Red Bull Theater Unveils Cast of SHORT NEW PLAY FESTIVAL 2025: DEFIANCE

Red Bull Theater has announced the cast and lineup for its 15th Annual Short New Play Festival, returning Monday, June 23, 2025, to Symphony Space's Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theater in New York City. This year’s theme—“Defiance”—promises a dynamic evening of bold, 10-minute plays that draw inspiration from classic texts and themes.

The 2025 festival features eight new short plays performed by an all-star cast including Abubakr Ali, Isabel Arraiza, Marianna Gailus, Allen Gilmore, Samantha Gorjanc, Takalay Hamill, Junior Nyong'o, and Cara Ricketts.

Helmed by Evan Yionoulis and Zoë Adams (this year’s Drama League Directing Fellow), the evening includes world premieres by acclaimed playwrights Will Eno and Anna Ziegler, and six winning plays chosen from a national open submission:

• "The Weight of the Sun" by Michael Carozza

• "Crown of Smoke" by Isis Elizabeth

• "D.O.J. (not that J.)" by Dana Leslie Goldstein

• "Kate, Once" by August Guszkowski

• "The Aurora Method" by Amy Jo Jackson

• "Anteros Was Here" by AJ Layague

Each piece explores the theme of defiance—against expectations, authority, history, and fate—with classic inspirations and contemporary urgency. The commissioned works add high-wattage theatricality:

• "The Ending of Lear" by Will Eno, a darkly comic reflection on the final scene of King Lear

• "Devil and the Lemon Tree" by Anna Ziegler, a Faustian tale of art, love, and legacy

Red Bull Theater Artistic Director Jesse Berger shared: “This year’s lineup is extraordinary. Each play reimagines the past in ways that challenge our present. We’re thrilled to showcase both legendary writers and emerging voices in one of New York’s most exciting one-night-only events."