World Premiere of Bughouse Extends Off-Broadway

World Premiere of Bughouse Extends Off-Broadway

The Vineyard Theatre production centers on a reclusive janitor whose paintings and writings were only discovered after his death.

March 05, 2026 By Margaret Hall

The world premiere of Bughouse has extended Off-Broadway.

The play, which began previews at Vineyard Theatre February 24, will now run through April 3. Opening night remains March 11.

The world premiere, conceived and directed by Martha Clarke, features a script by Pulitzer-winning playwright Beth Henley, adapted from the writings of Henry Darger. The Vineyard production, being presented in association with Jayne Baron Sherman, stars Obie winnerJohn Kelly as Darger.

In the piece, Clarke brings audiences inside the mind of one of the 20th century’s most startling outsider artists, Henry Darger, a reclusive janitor whose extraordinary body of paintings and writings was only fully discovered after his death. In his cramped Chicago apartment, Darger created a vast, fantastical universe, filled with child warriors, epic battles, and haunting beauty, an alternate reality through which he could escape his own.

The creative team includes production designer Neil Patel, costume designer Donna Zakowska, lighting designer Christopher Akerlind, sound designer Arthur Solari, projection designer John Narun, set decorator and prop manager Faye Armon-Troncoso, cinematographer Fred Murphy, animator Ruth Lingford, and production stage manager Olivia Fletcher.

Visit VineyardTheatre.org.