THE BEAR, EVERY TIME to Return to Soho Playhouse as Lighthouse Series Finalist
Joshua Harto and Carrie Keating reprise their roles, with Kate Neuman and Andrés Petruscak joining the cast.
Carrie Keating's award-winning surreal short play THE BEAR, EVERY TIME moves forward as a finalist in Soho Playhouse's 2026 Lighthouse Series. After a sold-out Round 1 run, ToastCo will bring an extended version of the previous short play back to Soho Playhouse for 3 performances.
Alyson Schacherer (The Pavilion, The Barrow Group; The Antipodes, ARC) returns to direct with Joshua Harto (The Dark Knight, Netflix's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) and Keating reprising their roles as BEAR and WOMAN 1 respectively. Joining the cast will be Kate Neuman (Enemy of the People, The Barrow Group; Winters Tale, Soho Rep) as WOMAN 2 and Andrés Petruscak (Art, The Barrow Group) as MAN. In addition, Ron Piretti (Broadway: In The Heights, The Last Ship) joins the teams as Fight Director. Originally conceived and developed by artist collective ToastCo., Henry Evans (Atlas Circus Company) will serve as Magic Consultant and Toast Co. Producer alongside Jack Saleeby.
Performances will be Wednesday, July 1 at 7:00 PM, Saturday, July 4 at 3:00 PM, and Sunday, July 5 at 7:00 PM at SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street. Sharing the festival slot will be Sam Theobold's CAN WE TALK.
During its development as a short play, THE BEAR, EVERY TIME first premiered at the Queen's Short Play Festival, where it was named Best Play. It made its Manhattan premiere in April 2025 at the A.R.T./NY Mezzanine Theatre as part of Goldilocks Has Questions, a sold-out evening of short works from ToastCo. and RE/VENUE NYC. The play has since been selected for readings through the Genesius Theatre Reading Series and the 2025 Equity Library Reading Series as well as The A Chronicles at MoCA/CT.
When one woman is forced to choose between being trapped in the woods with a man or bear, her answer's a no-brainer - The Bear, Every Time. However, when a hypothetical question becomes a reality, the woman and her new companion in the woods are forced to grapple with her decision and find themselves left with more questions. Inspired by the viral Tik Tok trend, this surrealist dark comedy picks up where the internet left off and asks audiences, in a world full of danger, how does one find safety?
Executive Producer of MS NOW Rebekah Dryden describes the play as 'urgently of-the-moment and darkly hilarious. One of those experiences that makes you remember why art exists." with Artistic Directors of the Barrow Group, Lee Brock and Seth Barrish calling it 'magnificent' and 'a delight.' respectively.
Carrie Keating (Playwright, The Woman) is a NYC based artist whose work spans theatre, TV/Film, concert dance, and circus. Commissioned by RizzleApp, her web series Connect2U garnered over 1 million views and was nominated for best vertical series in the IAWTV awards. Website: https://www.carriekeating.com/
The Bear, Every Time
Written by: Carrie Keating
Directed by: Alyson Schacherer
Cast: Joshua Harto, Carrie Keating, Kate Neuman, Andrés Petruscak,
Produced by: ToastCo. as part of the SoHo Playhouse Lighthouse Series
Dates and Times:
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Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM
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Saturday, July 4, 2026 at 3:00 PM
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Sunday, July 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Venue: SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street, New York, NY 10013
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