the week of may 30 - june 5, 2025
hmong volleyball, san diego trolleys, class-hopping schemers
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Brand Identity & Design: Holiday Studio | Editorial Support: Ryan Adelsheim
Nothing for the Group’s fifth anniversary (!) is coming up in July. The traditional gift is wood, but I opted for a brand refresh, courtesy of Kiana Toossi and Ella Fall at Holiday Studio. The design process was an absolute dream (hire them!) and I’m thrilled with the new look.
world premieres
Lucy Eden’s Circus of Self: A Show About Queer Joy, Juggling & Identity is now running through June 6th at Spooky Action Theater in Washington, DC. Elizabeth Dinkova directs “the one-woman autobiographical busking show interweaving circus, humor, poetry, and personal narrative to explore identity, gender, and our capacity for transformation.”
Katie Ka Vang’s SIXPACK starts performances May 31st at The Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. Set in the competitive world of Hmong volleyball, the new work “exploring the tensions of family, culture, and ambition shaping two star athletes’ friendship” is directed by Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha.
Taylor Mac’s Prosperous Fools runs June 1-29 at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn, NY. Darko Tresnjak directs the “retooled comedy of manners for an age with no manners” inspired by Moliere’s Le Bourgeois gentilhomme.
Min Kahng’s HAPPY PLEASANT VALLEY: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical starts performances June 1st at CenterREP in Walnut Creek, CA. The “risqué romp about a Gen Z influencer whose tenacious Korean American grandmother has much to teach her about life, sex, and murder in a senior citizens home” is directed by Jeffrey Lo.
Kamilah Bush’s adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest runs June 1 - 29 at Portland Center Stage in Oregon. Josiah Davis directs the “joyful farce with teeth reimagining Wilde’s dandies as queer-coded, class-hopping schemers.”
Abby Rosebrock’s Lowcountry starts performances June 4th Off-Broadway at The Atlantic. The “dark, twisted romcom about the psychic distress of looking for love in the digital age and the carceral state” is directed by Jo Bonney.
Psalmayene 24 and Eugene H. Russell IV’s Young John Lewis starts performances June 4th at Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta. Thomas W. Jones II directs and choreographs the “hip hop musical examining the ten crucial years in the early life of the congressman, and his journey from student activist to major leader in the Civil Rights movement—all by the time he was 28.”
The TuYo Theatre production of Mabelle Reynoso’s La Llorona on the Blue Line runs June 5 - 21 at National City Depot in San Diego. The “immersive play unfolding aboard San Diego’s Blue Line trolley, interweaving haunting stories across three eras” is directed by Dr. Maria Patrice Amon.
productions
Julia Masli’s ha ha ha ha ha ha ha runs May 30 - June 22 Off-Broadway at The Public Theater. The heavily improvised, absurdist clown problem-solving solo show is directed by Kim Noble.
Matthew Earnest’s adaptation of Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People runs May 30 - June 15 at Warehouse Theater in Greenville, SC. Earnest also directs the 1882 classic about “a small-town doctor shaken to his core when those in power try to silence and destroy him.”
Rajiv Joseph’s King James is now running through June 22nd at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD. The “witty and energetic comedy about the enduring power of sports fandom and unexpected friendships” is directed by Rob Ruggiero.
José Rivera’s Your Name Means Dream starts performances June 3rd at TheaterWorks Hartford. A co-production with Theater J, Rivera also directs the “evocative look at humanity in the digital age.”
Joe Iconis and Gregory S. Moss’ The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical runs June 3 - July 13 at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. The “explosive rock musical about the infamous author and collision of politics, counterculture and rock and roll in human form” is directed by Christopher Ashley and choreographed by Jon Rua.
Andrea Stolowitz’s The Berlin Diaries runs June 4 - 29 at Theater J in Washington, DC. Elizabeth Dinkova directs the “breathtaking journey and search for clues that propel [the playwright] forward and backward in time, pursuing a family history formerly lost to war.”
Mario Correa’s N/A: The Play starts performances June 4th at Barrington Stage in Pittsfield, MA. The “witty, whip-smart two-hander in which a trailblazing Speaker of the House and a junior firebrand go toe-to-toe” is directed by Katie Birenboim.
Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s Do You Feel Anger? runs June 5 - 29 at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, CA. Becca Wolff directs the “outrageous comedy about an empathy coach facing the daunting task of teaching compassion to a group of debt collection agency employees who struggle to even recognize emotions.”
Emmanuelle Mattana’s Trophy Boys starts performances June 5th Off-Broadway at MCC Theater. The “riotously funny satire and sharp exploration of power and privilege, from high school to the highest circles of political influence” is directed by Danya Taymor.
Noah Diaz’s You Will Get Sick runs June 5 - July 13 at Steppenwolf in Chicago. Audrey Francis directs the “equal parts buddy-comedy, form-bending experiment and sober meditation on mortality tracing the hilarious and deeply moving saga of one man’s illness and his unlikely caretaker’s pursuit of her dreams.”
festivals, workshops, & readings
Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s Not Not Jane's runs June 2 - 13 as part of Clubbed Thumb Summerworks at the Wild Project. Joan Sergay directs the new work about “a young woman getting a grant to start a community center—but at her mom’s house […and] being at the whim of billionaires, pornos-with-no-sex and trying to get a piece of the pie.”
The Seven Devils Playwrights Conference runs June 2-14 in McCall, ID. This year’s line-up includes Mary Lynn Owen’s Salvage, Davis Alianiello’s The Mailroom, Weston Gaylord’s Word of Mouth, Tate Elizabeth Hanyok’s Dog Mom, and playwright-in-residence Megan Tabaque.
Pride Plays runs June 3-6 at DC’s Woolly Mammoth in partnership with Rattlestick. The festival celebrating the “rich tapestry of LGBTQIA+ experiences through the power of live theatre” features six readings: Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart (directed by Zhailon Levingston), Sylvan Oswald’s PONY (directed by Will Davis), Arturo Luíz Soria’s Novios (directed by Danilo Gambini), Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi’s The Hotel/Makeda — A Baltimore Cycle Play
(directed by Ibi Owolabi), Jason Tseng’s Fear & Wonder (directed by Emily Hartford), and KJ Moran Velz’s Mother Mary (directed by Charlotte La Nasa).
2025-26 season updates
ArtsEmerson announced its 2025-26 season. The Boston performing arts organization will produce Kristina Wong’s Food Bank Influencer, Zora Howard’s Hang Time, Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch, Irina Kruzhilina’s SpaceBridge, McCarter’s Noli Timere, Ahamefule J. Oluo’s The Things Around Us, Wakka Wakka’s Dead as a Dodo, a co-presentation with Front Porch Arts Collective of Mfoniso Udofia’s In Old Age (directed by Dawn M. Simmons), and DNAWORKS’ The Secret Sharer (co-presented with Theatre Offensive).
New York Stage and Film announced its 2025 summer season. The Poughkeepsie, NY new work development incubator’s line-up includes Christina Pumariega’s Vidas Privadas; Donja R. Love’s The TeeTee and Lala Show; Carly Mensch’s Gertrude (directed by Liz Flahive); Hansol Jung, Chris Bannow, Brian Quijada and Mitch Winter’s musical Backyard Boys; Kirsten Greenidge, Lauren Sandler, and Crystal Monee Hall’s musical Shelter (directed by Lorin Latarro); Nambi E. Kelley’s Stokely (directed by Kent Gash); Noelle Viñas’ I Said Evolution (directed by Liz Carlson); Dave Harris’ Manakin (directed by Taylor Reynolds); BalletCollective and San Fermin’s The Woods (directed & choreographed by Troy Schumacher); Richard Topol and Willy Holtzman’s Searching for Mr. Moon (directed by Max Mayer); Heather Christian’s None: A Practical Breviary (musical direction by Jane Cardona); and John Patrick Shanley’s The Pushover.
Arden Theatre Company announced its 2025-26 season. The Philadelphia theatre will produce William Finn and James Lapine’s Falsettos (directed by Kevin Glaccum), Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop (directed by Brett Ashley Robinson), James Ijames’ Good Bones (directed by Akeem Davis), Romeo and Juliet (directed by Amina Robinson), and Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul’s Dear Evan Hansen (directed by Terrence J. Nolen).
WP Theater announced its 2025-26 season. The Off-Broadway company’s line-up includes Monet Hurst-Mendoza's Torera (directed and choreographed by Tatiana Pandiani), the world premiere of Phanésia Pharel's The Waterfall (directed by Taylor Reynolds) and the WP Pipeline Festival.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival announced its 2026 season. The Ashland, OR theatre will produce A Midsummer Night’s Dream (directed by Marcela Lorca), Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s musical Come From Away (directed by Laurie Woolery), Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun (directed by Tim Bond), David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face (directed by May Adrales), Keiko Green’s You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! (directed by Zi Alikhan), August Wilson’s King Hedley II (directed by Tim Bond), Rodney Gardiner’s Smote This: A Comedy About God...and Other Serious $H*T (directed by Raz Golden), The Taming of the Shrew (directed by Shana Cooper), Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Emma (directed by Meredith McDonough), and Henry IV, Part One (directed by Rosa Joshi).
that’s not a living wage
Here are this week’s featured underpaid job listings, paired with the living wage for a 40-hour work week for one adult with no children in that area and the most recently available 990 data. (You can read more about the methodology here.)
IT Associate at Signature Theatre (VA): “low-to-mid 40Ks” (Full-Time)
Living Wage for Arlington County, VA: $67,980
Revenue (2023): $11.8 million / Net Income: -$2.84 million
Executive Compensation:
Education Assistant at Gulfshore Playhouse: $43,000 - $48,000 (Full-Time)
Living Wage for Naples, FL: $54,001
Revenue (2024): $16.5 million / Net Income: $6.77 million
Executive Compensation:
President: $228,495
Literary Associate at Florida Studio Theatre: $35,000 - $42,000 (Full-Time)
Living Wage for Sarasota, FL: $50,017
Revenue (2023): $12.5 million / Net Income: $1.56 million
Executive Compensation:
Artistic Assistant at Cleveland Play House: $35,600 - $37,500 (Full-Time)
Living Wage for Cleveland, OH: $42,530
Revenue (2023): $11.9 million / Net Income: -$1.76 million
Executive Compensation: