Gene Frankel Theatre Festival Showcases 24 New One-Act Plays Through August 17

The inaugural Gene Frankel Theatre Festival (GFT) is now underway in New York City, offering an exhilarating two-week celebration of fresh theatrical talent. Running through August 17, 2025, the festival presents 24 brand-new one-act plays across eight performance blocks at the iconic Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street, NoHo), a venue long known for championing experimental and emerging work.

Curated by Gene Frankel Theatre’s Artistic Director Thomas R. Gordon, in collaboration with award-winning actor Francesca Ravera, GFT features New York premieres of all selected plays, many of which are also world premieres. Themes range from surreal and supernatural to historical, emotional, and timely—tackling everything from addiction and grief to gender politics, lost love, and the complexities of human connection.

“We are looking to create new opportunities for artists and unique shows for our audiences,” said Gordon. “We want to invite talented artists to not only join our community, but the New York City theatre scene.”

Festival highlights include:

• THE FINAL ESCAPE – A HOUDINI STORY, an introspective look at Houdini’s obsession with death.

• MAMA SHAKES HER MONEYMAKER, a darkly funny tale involving bouncing funeral ashes.

• CLOSER, where two sisters live trapped inside a painting.

• ANNE OF A THOUSAND FACES, a genre-bending meta-theatrical examination of power, gender, and performance.

• MARSHMALLOW, a teen psychic’s vision of the apocalypse.

• LUCKY STIFF, where four women discover they’ve all loved the same dead man.

• THE CABIN, a surreal exploration of burnout and buried grief.

• IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, a séance gone sideways on Christmas Eve.

Each block includes multiple one-act performances with recurring showtimes across the festival calendar. Performances run nightly and on weekends, with tickets priced at $25 for students/seniors and $35 general admission, available at www.genefrankeltheatrefestival.com.

The festival will culminate in a Gala and Awards Ceremony on August 17, recognizing excellence in performance, direction, and writing. Juried by Thomas R. Gordon, Francesca Ravera, and Thomas G. Waites, awards will include Best Male Actor, Best Female Actor, Best Director, and Best Play in both the one-act and short play categories. The closing celebration will feature live performances by guest artists including Thomas G. Waites, Francesca Ravera, and Jason Lee.