HATERS GONNA HATE Will Receive NYC Industry Reading

The new play Haters Gonna Hate, a teen comedy by rising playwright Justin Borak, is set to make its mark with a private industry reading on August 11 at The Prep NY, produced by Theresa Pittius.

Haters Gonna Hate is a contemporary adaptation of The Misanthrope by Molière that follows a group of high schoolers going through a set of trials to decide who will receive Cel's hand (at prom). The raunchy comedy looks into the hypocrisy and drama we all find ourselves drowning in when in high school and explores sexuality, young love, friendship, gender identity, and what we are willing to do in our younger years for clout and because of anger.

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Modern Family) and Emerson Min (black-ish, The Great Divide) lead the cast of the presentations as Ellie and Phil, respectively. The duo appear alongside Catherine Ashmore Bradley (The Really Loud House, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Evan Fernandes (Hartford Stage), Christian Clausnitzer (Pittsburgh CLO), Liz Gutridge (Iron Crow's Everybody's Talking About Jamie), Gabriella Pizzigoni (Jackrabbit), Rockie Mosher (The Zip-Up Man), and Zach Fogel (Jimmy Awards). 

A finalist for the 2025 Lanford Wilson New American Play Prize, Haters Gonna Hate has been developed at notable institutions including West Virginia Public Theatre, Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, and The Prep NY. Playwright Justin Borak is currently making waves as a member of the 2024–2025 Ripple Effect Writers Group, The Skeleton Rep's Artist-in-Residence Cohort, and the Workshop Theatre's Developmental Program, with additional development through Jaclyn Backhaus's Writers Group.

Haters Gonna Hate is being produced by Theresa Pittius and is hosted by The Prep NY for this industry reading.