Syracuse Stage To Stream World Premiere Boxing Drama RELENTLESS

Syracuse Stage has announced that it will present an online stream of the world premiere production of RELENTLESS by Rae Binstock, available to audiences worldwide from February 19 through February 22, 2026. The digital presentation, captured live during a Syracuse Stage performance, will be offered with scheduled showtimes during the production’s final week in partnership with the League of Live Stream Theater.

Directed by Syracuse Stage Associate Artistic Director Melissa Crespo, Relentless is co-produced with Sing Out, Louise! Productions.

The play centers on Monique Jeffries, a once-promising boxer whose career was cut short by a devastating knockout. Now managing Bailey’s Gym in Brooklyn, Monique finds herself at odds with her former coach and co-owner Johnny when a wealthy investor proposes transforming the gritty, legacy gym into a high-end training facility. As gentrification, ambition, and loyalty collide, Monique and Johnny face off over the future of the sport—and the community that shaped them.

The cast features Rebecca S’manga Frank as Monique, Jeorge Bennett Watson as Johnny, and Stephen Michael Spencer as Matt. They are joined by David Harrison Pralgo as Wookie, Caylie Filipa as Bex, and Sean Patrick Reilly as Chicken.

The creative team includes scenic designer Ann Beyersdorfer, Costume Designer Lux Haac, lighting designer Jess Creager, sound designer Daniela Hart of Uptown Works, fight choreographer Teniece Divya Johnson, and production stage manager Fran Acuña-Almiron. Community partners for the production include Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport and Prime Time Boxing.

An amateur boxer herself, playwright Rae Binstock drew inspiration from her time working at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, using the setting as a foundation for the fictional Bailey’s Gym portrayed in the play.