Emerging Artists Theatre's Spring Spark Theatre Festival NYC Unveils Lineup

Emerging Artists Theatre has revealed the lineup for their Spring Spark Theatre Festival NYC. During the 3 week festival, over 65 new works will be premiered including new musicals, dance, solo shows, cabaret, and plays in various stages of development. Performances run March 3 - 23.

The Spring festival features a wide range of diverse shows featuring timely topics such as lgbtqia identity, AI, women empowerment, mental illness, caretaking, climate change, politics, love and connection, and the legacy of past icons. Over 200 artists will be featured in the spring festival.

Shows run nightly, with multiple performances taking place over the weekend. Short talkbacks with the artists will follow some of the performances. Tickets are between $20 - $35 and are currently on sale at emergingartiststheatre.org/spark-theatre-festival-spring-2025.

Six new musicals will be presented including Apollo: The Man Who Built the Moon where a man's quest to go to the moon doesn't go as planned, Earth Icon set in a fire free (maybe) California in 2029 where a teenage country singer must win a climate-themed pop music contest to save his mother, and Mr. B-Bop The Billy Eckstine Story, a jazzy review that explores the life and music of the legendary Billy Eckstine.

Numerous plays and solo shows will be showcased including Transexual Sexual Sex Journal where a young trans woman finds fleeting love within her community, Lara's Journey about a young woman displaced in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Kellyanne and George: An American Love Story an almost-true story of a political power couple whose life is turned upside down during the Trump administration.

Thirty four dance pieces will be featured including The Miles Davis African Suite, a bold fusion of Miles Davis' iconic music, Closet, My Sanctuary explores what it means to simultaneously learn love in the context of religion and queerness, and the improvised dance piece Duet.

WEEK ONE SCHEDULE

Monday, March 3 at 7pm

Virtually Ours (Full length musical) SOLD OUT
Created by Lisa Ann Grant, Lisa Yves, and Diana Sussman
A musical rom-com about five busy young professionals who turn to Virtually Ours, an unusual AI driven dating app, to find their match.

Wednesday, March 5 at 7pm

Line of Inquiry (short play)
Writer Laurence C. Schwartz
A Gen Z female Interracial LGBTQ recently married couple are having some marital tension and decide to see a marriage counselor.

Fuck the Minutiae (solo show)
Writer/performer Carolyn Kitay
An interloper, (mouse) visits an upper middle-aged comic's less than desirable NYC apartment.

Thursday, March 6 at 7pm

GREG (solo show)
Written by Luis Roberto Herrera
One man's journey to find love in this universe takes an unexpected turn.

Lara's Journey (solo show)
Writer/performer Joanna Pickering, director Karen Carpenter
Lara's Journey is the story of a young woman displaced in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Friday, March 7 at 7pm

How to Build a Gate (solo show)
Writer Electra Carzis, director Sydney Dennison, performer Kate Low
A software designer is tasked with redefining ambition, autonomy, and the human experience for herself and her newly sentient creation.

Saturday, March 8 at 2pm

4908 Awakenings (solo show)
Writer/performer Marianne Rya, director Janine Squillari
One woman's journey through her life as she grapples with the trauma of growing up with her sister who has schizophrenia to encourage conversations for families & caregivers.

Saturday, March 8 at 5pm

Palpitations (dance)
Choreographer Mica Butnar
The exploration of human connection and community unfolds through a powerful narrative of transition from solitude to unity.

Come Flower, Come Flame (short play)
Playwright Tori Bogacki, director Meredith Julia Muirhead
J travels through her memories to connect with and guide her younger self in this story of grief, queerness, and loving transformation.

MORPH (dance)
Choreographers/performers Matt Gal and Lily Mollicone
MORPH explores how we connect, seeking to understand the ways people who spend significant time together become alike as time passes.

Stagnant Pull (dance)
Choreographers Mia Canzonieri and K Sainato
Stagnant Pull is an experimental duet exploring a trade-off of control, and the question of who is in power.

Saturday, March 8 at 7pm

The Swansong Follies (cabaret)
Curated and hosted by Gloria Swansong
Gloria Swansong presents a stellar cast of NYC's best in queer nightlife - all exploring what it means to be "Over the Rainbow".

Sunday, March 9 at 2pm

Love Potion (short play)
Writer/director Noor Mondal
A modern-day witch in Manhattan who cannot make potions properly is suddenly faced with helping a woman who urgently needs a potion.

The Shomer (short play)
Writer/director Matthew J. Kaplan
In Judaism, a Shomer protects the deceased until burial, but when Susan dies at the supermarket, the baker responsible for her death fills this role.

I Hope You Like It Here (dance)
Choreographer Jill Moshman
Four dancers test the bounds of intimacy through growing closeness.

Sunday, March 9 at 5pm

Five Minutes Later (short play)
Writer John Malatesta, director Brian Doyle-Riviera
They say getting old isn't for the faint of heart. What they didn't tell you is that it's about your dad.

Substance Over Form (dance)
Choreographer Leann Gioia
Substance, while dependent upon it, will always prevail over form.

yes mi manera de amar (dance)
Choreographers Dale Ratcliff and Nikki Theroux
A story of recollection and remembering that leaves the mind in awe and in melancholy. We journey together and we journey alone.

Collective (dance)
Choreographer Faith Kimberling, Lucia Campoy, and Kendra Dushac
This dance is a first collaboration among five NYC women friends who realized they don't need permission to do what they love.

Sunday, March 9 at 7pm

Slack Off: Losing My Pants in the Israeli Army (solo show)
Writer/performer Penina Beede
Amid a manic episode, a young Jewish woman enlists in the Israeli army and confronts the turmoil of the external conflict and her inner struggles.

WEEK TWO SCHEDULE

Monday, March 10 at 7pm

Mr. B-Bop The Billy Eckstine Story (musical)
Created by Miguel Ángel Vásquez
Mr. B-bop explores the life and music of the legendary Billy Eckstine. Frontman and Pioneer of the first Bebop orchestra in the 40's and later referenced as the "Sepia Sinatra".

Tuesday, March 11 at 7pm

Finding Mr. Rightstein (short play)
Writer/director Nancy Davidoff Kelton
A very relatable divorced woman in her mid 50s is looking for love within and with a partner.

31 Triggers (solo show)
Collaborators Philip Galinsky and Kim Cruz
Blending humor, insight, and personal storytelling, Philip engages the audience in a thought-provoking journey through language, emotions, and societal triggers.

Wednesday, March 12 at 7pm

Metamorphosis (dance)
Choreographer Christina Hughes, original composition Matthew Mason
A glimpse into the impact we have on each others' lives.

p u r p l e f l a m e (dance)
Choreographer Teresa Fellion, composer John Yannelli
p u r p l e f l a m e explores the strength of human resilience through the perspective of an individual and of a community.

SOLOS (dance)
Choreographers/dancers Francesca Antonacci and Caroline Brethenoux
Two women at life's crossroads find vulnerability and resilience on stage.

Packaged (dance)
Choreographer/performer Céline Maillard
A woman navigates movement within a confined space while battling the realization that she is a product for consumption.

One-Way-Ticket (short play)
Writer/director Sam Affoumado
A hospital clown and a narcissistic Soap star compete for votes on a game show to win the last seat on a flight to Mars.

Thursday, March 13 at 7pm

Kellyanne and George: An American Love Story (play)
Writer Frederick Stroppel, director Paul J. Michael
The almost-true story of a political power couple whose personal life is turned upside-down by a wild journey through the Trump administration.

Friday, March 14 at 7pm

Stupid Humans (dance)
Writer/director/choreographer John Barrella
Comedy and dance collide on this mime/street dance centric satire on the arts.

Mind Gutter (dance)
Choreographer Marina Vianello, music e-GoS (Gabriel Vianello)
Contemporary dance work set to original music, loosely inspired by one's ego and self.

Yaroque: an Evening in Color (dance)
Artistic director Shelby Green, rehearsal director Belleza
A colorful and eccentric evening, complete with dancing, singing, and a clown!

Saturday, March 15 at 2pm

ABBONDANZA! (dance)
Co-directors/choreographers Veronica Allen, Joey Anderson, and Claire Louise Goldes
Welcome to ABBONDANZA, a movement collective that pats you on the back, then kicks you in the gut.

Closet, My Sanctuary (dance)
Choreographer Heather Dutton, music Jyl Mars
What does it mean to grow up in both the closet and in the sanctuary? A trio of musicians supports a trio of dancers through the private experience of trying to negotiate with God.

Saturday, March 15 at 5pm

Cut (dance)
Choreographer Davinara Marcario, performer Ava Rakowski
"Cut" involves race, adoption, family, and community and explores the ins and outs of Central Asian Folk and contemporary dance.

The truth is the truth is the truth is the (dance)
Choreographer, writer/director Hallie Chametzky
An evening-length dance theater work exploring the lives and legacies of famed modernist writer Gertrude Stein and her life partner Alice B. Toklas.

Saturday, March 15 at 7pm

Bound Between (dance)
Choreographer Jayde Margulis in collaboration with the dancers
Bound Between offers a powerful exploration of having or lacking control, a concept that resonates universally.

Folding Time (dance)
Choreographer Rachel Daly in collaboration with dancers (32nd Pack Dance Company)
A story of one's shifting self, exploring those we've become, might have been, and never will be.

Transexual Sexual Sex Journal (solo show)
Writer Tobi Wolfson
A young trans woman finds fleeting love within her community-- Sometimes dangerous; always heartbreaking. A true story.

The Miles Davis African Suite (dance)
Choreographer Jason Herber
A bold fusion of Miles Davis' iconic music and African cultural narratives, blending dance, history, and identity into a mesmerizing ballet of unity and diversity.

Sunday, March 16 at 2pm

R.U.R. (musical)
Book/lyrics Dennis Hanrahan, music Philip Vlahakis, musical director Julian Blackmore
America, 2099. AI-powered android workers rebel against their human masters in this musical adaptation of a dystopian sci-fi classic from 1920.

Sunday, March 16 at 5pm

ediolon (dance)
Choreographer Sarah Blake in collaboration with Liana Acevedo
This work explores the psychological effects of feeling the presence of someone who is not physically there.

EKPHRASIS, A Few Words About Art (solo show)
Created by Lucy Avery Brooke, director Page Clements
Twelve slightly eccentric pieces on Art, some serious, some not, painters and subjects, Forgers and viewers, Art we love and Art we hate.

Feather Bones (dance)
Choreographer Natalie Long
This duet explores the dichotomy of strength and fragility, how the two intersect, and the merits of both.

Sunday, March 16 at 7pm

Thermocline (dance)
Choreographer Natalie Long
This duet explores the dichotomy of strength and fragility, how the two intersect, and the merits of both.

Happenstance: The Wonderer and Artificial Light (short plays)
Writer Lynda Crawford, directors CB Murray (The Wonderer) and Laura E. Johnston (Artificial Light)
Chance Encounters. In The Wonderer, an intrusive man repeatedly tries to help a woman he encounters on the ferry. In Artificial Light, two people who were once very much in love meet after many years. Can the damage ever be repaired?

it's Supposed to be Fun (dance)
Choreographer Celeste Goldes
Can presentational artists separate pedestrian life and entertainment?

WEEK THREE SCHEDULE

Monday, March 17 at 7pm

The Symposium (play)
Written/directed by Amber Gatlin
A modern retelling of Plato's tale, Socrates and their friends discuss the nature of love at Agathon's dinner party.

Tuesday, March 18 at 7pm

Shuffle Boards (dance)
Director/choreographer Nick Alselmo of The Pocket Fuel Groovers
Glide, support, and transform-'Shuffle Boards' reveals the power of community to overcome insecurities through movement and connection.

Welcome to the Psyche (musical)
Writer Harrison Lee
As his mother's illness worsens, Harry's psyche fractures under the weight of grief, anxiety, and romantic ambition.

Wednesday, March 19 at 7pm

Subject X (play)
Writer/director Madelyn Cardarelli
A young woman finishing grad school presents a research study in which she has collected various data to prove whether or not her crush likes her back.

Thursday, March 20 at 7pm

Delusions: Two Twenty something's who think they're in a movie (dance)
Creators Audrey Bailey Gavitt and Erica Lee Schwartz
A two-part epic that asks the audience to grab their football jerseys, shift in their seats, knock their socks off and audition for the role of a lifetime.

The Anecdotes of a Lesbian Princes (short play)
Writer Rachel Saruski, director Michèle Carter-Cram
A messy, too emotionally available, over therapized woman in her 20s trying to "hack" lesbian culture in New York City.

Friday, March 21 at 2pm

Dream Deferred (solo show)
Writer/performer Janet Weakley, director Jake Daehler
One woman's battle with addiction becomes a powerful story of recovery, from her first encounter with drugs in her youth to finding hope and redemption within the confines of a treatment center.

Friday, March 21 at 7pm

Apollo: The Man Who Built the Moon (musical)
Writers Andrew Weiss and Sam Popkin
Apollo Wilson, aspirational astronaut/ex-NASA physicist/current BBC set designer, unknowingly becomes an accomplice in staging the 1969 moon landing on live television.

Saturday, March 22 at 2pm

Earth Icon (musical)
Writers/composers/lyricists Abhishek Pandit and Laurence Warner
California, 2029... fire-free, maybe? Manny, a teenage country singer, must win a climate-themed pop music contest to save his comatose mother, Terra.

Saturday, March 22 at 5pm

Between Us (dance)
Choreographer Tai Lum
Humans are paradoxes and we are constantly at odds with ourselves and each other.

Beautiful Thing (dance)
Choreographer Natalie Katz, writer Will Van Dyke
A profound exploration of dance and poetry, Beautiful Thing explores themes of grief, empathy, and transformation.

home with you (dance)
Choreographer Phoebe Amory
How many ways can a young lesbian fail to live up to the expectations set for them by society?

Stop All the Gaycism (short play)
Writer/director Katie Casebolt
A community of artmakers come together to get a few things off of their collective chests and onto a blank canvas in the name of Queer visibility.

Saturday, March 22 at 7pm

Exousia (dance)
Choreographer Claudio Caverni
The piece explores the insatiable hunger for power.

Astor Piazolla: The New Era (dance)
Director/choreographer Analia Farfan
Astor Piazzolla: The New Era celebrates the life of the great Argentinian Maestro Astor Piazzolla, a prolific Music Composer that integrated Argentinian Tango with elements of European classical music and jazz to create a new genre: New Tango.

Sunday, March 23 at 2pm

Curtain on Fire Live! (short plays/podcast)
Director Ted Wrigley
Join the Curtains on Fire writers' workshop for a live session of new works-recorded as the latest episode of their acclaimed podcast.

Sunday, March 23 at 5pm

Belonging (solo show)
Writer/performer Beatriz Almeida, director Elsa Pochini
Through intimate stories and dynamic physicality, this performance explores the immigrant journey-grappling with identity, ancestral legacy, and the search for belonging.

Duet (dance/improv)
Creators/performers Jamie Graham and Amy Larimer
The Raving Jaynes mix dance, improv, song, and physical theater to tell entirely-improvised stories.

xxXL (dance)
Directors/choreographers Guangmin Shen and Yurie Ono
This piece celebrates oversized clothing, often loved by dancers for its comfort and flow.

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