Now one of the largest theatre festivals in New York City, the Chain Summer One Act Festival will celebrate over 50 plays this summer. The festival is a hub for new work by established and emerging artists. Chain Theatre is once again opening its doors to New York City’s playwrights, actors and directors for a festival of original works. All productions are carefully curated and designed to create a ‘mix-tape’ of live theatre. Past festivals have included original works by Broadway's Lyle Kessler (Orphans) and award-winning actor and writer Eric Bogosian (AMC’s Interview With The Vampire). Join the Chain for an exciting festival of live performances created by the best artists at one of the top independent theatre venues in New York City.
Highlights include:
The New York premiere of Banshee by John Patrick Shanley. Starring Elizabeth Bays (Simpatico) and Erik Betancourt (Cost of Living, Between Riverside and Crazy) directed by David Zayas Jr. (Simpatico), Banshee is a mystical comedy about a banshee, a fantastical Irish spirit, who pays an ailing teacher a visit and makes him an otherworldly proposal.
Academy Award-nominee Jesse Eisenberg returns to the Chain as the co-producer of Catch by Jeryl Brunner. Eisenberg and Brunner originally collaborated on the critically acclaimed Dill during the Chain Winter One-Act Festival, which marked Eisenberg’s stage directorial debut. Eisenberg co-produces Catch with Anna Strout and Barbara Toy.
Lastly, Matthew McLachlan returns to the Chain with two new plays: Online Dates Are Hard To Handle, directed by David Zayas Jr., and Who You Are To Me, directed by Lee Zayas. McLachlan is the 2024 ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition Grand Prize Winner for This G*d Damn House, which was a world premiere at the Chain Theatre in 2023.
