Old Skool Playwrights Festival to Open with Staged Readings
The festival opens at the American Theatre of Actors with readings of works by Jill Hoppe, L. Lyn-Jones, Steven Cornine, and Mohammed Said-Ali.
None of the Above Theatre Company, a seminal New York incubator long dedicated to championing original American drama and independent dramatists, proudly launches its milestone 45th season with the Old Skool Playwrights Festival. Running from October 6 through October 25, 2026, the festival takes over the storied stages of the American Theatre of Actors (ATA), situated in the heart of the theater district at 314 West 54th Street, New York City.
Designed to celebrate raw, vibrant, character-driven storytelling, the three-week festival kicks off with an adventurous slate of staged readings featuring fresh texts by visionary playwrights, followed by back-to-back fully staged runs of two evocative masterworks by award-winning resident playwright Robert Liebowitz.
WEEK 1: THE STAGED READINGS LINEUP (OCTOBER 6–9)
The festival opens its first week with an expansive showcase pairing cutting-edge scripts with dynamic New York performers and directors:
- Tuesday, October 6 at 8:00 PM: Rokuro-Kubi and Jikininki by Jill Hoppe
An imaginative, eerie, and atmospheric new work exploring supernatural folklore and psychological dread to inaugurate the 2026 festival. - Wednesday, October 7 at 8:00 PM: The Key by L. Lyn-Jones & Steven Cornine
A lyrical, poignant musical play tracing ambition, fate, and generational inheritance across two pivotal American decades (1940–1960), propelled by a rich, emotionally charged score. - Thursday, October 8 at 8:00 PM: New Play by Mohammed Said-Ali
A compelling new theatrical offering from Mohammed Said-Ali, winner of multiple Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) Awards and widely recognized as one of the most vital, fiercely original voices in modern independent theatre. - Friday, October 9 at 8:00 PM: 250 Years...Of Progress? by Tim Horace, et al.
A visceral dance-theater collision set inside a stalled New York City subway station, where an immigrant and an American corporate executive clash over freedom, legacy, and the staggering human cost of national advancement.
Reading Series Tickets ($15–$25):
Available online at ticketstripe.com/old-skool
For 45 years, None of the Above Theatre Company has held fast to the conviction that the stage belongs to bold dramatists willing to tackle raw human realities without commercial compromise. By bringing together groundbreaking new texts and Liebowitz’s signature repertoire, the Old Skool Playwrights Festival honors the authentic, enduring spirit of Off-Off-Broadway.
FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE
- Title: The Old Skool Playwrights Festival
- Company: None of the Above Theatre Company
- Dates: October 6 – October 25, 2026
- Location: American Theatre of Actors (ATA), 314 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019
- Week 1 Staged Readings Schedule:
- Oct 6 @ 8:00 PM – Rokuro-Kubi and Jikininki by Jill Hoppe
- Oct 7 @ 8:00 PM – The Key by L. Lyn-Jones & Steven Cornine
- Oct 8 @ 8:00 PM – New Play by Mohammed Said-Ali
- Oct 9 @ 8:00 PM – 250 Years...Of Progress? by Tim Horace, et al.
- Box Office / Staged Readings Tickets: https://ticketstripe.com/old-skool
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