TDF Stages

Catch a musical about pot, plays about Britney Spears, Emily Dickinson and Andy Warhol, and more

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Adventurous audiences know that some of the biggest theatrical thrills are found on NYC's smallest stages. These shows are also great for theatregoers on a budget. In fact, TDF members can see dozens of Off-Off Broadway productions for as little as $11! Not a TDF member? Consider joining our Go Off-Off and Beyond program, which gives you access to discount tickets to indie theatre, music and dance performances for a one-time fee of five bucks.

In terms of COVID-19 safety protocols, all of these productions require audiences to provide proof of full vaccination and wear masks unless otherwise indicated. Note that health and safety rules vary by venue. Be sure to double-check the protocols before purchasing tickets so you arrive prepared.

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Soho Playhouse: Saving Britney - July 6

Soho Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street between Sixth Avenue and Varick Street in Soho

Begins July 6. Closes July 30. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $15 tickets.

Note: Proof of vaccination not required but masks are mandatory.

She's a Slave 4 Her! Inspired by the #FreeBritney movement, this solo tour de force chronicles the embattled pop star's life while delving into one superfan's obsessive devotion. Conceived by writer-director David Shopland and star Shereen Roushbaiani, Saving Britney was a cult hit in the UK and now arrives stateside to stoke nostalgia and perhaps some soul-searching in the millennials who grew up loving her.

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All for One Theatre: Mister Miss America - July 6

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, 224 Waverly Place between Perry and West 11th Streets in the West Village

Begins July 6. Closes August 7. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $15 tickets.

Note: Proof of vaccination not required but masks are mandatory.

This contestant has everything it takes to be crowned Miss Southwestern Virginia. The only issue? He's the first man ever to compete in this old-school beauty pageant. But that detail's not going to stop him! Neil D'Astolfo wrote and performs this sweet and sassy solo comedy about pursuing your dreams regardless of what the mean girls say. Tony Speciale directs.

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Irondale: On Women Festival - July 11

The Space at Irondale, 85 South Oxford Street between Lafayette and Greene Avenues in Fort Greene, Brooklyn

Begins July 11. Closes July 31.

Note: Proof of vaccination not required but masks are mandatory.

Brooklyn's lauded Irondale presents its annual On Women Festival, showcasing plays by female-identifying theatre-makers. This year's edition is a hybrid event, with three in-person mainstage productions (a different one each week), as well as eight New Media Storytelling works being streamed online throughout the fest. The lineup includes pieces about PTSD, motherhood, sexuality, creating art via Zoom and an interactive meditation on memes.

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The Tank: A Black and White Cookie - July 13

The Tank, 312 West 36th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in Midtown West

Begins July 14. Closes July 28.

What do a Black conservative sexagenarian and an eccentric '60s Jewish communist have in common? No, that's not the start of an old joke. It's the question at the heart of Gary Morgenstein's play about Harold Wilson, a lifelong New Yorker forced to close his business due to a rent hike, whose chance meeting with Albie in Florida inspires the duo to fight the landlord. Marcello Rollando directs this heartwarming drama about an unlikely friendship.

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La MaMa: Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville - July 14

La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 East 4th Street between the Bowery and Second Avenue in the East Village

Begins July 14. Closes July 31. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $19 tickets.

Holy smokes! Grace Galu and Baba Israel lead the creative team of this theatrical concert chronicling the history of marijuana through music, dance and hip-hop. Inspired by Martin A. Lee's book Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana, this vibrant vaudeville also incorporates tales of pot activists and weed-loving celebs. This isn't some silly stoner cabaret; the artists involved in this tribute to toking include the spoken word collective Soul Inscribed and dancers from the revolutionary Urban Bush Women. Get ready to be Maui Wowied.

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De-Cruit: The Head of Richard - July 15

Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street between Ninth and Dyer Avenues in Midtown West

Begins July 15. Closes July 23. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $13 tickets.

Founded by Stephan Wolfert, a US Army veteran, De-Cruit is a NYC theatre-based nonprofit that treats trauma through Shakespeare and science. This summer, the troupe is presenting a trio of one-act plays, all inspired by the Bard's language, characters and themes. The first is The Head of Richard, a streamlined retelling of Richard III about the havoc created by emotional deformity from chronic abuse and humiliation. Written and performed by Wolfert and his wife Dawn Stern, the hour-long show finds Richard on the eve of battle, facing his mother and his life of violence. All the text is Shakespeare's but filtered through a military veteran's perspective.

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Frigid NYC: Hit the Wall - July 15

The Kraine Theater, 85 East 4th Street between Bowery and Second Avenue in the East Village

Begins July 15. Closes August 11. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $12 tickets.

What do you do when your underground art could land you in jail? That's the quandary facing Amir, a celebrated graffiti artist who must remain anonymous. But when his talented mentee threatens to expose him, Amir begins to lose his grip on reality. What is reality, anyway? Jake Shore's trippy new play is directed by the innovative Timothy Haskell.

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Superhero Clubhouse: Mammelephant - July 21

122CC, 150 First Avenue at 9th Street in the East Village

Begins July 21. Closes August 6.

This musical epic explores the displacement and destruction wrought by climate change through the eyes of the world's first mammoth-elephant hybrid. Inspired by disparate sources, including the Pleistocene Park geoengineering experiment and an ancient Sakha song-poem, Mammelephant follows the title animal as she tries to forge a future for herself in an unstable environment.

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The Hearth: happy life - July 22

Walkerspace, 46 Walker Street between Broadway and Church Streets in Tribeca

Begins July 22. Closes August 6. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $12 tickets.

One of NYC's premiere theatre companies dedicated to telling stories by and about women, The Hearth presents its first mainstage production since the pandemic: happy life. Written by Kathy Ng and directed by Kat Yen, this absurdist fantasia explores the intersection of the living and the dead and the ghosts haunting us all on a daily basis.

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Abrons Arts Center: Shut UP, Emily Dickinson - July 28

Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street near Pitt Street on the Lower East Side

Begins July 28. Closes August 13. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $15 tickets.

Loosely based on Emily Dickinson's "Master" letters, Tanya O'Debra's cheeky play is a pseudo-historical, quasi-biographical, sadomasochistic psycho-romance about the brilliant and much-debated poet. This is no hagiography. It's a deep dive into the life and legacy of an iconic and controversial figure.

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De-Cruit: Make Thick My Blood - July 29

Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street between Ninth and Dyer Avenues in Midtown West

Begins July 29. Closes August 6. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $13 tickets.

Founded by Stephan Wolfert, a US Army veteran, De-Cruit is a NYC theatre-based nonprofit that treats trauma through Shakespeare and science. This summer, the troupe is presenting a trio of one-act plays, all inspired by the Bard's language, characters and themes. The second is Make Thick My Blood, featuring extracts from Macbeth that retell the story of the central power-hungry couple from the perspective of trauma survivors. Wolfert and his wife Dawn Stern wrote and star in this hour-long show.

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Bated Breath Theatre Company: Chasing Andy Warhol - already running

Starts at the Cube at Astor Place, East 8th and Lafayatte Streets, and then winds its way through the East Village.

Closes July 31. If you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase $15 tickets.

Note: Proof of vaccination not required and masks are optional.

During the pandemic, the endlessly inventive immersive theatre company Bated Breath mounted the interactive walking tour Voyeur: The Windows of Toulouse-Lautrec. This summer the troupe returns with another promenade piece about a legendary artist: Chasing Andy Warhol. At each intimate performance, 16 spectators are guided through the East Village as scenes inspired by Warhol's enigmatic life unfold on the streets, in display windows and inside secret locations. Using a mix of theatre, dance, film, art and puppetry, this show conjures the complex person behind the pop art.

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Andrew Block is an Ovation Award-winning director who hails from New Orleans and now works primarily with the vibrant NYC independent theatre community. He also serves as TDF's Manager of Off & Off-Off Broadway Services.

TDF MEMBERS: Go here to browse our latest discounts for dance, theatre and concerts.

Top image: The cast of Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville, which is running at La MaMa. Photo by Paula Court.