Ari Afsar News

Prospect Musicals has revealed details for the third week of events of the 2026 IGNITE Concert Festival, running in March at Baruch Performing Arts Center.

The world premiere of I & You: The Musical based on the play by Lauren M. Gunderson, with a book by Gunderson and music and lyrics by Ari Afsar, performs on Olney Theatre Center's Roberts Mainstage.

Live & In Color will present SOUTH ASIAN SONGBOOK: WRITING THE FUTURE OF MUSICAL THEATRE in New York City. The concert is part of Prospect Musicals’ IGNITE Festival. The event will feature new songs by South Asian musical theatre writers.

With the Justice Department's recent release of the Epstein Files, certain individuals have been implicated in the 3.5 million emails that were made public on Janury 30. One of them in the theatre community was playwright Lauren Gunderson, who is named 9 times in the files.

Pipeline Theatre Company is launching their NewWorks Accelerator, an exciting new initiative designed to fill a critical gap in support for artistic projects currently in development.

Echo Theatre will present score-in-hand readings of Silhouettes, a new musical by Jordan Ealey and Ari Afsar, on Jan. 16–17, 2026, at the Bath House Cultural Center.

This is the last chance to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

We're in the final weeks to vote for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

The latest standings have been released for the 2025 BroadwayWorld Cabaret Awards! Voting ends on 12/31/2025 at midnight. Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

Next week, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including Linda Eder, Marilyn Maye and more. See the full weekly lineup here!

The Dramatists Guild Foundation hosted its annual Gala  at Ziegfeld Ballroom. This year’s Gala celebrated 25 years of the DGF Fellows program, fostering emerging dramatists through mentorship and collaboration to prepare their next great story for the stage. Check out photos here!

Right in time for Halloween, The Rage: Carrie 2, An Unauthorized Musical Parody-based on the very real 1999 cult-classic Carrie sequel-comes screlting back to NYC.

The Dramatists Guild Foundation will present selections of work by the 2024-2025 Class of Musical Theater and Playwriting Fellows. Learn more and see how to attend.

What did our critic think of I & YOU: THE MUSICAL at McCarter Theatre Center?

Lauren Gunderson and Ari Afsar’s exciting new musical I & You: The Musical opens tomorrow night Friday September 19 at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre. Get a first look at footage here!

Check out photos of the World Premiere of I & YOU: THE MUSICAL, opening Friday, September 19, at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. The production will run through Sunday, October 12.

NYU Steinhardt Drama Therapy and Live & In Color will present Songs of Light & Joy: A Diwali Celebration October 9–12, 2025, at Provincetown Playhouse in NYC.

McCarter Theatre Center has announced the all-woman creative team behind the highly anticipated world premiere of I & You: The Musical. It is inspired by Lauren Gunderson’s internationally acclaimed play by the same name. 

McCarter Theatre Center’s world premiere, I & You: The Musical, just released rehearsal footage and a behind-the-scenes conversation between the show’s two stars. See footage here!