Winter 2023 Brochure by 59E59 Theaters

WINTER 2023 SEASON WWW.59E59.ORG 646-892-7999

WELCOME TO OUR WINTER 2023 SEASON

2022 has been an action-packed year with 35 productions, many of which yielded critical acclaim along with a New York Times Critic’s Pick for The Civilians’ The Unbelieving. We’re so grateful for your continued trust and patronage, and your support of our mission to champion producing theater companies at all stages as they bring new work that boldly reflects our ever-changing world from a broad spectrum of diverse viewpoints.

Our winter lineup is poised to follow suit with 8 exciting premieres - many produced by companies with whom we have long-standing relationships and are excited to welcome back in 2023.

Kicking things off is The Immortal Jellyfish Girl produced by Wakka Wakka, returning after their 2017 hit production Made In China, which impressed audiences with their innovative and original puppetry.

Origin’s 1st Irish festival returns this January with two offerings:

Fishamble brings us Heaven, which takes a raunchy and poignant look at modern relationships, and Big Telly Theatre Company will make their US debut with Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk and the Sheep have all Jumped the Fences.

Resident Company Primary Stages delivers award-winning comedian Judy Gold’s Yes, I Can Say That!

Directed by BD Wong, this star studded project doesn’t hold any punches as Judy hilariously exposes uncomfortable truths about our culture, politics, and censorship.

Co-op Resident Company New Light Theater Project returns after two sold-out shows from our Summer/Fall season with According To The Chorus, giving a behind-the-scenes look at working backstage at a big 80’s Broadway musical. Rounding out the season is The Hearth’s brainsmash, Varsity Theatre Company’s Shedding Load, and LAByrinth Theater Company’s Día Y Noche.

You are invited to be part of this extraordinary season of storytelling by some of the world’s best artistsand we are excited to announce the grand re-opening of the E:Bar. We look forward to sharing a drink with you after the show!

VAL DAY Artistic Director

2 WINTER 2023 SEASON

59E59 THEATERS MEMBERSHIP

MADISON AVENUE MEMBERSHIP / $59.59

• ACCESS TO 2 DISCOUNTED TICKETS PER SHOW

• 2 COMPLIMENTARY DRINK TICKETS

PARK AVENUE MEMBERSHIP / $100

• ACCESS TO 4 DISCOUNTED TICKETS PER SHOW

• 4 COMPLIMENTARY DRINK TICKETS

• JOIN A PRIVATE WAITLIST FOR SOLD-OUT PERFORMANCES

MEMBERSHIP PERK: PRIVATE WAITLIST

IF A PERFORMANCE IS SOLD OUT, YOU CAN ADD YOUR NAME TO A WAITLIST. IF TICKETS BECOME AVAILABLE, OUR BOX OFFICE WILL CALL YOU TO CONFIRM YOUR SEATS.

ALL 59E59 THEATERS MEMBERS HAVE ACCESS TO THE FOLLOWING PERKS:

• SAVE UP TO 30% OFF SINGLE TICKETS

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TO BECOME A MEMBER OR TO RENEW, CALL 646-892-7999 OR VISIT WWW.59E59.ORG/MEMBERSHIP

3 BOOK NOW WWW.59E59.ORG

Winner of the Drama Desk Special Award for Sophisticated Puppetry, Wakka Wakka (Made In China, 2017) returns with The Immortal Jellyfish Girl.

2023 SEASON

WINTER

THE IMMORTAL JELLYFISH GIRL

A CO-PRODUCTION WITH NORDLAND VISUAL THEATRE

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY GWENDOLYN WARNOCK AND KIRJAN WAAGE

Part coming-of-age story and part dystopian tragedy, The Immortal Jellyfish Girl soars through dimensions, unconfined by time, gravity, or biology. The year is 2555: large swaths of the earth’s surface are considered dead zones and global extinction has begun. Yet in this age of loneliness and destruction there is still hope…

Hilarious, ridiculous, and virtuosic, The Immortal Jellyfish Girl takes its audience on a wild journey through a post-apocalyptic future.

FIRST LOOK: $25†

TUE, JAN 10 AT 7:00

WED, JAN 11 AT 7:00

PREVIEWS: $35†

THU, JAN 12 —

TUE, JAN 17

REGULAR: $40-$55‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $30

5 BOOK NOW WWW.59E59.ORG

THEATER A JANUARY 10 — FEBRUARY 12

WAKKA WAKKA PRESENTS

HEAVEN

A NEW PLAY BY EUGENE O’BRIEN DIRECTED BY JIM CULLETON

Olivier Award-winning company Fishamble returns to 59E59 Theaters, following its previous, highly-acclaimed productions of Maz and Bricks, On Blueberry Hill, and others.

Set in County Offaly, Ireland during the weekend of a local wedding, guests Mairead and Mal are struggling to keep their marriage together. Perhaps attending a wedding will help, or it might raise questions that are difficult to answer.

Heaven examines family bonds, life decisions, and the search for happiness in contemporary Ireland.

FIRST LOOK: $25†

WED, JAN 11 AT 7:15

THU, JAN 12 AT 7:15

REGULAR: $40‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $30

Part of Origin’s 1st Irish

6 WINTER 2023 SEASON

THEATER B JANUARY 11 — 29

FISHAMBLE: THE NEW PLAY COMPANY PRESENTS PERFORMED BY ANDREW BENNETT AND JANET MORAN

“MAGICAL… THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE ON.”

– The Guardian

BIG TELLY THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER IS DRUNK

AND THE SHEEP HAVE ALL JUMPED THE FENCES

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY ZOË SEATON BASED ON THE ORIGINAL SHORT STORY BY OWEN BOOTH

A match made in horror! The story begins in 1946, when villagers dig Frankenstein’s monster out of the glacier he’d crawled into after his Hollywood career gave up the ghost.

Fully defrosted, he meets “The One,” igniting a love story of monstrous proportions. A duet of undateables stand out and fit in to forge their own beautiful brand of domestic bliss with their 67 (Italian) blue sheep. The comedy is pitch black and horror gets a happily ever after in this wildly fresh look at the Frankenstein myth.

WITH VICKY ALLEN

NICKY HARLEY

RHODRI LEWIS

CHRIS ROBINSON

REGULAR: $30‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $25

Part of Origin’s 1st Irish

7 THEATER C JANUARY 11 — 28

THE VARSITY THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

SHEDDING LOAD

BY JESSICA OWENS DIRECTED BY MIA WALKER

On July 13, 1977, lightning struck three times in the New York area causing a city-wide blackout. In the following hours rioters destroyed multiple city blocks, millions of dollars’ worth of property, and the dreams of one Bushwick family. With their store and livelihood burned to the ground, they rely on each other to stay hopeful among the ruins.

Shedding Load follows this family, from 1938 to 2014, as they uncover long-kept family secrets, confront generational trauma, and face the fallout of how a singular event can alter a neighborhood forever.

REGULAR: $25‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $20

8 WINTER 2023 SEASON THEATER C FEBRUARY 2 — 18

THE HEARTH PRESENTS

BRAINSMASH

BY SOPHIE WEISSKOFF DIRECTED BY EMMA MILLER

After Maisie gets hit by a car, a traumatic brain injury turns her life upside down. Suddenly computer screens hurt to look at, a haunting reptile taunts, and why did no one ever tell her that speech-to-text would be this hard?

brainsmash is a sense-engaging, funny-sad play about acquired disabilities and being there for those who need you the most, even if they don’t know how to ask.

REGULAR: $25‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $20

9 BOOK NOW WWW.59E59.ORG THEATER C MARCH 2 — 19

PRIMARY STAGES PRESENTS

JUDY GOLD IN YES, I CAN SAY THAT!

WRITTEN BY JUDY GOLD AND EDDIE SARFATY DIRECTED BY BD WONG

Judy Gold knows the value of a good joke – and the steep price of silencing comedians. Unnerved and infuriated, Judy shares her reverence for the intimacy of collective laughter and her passion for the vital work comedians do to bring us together, make us think, and speak truth to power.

Based on her book “Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All in Trouble,” the comedy veteran is taking the stage to tell the fascists and crybabies to shove their hate and political correctness up their respective asses. This wickedly funny new one-woman show is a big-mouthed and big-hearted call for truth, kindness, common sense, and most of all, laughter.

FIRST LOOK: $25†

SAT, MAR 4 AT 7:00

SUN, MAR 5 AT 2:00

PREVIEWS: $35†

THU, MAR 7 —

SUN, MAR 12

REGULAR: $60-$125‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $50

10 WINTER 2023 SEASON

THEATER A MARCH 4 — APRIL 16

Yes, I Can Say That! is made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Garfield Family Fund in memory of Johanna Garfield, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

11 BOOK NOW WWW.59E59.ORG

Photo by Jim Cox

DÍA Y NOCHE

BY DAVID ANZUELO DIRECTED BY CARLOS ARMESTO

Sex, drugs, queerness, and punk-rock. Welcome to border city life in El Paso, Texas, 1984.

Día Y Noche is an unfiltered coming-of-age story about class struggles and the search for acceptance between two unlikely friends. Danny is a lower middle-class Chicano punk-rock kid who thinks he might be an artist. Martin is a Black upper-middle class band nerd who is gay and in the closet. Danny and Martin double-date, watch X-rated movies, go to concerts and try to overcome great odds as they navigate the racism and corruption greeting them at the doors to adulthood.

FIRST LOOK: $25†

SAT, MAR 18 AT 2:15 & 7:15

REGULAR: $40‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $30

This production contains strong language, violence, nudity, and sexual content.

12 WINTER 2023 SEASON

THEATER

MARCH 18 — APRIL 15

LAByrinth Theater Company PRESENTS

ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS

BY ARLENE HUTTON DIRECTED BY CHRIS GOUTMAN

In the basement quick change room of a Broadway theater in the mid 1980s, the chorus girls are at war with their dressers. Will the new dresser, with her own sad past and uncertain future, be able to navigate this minefield?

According to the Chorus is a funny, nostalgic behind-the-scenes look at a pivotal period in the history of Broadway where women’s issues and the AIDS crisis play out through the everyday lives of Equity performers and union dressers.

REGULAR: $30‡

59E59 MEMBERS: $25

13 BOOK NOW WWW.59E59.ORG

NEW LIGHT THEATER PROJECT, IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE JOURNEY COMPANY, PRESENTS

CALENDAR

JANUARY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

FRIDAY, JANUARY 13

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

SATURDAY, JANUARY 14

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

2:15 Heaven

2:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

8:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

SUNDAY, JANUARY 15

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

2:15 Heaven

2:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:15 Heaven

7:30 Frankenstein’s Monster is Drunk

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20

Monster is Drunk

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3

Immortal Jellyfish

7:30 Shedding Load

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

2:30 Shedding Load

7:30 Shedding Load

8:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

2:30 Shedding Load

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:30 Shedding Load

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:30 Shedding Load

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:30 Shedding Load

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:30 Shedding Load

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

7:30 Shedding Load

8:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12

2:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl

2:30 Shedding Load

7:15

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14

7:30 Shedding Load

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15

7:30 Shedding Load

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16 7:30 Shedding Load

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish

7:30 Shedding Load

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18

7:30 Shedding Load

Frankenstein’s

2:15 Heaven 2:30 Frankenstein’s Monster

7:15 Heaven

Frankenstein’s Monster

Heaven

Frankenstein’s

7:15 Heaven

Frankenstein’s

Heaven

Frankenstein’s

26 7:00

Girl 7:15 Heaven

Frankenstein’s Monster

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27

The

Jellyfish Girl 7:15 Heaven

Frankenstein’s Monster

7:00 The Immortal Jellyfish Girl 7:15 Heaven 7:30 Drunk

is Drunk