HUNGRY WOMEN Selected As Finalist In Soho Playhouse's Lighthouse Series

Hungry Women, an audacious and hauntingly funny new play by Melissa Maney, has been named a finalist in Soho Playhouse's Lighthouse Series, a curated festival that uplifts daring new voices in New York theater.

Having won the audience vote in the first round, the production will return for final round performances three nights between July 10 and July 18, 2025-showcasing its boundary-pushing work to industry professionals for a chance to win an extended Off-Broadway run in 2026.

Hungry Women is an exploration of the lives of women across time as they grapple with the extinction of men. Spanning over three centuries, the play begins in 19th-century Massachusetts and ends in a far-off future, imagining a world reshaped entirely by women after a mysterious event wipes out the male population.

Satirical and deeply human, Hungry Women follows four women confronting the collapse of patriarchal structures-and the liberation, uncertainty, and hunger that follow. As the play moves through time, it blends dark comedy, feminist inquiry, and bold theatricality, asking: Who are women allowed to become when they are no longer defined in relation to men? Is there such thing as a matriarchal utopia?

The production features a powerhouse ensemble cast: Ming Peiffer, Zoe Dean, Bre Tomey and ChiWen Chang, each inhabiting layered, emotionally charged roles that evolve across generations. The design team will bring the multi-era world of the play to life with costumes by Zoë Allen, scenic design by Marissa Todd, and evocative direction from Iris Dukatt.

Throughout its run, Hungry Women has received enthusiastic response from audiences for its fearless writing, layered performances, and the way it defies genre conventions while speaking to timely questions of gender, survival, and reinvention.

The play challenges audiences to consider what hunger really means: for food, for power, for purpose-and for a life outside the confines of tradition.

As a finalist in the Lighthouse Series, Hungry Women joins a cohort of groundbreaking new works vying for a chance to join Soho Playhouse's mainstage season. The final performances in July represent a culmination of the team's commitment to theatrical innovation, radical storytelling, and a vision of a future where women are the architects of their own history.