LIBERTY SCRAP World Premiere to Open at Culture Lab LIC

Culture Lab LIC, in association with The Chocolate Factory Theater, will present the world premiere of LIBERTY SCRAP by Guggenheim Fellow Christina Masciotti. Directed and designed by T. Ryder Smith, the production will run March 5–29, 2026 at Culture Lab LIC in Long Island City, with an opening set for Sunday, March 8.

LIBERTY SCRAP centers on Katya, who works in a scrap metal warehouse by day and creates sculptures from discarded materials by night. When her Uzbek father falls ill, she attempts to return home, only to discover that her uncertain immigration status may permanently separate her from her family. The play explores the lived reality of stateless individuals in the United States.

The cast includes Natia Dune as Katya and Patricia R. Floyd as Maxine.

Masciotti’s recent works include No Good Things Dwell in the Flesh, named a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and Raw Bacon from Poland, also selected as a Critic’s Pick. Her earlier plays include Vision Disturbance, Adult and Social Security.

“I began writing Liberty Scrap after a friend disclosed to me that she was stateless,” said Masciotti. “I was struck that I'd never heard the term before and stunned the more I learned about it. She connected me with the recently-formed organization United Stateless. They happened to be looking for volunteer writers at the time, primarily in the realm of journalism, but I volunteered to write an in-depth character study in the form of a play.”

Karina Ambartsoumian-Clough, Executive Director of United Stateless, said, “United Stateless was part of the creative process from the very beginning of Liberty Scrap. Grounded in the real stories of stateless people and developed through sustained collaboration with our community, the play reflects both the harm of legal invisibility and the resilience it takes to transform trauma into reconstruction, creativity, and collective care.”

Tess Howsam, Artistic Director of Culture Lab LIC, said the work aligns with the organization’s mission and Long Island City community. T. Ryder Smith noted that the play operates on both realistic and mythic levels, blending working-class realities with dreamlike elements.