NYCPlaywrights February 21, 2026
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NYCPlaywrights
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Greetings NYCPlaywrights
*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
Hippolytus (in the arms of Aphrodite)
An immersive augmented reality theatre experience, directed by Yolanda Markopoulou and produced by the Athens and Epidaurus Festival.
Hippolytus (in the arms of Aphrodite) is an immersive augmented reality theatre experience directed by Yolanda Markopoulou and produced by the Athens and Epidaurus Festival in Greece.
Rooted in Euripides’ mythic tale, the performance explores the tragic fate of Hippolytus—a devout follower of Artemis who shuns Aphrodite, goddess of love. In retaliation, Aphrodite curses him, igniting a destructive passion in his stepmother, Phaedra. As divine vengeance unfolds, the natural world descends into chaos: trees ignite, landscapes crumble, and catastrophe looms.
Performed live with two actors, the production combines AR visuals and spatial audio, offering audiences a multi-sensory journey. Equipped with AR glasses, spectators don’t just watch—they become participants in Aphrodite’s revenge.
Hippolytus (in the arms of Aphrodite) will be performed every 30 minutes during the following showtimes:
March 20: 5–9pm ET
March 21-22: 1–6pm ET
To experience this performance, audience will wear AR glasses. There are two slots per showtime. You must RSVP in order to attend.
CultureHub NYC
47 Great Jones Street
New York, NY 10012
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hippolytus-in-the-arms-of-aphrodite-tickets-1983393539468?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Playwrights on Park Reading Series at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, CT is currently accepting submissions for the 2026/2027 season.
Playwrights must be able to attend the staged reading and the audience discussion that follows in West Hartford (Connecticut.) There will be a rehearsal on the day of the reading, in which attendance by the playwright is optional but strongly encouraged. Transportation may be provided from NYC or New England locations by the Playhouse.
***
EAST WEST PLAYERS invites proposals for a new play commission, with a world premiere production in Summer 2028, to coincide with the 2028 Summer Olympics hosted in our home city of Los Angeles. This open call commission, one of the first of its kind for EWP, will see one playwright commissioned for a new play that will be developed and premiered in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This opportunity is open to playwrights at all stages of their practice!
To celebrate the Olympics taking place in our backyard, this commission will be themed around Asian American narratives in sports. For the purposes of this commission, our definition of Asian American is inclusive of communities who identify as East, South, Southeast, and West Asian; Pacific Islander, and Native Hawai’ian (AAPINH).
***
Smith & Kraus seeks monologues that speak to the experience of disability in some way.
Please note that scripts with disabled characters do not necessarily need to focus on disability as the main topic. Additionally, the featured character does not need to be disabled, so long as disability is meaningfully explored in some way.
We are particularly interested in informed works that highlight the complexities (good, bad, or otherwise) of the disabled experience.
Disability is diverse, and we are looking for monologues that reflect that diversity in content, tone, and form. Special consideration will be given to monologues that are audition-ready. Pieces that “other” disabled people or rely on stereotypes will not be considered.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** THEATER OF THE DEAF ***
The idea for the company emerged out of conversations between Mr. Hays and the actress Anne Bancroft when both were working on the 1959 Broadway premiere production of “The Miracle Worker,” William Gibson’s play based on Helen Keller’s autobiography. (Ms. Bancroft played Helen’s teacher, Anne Sullivan.) The National Theater of the Deaf started off with federal funding, a home base at the O’Neill and Mr. Hays as artistic director.
“I was attracted to deaf theater as an art form, one of the only new theatrical forms to emerge in the last quarter century,” he told Harvard Magazine in 1998. “Its social significance is wonderful, but our first goal has always been to produce great theater.”
Made up of mostly deaf and a few hearing actors, the troupe was credited with increasing the visibility of sign language and using it as a new means of theatrical expression. The company also started a training academy and the Little Theater of the Deaf, aimed at young audiences.
More...
https://archive.ph/JHXVC
***
The Big River of recent Broadway success is an adaptation of the 1985 Broadway musical hit that won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In this revival, the hook pulling us in is that America’s most famous boy hero spins his tale in American Sign Language (ASL). The biggest hook, however, is that everyone else in the show is doing it too. The story of the adventures of a boy and a runaway slave has an added layer of deafness on top of the issue of racism. The result is the perfect story about acceptance of the humanity in all of us despite our differences, or what we’re told about those differences.
Theater has been used for both education and entertainment and has often been celebrated as a superior vehicle by which to transmit culture. Deaf West Theatre has been doing a lot of that transmitting in recent years, winning more than eighty awards for portraying deaf culture onstage.
Founder Ed Waterstreet, who is deaf himself, calls Deaf West Theatre “the realization of a dream.” Since childhood, when he would go to shows with his hearing family, he had dreamed of a theater that would be fully accessible to him and other individuals who are deaf. As the current artistic director of Deaf West Theatre, the only theater company in the U.S. led by a deaf individual, Waterstreet has made it into the premier theater culture with a company of, by and for the deaf.
More...
https://abilitymagazine.com/deaf-west-theatre-production-of-big-river/
***
Deaf West Theatre is dedicated to groundbreaking arts projects. By engaging creatives and audiences, we amplify and expand the definition of cultural life. As a vital force in the arts landscape, we elevate artists and stories, ensuring visibility and impact in entertainment while fostering a more dynamic artistic world.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Cy is on the verge of revolutionizing communication! His brilliant invention instantly translates spoken English into American Sign Language (ASL), and vice versa. But his breakthrough means nothing if he cannot connect with the one person he longs for — Roxy, a whip-smart coder, and an integral part of turning their tech dream into reality. As they work side by side, Cy finds himself falling in love, only to watch his best friend, Chris, sweep Roxy off her feet. A modern-day ‘Cyrano' tale, Elephant Shoes asks: Can love transcend language or will it forever be lost in translation?
More...
https://www.deafwest.org/elephantshoes
***
The New York Deaf Theatre, LTD (NYDT) was established in 1979 by a group of Deaf actors and theatre artists who wanted to create opportunities for the production of a dramatic art form that was not found elsewhere in New York City: plays in American Sign Language (ASL).
A not-for-profit, professional theatre organization, NYDT is the longest running company of its kind in the greater New York City area and the third oldest Deaf Theatre company in America.
The company is governed by an active Board of Directors, the majority of whom are Deaf; and large corps of volunteers who help with their energy, donations and leadership.
The company is proud of its successes, and is looking forward to continuing its mission to provide quality theatre productions, performances and services to both Deaf and hearing audiences in the years to come.
More...
https://newyorkdeaftheatre.org/about
***
There’s no denying the fact that we are currently experiencing a Deaf renaissance in the theatre. Quite possibly precipitated by CODA’s history-making wins at the Academy Awards in March, where the underdog film shattered expectations by swooping in and walking away with the top prize for Best Picture, Deaf people and stories have never been more visible on the boards as they are this year.
In New York City alone, multiple Deaf actors can be seen this summer playing major roles in high-profile mainstream productions as varied as the Public’s Richard III in Central Park and For Colored Girls… on Broadway, as well as the Arlekin Players Theatre’s The Cherry Orchard at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Near Baltimore, the Olney Theatre is populating River City with a large and diverse group of Deaf denizens for their production of The Music Man, led by James Caverly in the titular role who causes trouble while being Deaf with a capital D. Meanwhile, the national Broadway tour of To Kill a Mockingbird is currently playing cities around the country with Deaf actor Anthony Natale in the role of Link Deas, out-of-the-box casting that was first seen on Broadway when Russell Harvard stepped into the role as a replacement at the Shubert.
More...
https://www.americantheatre.org/2022/05/31/deaf-artists-can-do-more-than-sign/
***
“So how do Deaf people sing?” I am often asked that question and my answer has been given more depth by the recent commercial successes featuring Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL) which have exposed more and more people to the value of Deaf culture and community. The recent Deaf West production of Spring Awakening on Broadway as well as the long running television show Switched at Birth, has created interest from a hearing community that often sees the disability rather than the benefit of a highly visual community with a refined communication skill. As a scholar of leadership I can also see how theatre can serve as a living laboratory with which to observe and study the cultural development of Deaf leadership in an era when we all seem to be continuously dealing with the heated debate of social justice versus the desire to privilege emotional pain and offended feelings. Casting hearing actors in a role written for a deaf person has been determined a “no-no.” But what about the reverse—casting Deaf actors in a musical intended for hearing, singing actors? As it turns out most playwrights seem to be curious about the translation process and are open to the idea, but that still leaves us with the process of representing a blended community, diverse in ethnicity and varied in communication.
More...
https://howlround.com/day-day
***
Since its beginning, Deaf theatre has been a powerful force in shaping the public's understanding of Deaf culture, establishing ASL, and providing opportunities for Deaf performers. The first formal theatre production was performed at Gallaudet University in 1884. Gallaudet university began offering formal drama classes in 1940 (Lane 145). Since then, Deaf theatre has grown in popularity, with performances across the world. Deaf performing artists have won Tony's, Emmy's and Oscar's (Lane 144). Deaf theatre continues to flourish as a well-recognized art form
Although the general purpose of Deaf theatre is to present theatrical performances with Deaf themes to Deaf audiences, the goals of Deaf theatre companies have expanded as Deaf theatre grows (Lane 151). Deaf theatre provides opportunities for Deaf playwrights and actors to express themselves through art and provides theater workshops for deaf children and adults. Along with allowing ASL speakers greater access to theatre and cultural events, Deaf theatre has expanded to reach hearing audiences as well. Many theatre companies have worked to raise awareness of the Deaf World, educating hearing audiences of signed language and Deaf culture (Lane 149). Deaf theatre has grown to influence society and have a great impact on those involved, becoming much more than simple entertainment.
More...
https://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/theater05.htm
*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
Hippolytus (in the arms of Aphrodite)
An immersive augmented reality theatre experience, directed by Yolanda Markopoulou and produced by the Athens and Epidaurus Festival.
Hippolytus (in the arms of Aphrodite) is an immersive augmented reality theatre experience directed by Yolanda Markopoulou and produced by the Athens and Epidaurus Festival in Greece.
Rooted in Euripides’ mythic tale, the performance explores the tragic fate of Hippolytus—a devout follower of Artemis who shuns Aphrodite, goddess of love. In retaliation, Aphrodite curses him, igniting a destructive passion in his stepmother, Phaedra. As divine vengeance unfolds, the natural world descends into chaos: trees ignite, landscapes crumble, and catastrophe looms.
Performed live with two actors, the production combines AR visuals and spatial audio, offering audiences a multi-sensory journey. Equipped with AR glasses, spectators don’t just watch—they become participants in Aphrodite’s revenge.
Hippolytus (in the arms of Aphrodite) will be performed every 30 minutes during the following showtimes:
March 20: 5–9pm ET
March 21-22: 1–6pm ET
To experience this performance, audience will wear AR glasses. There are two slots per showtime. You must RSVP in order to attend.
CultureHub NYC
47 Great Jones Street
New York, NY 10012
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hippolytus-in-the-arms-of-aphrodite-tickets-1983393539468?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Playwrights on Park Reading Series at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, CT is currently accepting submissions for the 2026/2027 season.
Playwrights must be able to attend the staged reading and the audience discussion that follows in West Hartford (Connecticut.) There will be a rehearsal on the day of the reading, in which attendance by the playwright is optional but strongly encouraged. Transportation may be provided from NYC or New England locations by the Playhouse.
***
EAST WEST PLAYERS invites proposals for a new play commission, with a world premiere production in Summer 2028, to coincide with the 2028 Summer Olympics hosted in our home city of Los Angeles. This open call commission, one of the first of its kind for EWP, will see one playwright commissioned for a new play that will be developed and premiered in time for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This opportunity is open to playwrights at all stages of their practice!
To celebrate the Olympics taking place in our backyard, this commission will be themed around Asian American narratives in sports. For the purposes of this commission, our definition of Asian American is inclusive of communities who identify as East, South, Southeast, and West Asian; Pacific Islander, and Native Hawai’ian (AAPINH).
***
Smith & Kraus seeks monologues that speak to the experience of disability in some way.
Please note that scripts with disabled characters do not necessarily need to focus on disability as the main topic. Additionally, the featured character does not need to be disabled, so long as disability is meaningfully explored in some way.
We are particularly interested in informed works that highlight the complexities (good, bad, or otherwise) of the disabled experience.
Disability is diverse, and we are looking for monologues that reflect that diversity in content, tone, and form. Special consideration will be given to monologues that are audition-ready. Pieces that “other” disabled people or rely on stereotypes will not be considered.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** THEATER OF THE DEAF ***
The idea for the company emerged out of conversations between Mr. Hays and the actress Anne Bancroft when both were working on the 1959 Broadway premiere production of “The Miracle Worker,” William Gibson’s play based on Helen Keller’s autobiography. (Ms. Bancroft played Helen’s teacher, Anne Sullivan.) The National Theater of the Deaf started off with federal funding, a home base at the O’Neill and Mr. Hays as artistic director.
“I was attracted to deaf theater as an art form, one of the only new theatrical forms to emerge in the last quarter century,” he told Harvard Magazine in 1998. “Its social significance is wonderful, but our first goal has always been to produce great theater.”
Made up of mostly deaf and a few hearing actors, the troupe was credited with increasing the visibility of sign language and using it as a new means of theatrical expression. The company also started a training academy and the Little Theater of the Deaf, aimed at young audiences.
More...
https://archive.ph/JHXVC
***
The Big River of recent Broadway success is an adaptation of the 1985 Broadway musical hit that won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. In this revival, the hook pulling us in is that America’s most famous boy hero spins his tale in American Sign Language (ASL). The biggest hook, however, is that everyone else in the show is doing it too. The story of the adventures of a boy and a runaway slave has an added layer of deafness on top of the issue of racism. The result is the perfect story about acceptance of the humanity in all of us despite our differences, or what we’re told about those differences.
Theater has been used for both education and entertainment and has often been celebrated as a superior vehicle by which to transmit culture. Deaf West Theatre has been doing a lot of that transmitting in recent years, winning more than eighty awards for portraying deaf culture onstage.
Founder Ed Waterstreet, who is deaf himself, calls Deaf West Theatre “the realization of a dream.” Since childhood, when he would go to shows with his hearing family, he had dreamed of a theater that would be fully accessible to him and other individuals who are deaf. As the current artistic director of Deaf West Theatre, the only theater company in the U.S. led by a deaf individual, Waterstreet has made it into the premier theater culture with a company of, by and for the deaf.
More...
https://abilitymagazine.com/deaf-west-theatre-production-of-big-river/
***
Deaf West Theatre is dedicated to groundbreaking arts projects. By engaging creatives and audiences, we amplify and expand the definition of cultural life. As a vital force in the arts landscape, we elevate artists and stories, ensuring visibility and impact in entertainment while fostering a more dynamic artistic world.
ABOUT THE SHOW
Cy is on the verge of revolutionizing communication! His brilliant invention instantly translates spoken English into American Sign Language (ASL), and vice versa. But his breakthrough means nothing if he cannot connect with the one person he longs for — Roxy, a whip-smart coder, and an integral part of turning their tech dream into reality. As they work side by side, Cy finds himself falling in love, only to watch his best friend, Chris, sweep Roxy off her feet. A modern-day ‘Cyrano' tale, Elephant Shoes asks: Can love transcend language or will it forever be lost in translation?
More...
https://www.deafwest.org/elephantshoes
***
The New York Deaf Theatre, LTD (NYDT) was established in 1979 by a group of Deaf actors and theatre artists who wanted to create opportunities for the production of a dramatic art form that was not found elsewhere in New York City: plays in American Sign Language (ASL).
A not-for-profit, professional theatre organization, NYDT is the longest running company of its kind in the greater New York City area and the third oldest Deaf Theatre company in America.
The company is governed by an active Board of Directors, the majority of whom are Deaf; and large corps of volunteers who help with their energy, donations and leadership.
The company is proud of its successes, and is looking forward to continuing its mission to provide quality theatre productions, performances and services to both Deaf and hearing audiences in the years to come.
More...
https://newyorkdeaftheatre.org/about
***
There’s no denying the fact that we are currently experiencing a Deaf renaissance in the theatre. Quite possibly precipitated by CODA’s history-making wins at the Academy Awards in March, where the underdog film shattered expectations by swooping in and walking away with the top prize for Best Picture, Deaf people and stories have never been more visible on the boards as they are this year.
In New York City alone, multiple Deaf actors can be seen this summer playing major roles in high-profile mainstream productions as varied as the Public’s Richard III in Central Park and For Colored Girls… on Broadway, as well as the Arlekin Players Theatre’s The Cherry Orchard at the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Near Baltimore, the Olney Theatre is populating River City with a large and diverse group of Deaf denizens for their production of The Music Man, led by James Caverly in the titular role who causes trouble while being Deaf with a capital D. Meanwhile, the national Broadway tour of To Kill a Mockingbird is currently playing cities around the country with Deaf actor Anthony Natale in the role of Link Deas, out-of-the-box casting that was first seen on Broadway when Russell Harvard stepped into the role as a replacement at the Shubert.
More...
https://www.americantheatre.org/2022/05/31/deaf-artists-can-do-more-than-sign/
***
“So how do Deaf people sing?” I am often asked that question and my answer has been given more depth by the recent commercial successes featuring Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL) which have exposed more and more people to the value of Deaf culture and community. The recent Deaf West production of Spring Awakening on Broadway as well as the long running television show Switched at Birth, has created interest from a hearing community that often sees the disability rather than the benefit of a highly visual community with a refined communication skill. As a scholar of leadership I can also see how theatre can serve as a living laboratory with which to observe and study the cultural development of Deaf leadership in an era when we all seem to be continuously dealing with the heated debate of social justice versus the desire to privilege emotional pain and offended feelings. Casting hearing actors in a role written for a deaf person has been determined a “no-no.” But what about the reverse—casting Deaf actors in a musical intended for hearing, singing actors? As it turns out most playwrights seem to be curious about the translation process and are open to the idea, but that still leaves us with the process of representing a blended community, diverse in ethnicity and varied in communication.
More...
https://howlround.com/day-day
***
Since its beginning, Deaf theatre has been a powerful force in shaping the public's understanding of Deaf culture, establishing ASL, and providing opportunities for Deaf performers. The first formal theatre production was performed at Gallaudet University in 1884. Gallaudet university began offering formal drama classes in 1940 (Lane 145). Since then, Deaf theatre has grown in popularity, with performances across the world. Deaf performing artists have won Tony's, Emmy's and Oscar's (Lane 144). Deaf theatre continues to flourish as a well-recognized art form
Although the general purpose of Deaf theatre is to present theatrical performances with Deaf themes to Deaf audiences, the goals of Deaf theatre companies have expanded as Deaf theatre grows (Lane 151). Deaf theatre provides opportunities for Deaf playwrights and actors to express themselves through art and provides theater workshops for deaf children and adults. Along with allowing ASL speakers greater access to theatre and cultural events, Deaf theatre has expanded to reach hearing audiences as well. Many theatre companies have worked to raise awareness of the Deaf World, educating hearing audiences of signed language and Deaf culture (Lane 149). Deaf theatre has grown to influence society and have a great impact on those involved, becoming much more than simple entertainment.
More...
https://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/theater05.htm
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