Powerhouse Theater At Vassar College Unveils Programming Lineup For The 39th Season
Additional projects and casting information will be announced in the coming weeks.
By: A.A. Cristi May. 22, 2025
Vassar College has announced the lineup for the 39th Powerhouse Theater Season. The annual summer season brings together some of today's most influential theatrical voices and welcomes the next generation of theater artists as members of the renowned Powerhouse Theater Training Program.
Since 1985, Powerhouse has welcomed artists and students of the highest caliber to the Vassar College campus-from Lynn Nottage to John Patrick Shanley and from Taylor Mac to Sarah DeLappe. The artists and projects that join the ranks of this esteemed group in 2025 include two-time Tony Award nominee Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice, School of Rock) and Drew Gasparini (The Karate Kid) with their musical adaptation of Ned Vizzini's young adult novel It's Kind of A Funny Story, directed by Sarna Lapine (Call Me Izzy). The writing and directing team that recently brought the smash hit Job to Broadway, Max Wolf Friedlich (Powerhouse alum '12) and Michael Herwitz, reunite to present The Holes. Jocelyn Kuritsky (KPOP) and her writing partners return to Powerhouse to present episodes in progress of the historical and hilarious Webby Award-honored podcast A Simple Herstory, in collaboration with The Muse Project and The Tank. Powerhouse welcomes Hook and Eye Theater to Vassar with their devised workshop of The Chamber, directed by Carrie Heitman. And for the first time since 2019, Powerhouse will present a Mainstage production, A Trojan Woman, by Sara Farrington, directed by Powerhouse alum Meghan Finn (Artistic Director - The Tank) and starring international artist Drita Kabashi (Little Ukraine) in a tour-de-force performance of a mother, alone with her child, facing the indiscriminate cruelty of war. Rounding out the Powerhouse Season are free readings of new works written and directed by Andy Boyd and Zinc Tong (The Tank), Petra Brusiloff and Christa Kimlicko Jones (Theatre East), Vassar Assistant Professor Peter Gil-Sheridan and Amalia Oliva Rojas, the winner of the Leah Ryan Fund's "Leah Award."
Vassar is also pleased to welcome to campus a new cohort of young actors, directors, and writers as members of the Powerhouse Theater Training Company. These emerging artists will present a slate of free theater throughout the season, including Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, adapted and directed by Shaun Patrick Tubbs, and Leah Ryan's adaptation of Chekov's The Seagull, directed by JASMINE ROTH. Both will be performed outside at the Preserve at Vassar. Max Reuben returns to direct the company in the innovative use of Soundpainting, a gestural language, in a completely devised project at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. And theater-making team Hal Cosentino and Caley Chase explore justice and balance in the Greek tragedy Oresteia.
"It's an honor that so many wonderfully talented, thoughtful, and thrilling storytellers have accepted our invitation to be a part of the 39th Powerhouse Season. With arts funding at risk across the country, we're more committed than ever to being a haven for artistic growth and development here at Vassar," said Producing Director Michael Sheehan.
"And what a delight to welcome back Powerhouse alums Max Wolf Friedlich and JASMINE ROTH, both of whom were members of the Powerhouse Training Program. After having begun their journey as artists at Powerhouse, it's a joy to have them return to share their latest work with our audiences and students," added Producing Director Ed Cheetham.
"Vassar's role in shaping the history of American theater cannot be overstated. It is a privilege to welcome and support the work of renowned artists each summer, as well as the works of local artists of the Hudson Valley, including Vassar's own Assistant Professor of Drama, Peter Gil-Sheridan," said Vassar College President Elizabeth H. Bradley.
"As always, at the foundation of the Powerhouse program is the Training Company. We are delighted to welcome a new cohort of dedicated aspiring artists, who come from all over the country to study, create, and perform alongside our world-class faculty and professional artists," added Sheehan.
"We can't wait to welcome our loyal audiences back to the Vassar campus. See you this summer!" concluded Cheetham.
Additional projects and casting information will be announced in the coming weeks. For updates and more information about the Powerhouse schedule, visit www.vassar.edu/powerhouse/season.
THE 39th POWERHOUSE SEASON
MAINSTAGE
A Trojan Woman (July 25–27)
Written by Sara Farrington
Directed by Meghan Finn
Featuring Drita Kabashi
Scenic Design by Christopher Swader and Justin Swader
Costume Design by Claudia Brown
Lighting Design by Brian Aldous
Compositions and Sound Design by Mike Cassedy
Developed and Produced by Stop the Wind Theatricals
In the Powerhouse Theater
Bosnia, Gaza, Mariupol—A woman with her child, alone in a devastated city, confronts the indiscriminate cruelty of war. A Trojan Woman by Sara Farrington brings Euripides’ ancient anti-war play into a solo, contemporary adaptation that blends biting satire with a howl of grief and rage.
"This production combines fine writing with a remarkably strong actor and an impressively bold director." – British Theatre Guide
All Mainstage tickets are $40 and go on sale May 29, 2025.
WORKSHOPS
A Simple Herstory (July 5–6)
Created by Jocelyn Kuritsky
Written by Jonathan A. Goldberg
Additional Conception and Consultation by Jenny Turner Hall
Directed by Meghan Finn, Co-Directed by Donya K. Washington
Produced by Jocelyn Kuritsky, Jenny Turner Hall, Donya K. Washington
Part of The Muse Project and The Tank residency
In the Powerhouse Theater
This award-winning multi-platform audio fiction explores the 100+ women who have run for U.S. President. Season 2 centers on Margaret Chase Smith and includes a meta-theatrical reflection on media, history, and power.
The Chamber (July 11–13)
Devised and Written by Members of Hook & Eye Theater
Directed by Carrie Heitman
Part of The Tank residency
In the Powerhouse Theater
Seventeenth-century Brussels collides with present-day Appalachia in this darkly funny, time-jumping play exploring the subtle, rebellious art of resistance.
All Workshop tickets are $30 and go on sale May 29, 2025.
READINGS
Medea and Her Sons (June 20)
Written by Peter Gil-Sheridan
In the Powerhouse Theater
Medea didn’t kill her kids—at least not in this version. A campy, glitter-filled family reckoning reframes her myth through the eyes of her now-grown sons.
It Is Right to Rebel! (June 21)
Written by Andy Boyd
Directed by Zinc Tong
Part of The Tank residency
In the Powerhouse Theater
Jiang Qing’s rise and fall in the Chinese Cultural Revolution becomes a meditation on theatre as politics and politics as theatre.
Untitled, Unknown Artist(s) (June 22)
Written by Petra Brusiloff
Directed by Christa Kimlicko Jones
Part of the Theatre East residency
In the Powerhouse Theater
When three students challenge academic traditions in pursuit of a prize, the question becomes: what makes art… art?
In The Bronx Brown Girls Can See Stars Too (or The F*ck Is You Lookin' At?) (June 28)
Written by Amalia Oliva Rojas
Part of The Leah Ryan Fund residency
In the Powerhouse Theater
A group of young girls in a communication workshop navigate identity, survival, and community in this raw, heartfelt exploration of growing up.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story (July 18–19)
Music and Lyrics by Drew Gasparini
Book by Alex Brightman
Directed by Sarna Lapine
Produced with Special Arrangement by Lisa Dozier Shacket
In the Martel Theater
An uplifting musical about a teen’s mental health journey, adapted from Ned Vizzini’s beloved novel and the Universal film.
The Holes (July 19–20)
Written by Max Wolf Friedlich
Directed by Michael Herwitz
Produced and Dramaturgy by Hannah Getts
In the Powerhouse Theater
In Kingston, NY, a bar with a secret becomes the unlikely site of spiritual revelation in this sharp, irreverent new play.
All readings are free. Tickets can be reserved beginning June 13, 2025.
THE TRAINING COMPANY
The Comedy of Errors (July 11–13)
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Shaun Patrick Tubbs
At The Preserve
This fast-paced farce gets a contemporary spin with live music, physical comedy, and a trimmed-down script.
The Seagull (July 18–20)
Written by Anton Chekhov
Adapted by Leah Ryan
Directed by JASMINE ROTH
At The Preserve
Chekhov’s classic of ambition, fragility, and unfulfilled longing takes root lakeside in this intimate adaptation.
Biography (July 3, 10, 17, 24)
Conceived and Composed by Max Reuben
Developed and Performed by the Training Company
In the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
An improvised theatrical portrait of a made-up person using Soundpainting—a hilarious, moving group invention in real time.
Oresteia (July 20–21)
Written by Aeschylus
Adapted and Created by Caley Chase and Hal Cosentino
In the Susan Stein Shiva Theater
Cycles of revenge and justice unfold in this new adaptation that weaves together Aeschylus’ trilogy.
New Works Play Festival (July 26)
Written and Directed by Members of the Training Company
In the Susan Stein Shiva Theater
Original short plays developed throughout the summer by Training Company writers and directors.
All Training Company performances are free and open to the public. No ticket required.
BOX OFFICE INFORMATION
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Online Ticket Sales: May 29, 2025
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In-Person Sales: June 12, 2025 at the Powerhouse Box Office
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Mainstage Tickets: $40
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Workshop Tickets: $30
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Readings & Training Company: Free
Box Office Hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 1:00–6:00 p.m.
Contact: (845) 437-5599 | phtboxoffice@vassar.edu
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