Welcome to the NYTW Blog—a resource for behind-the-scenes insights on our productions, share-outs from the classroom penned by teaching artists, community partner spotlights, and a peek behind the curtain to see how work gets made at NYTW.

BIPOC Critics Lab: A Chat with Kristina Wong, interviewed by Gamaliel Arroyo

Gamaliel Arroyo (they/he) got the chance to chat with actor, writer, activist, and performance artist Kristina Wong (she/her) about her staged show Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord before it began performances at NYTW. From uncovering government-failed outreach during the height of the pandemic to how to spend only $50 a month on groceries, they uncover a lot on how pre- and post-pandemic life has changed us. So, grab some headphones and listen in on a conversation that unfolds Kristina’s experience during the pandemic and how she was able to make that reality into a zoom show and luckily with some mask and vaccine mandates, a one-woman staged show.

November 16, 2021 by Gamaliel Arroyo


“Theatre at its Best and Most Essential”

Diep Tran pens a deeply moving review on KRISTINA WONG, SWEATSHOP OVERLORD, and asks us to wrestle with the same question Kristina poses at the end of the show, “​​”What do you hope for as we move forward? Will you be generous in more than times of crisis?”

November 5, 2021 by Diep Tran for New York Theatre Guide


Restarting Shows After the Shutdown

Usual Suspects Jocelyn Bioh and Martyna Majok chat with Gordon Cox about what it means to bring back their plays after the COVID shutdown.

September 29, 2021 by Gordon Cox for Variety


Rediscovering Sanctuary City

On March 11, 2020, Sanctuary City unknowingly played its final performance to audiences. The next day Broadway theatres (and NYTW) announced a shutdown in response to the rising transmission rates of the coronavirus in NYC. Sanctuary City was in previews for only a week before the closure, which was originally planned for 30 days, but extended nearly 18 months. Over that period, the set and lights remained intact at the Lucille Lortel Theater and the company stayed in contact, eager to return to the play.  On September 8, 2020, the cast and crew performed the play for the first time to a live audience since the closure.

September 20, 2021 by Aaron Malkin, NYTW Literary Director and Dramaturg


REST IS RADICAL

Star of SEMBLANCE Nikiya Mathis pens a Career Dispatch where she digs into her experience during the pandemic and why rest is not a luxury, but a critical part of the revolution.

August 6, 2021 by By Nikiya Mathis for BACKSTAGE


ONE WEEK MORE!

In less than one week, we will welcome audiences back to East 4th Street for the first time in over 500 days, and as writer/director Whitney White says, “It’s not gonna look like anything you’ve seen before!” Whitney and star of SEMBLANCE Nikiya Mathis sit down with Rebecca Ibarra to chat about the filmed theatrical presentation that begins our 2021/22 season.

July 28, 2021 by Rebecca Ibara for WNYC


SEASON(S) PREVIEW

NYTW Literary Director and Dramaturg Aaron Malkin sits down with WNYC’s Rebecca Ibarra  to chat about the 2021/22 & 2022/23 seasons!

July 21, 2021 by Rebecca Ibara for WNYC


Announcing the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons!

We’re proud to announce the complete 2021/22 Season as well as initial work for the 2022/23 Season!

“As we considered our return to live performance, we realized that in addition to the interrupted commitments we’d made, the artists in our community had not stopped creating—there was even more work that demanded our attention,” said Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director Jeremy Blocker.

June 7, 2021 by NYTW



TBT: Inside the Auntie Sewing Squad

As Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord comes to the NYTW virtual stage this weekend, we are throwing it back to a beautiful piece on Kristina and the Auntie Sewing Squad in the Los Angeles Times. Learn how Kristina went from “grief and uncertainty” to “the creator of one of the nation’s largest and most diverse grass-roots mask-making efforts.”

May 13, 2021 by Nita Lelyveld for the Los Angeles Times