8th Annual CONEY ISLAND RITUAL CABARET to Return in March

International Culture Lab and Coney Island USA will present the 8th annual Coney Island Ritual Cabaret, featuring over 20 original acts of artistic resistance. 

In response to last fall's presidential election results, ICL recognized that while many artists were initially stunned, they would soon seek platforms to express their voices. To that end, ICL once again returned to its origins as Thieves Theatre and its decades-long legacy of provocative performance. Founded in 1980 and named in honor of French playwright and political activist Jean Genet, in 2024, ICL produced Genet's  "The Balcony" at Ritual Cabaret. This year again, the company asked themselves in these challenging times … WWJD … What would Jean do — the author whose life and work embodied resistance against social norms, political structures, and artistic conventions.

ICL issued a Call for Proposals to performers across disciplines —actors, musicians, dancers, puppeteers, performers in the variety artists, etc. — to present an original 5-to-15-minute solo or ensemble performance piece:

"Through our theatrical journey, we've come to believe that the performer's body is the primary site of political intervention. The personal IS political," states the call. "We invite creative engagement with current cultural and political challenges, from quiet acts of survival to thunderous, transformative rebellion."

"For Project Ritual Cabaret 2025, we are soliciting original proposals that explore the nature of 'resistance' and 'defiance'... how they facilitate transformation -- on the personal, societal and human level. We ask you to creatively engage with the current (inter)national cultural and political provocations. Art as dissent."

Co-artistic Director Gabriele Schafer explains, “Facts and statistics have never convinced anyone of anything, especially in this era of 'alternative facts.'  It comes down who tells the better story—and that's where artists come in."

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Scenic Design - Top 3

1. Dane Laffrey - The Lost Boys

35.9% of votes

2. Soutra Gilmour - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

12.2% of votes

3. Scott Pask - Schmigadoon!

10.6% of votes

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