CRUSH at Teatro LATEA

CRUSH An Evocative Bloody Romance Comes to New York Theater Festival, June 15th.

The Official Off-Off Broadway directorial debut of Christopher Paul Richards (Goosebumps) with Dylan Pitanza (Don’t’ Say Goodluck) Chloe Margot (Expensive Imagination) and Malina Weissman (Coven Academy).

CRUSH. After a charged and controversial sexual interaction on a first date, Cherry (17) and Billie (18) find themselves fractured, spiraling in repression and self analysis. One year later, they inadvertently meet only to tear each other apart, yearning for clarity. What follows is a raw, explosive collision of desire and violence, as the pair confront their trauma and the painful truths within themselves. In the midst of a loneliness epidemic, Crush taps into a deep hunger for connection, offering an unfiltered, singular vision that seeks to resonate with a broad, contemporary audience.

Inspired by the Off-Off-Broadway movement of the 1970s, led by playwrights like Sam Shepard, María Irene Fornés, and Lanford Wilson, Crush is intended for a wide audience. These artists believed that bold, thought-provoking theater should not be exclusive, expensive, or inaccessible.

Time: (June 15th) 6:15PM (June 19th) 9:00PM (June 21st) 3:30PM

Duration: 60 mins

Entry: $28

Age: 16+

Instagram: @crushplaynyc

All press enquiries please contact: crushplay@gmail.com / 1 (732)-307-4204

DYLAN PITANZA (CHERRY) Best known for his screen work in Don’t Say Good Luck (Netflix) and Your Friends & Neighbors (Apple TV), as well as his stage performances in Twelfth Night (2021), directed by Emil Weinstein, and Much Ado About Nothing (2022), directed by Rakesh Palisetty. He is also the co-founder of the Utopia for Losers Theatre Company, under which he directed Mud by María Irene Fornés (2025) and Welcome to the Moon by John Patrick Shanley (2024).

CHLOE MARGOT (BILLIE) An alum of the William Esper Studio, Margot is an actor, dancer, and writer. She is best known for the underground hit Expensive Imagination (2024), which she starred in, wrote, and directed alongside Kelsey Bennett. She also created the dance production Folly’s Haven (2024), and went on to appear in Utopia for Losers’ 2025 production of Mud by María Irene Fornés, in addition to roles in several independent films.

MALINA PAULI WEISSMAN (RYAN) is an American-German actress born and raised in New York City. She is best known for playing Violet Baudelaire in Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and can next be seen starring in Disney Plus’s Coven Academy. This is Malina’s New York Theatre Festival and Off-Broadway debut, and she’s thrilled to be working alongside this team of talented arts.