July 19: In While I Was Waiting, Damascus-born playwright Mohammad Al Attar and director Omar Abusaada have weaved the story of the Syrian civil war into a family drama. The play, which incorporates multimedia visuals, receives its North American premiere at Lincoln Center Festival through July 22.
July 19: Also debuting as part of Lincoln Center Festival is the U.S. premiere of Yitzhak Rabin: Chronicle of an Assassination. Seated at either end of a table against a backdrop of projections and live music, Israeli actors Sarah Adler and Einat Weizman read from the memoirs of Leah Rabin, the widow of assassinated Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. The production plays for one night only in Alice Tully Hall.
July 19: Renowned French circus collective Compagnie XY debuts Il N’est Pas Encore Minuit as part of Lincoln Center Festival, a highly theatrical treat featuring 22 acrobats. Performances run through July 22.
July 20: Vineyard Theatre members have the opportunity to see developmental lab performances of Kate Tarker’s Laura and the Sea, which was featured on last year’s Kilroys List and was a semi-finalist for the 2016 Relentless Award, among other accolades. The play, a delicate mix of comedy and drama, explores one woman’s experience with depression. Tarker is the 2017 recipient of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award and a writer to watch. Performances run through July 22 only.
July 21: Romy Nordlinger brings the true story of Alla Nazimova, Hollywood’s original rule-breaker, to the stage in Places. The new solo show, written and performed by Nordlinger, recounts the trailblazer’s story, from her beginnings as a Jewish immigrant fleeing Russia to directing and performing in Hollywood and on Broadway. The world premiere is co-produced Off-Broadway by Yonder Window Theater Company and Parity Productions as part of 59E59 Theaters’ East to Edinburgh Festival. Performances run through July 22 only.
July 23: Don’t miss Theater Mitu’s singular take on Death of a Salesman at the Brooklyn Academy of Music through July 23 only. The hyper-theatrical staging uses masks and inanimate objects to represent several of the characters and moments in Arthur Miller’s classic.
July 24: Following sold-out runs in Israel, Ha’bima National Theatre and the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv’s production of To the End of the Land receives its U.S. premiere as part of Lincoln Center Festival. Based on David Grossman’s novel of the same name, the play weaves together the stories of three Israelis who meet as teenagers in a hospital during the Six-Day War in 1967. Performances run through July 27.
July 26: There are only two days to catch New York City Center’s revival of Kirsten Childs’ The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, directed by Robert O’Hara as part of the summer’s Encores! Off-Center season. Nikki M. James stars as Viveca in the musical about a young African-American dancer navigating the politics of race and gender. Performances run through July 27.
July 27: Up-and-coming theatre company Soft Focus kicks off its second world-premiere production: The Workshop by Torrey Townsend, staring Tony-nominated actor and director Austin Pendleton. The Broadway vet stars as Ward Stein in the new play, which is about about writing a play in an MFA workshop. Meta! Performances run through August 13 at the Bank Street Theater.
July 26: Of Human Bondage wraps up its acclaimed North American premiere as part of Soulpepper on 42nd Street at the Signature Theatre. W. Somerset Maugham’s 1915 novel of lust and obsession is adapted for the stage for the very first time by Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen. The production from Toronto company Soulpepper won the most Dora Awards in Toronto history.
July 29: And don’t miss Soulpepper’s production of Spoon River, a graveyard musical that will give you life. Named Best Musical by both Toronto’s Dora Awards and the Toronto Critics Association, as well as a New York Times Critics’ Pick, the show wraps up performances Off-Broadway July 29.
July 31: Inspired by and adapted from Christopher Morley’s 1917 novella Parnassus on Wheels, Eli Pasic and Henry Krieger’s I’ll Take It is a wild musical that follows the adventures of Helen McGill, a spunky, middle-aged farm woman. Amas Musical Theatre and The Amas Musical Theatre Lab are presenting free, staged workshop presentations at Ripley-Grier Studios through August 1 only. Reservations are required by emailing [email protected].
July 31: Central Park’s Delacorte stage is transformed into an enchanted forest for Shakespeare’s romantic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which opens July 31 as part of the Public Theater’s free Shakespeare in the Park. Broadway favorites Annaleigh Ashford, Danny Burstein, Phylicia Rashad, Kristine Nielsen, and more star. Performances began July 11 and run through August 13.
Flip through photos of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Central park below:
