Theatre East's 5x5 Drama Series to Return This Week

Theatre East’s acclaimed 5X5 Drama Series will return this week with five bold new short plays, each exploring what it means to connect with each other in today’s world. Performed back-to-back in one unforgettable evening at Court Square Theater in Long Island City, the 2025 edition offers an up-close, unadorned experience of storytelling at its most immediate.

Founded in 2016, the 5X5 Drama Series began as a way to bring theatre beyond the footlights—into breweries, rooftops, taverns, and other unexpected spaces—offering audiences an immersive, accessible encounter with new works. Since moving into the theater in 2021, the series has retained that same spirit of intimacy and ingenuity, keeping production minimal and the focus squarely on the story.

“This series has always been about connection,” said Judson Jones, Theatre East Artistic Director. “It’s about artists and audiences coming together in shared space, reminded that stories are how we understand each other.”

This year’s lineup includes Star Child Blues by Oliver Palmer, directed by Jeff Whitted and featuring Mark Briggs, Jeff Kerr McGivney, Mike McNulty, and Peter Welch; Craft by Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy, directed by Christa Kimlicko Jones and featuring Judson Jones and Kelsey Sheppard; Motherf*cking Empathy by Elena Zucker, directed by Toni Kwadzogah and featuring Meredith England and Thammie Laine Quách; Reservoir by travis l. tate, directed by Andrea Huckaba and featuring Herb Benjamin and Ollie Corchado; and The Power of Something Invisible by Pete McElligott, directed by Judson Jones and featuring Petra Brusiloff, Claire Gresham, and Christa Kimlicko Jones.

The design team includes Lighting Design by Zach Murphy, Sound Design by Robert A. K. Gonyo, and Costume Design by Sherry Martinez.