Thursday, July 23, 2026

Jim at “Club 27” — One More Rider on the Storm by Jaymichaelsae

Club 27: A One Woman Confessional Cabaret Triumphs at the Inaugural Manifestival A figure is slumped over a chair, apparently dozing. The room is filled with dazzling clothes, shoes, and acc…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 04:00PM[SHARE]
Friday, July 17, 2026

Jim Catapano witnesses a Dream of An America for All of Us, Set to Jubilant Music by Kevin Davis by Jaymichaelsae

Kevin Davis’ One in a Million Cabaret Electrifies at the MITF The Sargent Theatre at the American Theatre of Actors was the latest home of the cabaret consisting of highlights of Kevin “…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:29PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Unearthing the Unspoken: How Doug DeVita’s ‘A Passage to India’ Drags Forster’s Queer Subtext Out of the Shadows by Jaymichaelsae

When E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India was published in 1924, it was hailed as a masterful, searing critique of the British Raj and the psychological chasm left by colonialism. Yet, beneat…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 05:59PM[SHARE]
Monday, July 13, 2026

RAIN PRYOR’S ‘PASS THE MATZO’EYEING FALL 2026/SPRING 2027 OFF-BROADWAY RUN: Producers Pryor, Eisenberg, & Michaels gathering team & fund by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — Fresh off a highly successful, critically buzzing industry presentation at New York’s Open Jar Studios, the powerhouse producing trio of Rain Pryor, Joel Eisenberg, and Ja…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:15PM[SHARE]

HONEYVIC PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS ‘ACTS OF BREAKING SILENCE’ A POWERFUL NEW YORK CITY THEATRE FESTIVAL CONFRONTING SYSTEMIC TRUTHS AND CULTURAL SECR by Jaymichaelsae

Running July 15–19, 2026, at The American Theatre of Actors, the annual Playwrighting for Social Change Festival tackles reparations, mental health, and the heavy toll of staying quiet. NE…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 11:20AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Jim Catapano asks “How’s Annie and The American Dream?” at Kate Gill’s AMERICARING at the MITF by Jaymichaelsae

Kate Gill’s Heartfelt and Socially Sharp Americaring Depicts a Family Failed by the System Annie (Quinn Davis) is a high schooler who has much more to deal with than homework. Her father M…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 06:19PM[SHARE]
Monday, June 29, 2026

BEHIND THE SPEAKEASY DOORS: Directing the Supernatural Soul of ‘One Night at the Blackbird’ by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — This August, the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival at the AMT Theater will transform Midtown Manhattan into a clandestine corner of New Orleans’ historic Seventh Ward. One N…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 10:50AM[SHARE]
Friday, June 26, 2026

Jim Catapano reviews A Moving Musical About Identity Lost and Found by Jaymichaelsae

Richard Uhrlaub’s For the Record(s) Tells a Very Personal Story in Song It’s the mid-90s, and Joshua Greenman (Gabe DeRose) is on an emotional journey. His adoptive parents Eliana (Taylo…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 11:43AM[SHARE]
Monday, June 22, 2026

“Anger Turned Inward Is…: find out from Jim Catapano as he reviews How to Swallow a Volcano by Jaymichaelsae

How to Swallow a Volcano Looks at Trauma, Self-Abandonment, and the Therapist Who Sees It All Brooklyn-based writer/performer Anne McDermott’s solo show is a cautionary, soul-baring tale a…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 07:08PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Jim Catapano reviews A Musical About a Musical: John Allman and David Ceci’s Fur Pajamas Delights at The Producer’s Club by Jaymichaelsae

“Are You Ready to Do Something Completely Brilliant?” – Nigel Gladstone It’s 2014, and Nigel (Oliver Callahan) is looking to turn past glories into future ones. His band Fur Pajamas …

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:12PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Jim Catapano visited a Modern Family in a Chekhovian Masterwork by Jaymichaelsae

Allie Avital and Alia Azamat Ashkenazi’s The Naked Woman Is a Gripping Tale of Devotion and Deception As New Year’s approaches, a family of Russian immigrants has come together at their …

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 04:22PM[SHARE]
Thursday, June 4, 2026

“My Bestie, The Car” says Jim Catapano about Let Mezaluca Buy Your Car Revs Its Engine at the Downtown Urban Arts Festival by Jaymichaelsae

National Latinx Playwriting Award winner and O’Neill finalist Desi Moreno-Penson has brought a side-splitting story of Pains, Strains, and Automobiles to La Mama. It begins with Joey (Wils…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 02:17PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Out the Cauldron and onto the Stage: “Shangri-La-La” Brings Big-Vegas Mythos and White-Tiger Hyperbole to MITF 2026 by Jaymichaelsae

The New York independent theatre landscape is bracing for a monumental summer renaissance. John Chatterton, a foundational trailblazer of the off-off-Broadway movement, has officially announ…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:07PM[SHARE]

Jim Catapano explores an Unearthed Comedy Classic by Jaymichaelsae

John Maddison Morton’s 1853 Farce A Desperate Game brings Old-School Wit to the ATA Mid-19th Century Playwright John Maddison Morton was a prolific creator—he is best known for the chaot…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 11:08AM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 26, 2026

REWRITING HISTORY WITH A ROCK BEAT: JAY STEPHENSON’S STEAMPUNK MUSICAL ‘BEETHOVEN’S WRONG NOTE’ HEADLINES THE MITF COMÈBACK by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — The independent theater capital of the world is on the precipice of an unprecedented renaissance. Founder and Executive Producer John Chatterton, an iconic trailblazer in th…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 02:38PM[SHARE]
Friday, May 22, 2026

A Jim Catapano Review: The Iphigeniamachine Rages Against the Neverending Atrocities of the Patriarchy by Jaymichaelsae

Girl Interrupted, a World Deconstructed “Where’s the girl to save us all?” The walls that surround us are covered with torn book pages. A stuffed animal sits in the center of the stage…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:06PM[SHARE]
Monday, May 18, 2026

Inside the Inaugural Diamond Mesh Manifestival at Paradise Factory Theatre by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — This summer, the NYC theater circuit gains a provocative new heartbeat. Diamond Mesh Incorporated — Theatrical Productions is proud to announce the inaugural Diamond Mesh …

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 03:01PM[SHARE]
Monday, May 11, 2026

Jim Catapano has [Camp] Growing Pains thanks to Esme Roberts Hilarious Coming-of-Age Comedy Little Bitches Lights Up the Fresh Fruit Festival by Jaymichaelsae

Little Bitches is a lively, authentic play about maturing teens that starts at 60mph, opening with a call-and-response chant of “Little Red Wagon” led by Gabriel Ryan-Kern and Sarah Brow…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 10:31AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, May 6, 2026

THE RETURN OF THE FESTIVAL GIANT: Midtown International Theatre Festival Announces Triumphant NYC Comeback with a powerhouse 2026 Season by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — The lights are coming back up on one of independent theatre’s most vital institutions. After a nearly decade-long hiatus, the Midtown International Theatre Festival (MIT…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 12:55PM[SHARE]
Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Jim Catapano has a view of the ‘80s from the Edge of Your Seat at Sean Szak Prasso’s Obscene Desire at the ATA by Jaymichaelsae

Following on from his first original play last year, the acclaimed Angel in the Heat, writer/director Prasso has delivered another intense character study, featuring many actors from that pr…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 11:13AM[SHARE]
Monday, April 27, 2026

“My Kingdom for a Tour De Force” cries Jim Catapano about A Dizney-fied Retelling of Richard III Delights at the American Theatre of Actors by Jaymichaelsae

There’s something weird in the Kingdom of Disneare! King William has been overthrown by some very familiar-looking evildoers, and the scheming Richard (Joshuah Patriarco) sees an opportuni…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 04:35PM[SHARE]

A Tangled Web Gives Way to Connection and Love: Jim Catapano reviews Reginald T. Jackson’s Hilarious and Heartfelt When We Practice to Deceive Shine by Jaymichaelsae

With When We Practice to Deceive, performed at The Wild Project in Spring 2026, renowned playwright Reginald T. Jackson lets the trans community know that he sees, hears, and supports them. …

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 04:29PM[SHARE]
Friday, April 24, 2026

ALL THE WORLD IS THIS STAGE: Jay Michaels and New York Shakespeare Launch “The Global Bard Initiative” by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — In a world increasingly driven by digital synthesis, two titans of the theatrical community are returning to the raw power of the human voice. Jay Michaels Global Communic…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 11:48AM[SHARE]

Diamond Mesh Incorporated Unveils the 2026 “ManiFestival” Lineup by Jaymichaelsae

A Provocative New Summer Theatre Experience Set to Ignite the NYC Circuit NEW YORK, NY — This summer, the New York City theater landscape gains a provocative new heartbeat. Diamond Mesh …

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 10:36AM[SHARE]
Wednesday, April 22, 2026

“The NPR of Theatre” Approaches 5th Anniversary:Stage Whisper Launches $15K Fundraising Campaign to Sustain Independent Arts Journalism by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY — Since 2020, what began as a humble conversation at a dining room table has evolved into the heartbeat of the independent arts scene. Today, Stage Whisper, the #1 podcast f…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 07:12PM[SHARE]
Monday, April 6, 2026

Gothic Musical "MY GHOSTS"to Headline 'One Night Only" Seriesat Inaugural ManiFestival in NYC by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY " This summer, the spirits of literary giants will haunt the New York stage as Laros Theatre presents a special, one-night-only showing of the new gothic musical, MY…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 02:37PM[SHARE]

Jim Catapano reviews Richard Vetere's Compelling "Poet on a String" which draws eerie parallels between 1939 and today by Jaymichaelsae

Creativity and Connection, Challenged in a Changing World Richard Vetere's Compelling Poet on a String Draws Eerie Parallels between 1939 and Today As the 1930s faded and the reality of anot…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 02:02PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 30, 2026

The Archaeology of Intimacy: Excavating Love, History, and Modern Disconnect in Dennis Bush's The Sloppy Abandon of Excavated Love. by Jaymichaelsae

Article by guest writer, Dr. Mira Solis As the Fresh Fruit Festival prepares to raise the curtain on its 2026 season, all eyes are on the Mainstage at The Wild Project. Opening the festival …

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 12:41PM[SHARE]
Friday, March 20, 2026

Jim Catapano reviews Anne L. Thompson-Scretching's Home Is Sweet Sorrow: "A Masterful Conclusion to a Momentous Family Saga" by Jaymichaelsae

The War That Never Ends Home Is Sweet Sorrow is a must-see and a devastatingly powerful third chapter in the Blood trilogy, which also includes the highly regarded A Lesson in Blood and A Lo…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:24PM[SHARE]
Wednesday, March 18, 2026

THE BARD TAKES BROADWAY: SIXTH ANNUAL NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE AWARDS CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2025 SEASON by Jaymichaelsae

THE BARD TAKES BROADWAY: SIXTH ANNUAL NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE AWARDS CELEBRATES RECORD-BREAKING 2025 SEASON The New York Shakespeare Awards has officially unveiled its list of winners for 2025,…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 02:14PM[SHARE]
Monday, March 16, 2026

American Theatre of Actors Announces 50th Anniversary Gala; Playwright LYLE KESSLER and TONY-winning actor, LEN CARIOU to Receive Lifetime Achi by Jaymichaelsae

NEW YORK, NY " The American Theatre of Actors (ATA), a cornerstone of the New York theatrical landscape since 1976, is proud to announce ATA 50, a golden anniversary celebration and aw…

SOURCE: Arts Independent at 01:05PM[SHARE]

All that Chat