Crystal Field News

'The Boom' is a play written by Vinnie Nardiello and directed by Mark Riccadonna that examines the life of a stand-up comic behind the stage.

'Bubbleheads,' a one-act play written by Darcy Heller Sternberg, is a surreal, dreamlike look at the world of divorce and remarriage. The play imagines experiencing these events from the perspective of a child. The dialogue and interactions parallel the confusion and frustration a child feels as she watches her family fall apart. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere September 8 to 12 at Producers' Club Theaters, 358 West 44th Street, directed by Heather Chamberlain.

'Waitin' for the G' is a one-act by Max Cohen that brings Beckett's play 'Waiting for Godot' into today's world while still maintaining its original themes.

Theater for the New City, Crystal Field, Executive Director presents DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA, an explosive study of alienation and the redemptive power of love by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley (Doubt, Moonstruck). Lissa Moira directs John Talerico and Susan Mitchell*. Twelve performances will be staged at Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue (bet. 9th and 10th Streets), New York, NY 10003 from September 24 - October 11, 2015.

'Baby's Breath,' written and directed by Jeana Scotti, tells the story of Beatrice, who has recently found out about an unexpected pregnancy. Going against nature and biology, the baby is developing inside her lung. This unborn baby takes Beatrice, her roommate, the baby's unsupportive father and an obsessive shoe salesman on a journey of life, breath and selflessness. Its world premiere will be presented tonight, September 1, through September 5 at Producers' Club Theaters, 358 West 44th Street by Theater for the New City's 2015 Dream Up Festival.

'Artaud Artaud' is a 'cruel not-masterpiece in one act' written by Matthew Minnicino, directed by Jake Beckhard and perfomed by Artilliers performing company. The play is a comitragic carnival that centers around the godfather of the avant-garde theater, Antonin Artaud. It is a merciless parody of the sensibilities of Artaud's manifesto 'Theatre of Cruelty' and a sympathetic, semi-obsessive portrait of its greatest proponent and his somewhat dual nature. It is a faithful biopic written into a biting satire, yet is at its heart an homage to the messiness of creativity. 'Artaud Artaud' will have its world premiere September 1-15 presented by Theater for the New City's 2015 Dream Up Festival.

After the huge success of Marat/Sade, an experimental play by the celebrated German playwright Peter Weiss (Tony Award and New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Broadway production in 1965), a newly formed international theatre ensemble, directed and led by Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li, Artistic Associate of The Living Theatre, will bring Weiss's last play The New Trial to life.

Tennessee Williams is among the nation's greatest and best known playwrights thanks to work such as 'The Glass Menagerie,' 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' 

Tennessee Williams is among the nation's greatest and best known playwrights thanks to work such as 'The Glass Menagerie,' 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.' 

'A Casual Gathering' is a musical written by Daniel Schwartzman (book, music, lyrics) and directed by James Martinelli that explores the evolution of human relationships and the desire we all have to relive the past and use our memories to rewrite the present. Its American premiere will be presented by Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival September 12 to 20. The musical traces the intimate reunion of six high school friends in a Manhattan bar who have not seen each other for decades. After the initial joy at seeing each other again, the realities of their lives and what they have failed to achieve come to the surface.

'Bubbleheads,' a one-act play written by Darcy Heller Sternberg, is a surreal, dreamlike look at the world of divorce and remarriage. The play imagines experiencing these events from the perspective of a child. The dialogue and interactions parallel the confusion and frustration a child feels as she watches her family fall apart. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere September 8 to 12 at Producers' Club Theaters, 358 West 44th Street, directed by Heather Chamberlain.

'The Boom' is a play written by Vinnie Nardiello and directed by Mark Riccadonna that examines the life of a stand-up comic behind the stage.

'Your Name on My Lips,' a musical written and composed by Eric Sirota and directed by Katharine Pettit, explores the way love can inspire and sustain us.

'Waitin' for the G' is a one-act by Max Cohen that brings Beckett's play 'Waiting for Godot' into today's world while still maintaining its original themes.

'Baby's Breath,' written and directed by Jeana Scotti, tells the story of Beatrice, who has recently found out about an unexpected pregnancy. Going against nature and biology, the baby is developing inside her lung. This unborn baby takes Beatrice, her roommate, the baby's unsupportive father and an obsessive shoe salesman on a journey of life, breath and selflessness. Its world premiere will be presented September 1 to 5 at Producers' Club Theaters, 358 West 44th Street by Theater for the New City's 2015 Dream Up Festival.

'Artaud Artaud' is a 'cruel not-masterpiece in one act' written by Matthew Minnicino, directed by Jake Beckhard and perfomed by Artilliers performing company. The play is a comitragic carnival that centers around the godfather of the avant-garde theater, Antonin Artaud. It is a merciless parody of the sensibilities of Artaud's manifesto 'Theatre of Cruelty' and a sympathetic, semi-obsessive portrait of its greatest proponent and his somewhat dual nature. It is a faithful biopic written into a biting satire, yet is at its heart an homage to the messiness of creativity. 'Artaud Artaud' will have its world premiere September 1-15 presented by Theater for the New City's 2015 Dream Up Festival.

Theater for the New City's award-winning Street Theater Company opened its 39th annual tour August 8 with 'Teach It Right, or, Right to Teach,' a rip-roaring musical which tackles the challenges and struggles facing public education in NYC. Free performances will tour City streets, parks and playgrounds throughout the five boroughs through September 20. Book, lyrics and direction are by Crystal Field; the musical score is composed and arranged by Joseph Vernon Banks. Scroll down for an updated schedule!

In 'Medusa' and 'The Oddity' (medusaandtheoddity.wordpress.com), playwright William Hugel takes an impressionistic look at the stigma of mental illness and the declining power of women in society. The plays, directed by Chad Chenail, will have their world premieres August 31 to September 10 in Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival 2015.

After the huge success of Marat/Sade, an experimental play by the celebrated German playwright Peter Weiss (Tony Award and New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Broadway production in 1965), a newly formed international theatre ensemble, directed and led by Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li, Artistic Associate of The Living Theatre, will bring Weiss's last play The New Trial to life.

Henrietta Steventon wrote 'Ennui: An English Comedy with a French title for an American audience' to tackle everything from theater politics to the career of an actor and the challenge of separating work from personal life. It is a play within a play set in rehearsals for a newly discovered Noel Coward play.