Theater for the New City Announces Tenth Installment of OPEN 'THO SHUT
The tenth installment will take place on Saturday, January 16 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

On Saturday, January 16 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM, Theater for the New City (TNC), 155 First Ave., will present the tenth installment of "Open 'Tho Shut," its afternoon of "walk-by theater" that is staged in its set shop and visible from East Tenth Street between First and Second Avenues.
The program offers a succession of free, live performances in which acts are staged in the theater's set shop for audiences of socially distanced passers-by, who watch through an open garage door on East Tenth Street. The shop was renamed "The Chopshop Theater" for this series. It is outfitted with an elaborate set by Mark Marcante and Litza Colon, full stage lighting by Alexander Bartenieff and a four-mic sound system. These live performances are also live streamed on TNC's website (https://www.theaterforthenewcity.net) and Facebook page.
LINEUP OF PERFORMANCES
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY - "OPEN 'THO SHUT, PART TEN" - JANUARY 16, 2021
Info as of January 6, 2021
* Mistress of Ceremonies: Crystal Field
* Cobu (all-female Japanese Taiko drumming and dance troupe of Yako Miyamoto, Ayaha Otsuka, Mayu Yamashita, Micro Fukuyama and Kana Matsui).
* Mr. Pablo (guitarist/vocalist and bandleader of Maquina Mono) singing in Spanish and English
* Justine J. Hall, Performance Artist
* Gender-bending variety performance by Terry Lee King
BACKGROUND
The series was launched November 14 as part of "More Ways than Broadway's," a city-wide collection of safe and socially distanced pop-up performances to demonstrate small theaters' readiness and desperate desire to physically reopen and to counteract the perception, based on formal Broadway, that legitimate theaters can't reopen safely. The performances were intended to demonstrate an Off-Off Broadway aesthetic that could allow smaller theaters to open safely at this time.
TNC pioneered walk-by theater in its 2020 Village Halloween Costume Ball October 31, when it reconfigured its set shop with lighting and sound to make it a venue for ten-minute plays. The effort was named "Chopshop Theater." Ten live performances were offered for revelers who might pass by on East Tenth Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues). They watched through an open garage door and were separated from the performers by a waist-high, see-through traffic barricade. Standing spaces for audience members were delineated six feet apart with chalked pumpkins on the sidewalk. Onlookers were urged to move on between performances so that the crowd would not become too large, health-wise.
TNC requires all "Open 'Tho Shut" performers to be tested before their appearances. Temperatures are taken as they arrive to perform. Hand sanitizer is provided and microphones are sanitized between performances. Masks are provided to any audience members who arrive without their own. Emcees have a separate mic.
Previous editions of "Open 'Tho Shut" are archived here: https://theaterforthenewcity.net/the-chopshop-theater/
Photo credit: Jonathan Slaff
More Hot Stories For You

February 3, 2023
FRIGID New York and Manhattan Theatre Source will present the 2023 EstroGenius Festival: BAN(NED) TOGETHER, a festival celebrating femme artists, March 15 - April 2.

February 3, 2023
Monet’s Garden The Immersive Experience U.S. premiere in New York City has announced another extension by popular demand through March 26, 2023.

February 3, 2023
Bennett Theatricals has announced a developmental reading for its new Off-Broadway bound musical, Maddie, which will have one afternoon presentation at Pearl Studios on Friday, March 10th at 2:00PM. Maddie played an acclaimed run at The Lyric Theatre in the West End and is based on the Jack Finney novel 'Marion's Wall' (adapted as the film 'Maxie’).

February 2, 2023
Beginning on Thursday, February 16, theatergoers will be able to visit Wheel and Come Again: The 50th Anniversary Art Exhibition of The Harder They Come on The Public Theater’s Levin Mezzanine, an exhibition of art inspired by the original film.

February 2, 2023
The Village! A Disco Daydream returns to Dixon Place after a sold-out premiere run last fall. The encore engagement will be performed for four weekends opening tonight – Thursday, February 2 at 7:30 PM – and running through Friday, February 24.