FROM TIMEOUTNY
The best summer theater festivals in NYC
Sample a smorgasbord of new works at NYMF, Ice Factory and New York City’s many other summer theater festivals
Planet Connections Theatre Festivity
A JMAE CLIENT
This jam-packed, eco-friendly fest includes more than 50 productions and staged readings, all on socially conscious themes and each benefiting a different charity. Shows run for one to six performances each.
Fresh Fruit Festival
A JMAE CLIENT
All Out Arts presents its 16th annual LGBTQ arts fest, featuring short plays, full-length works and solo shows. Among the offerings are a closeted World War II romance, an anything-goes sex comedy and a modern lesbian twist on the Persephone myth.
The Trans Theatre Festival
A JMAE CLIENT
The Brick presents the sophomore edition of its festival of theater works chosen by and featuring the work of transgender artists. The lineup includes 10 pieces, running for one to three performances each.
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It’s festival time! Broadway takes an annual summer vacation after the rush of the Tony Awards, with only a trickle of new shows until the fall, and most major Off Broadway companies catch their breaths for a few weeks, too. But theater abhors a vacuum, so festivals rush to fill it with less expensive offerings. Some are rigorously curated, like the New York Musical Festival and Ice Factory; others are aimed more at beginners. Take some time to look through their offerings; somewhere among these dozens of shows, there’s bound to be something just right for you.
Summer Theater Festivals in New York City
Ice Factory
In the helter-skelter of summer theater festivals, the cool curatorial heads of Ice Factory always provide a welcome breeze. For the fest’s 25th anniversary, New Ohio artistic director Robert Lyons has invited distinguished alums to serve as guest curators. Each show runs for a single week.
HOT! Festival
Escape your humdrum black-and-white life for the many shades of gay at Dixon Place’s estimable annual festival of all things same-sex. The centerpiece of the 2018 edition is Timothy DuWhite’s Neptune (July 13–28), a solo piece about life and love as a black, gay and HIV-positive man.
The New York Musical Festival
NYMFomaniacs, rejoice! The impressive annual feast of new musical theater takes over multiple venues on 42nd Street for its 15th annual edition. Selections include more than 30 productions, readings, concerts and other events. Buried treasure could lie anywhere, so dig around.
Corkscrew Theater Festival
Offerings at the second edition of this festival include five premieres by early-career artists, presented in rep, as well as four one-performance readings.
Jay Michaels Global Communications: CHANNEL i 