Anthony Rapp to Star in Solo Play TOUCH​ at the East Village Basement

Anthony Rapp will star in Touch, a new solo play written by Kenny Finkle and directed by Jonathan Silverstein, and produced by Jack DePalma and Andrew Stein, in an intimate limited engagement from March 12 through March 30, 2026, at the East Village Basement.

In Touch, Rapp portrays Syd Blatter, a middle-aged gay man, failed writer, and burned-out fifth-grade teacher whose carefully managed life is thrown into chaos when an unexpected encounter with a former student sends him spiraling into anxiety, regret, desire, and reckoning. At turns intense, sharply funny, and deeply moving, the play invites audiences into a raw examination of memory, responsibility, and the unintended  consequences of human connection. Intimate by design, Touch asks a provocative question that lingers long after the lights go down: what are the moral ramifications of everything we touch?

The creative team features Thomas Jenkeleit (Scenic and Props Design), Bart Fasbender (Sound Design), Jennifer Paar (Costume Design), Hayley Garcia Parnell (Lighting Design), and Shane Schnetzler (Stage Manager). The production team includes Jack DePalma and Andrew Stein as Producers. Mitch Marois, Maxwell Beer, and Lana Russell serve as General Managers and Executive Producers for Mix and Match Productions.

Touch is a grant recipient from the Solo Fights Project Advancement Fund and was developed in part at Theatre Aspen's 2024 Solo Flights Festival. The production is executive-produced by Mix and Match Productions.