Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Working Theater Reveal Directors, Cast, and Partners For 2025 Stage Left Festival

Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Working Theater have announced the directors, featured cast and key panelists for the first-ever Stage Left Festival, a bold new platform for social justice-centered storytelling. Presented with the support of CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies' Murphy Institute and Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice and hosted at The Judy Theatre, the festival runs this month and features six new works that fuse the power of theater with the urgency of advocacy. Emerging directors and talent take center stage in this one-of-a-kind series with each play developed in partnership with frontline organizations advancing justice in and beyond New York.

MEET THE CREATIVE TEAMS 

La Dureza

Written by Ed Cardona Jr.

Directed by Lou Moreno

Cardona's bilingual, working-class epic—created in solidarity with Los Deliveristas Unidos—is brought to life by Moreno, Artistic Director of INTAR Theatre. A longtime director of Latinx playwrights, Moreno's approach amplifies the emotional and political grit of this tribute to NYC's essential workers as they fight to unionize.

Hit Machine 

Written by Jonathan Caren 

Directed by Taylor Reynolds

Caren's raw, high-octane tale of ambition and brotherhood is elevated by Reynolds (Fat Ham, Studio Theatre; Primary Trust, Signature Theatre; The Sensational Sea Mink-ettes, Woolly Mammoth). Her direction deepens this examination of fame, myth-making, and family. Starring Jeff Biehl (Patriots, Bway) and Will Dagger (Goodnight and Good Luck, Bway). 

The Hero U Took 

Written by Pedro “Jungo Pete Roc” Rosario  

Directed by Leia Squillace

Based on a true story, Rosario's powerful narrative follows a man's journey toward parole with the support of his incarcerated community. Squillace, a community-engaged director, brings a transformative, abolitionist lens to this story of endurance, hope, and justice. Their collaboration features formerly incarcerated performers who are alumni of Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), and features Sean ‘Dino' Johnson (SING SING, A24), Joe Grifasi (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Bway; Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Bway) and Garrett Turner (Thoughts of a Colored Man, Bway; Tina, 1st National). 

Foot Wears House 

Written by Laura Neill 

Directed by Sivan Battat

Neill's comedic and fiery workplace union drama gets an incisive, culturally attuned staging by Battat, a theatre director, community organizer, and the Director of NewWork Development at Noor Theatre. Battat brings a rich intergenerational lens to this story of organizing, identity, and collective power. Featuring Miles G. Jackson (PROBLEMISTA, A24; Chicken & Biscuits, Bway)

The Garbologists

Written by Lindsay Joelle 

Directed by Colm Summers

Joelle's story of sanitation workers finding connection through the discarded comes to life under the direction of Colm Summers (Every Brilliant Thing, Geffen Playhouse; The Comedians,  Raven Theater). He brings a clear perspective to this tale of labor, race, and resilience. 

Date of Release 

Written by Andrea Ambam 

Directed by Shariffa Ali

Ambam's moving exploration of twin sisters navigating incarceration is shaped by Ali's global, multidisciplinary perspective. Ali  (Sweet Chariot, The Public Theater; Mies Julie, Classic Stage Company; School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play, Pittsburgh Public Theater) brings nuance to stories of separation, survival, and hope.  

NOTABLE  PANELISTS AND MODERATORS INCLUDE

Stuart Appelbaum –  President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU). 

Jose Saldana – Director, Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP). 

Rad Pereira – Artist and cultural organizer, author of Meeting the Moment with Jan Cohen-Cruz

Joey DeFrancesco  – founder of United Musicians and Allied Workers. 

Stephanie Pacheco  – 2025 National Youth Poet Laureate. 

Chris Myers  – BWAY: HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, PURPOSE, AN OCTOROON at Soho Rep

ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS FEATURED INCLUDE

Center for Artistic Activism, Rising Artist, UMAW (United Musicians and Allied Workers), RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison), Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) , Los Deliveristas Unidos / Workers' Justice Project, RWDSU, REI Soho Union

"Storytelling is our oldest art form, but now our right to tell our stories is being legislated away. Stage Left is a chance to witness the stories from the working class and from our prison system. These stories will demand something from you. You will walk out seeing and moving differently.

In a time when stories are being silenced and people are being erased, it is an act of resistance to put on this play festival. It is an act of resistance to attend.” — Elz Cuya Jones, Executive Director, Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC)

"RTA is honored to be a community partner for Stage Left, featuring a new play by Pedro Rosario, an RTA participant in our theater program at Green Haven Correctional Facility. His original play for the festival, "The Hero U Took," based on the true story of the parole board process, is an important story to be told. It offers the audience a glimpse into a process that can be emotionally gut-wrenching for an individual on a path to redemption. We are also honored that the festival has cast RTA alums from the program to read Pedro's play, lending the performance a poignant resonance to the work." - Jermaine Archer, Executive Director, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA)