Edited by Norma Schwartzberg
New York City is called “The city that never sleeps”, but also is the mecca for the best Broadway shows, the
best theater companies, and the best cultural events. It is not a surprise that here in New York City the best
theater companies were born and continue to flourish, bringing together the best talent across the country, and
abroad. One of those amazing companies is
“Theater for the New City” (TNC)
which has been active since 1971. It is important to mention that the 70s were the golden time for theater.
Hundreds of talented actresses and actors came from all over the country and from outside of the USA, hoping
to get a big break in this business. People showed remarkable appreciation for live shows giving that way
encouragement and hope for young actors, singers, producers, and directors alike to join forces and create the
best and only live entertainment. TNC made its debut at the legendary landmark Westbeth Artists Community.
After several moves, TNC found its final and forever home at the former First Avenue Retail Market at 155
First Avenue in LES. Full of energy, this company had been working to meet its goals with passion, talent, love,
commitment, soul, and restless effort.
Its mission is to be accessible to the community and theater artists alike, to welcome the new era and new
generations of playwrights, to facilitate high-quality communication between the theater community and
audiences, to avoid commercial theater, to encourage theater lovers to come and enjoy the new theater, and
perhaps most importantly, to invite disadvantaged youngsters to be part of the theater community so they can
focus their energy on positive activities and discover their inner creativity, bringing out the best of them. TNC's
programs include a Resident Theater Program, an Annual Summer Street Theater Tour, a Presenting Program,
the annual Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert and PowWow, and an Arts-In-Education afterschool
program, which is my favorite. It offers free after-school training in acting and theater skills in general. Young
people are the future and they need to explore their talent and show it to the world, making very clear that youth
is for more than video games or watching violence on TV. TNC presents the Lower East Side Festival of the
Arts, which is an annual full free weekend with music, dance, drama, puppetry, poetry, and visual arts. Other
programs include an annual Tree Lighting Celebration and a Free Ticket Program offering theater tickets to
young people, senior citizens, and such social service organizations as Gay Men's Health Crisis and SAGE. If
all these great programs are not enough, TNC also has a Street Theater Company which each year tours the city
offering free, family-friendly performances at public parks, playgrounds, and closed-off streets throughout the
five boroughs.
The person responsible for the Street Theater is Crystal Field, who began writing street theater in 1968 as a
member of the Theater of the Living Arts in Philadelphia.
TNC has presented The Village Halloween Costume Ball every year since 1976 (except for 2020,
when it was offered virtually due to Covid restrictions).
 The Village Halloween Parade
a highly recognized tradition that New Yorkers embrace every year, was initiated and produced by TNC as part of
its Village Halloween Costume Ball in 1974 and 1975.
New York City has faced many challenges during the past 60 years, and countless changes, however, one thing
is true here: the love for art is present every day. Theater for the New City is one of our City's most enduring
theater companies and has survived all these decades with dignity and honor.
For more information please visit: https://theaterforthenewcity.net/
I'd like to share part of the calendar this 2023.
JANUARY 13 - 22, 2023
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS' POW WOW AND DANCE CONCERT

Theater for the New City, 155 First Avenue, will present its 48th annual Thunderbird American Dancers Pow
Wow and Dance Concert from January 13 to 22, 2023. There will be dances, stories, and traditional music from
Native Peoples of the Northeast, Southwest, and Great Plains regions. The event has become a treasured New
York tradition for celebrating our diversity by honoring the culture of our first Americans. TNC donates all
proceeds from the event to college scholarship funds for Native American students.  Throughout the
performance, all elements are explained in depth through detailed introductions by the troupe's Director and
Emcee Louis Mofsie (Hopi/Winnebago). This is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the toupe. Mofsie, was
awarded the 2019 Bessie Award for Outstanding Service to the Field of Dance. In 2017, he was honored, along
with Garth Fagan and Martha Myers, with a Lifetime Achievement Award from American Dance Guild.
FEBRUARY 2 to 19, 2023
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"WHO MURDERED LOVE?"
by Lissa Moira and Richard West is a Dadaist musical comedy set in 1924 New York
City and in a Paris dreamscape. Its the story follows WWI veteran and private eye "Sleepy" Sam Speed, his girl,
Gail Friday and his junior detective, Everett Greene, as they attempt to unravel the disappearance and possible
murder of DaDa Love at the behest of their client, a stunning heiress named Honey Potts. DaDa Love--
enigmatic, handsome, and charismatic--is at the center of the world for Dadaists at a time when Surrealists are
vying with them for artistic supremacy. The sleuthing trio's quest for him leads them through a mad a
psychedelic adventure that is populated by takeoffs on artists of the post-WWI period who were also known for
their artistic and sexual jealousies. It all makes for a lighthearted adventure story, which Theater for the New
City will present from February 2 to 19 in its large Johnson Theater.
FEBRUARY 13
THE PLAYERS,
16 GRAMERCY PARK SOUTH
'LOVE & COURAGE" BENEFIT
FOR THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
Theater for the New City's Emerging Playwrights Program will be the beneficiary of the theater's 20th Annual
Love & Courage benefit at The Players, 16 Gramercy Park South. The evening honors Eduardo Machado,
playwright, and Carlina Rivera, representative of the 2nd City Council District.
MARCH 9 - 26
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"THE CONDUCTOR"
BY ISHMAEL REED
Playwright Ishmael Reed uses satire to explore aspects of American culture and history overlooked by others.
His newest play, "The Conductor" is based upon the recall of three school board members accused of instituting
a lottery system that would lead to a more diverse student body at one of San Francisco’s elite high schools. The
recall pitted Asians against Asians, Blacks, and Latinos against Asians. The play shows how Blacks and Whites
are not the only racial groups contributing to the racial divide. Directed by Carla Blank.
MARCH 16 - APRIL 2, 2023
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"KATY AND JENNIFER VS. THE FLASHER ON NEW YEAR's" BY MATT MORILLO
With the heat crapped out in their East Village apartment on New Year's Eve 2001, Katy and Jennifer, two
recent college graduates, try to get to Jennifer's grandmother's place. But every attempt to leave is thwarted by a creepy flasher whom they seem to have accidentally let into the building. Written and directed by Matt Morillo
(author of "Angry Young Women in Low Rise Jeans with High-Class Issues").
APRIL 19 - MAY 7
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
"BLISS STREET"
Written and directed by Lissa Moira, music and lyrics by Charlie Sub, and story by Charlie Sub and Richie
Brotman. Charlie Sub & Sound Dogs, an indie rock band, perform original music inspired by an iconic era in

Rock & Roll history. Their performance takes you back to a chaotic NYC in the ’70s when Charlie’s family
owned the famous nightclub, the Coventry. Artists such as Kiss, The Ramones, and The New York Dolls
debuted here.
JUNE 1 - 18
THEATER FOR THE NEW CITY
RONALD "SMOKEY" STEVENS IN "I JUST WANT TO TELL SOMEBODY"
A return engagement of a solo show by one of Broadway's great musical comedy performers, who has adapted
his autobiographical novel, "I Just Want to Tell Somebody: The Autobiography of Ronald Smokey Stevens"
into a one-man, two-character theater production. The play dramatizes Steven's meteoric rise in the
entertainment industry and his lifelong battle with drugs in which he, at long last, prevailed. Smokey plays both
himself and his nemesis, a sarcastic doppelganger called
"D MAN"
The play ushers us through modern
moments of theater history that were Smokey's triumphs and the journey through drug usage that was nearly his
undoing. This tour de force performance earned critical plaudits last January.