This Fall, HB hosts a series of three public talks. Join us for a conversation! Continue reading →
News & Events
Documentary Premiere Screening: THE CAMPFIRE PROJECT with Jessica Hecht
with Jessica Hecht and Jenny Gersten
Join us at HB for the premiere of Jessica Hecht’s feature documentary THE CAMPFIRE PROJECT, documenting their experience staging an Arabic language adaptation of Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST with the Ritsona Refugee camp in Athens, Greece.
Monday, November 12, 2018 | 7:30PM
HB Playwrights Theatre, 124 Bank St
Suggested Donation $5-10
This summer, The Campfire Project – conceived of by actress Jessica Hecht — brought 19 international theater artists to Camp Ritsona, a refugee camp on the outskirts of Athens, Greece, to deliver humanitarian aid and to stage an Arabic language, camp-wide adaptation of Shakespeare’s THE TEMPEST. The team included a psychiatrist specializing in PTSD, a NYC school teacher, 5 arabic speaking actors and a neuro-scientist/drummer. It was humbling and profound to engage with residents of this traumatized community. Their journey to use theater as a conduit for hope in a refugee camp will continue this year.
Please join us at HB on November 12 to watch the documentary on the Campfire Project, to be followed by a Q&A with creator Jessica Hecht and producer Jenny Gersten.
HB Public Conversation – OTISVILLE STATE PRISON THEATRE WORKSHOP
A conversation with Director Richard Hoehler
Moderated by Francesca Ferrara
With appearances by Joshua Gumora, Dice Livingston,
Jay Montanez, Jason Morales & Azusa SheShe Dance
Monday, December 10 | 7:30PM
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street
Suggested donation $5-$10
Suggested donation $5-$10
“In the worst troublemakers lie, logically enough, the most creative potential. The trick is knowing that it’s there, then having the courage to reach for it.” ––M. Nagler
In 2011, Richard Hoehler took the reins of the Otisville Theatre Workshop, teaching a weekly acting class and mounting productions every year or so with the men incarcerated in New York’s Otisville State Prison. In addition to professional actor training, writing workshops are conducted during the creation of an original piece. Over the past seven years the workshop has mounted four “inside” productions and brought in two outside plays.
Otisville Theatre Workshop’s most recent production, THIS IS THIS, is an evening of theater comprised of nine dramatic scenes, both original and published, connected by an original spoken word narrative. The issues of the play are family struggles, gun violence, drug addiction, bigotry, bureaucracy, and reconciliation.
Join us for an evening of discussion with Otisville Theatre Workshop’s director and participants, to learn about their process, experiences and more.
Featuring a live performance excerpted from their most recent piece, THIS IS THIS.
HB Public Conversation: THE MOTHER LINE STORY PROJECT
Amplifying Women’s Voices Past & Present
With Eliza Simpson & Lauren Nordvig
Monday, October 29 | 7:30pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street
$5-$10 suggested donation
$5-$10 suggested donation
In 2015, The Mother Line Story Project began by building a collective – story by story. It started with an idea to lead women through writing workshops, encouraging them to create short monologues in the voices of their female ancestors. (Think – The Moth meets ancestry.com.) Before long, they had women of all ages & ethnicities performing for diverse audiences Off-Broadway – these previously untold stories were in turns hysterical, heartbreaking, poignant, & slice-of-life. The Mother Line Story Project collaborates with female-identifying performers, designers, directors, activists, students, businesses & communities, presenting these stories all over the world. Fostering connection & providing a safe artistic space for female expression are their proudest accomplishments.
Join us for a conversation about The Mother Line Story Project with Founder/Executive Director Eliza Simpson and President/Director of Education and Development Lauren Nordvig. Also featuring the performance of a Mother Line story.
Amended Business Hours in September
WE WILL BE CLOSED SEPTEMBER 1, 2 & 3 FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
Please note our amended business hours for the following weeks:
August 29-30, regular hours, 9am-10pm (registration office will be open 9:30am-7:30pm)
August 31, 9:30am-7:30pm (registration office will be open 9:30am-7:30pm; building will close at 8pm)
Sept 1-3, CLOSED
Sept 4-6, regular hours, 9am-10pm (registration office will be open 9:30am-7:30pm)
September 7, 9am-7:30pm (registration office will be open 9:30am-7:30pm; building will close at 8pm)
September 8-9, regular weekend hours 9am-6:30pm (regi
We will resume normal business for the start of Fall 2018 Term on September 10th.
HB Public Conversation: SAG-AFTRA Info Session
With Aaron Serotsky and Phoebe Jonas
Moderated by Paige Russo
Monday, September 24 | 7:30pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street
FREE | RSVP
Have questions about SAG-AFTRA? Join us for a conversation with SAG-AFTRA representatives and leading commercial performers about the benefits of the union and taking the next step in your career. Learn what it takes to navigate today’s changing media landscape and what SAG-AFTRA is doing to stay ahead of the curve.
HB Rehearsal Space Residency – YOU CAN’T PLAY BARBIES WHEN SOMEONE HAS STOLEN THEIR HEADS
by Perry Guzzi 
directed by Cynthia Granville
with Debra Kay Anderson*, Grace C. Benedetto, Olivia De Salvo, David James, Olivia Jampol, Nico Kiefer*
Saturdays & Sundays, September 16, 22, 23, 29, 30, October 6 & 7 | 8 pm
First Floor Studio | 120 Bank Street, New York
FREE | RSVP
As young Julie reveals in her new doll house story: Once upon a time, a monster came to town and ate all the men except for Julie’s Uncle Sandy who is locked away in a dark little cave. Today, the monster is back for the women — Julie, Mommy, Grammy, and a stranger named Lisa who has suddenly appeared at their door.
*these actors are appearing courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association
Drawing by Laura Benedetto
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This program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and many generous supporters.
Casting Call for Multiple Roles in Dramatic Play
Written by Ray Aranha, Directed by Arthur W. French, Produced by Malinda Logan
Auditions Saturday, September 8th 2-5pm | Midtown.
Performances January 2 – 8, 2019.
124 Bank Street Theatre
Public and industry-only performances. Paid stipend.
Synopsis
Continue reading →
TOO CLOSE by Luigi Laraia, directed by Pablo Andrade
Presented in partnership with
LAKEARTS FOUNDATION
TOO CLOSE
A new play by Luigi Laraia
With Richard Tanenbaum & Daniel Owen
Directed by Pablo Andrade
September 13, 14, &15 | 7:30 pm | $25*-35
TICKETS
HB Playwrights Theatre
124 Bank Street, New York City
In true Hitchcockian style, the author sets the play in an everyday space and invites the audience to share it with the actors.. Claustrophobic, gripping, relevant.
— Capital Fringe Festival
A parable about climate change and its impact on two unsuspecting individuals trapped in an elevator in a modern-day high rise. At its simplest level, TOO CLOSE is a microcosm of a world in which depletion of resources leads to the inhumanity of man against man.
Each evening will also feature leading scientists, writers, and climate change activists discussing the global impact of climate change on our daily lives and ultimately the relationships within our community. Followed by a complimentary reception.
*$25 Student Tickets are available in limited quantities!
HB Rehearsal Space Residency – HAK
Written by Berkay Ates
Directed by Jee Duman
Produced by Buket Gulbeyaz
Saturdays & Sundays | 8PM
August 18 – 19, 25 – 26
First Floor Studio | 120 Bank Street, New York
FREE | RSVP
“When we become nobody, you become us.”
HAK is an outcry of people who had to leave their home.
Based on the real life story of Amal Omran, a Syrian actress who left her home, HAK follows the story of five characters after leaving their war-torn country and hopes to communicate one of the biggest humanitarian crisis.