Ed Schmidt'S Solo Show EDWARD To Play Bookstores Across Brooklyn and Manhattan
Audience members sit around a table, on which the objects lie, and choose the order in which the stories are told by Schmidt.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Nov. 25, 2025
In EDWARD, a box filled with twenty-seven ordinary objects becomes a profound reconstruction of one man's life. The acclaimed solo show by Ed Schmidt will present twenty-five performances in independent bookstores throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan from January 22 through March 1. The title character, Edward O'Connell, a former high school English teacher who believed in "the vital role that literature plays in the development of a well-rounded life," makes bookstores an ideal backdrop for his story to unfold.
EDWARD arrives in New York after a sold-out, sixteen-performance run in Los Angeles. Before its LA engagement, EDWARD played 40 sold-out performances in private homes across New York City, playing nightly for intimate audiences of 10 to 25 people. The full schedule will be announced shortly.
About EDWARD
Edward O'Connell died twelve years ago, at the age of seventy-three, and left behind a box containing twenty-seven objects: among them, a 1940 Chevrolet owner's manual, a one-eared Mr. Potato Head, a Nader/LaDuke campaign button, and a heavily annotated copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Each object tells a story. Audience members sit around a table, on which the objects lie, and choose the order in which the stories are told by Schmidt. Each night, Edward's life is reconstructed anew.
Tickets are $40 and go on sale December 1 at www.edschmidttheater.com/tickets. Please note seating is limited for most performances. Running time: 95 minutes
Manhattan & Brooklyn Performance Schedule
Thursday, January 22 - Sunday, January 25 at 7PM
POWERHOUSE Arena - DUMBO
32 Adams Street, Brooklyn (Subway: F to York)
Thursday, January 29 - Friday, January 30 at 7PM
Books Are Magic - Cobble Hill
225 Smith Street, Brooklyn (Subway: F to Bergen)
Saturday, January 31 - Sunday, February 1 at 7PM
Terrace Books - Windsor Terrace
1624 10th Avenue, Brooklyn (Subway: F/G to 15th Street - Prospect Park)
Monday, February 2 - Thursday, February 5 at 7PM
Sullaluna - West Village
41 Carmine Street, New York (Subway: 1/2 to Houston, A/B/C/D/E/F to 4th Street)
Friday, February 6 - Saturday, February 7 at 7PM
The Mysterious Bookshop - Tribeca
58 Warren Street, New York (Subway: 1/2/3/A/C to Chambers, R/W to City Hall)
Tuesday, February 10 at 7PM
McNally Jackson - South Street Seaport
4 Fulton Street, New York (Subway: 2/3 to Fulton)
More dates to be announced soon.
Ed Schmidt (playwright/performer) is best known for the four solo shows he wrote and performed for small audiences in non-traditional spaces: The Last Supper, in his kitchen and dining room; My Last Play, in his book-lined living room; Our Last Game, in a locker room on The Lower East Side; and Edward, in apartments and homes throughout Los Angeles and New York. Those plays have received glowing reviews in many publications, including the New York Times, New Yorker, New York Magazine, Time Out New York, Village Voice, New York Post, Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek, and the Newark Star-Ledger. His more traditional play, Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting, has been produced at many theaters, including Lookingglass Theater Company, Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, and George Street Playhouse. www.edschmidttheater.com
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