Bated Breath Theatre Company to Present DIRTY BOOKS Immersive Production
Dirty Books begins performances at Bated Breath Theater on Friday, November 7 ahead of an official opening on Thursday, November 13.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 23, 2025
Bated Breath Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Mara Lieberman's Dirty Books, a provocative new play examining the complexities of censorship and book banning in the 1960’s, inspired by true stories.
Along with Dirty Books, Mara Lieberman has also written Voyeur: The Windows of Toulouse-Lautrec, Chasing Andy Warhol, and Beneath the Gavel – a collection of new, immersive plays that were brought to life by the acclaimed Bated Breath Theatre Company.
Dirty Books is an immersive performance that plunges audiences into the heated battles over anti-obscenity laws and censorship in America. Inspired by the true stories of erotic fiction writers of the 1960's and using Supreme Court-inspired transcripts, Dirty Books reveals the ingenuity and resilience of artists who thrived in the shadows of America's anti-obscenity laws working in the soft-core adult publishing industry. Inside an intimate world of secret bookstores, banned novels, and underground desire, the audience collaborates with the company to compose an erotic story.
Dirty Books stars Marisa Moureau, Alexis Pratt, Melina Rabin, Sammy Rivas and Grayson Willenbacher with understudies Emily Cummings, Caroline DeFazio, Billie Eric Robinson and Camilo Zuqui.
The production team includes Jacob P.S Lemmenes (technical director), Yung-Hung Sung (set and lighting design), Seth Black (set and projections), Stephanie Lopez (costume design), Lauren DeLeon (intimacy coordinator), Delaney Jordan (stage manager), Victoria Blas (assistant stage manager), with Table 7 (marketing and social media) and India Stachyra (marketing assistant).
Videos