Round the Block!™ at Theaterlab

Thanks to a generous grant from the Foundation for Fairer Capitalism, Theaterlab’s ROUND THE BLOCK!™Celebrating Arts and Community in the Garment District: is back and free to attend! 

A promenade-style performance, ROUND THE BLOCK!™ invites you to discover the creative force of the Garment District, its fluctuating history, and the secret, unsung stories of the city blocks we call our home. The event is open to the public and brings together local businesses, community organizations, garment workers, visual artists, choreographers, and theatermakers on a guided tour of the neighborhood. 

Following District 3 Councilmember Erik Bottcher’s championing of the Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan, which allows more residential development in the Garment District –as well as preserving the neighborhood’s rich history of fashion manufacturing– it is essential that we continue to articulate our collective identity and our community’s history of tenancy. 

“This is why we live in New York City,” says Councilmember Erik Bottcher: “we live here because you walk out your front door and you have access to the best arts and culture on planet Earth.” As a celebration of the Garment District’s creative scene, ROUND THE BLOCK!™ devotes itself to honoring this artistic legacy. 

As a community-focused developmental lab, Theaterlab has always been a champion of placekeeping and communal care. By financing this event, making it free to attend, this grant allows Theaterlab to continue to highlight and celebrate the Garment District’s rich history, its private and public spaces, and its heart-warming diversity.   

ROUND THE BLOCK!™ will run on selected Fridays from September 26 to November 21, 2025. Guided by local artists, audiences depart on a 60 minute tour, starting at 520 8th Avenue and concluding at Theaterlab on W 36th St.  On September 26th, October 24th and November 21, audiences are invited to stay at the theater and catch the show of the night. Offerings include (No) Refunds, The Belle of Amhurst, FULL CONTACT and X#*! YOU VERY MUCH, MOM.