New Play By Riley (RJ) Payne THE PIGEON To Debut At The Tank
The performance will take place on November 16.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 10, 2025
The Pigeon, a new play by Riley (RJ) Payne, presented by The Tank, in collaboration with Turlington & Company will premiere on Sunday, November 16 at 9:30 PM. The one night only staged reading will take place at The Tank as part of its Moonlight Series, which showcases bold new work from emerging voices in contemporary theater.
Set against the backdrop of a prestigious MFA Drama program in New York, The Pigeon, a contemporary adaptation of Chekhov's The Seagull, challenges these all too familiar characters to collide with the modern day struggles of being a working artist through various stages of life.
"At the bright young age of 19, I fell in love with The Seagull. I've since read almost every version published and have been searching for the 'perfect' translation, adaptation, etc.," says Payne, "In 2023, something clicked, I realized that I needed to write my own version. A queer version. A trans version. The Pigeon is a love letter to all queer theatre kids who didn't quite fit in the box they'd been forced into artistically."
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