HARLEM NIGHTS: WORK IT OUT From The Movement Theatre Company Begins Tonight
In this participatory blend of fitness and theater, you’ll move, breathe, sweat, and witness—sometimes laughing, sometimes grounding, always in it together.
The Movement Theatre Company, an OBIE award-winning producer of herculean ideas by artists of color, in partnership with Fire Studio, will present Harlem Nights: Work It Out featuring plays by Julissa Contreras and Johnny G. Lloyd. Directed by Annalisa Dias, this participatory performance encourages audiences to break a sweat as they break the fourth wall. Running March 12 – 29, 2026, at FIRE Studio.
It’s a workout AND a performance; the mashup you didn’t know you needed. In this participatory blend of fitness and theater, you’ll move, breathe, sweat, and witness—sometimes laughing, sometimes grounding, always in it together. Expect stories that meet you in your body, remind you of your strength, and sneak a little meaning in between reps.
The cast for Harlem Nights: Work It Out features Sharina Martin, Cristina Pitter, Broderick Clavery, and Brandon Dottin.
Playwright Julissa Contreras remarked, “I have a complicated relationship to fitness so when this opportunity to get into the minds of participants and express the subconscious came about, I jumped at the opportunity. Nike says if you have a body, you’re an athlete and thinking about that invitation inspired me to write on behalf of the vulnerabilities that bring us to a workout and how we are transformed on the other side.”
Playwright Johnny G. Lloyd added, “I get excited when there's a chance to work in unique spaces, so this opportunity was a no-brainer for me. The idea of mashing up an exercise class with theater feels unexpected yet ripe with fascinating storytelling possibilities - they both require paying attention to how things feel in the body.”
The creative team includes Amara Skinner (sound designer) and Genevieve Ortiz (production stage manager).
Fifteen performances of Harlem Nights: Work It Out will take place March 12 – 29, at FIRE Studio, located at 280 West 115th Street in Manhattan. The performance schedule is Thursdays at 8:00 PM, Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2:00 PM, Saturdays at 6:00 PM, and Sundays at 3:00 PM.
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