamstown Theatre Festival, Arena Stage, McCarter Theatre Center and Ensemble Studio Theatre, as well as Raven Theatre and Northlight Theatre in Chicago. Her audio drama Deep Fake is available on Audible. She has been a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Youngblood, Ars Nova’s Playgroup, the WP Theater Lab and the New American Writer’s Group at Primary Stages. She is a Hermitage Artist Retreat Fellow and a four-time winner of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. She has received new play commissions from The Chautauqua Institution, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club and Ensemble Studio Theatre, among others. Her plays have been published by DPS, Samuel French, Playscripts and others.
Sharyn is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America East Council. She is currently a writer and co-Executive Producer on CBS’s new show Einstein. She has also written for Suits LA, the spin-off of the hit legal drama Suits, for which she wrote and produced for five seasons. Sharyn was a writer and co-executive producer on AMC's Orphan Black: Echoes and has developed shows for Apple, AMC and Bravo. Sharyn holds an MFA in dramatic writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Masters in public health from Hunter College. She teaches television writing at NYU and Columbia University. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, two kids, two cats and a mountain of laundry.
The Summit Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously operating community theaters in the United States. Founded in 1918 as a World War I relief organization, they’ve staged over 300 productions and continue to thrive as a vibrant hub for local talent and theater lovers.
Each season, they produce three Main Stage plays -- in the fall, winter, and spring. Their Kaleidoscope Youth Theatre adds to the magic with Junior productions in December plus two summer musicals that showcase the talents of young performers.
Their commitment to the community goes beyond the stage. They offer benefit performances for local causes, award scholarships to youth performers, and collaborate with other Summit organizations throughout the year.
The Playhouse is located in downtown Summit, NJ in a charming historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a living piece of local history and a welcoming space for creativity, learning, and live performance.
