New Brooklyn Theater The Empyrean to Open in 2027 With AMERICAN PSYCHO

The Empyrean Club, the new Brooklyn-based cultural venue combining theatre, nightlife, dining, and a social club captured in a stunning post-modern architectural design, is planning to launch in 2027 with the exclusive New York City production of the musical American Psycho.

Conceived with a bold vision for the future of theatre and live arts—to create long-term value for artists, audiences, communities, and investors—the Empyrean Club presents a new blueprint for cultural production, offering a multi-sensory experience rooted in dynamic programming, architectural and design excellence, and an integrated approach to hospitality.

Located at 421 Troutman Street in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brookly, the 10,300-square-foot, purpose-built venue will have a total capacity of 590 guests, including a 299-seat mainstage theatre. It has been designed as a complete night out under one roof, with live performance flowing seamlessly into cocktails, sushi omakase, dancing, conversation pits, and late-night social spaces.

Leadership

Led by a boundary-defying managing partnership—Max Hunter, Founding Artistic Director of The Bridge Production Group, who leads the Empyrean Club’s theatrical creative and will direct American Psycho; Lucas Katler, Tony Award®-winning producer overseeing business and long-term strategy; and Jesse Singer, Founder of Neon Noir, spearheading architecture, design, and experiential strategy—the Empyrean Club is conceived as a scalable, hybrid model: part theatre, part social club, part design-led environment, and part long-term cultural infrastructure.

A multidisciplinary artist advisory board is currently being formed in collaboration with local artists and members of the surrounding creative community to shape Empyrean’s programming.

A New Production of American Psycho

Anchoring the venue is its exclusive New York City flagship production of American Psycho—to be directed by Hunter as the foundation of a continuously evolving program. More than three decades after Bret Easton Ellis first introduced Patrick Bateman, the story’s satire of consumerism, identity, excess, and moral vacancy has only grown more resonant, reflecting a culture increasingly shaped by image, power, and performative success.

The musical has recently returned to the spotlight in a sold-out run at London’s Almeida Theatre, reaffirming the enduring relevance of Ellis’s work. As Ellis himself has noted, American Psycho was never merely a period piece, but a reflection of deeper societal anxieties—an observation that remains poignantly relevant today.

American Psycho at the Empyrean Club will be brought to life by a world-class creative team. The musical features a book written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the award-winning playwright and television creator behind Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, the Grammy- and Tony Award-winning composer of Spring Awakening, and choreographers Baye & Asa, whose work spans The Joyce Theater, the Guggenheim, and major repertory companies, including the Martha Graham Dance Company.

Programming

The Empyrean Club will operate across multiple verticals—including food and beverage, nightlife programming, memberships, merchandise, brand collaborations, sponsorships, and curated private and public events—creating revenue diversification rather than reliance on any single production.

In addition to the musical, the Empyrean Club’s program will invite audiences to move fluidly between theatre, live music, dance, cabaret, burlesque, comedy, and late-night performance, often encountering multiple acts in a single visit.

“Rather than a traditional theatre, we are creating a garden of earthly delights,” says Hunter, who leads the club’s theatrical creative and will direct American Psycho. “Empyrean is a place of ecstasy, artistry, and real interpersonal connection—when the curtain falls, the night has just begun.”

Architecture and Design

The Empyrean Club’s interior and architectural vision is led by an interdisciplinary team creating a spatial narrative with a distinct identity in the landscape of theatre, architecture, and contemporary culture, rather than a static venue.

The project is shaped by architect and theatrical set designer Seth Byrum, whose work includes theatre design and renovation projects across New York and contributions to major cultural venues with firms such as Bjarke Ingels Group and Studio Gang, alongside Tony-Saba Shiber, Founding Partner of the Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary design studio commoncraft, known for large-scale mixed-use and civic projects.

Interiors and material innovation are driven by Safwat Riad of SAFWAT BY SAFWAT, whose studio bridges contemporary art, music, fashion, and nightlife through cutting-edge fabrication and immersive environments. His work includes interior design for influential nightlife destinations such as Paragon, Elsewhere, and Bushwick’s Mood Ring, shaping spaces that blur the boundaries between performance, social ritual, and design.