TRASHFEST & DARKFEST to Return to The Tank NYC with 2026 Lineups

The Tank NYC have announced the lineup for TrashFest and DarkFest 2026, their annual festivals which reexamine how we can make theater more sustainable, curated by JoJo Knott and playing at The Tank (312 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018), July 13-19. Tickets ($18-$23) are available for advance purchase at www.thetanknyc.org.

It is often difficult to wrestle with the environmental impact that our daily lives and our work have - especially in theater, where so many resources are needed to develop sets, props, and costumes that are only used for a short amount of time. DarkFest and TrashFest both seek to reexamine how we can make theater more sustainable.

DarkFest features shows that do not use conventional theatrical lighting and celebrates innovative performance that utilizes self-sufficient and alternative energy sources.

TrashFest centers work that produces no waste by reusing materials discarded as garbage.

DarkFest 2026 Lineup

a cold evening with ethan and lee

Created by Emilia Harrison Daniel & Ethan Williams

An experiment, a return to form, a performer in the dark, for one night only

Monday, June 13 at 9:30pm 60 min

post-modern prometheus

Written by Cesario Tirado-Ortiz, Directed by Avery L. Ingvarson

Oz is tired of Men. The most reasonable conclusion is to become God. A Frankenstein-esque tale on hating men, being a man, and becoming a man.

Tuesday, June 14 at 9:30pm 60 min

Track My Feet Please!

Created & Performed by Henry Alper

Hey! Hey you! Yeah, you... I see you over there. Come on over to The Tank and track my feet please! Betcha can't do it hehehehe >:) It's way too dark and I'm too fast for ya! Lmao! XD But hey, if you're around, maybe I'll letcha in on a little secret... :O

Wednesday, June 15 at 9:30pm 60 min

In the Dark Times

Created by Michael Fracentese & Kayla Schwab

Part poetry reading / part immersive theater, In the Dark Times invites performers and audiences to a post-apocalyptic gathering to tell stories, preserve memories, and establish a collective oral history. Saturday, June 18 at 3pm 90 min

big blue

Written by Marissa Alaniz, Directed by Korey Caron

Performed by Raiane Cantisano & Rhiannon Ling

Two women-- Alicia, a naval officer and Viv, an oceanographer-- are on a mission from the US military to find the source of a mysterious deep sea humming. But when their tiny submersible gets knocked loose, they must contend with their respective land-bound griefs, tension with each other, and the fear of the inevitable bottom of the ocean.

Sunday, June 19 at 7pm 75 min

Honor Shmonor

Written & Directed by Atticus Orsborn

A celebrated knight and his loyal squire arrive at a witch's cave to carry out a righteous execution. What follows is a fast, profane, and increasingly absurd debate about honor, faith, and obedience, as certainty collapses into circular logic and sanctioned violence. A fantastical dark comedy about what we excuse in the name of 'goodness.'

Sunday, June 19 at 9:30pm 45 min

TrashFest 2026 Lineup

MEAT

Written by Zara Roy, Directed by Ethan Manuel Homen with Scenography by Sean Lillis

Ham, a West Texas meatpacker, longs for a promotion. He will do anything to get it. Beleaguered by his grim career, eccentric libertarian coworker, and stalled long-distance relationship with a woman 30 years his senior, Ham is plagued by the looming presence of his manager and visions of his dead mother. MEAT fleshes out the unsustainable nature of capitalism, climbing the ladder, and a hunger for your own piece of the pie.

Monday, July 13 at 7pm 60 min

The Devil You Know

Written by Thea Belle Flanzer, Directed by Lex Laas

The second installment in the Greek Myths for Our Troubled Times play cycle, The Devil You Know, is about a young woman who takes a four-year lease in Hell --- and the roommate who embarks on a mission to get her back. This play explores the purpose and meaning of friendship in these troubled times through a postmodern retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Tuesday, June 14 at 7pm 60 min

DIM

Written & Performed by Jack Frederick, Directed by Melissa Aquiles

A new play by Jack Frederick about family, life, and finding light in the darkness.

Wednesday, June 15 at 7pm 90 min

Trashy Humans

Presented by Punchline Loading

Featuring sketches by Saturday Lawson, Halley Platz, Natalie Osborne, Hunter Corbett, Lauren Winnenberg & Veronica Murphy

Join the ladies of Punchline Loading for a trashy good time! This brand new sketch show is all about trashy people of all kinds- littering, manspreaders, greedy greenwashing campaigns and more! Come on down to the Tank for original comedy sketches and lots of laughs!

Friday, June 17 at 7pm 60 min

Waiting in A Time of Revelation

Written by Kenndall Wallace, Directed by H. Hasberry

Waiting In A Time of Revelation is about three Black women who wait in a world of things discarded. With each woman having been 'discarded' for years, decades, or centuries-- Phyllis, Zora, and Candy sit tossed away in the trash the world leaves behind, and are deadset on convincing themselves they can only leave this place if someone gives them permission to. They've gotta wait on a man! They've gotta wait on a meritocracy! They just gotta wait, damn it! That is, until Sal-- one of many custodians tasked with cleaning the place out-- starts talking about things like power, choice, and the future.

Friday, June 17 at 9:30pm 75 min

Last Show with Miss Rose

Created by Stephen Hill, Ginaury Vasquez, Ana Pri, and Brittany Lane
Amidst fading stage lights and discarded props, performers question what it means to create for Miss Rose, and whether theater can remain a lasting place of memory, ritual, connection, and return. Saturday, June 18 at 7pm 50 min

S.E.R.V.E.

Co-Written by Josh Brown & Lauren D'Errico

When intergalashtastic space parasite Tryna Bank descends on Earth, four unremarkable women must unite to defend the Earth using the power of S.E.R.V.E.

Saturday, June 18 at 9:30pm 70 min

Imagination Strings: Art, Puppets & Participation

Creator, Puppet Designer & Puppeteer Arlee Chadwick, Puppeteer Katherine Kaspar

Imagination Strings: Art, Puppets & Participation is a visually inventive puppet experience featuring handcrafted marionette puppets made from scrap materials, discarded objects, recycled materials, and handmade creatures brought to life. Blending clown, physical theater, and unexpected transformation, the show invites audiences into a playful world where junk becomes magic and imagination takes control. Created and performed by Broadway puppeteer Arlee Chadwick, Imagination Strings celebrates creativity, curiosity, and the beauty hidden inside forgotten things. Sunday, June 19 at 3pm 40 min

Founded in 2003, The Tank is an Obie Award-winning, multi-disciplinary non-profit arts presenter and producer, which provides a home to emerging artists working across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling. Led by Artistic Directors Meghan Finn and Johnny G. Lloyd, with Managing Producer Molly FitzMaurice, The Tank champions emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. In doing so the company removes the economic barriers from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. From the company's home with two theaters on 36th Street, The Tank serves over 2,500 artists every year, presents over 1,000 performances, and welcomes 36,000 audience members annually. The company fully produces a curated season of 8-12 theatrical World or New York premieres each season.

Artists who have developed their craft at The Tank include Tony Award-winning director Alex Timbers, Drama Desk Award-winning playwright Amy Herzog, screenwriter Lucy Alibar, comedian/actor X Mayo, online creator Julian Shapiro-Barnum, producer Kyle Jarrow, musician Reggie Watts, comedian/writer Baratunde Thurston, choreographer Tiffany Rea-Fisher, choreographer Kyle Abraham, filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, the rock band We Are Scientists, and tens of thousands of others. The Tank has been honored with an OBIE Award for Institutional Recognition celebrating our Extraordinary Support of Emerging Artists, 6 Drama Desk nominations for our co-produced work, and an official New York City Council proclamation. Artistic Director, Meghan Finn, was the recipient of a 2024 David Prize for Extraordinary New Yorkers.

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