First childcare, and now theatre. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Under the Radar Festival have partnered on a new initiative, Under the Radar For All, which will provide 1,500 free tickets to 12 different Off-Broadway shows at the 2026 Under the Radar Festival.

Mamdani announced the initiative at a press conference at Brooklyn College January 9.

“When I speak about making this city more affordable, my vision is not limited to the homes that we live in or the childcare we make universal; it’s also a vision where we make it possible for working people to afford lives of joy, of art, of rest, of expression," said Mamdani. "And I’m so thankful for this incredible festival—for not only the work it has done in years past, but its commitment today in ensuring arts becomes that much more accessible for each and every New Yorker, especially those for whom it hasn’t been a reality. And this giveaway is a reminder that art is a form of connection, in a city that is both desperate for it and dependent on it. The shared laughter in a crowded theatre, the eager debrief after a musical, the heavy silence that hangs over all of us in a drama—these are moments that every New Yorker deserves."

Those who are interested in receiving free tickets can visit UTRfest.org. It was not immediately clear which of the 30 UTR shows will be part of this giveaway, though HERE Arts Center announced that its show Dream Feed, from the two-time Grammy Award-winning theatrical family band TheHawtPlates, will be part of Under the Radar For All.

"HERE has always been committed to economic access to our programs, with 10 tickets available for $10 for every single performance across our two theatres all year long,” said HERE Co-Directors Lauren Miller and Jesse Cameron Alick. “We are thrilled to take part in Mayor Mamdani's first initiative to ensure that access extends to the arts across the city through its innovative partnership with the Under the Radar Festival."

The Under the Radar Festival is a 21-year-old festival, presenting experimental and avant-garde theatre throughout various venues in New York City, throughout the month of January. This year's festival includes a stage adaptation of James Joyce's Ulysses, a solo show about Jean-Michel Basquiat from his friend Roger Guenveur Smith, and a dramatization of the Anita Ford and Christine Blasey Ford Congressional testimonies starring Tony nominees Amber Iman and Jon Michael Hill. 

Visit UTRFest.org.