CONNOLY Will Have World Premiere at Theatre for the New City

A young girl struggles to find a way forward in the World Premiere of Stefan Diethelm’s powerful new play CONNOLY. The production will run November 6–23, with opening night set for November 6 at Theatre for the New City. A one-act version of the play was first presented in June 2024 at the Audacious Owl Theatre Festival at The Chain Theater. Delaney “Lanes” May will direct.

CONNOLY tells the story of a teenage girl placed in an in-patient mental health facility after surviving a suicide attempt. With the support of her overwhelmed older sister Dingo, a strict yet caring nurse, Natalya, and Georgie—her Best Friend who may be imaginary or even spectral—she begins the difficult work of recovery while struggling to imagine a future.

A contemporary tragedy of youth, the play explores themes of mental health, family, and the preciousness of life itself.

Content advisory: Connoly includes sensitive topics such as suicide, self-harm, and discussions of mental health.

Playwright Stefan Diethelm explained his inspiration, “Connoly started as a deeply personal endeavor. Both in my familial and social life there are various histories of mental illness, and a lot of the issues Connoly faces in our play have roots in the experiences of people close to me. The magical thing about this story however is how much it has grown beyond that, how every person who has engaged with this story has connected to different parts of it and in turn helped it grow from something somewhat isolated and personal to something so deeply, tragically and universally human.”

Producer Bradly Valenzuela added, “I have been drawn to this play since Stefan told me the concept. I grew more inspired to produce this play upon seeing it, in particular the way it confronts the love of family and the struggle to overcome the demons that live in your head. There are a lot of ways to manage being alive in this world, and Connoly tackles that with truth, empathy and humanity.”

Connoly will run November 6–23 with performances on Thursdays–Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Running time is approximately 2 hours.

Theatre for the New City (The Community Space Theater) is located at 155 1st Avenue (between 9th & 10th Streets), New York City, NY 10003. Subways: L to 1st Avenue, 4/6 to Astor Place, F to 2nd Avenue, R/W to 8th Street.