SoHo Playhouse Unveils Full Lineup For 2026 International FRINGE ENCORE Series

SoHo Playhouse has announced the full lineup for the 2026 International Fringe Encore Series, which will run Off-Broadway from January 3 through March 29, 2026. The season’s selections include works from Fringe festivals in Edinburgh, Hollywood, Orlando, Prague, Milan, Thessaloniki, and Catania, representing a broad international range of artists and productions.

Artistic Director Darren Lee Cole said, “Another year of big growth for the world of fringe and the IFES. We saw new beginnings from old friends (Edinburgh), watched the growth of familiar friends (Hollywood, Orlando, Prague) and finished by witnessing the emergence of new friends (Milan, Thessaloniki, Catania). A post pandemic view of the world has emerged and as always, fringe artists are at the forefront. Creating new ideas and new forms of live entertainment to interpret their view of this world and translate it into an artistic expression for us. It is an honor and delight to share these 15 winners from our season with our New York community. I promise they will make you laugh, cry and think about this future as well.”

Each year, the International Fringe Encore Series provides extended Off-Broadway opportunities to artists who demonstrate notable achievement at Fringe festivals, both in artistic quality and audience response. SoHo Playhouse offers selected productions a New York run, providing increased visibility and a platform for future development. Many past participants have gone on to commercial Off-Broadway engagements and international touring success.

The 2026 lineup begins with Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed The World, written and performed by Duane Forrest, running January 3 through February 1. The U.S. premiere, arriving direct from the Edinburgh Fringe, blends storytelling, live music, and personal reflection on Forrest’s Jamaican heritage and the cultural impact of Bob Marley’s work.

Diana, produced by Awkward Productions, will run January 6 through 10 following its Edinburgh success. Written, directed, and performed by Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, the piece presents an alternative narrative of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, incorporating drag, multimedia, puppetry, and audience interaction.

Dreamscape, written and directed by Rickerby Hinds, will make its New York premiere at 59E59 Theaters from January 7 through 25. Inspired by the 1998 police killing of Tyisha Miller in Riverside, California, the piece uses spoken word, beatboxing, and hip-hop dance to reimagine the young woman’s life and her interrupted future.

Direct from the Hollywood Fringe, And Her Children will run January 14 through February 13. Presented by The Attic Collective, the work reinterprets Brecht’s Mother Courage through the lens of American gun culture, inspired by public debates following the Parkland shooting.

The U.S. premiere of Puttana (whore) will run January 15 through 25. Conceived and directed by Mirko Corradini and produced by Teatroe ETS, the production features a solo performance by Beatrice Elena Festi, who portrays five characters while examining the social and linguistic power associated with the word “whore.”

Where is Your Husband?, created and performed by Anshita Koul, will run January 21 through February 1. Drawing from personal storytelling and stand-up comedy, the work interrogates assumptions and narratives surrounding marital status, public perception, and self-determination.

Tom Cashman’s 2 Truths, 1 Lie and 17 Slight Exaggerations will run January 22 through 31. Created and performed by Cashman, the hour-long stand-up show arrives direct from Edinburgh, exploring comedic misdirection, honesty, and the architecture of a joke.

Josh Glanc returns to New York with Family Man, running February 4 through 14 following engagements in Edinburgh and London. Glanc brings his signature blend of comedy, character work, and physical performance to the piece.

Musical theatre returns to the Encore Series with the U.S. premiere of I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical, running February 6 through 28. Written by Alexander S. Bermange and directed and choreographed by Aaron Renfree, the production offers a comedy revue about life on and off the musical theatre stage.

Gobstopper, written and performed by Leyla Aycan and directed by Sophie Michelle, will run February 11 through March 1. The work follows a protagonist navigating increasingly chaotic consequences in a small Scottish town, examining identity, accountability, and community through dark comedy.

Hold On To Your Butts, directed by Kristin McCarthy Parker and produced by Recent Cutbacks, will run February 7 through March 15. Using two actors and a Foley artist, the production presents a live parody staged as a shot-for-shot recreation of a well-known dinosaur film.

The New York premiere of The Amazing Sex Life of Rabbits, written and directed by Michael Shaw Fisher, will run March 2 through 28. The play centers on a dinner between two couples that devolves into a contemporary confrontation involving class, relationships, and shifting loyalties.

The U.S. premiere of Body Count, written and performed by Issy Knowles, will run March 3 through 29. The solo dark comedy explores the evolving landscape of sex work through the perspective of a woman confronting external judgment, tabloid narratives, and her own agency.

Stewart Huff will return with Is Anything OK?, running March 4 through 15. Huff’s storytelling examines belief, contradiction, and the ways people construct their personal truths, drawing on experiences from his travels and observations of everyday behavior.

Rounding out the season is Elouise Eftos’ Australia’s First Attractive Comedian, running March 5 through 15. The production marks Eftos’ New York debut following performances in Australia, New Zealand, Edinburgh, and London, presenting an hour of comedy examining appearance, identity, and societal expectations.

SoHo Playhouse, located at 15 Vandam Street, offers tickets to all performances at $45.50 including fees, with $20 student tickets available in-person on the day of the show, subject to availability.