Lisa Milinazzo To Direct DAVID'S NEW YEAR at Chain Theatre’s 2026 Winter One-Act Festival

The Chain Theatre will present David's New Year, a new short play by Youlim Nam and directed by acclaimed director Lisa Milinazzo, as part of its 2026 Winter One-Act Festival, celebrating new voices and innovative short-form theatre.

Set on New Year's Day 2006 in New York City, David's New Year follows the Korean immigrant Park family as they gather for their holiday dinner-more festive than ever as Hannah, the good girl of the family, has been accepted into a prestigious college, fulfilling both her dream and her family's long-held hopes. Just before the festivities begin, however, she shares unexpected and disruptive news with her older brother David. As the family's formidable grandmother presides over the evening, David is caught between preserving the fragile happiness of the moment and guiding his sister toward what he believes is the right path. The play explores the delicate bond between siblings, examining responsibility, identity, and the challenge of navigating life's biggest choices together.

Performances will take place on Saturday, February 7 at 5 p.m.; Tuesday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.; and Friday, February 13 at 8:30 p.m. at the Chain Theatre. David's New Year is Program #14 of the festival. Tickets are available through the Chain Theatre website, with a 20% discount using the code DAVID26.

The production is directed by Lisa Milinazzo, whose work spans theatre and film. Her directing nominations include the Barbara Whitman Award, the Alan Schneider Award, Origin First Irish, and the L.A. Weekly Awards. Milinazzo has directed artists such as Marin Ireland, Anthony Rapp, Richard Easton, and Alec Baldwin, and has helmed premieres of work by Eve Ensler, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, and George F. Walker in New York, Los Angeles, and the UK. Her work has been seen at Page 73, Irish Repertory Theatre, Rattlestick, 59E59th Street, Urban Stages, The Cell, and 54 Below. A recipient of the NYC Artist Grant and the Van Ameringen Foundation Grant, Milinazzo teaches in the graduate film programs at NYU Tisch and Columbia University and is a member of The Actors Studio Directors Unit.

Playwright Youlim Nam is a New York City-based actor, playwright, director, and producer originally from Seoul, Korea. Her work has been presented at Theatre Row, Chain Theatre, and the Gene Frankel Theatre, among others. She has collaborated with artists including three-time Emmy Award winner Cady McClain and Lisa Milinazzo. Nam's honors include the City Artist Corps Grant, the Ma-Yi Theatre Grant, and Best Actress at the International Independent Short Awards. She is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the Dramatists Guild, and Axial Theatre.

The cast features Daniel Elijah Bonchul Klimek as David. Klimek is an international actor working in both the United States and South Korea, with screen credits including Mongolian Princess, the K-drama The Chairman is Level 9, and Don't F*k with Ba, which screened at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. He will next appear in the upcoming film APE. Sanho Kang stars as Hannah. Kang is a South Korean actor and performance maker whose work explores performance as resistance and reconnection. Kang holds a BFA in Acting from Syracuse University and has appeared in Bedford Park (Sundance Film Festival), Don't Hang Up (HBO Max), Future Practice (MMCA Seoul), Some Nobodies (The Brick), and Doo Indáyz (SoHo Playhouse).

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