A POT OF BASIL, OR, THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND to Premiere at The RAT NYC

The world premiere of A Pot of Basil, or, Thank You for Being a Friend, a new surreal comedy by Heather Jeanne Violanti, will play at The RAT NYC in DUMBO on weekends from August 23–31, 2025. Directed by Jennifer Sandella, the fast-paced 60-minute play offers a darkly funny meditation on isolation, imagination, and resilience during the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.

Starring N. Marie Teagno, Lisa Whitten, Mary Lane Townsend, Margaret Sullivan, Travis John Martin, and Josh Karen, A Pot of Basil follows a would-be writer whose plans to escape her unhappy life are thwarted when New York City shuts down. Her only companions: a pot of basil, a talking cockroach, the ghost of Marie Antoinette, and reruns of The Golden Girls.

“Writing this play helped me work through the pain and uncertainty of the COVID pandemic,” says Violanti. “I tried to counter the seriousness of that difficult time with wacky humor, all the while exploring what it means to keep going when your world falls apart.”

The production is led by a creative team including playwright Heather Jeanne Violanti (whose work has been published by Smith & Kraus and Brooklyn Publishers) and director Jennifer Sandella, Artistic Director of Random Access Theatre and Executive Director of The RAT NYC.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

• Saturday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m.

• Sunday, August 24 at 3:00 p.m.

• Saturday, August 30 at 6:00 p.m.

• Sunday, August 31 at 3:00 p.m.