Urban Stages Unveils 43rd Season: New American Play Series Debuts, Winter Rhythms Returns

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Festival lineup includes staged readings of new works, tribute performances, and holiday programming.

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Participating playwrights were selected from hundreds of submissions received through Urban Stages' year-round, no-fee, no-agent submission policy. The inaugural New American Play Series schedule is as follows:

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Thursday, October 1, 2026 | 7pm Covenant by William A. Smith, Directed by Maria Mileaf .

Monday, October 5, 2026 | 7pm Last Night At Mikell's by Larry Muhammad, directed by Ron Beverly.

Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 7pm Bosie by Lily Welsh, directed by Vincent Scott.

Tuesday, October 13, 2026 | 7pm Boulevard of Bold Dreams by LaDarrion Williams, directed by Trezana Beverley .

Wednesday, October 14, 2026 | 7pm Everything Dark in This World by Julie Hays, directed by Bill Bowers .

Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 7pm The Mischief Maker by Ruth Apolonia Zamoyta, directed by Cheryl Katz.

Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 7pm Hallway House by Judy Klass, directed by David Barlow .

Monday, October 26, 2026 | 7pm Best Line Wins by Beth Kander , director TBA. These readings are FREE. RSVPs are recommended and can be made at urbanstages.org or urbanstages.org/newamericanplays.

From December 2 through December 13, Urban Stages' award-winning annual music festival, Winter Rhythms, returns for its 18th year of bringing an extraordinary lineup of acclaimed and emerging musical artists to the Off-Broadway community. Excitedly, this year the festival will be a celebration of icons, music, and even TV shows in a special “A Tribute to…” edition of the festival.

Highlights include an opening night gala starring acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Jon Weber in A Tribute to Jazz, Leslee Warren in a tribute to Lena Horne , a celebration of Miles Davis by Maria Corsaro , a salute to Sammy Davis Jr. by Aaron Lee Battle , and an homage to old TV shows by Janice Hall and Adam Shapiro . Other tributes include Stephen Sondheim by Mardie Millit , Alan & Marilyn Bergman by Dorian Woodard, Michel Legrand by Jacqueline Drapaer, The Troubadours by Rebecca Watts, and a tribute to the songs of Michael Colby . The 2026 graduating class of Circle in the Square will also take the stage to pay homage to Broadway, and, as is tradition, Winter Rhythms Will Close with Tom Toce 's Songs of Hope.

This year's festival will feature more than 150 artists across 21 performances, and award-winning singer/songwriter Sue Matsuki returns as producer. All proceeds will go to bringing free art programming to public libraries through Urban Stages' Outreach Program. Last season, Outreach brought over 1,300 free programs to New Yorkers of all ages, reaching over 25,000 people! Tickets will be available starting in October at urbanstages.org.

From December 16–19, Urban Stages will present Beth & Ritt's Holiday Survival Kit, a special limited engagement celebrating the show's 10th anniversary at Urban Stages. Award-winning songwriters Beth Falcone and Ritt Henn have been delighting Winter Rhythms audiences for the past nine years with their original and originally-arranged songs and stories from around the globe.

Featuring Roosevelt André Credit (Met Opera/Broadway) and Christine de Frece (BroadwayWorld Award Winner), Beth & Ritt's Holiday Survival Kit will sing through the celebrations of the seasons, from Diwali to Lunar New Year and everything in between, including Hanukkah, Yalda, Christmas and Kwanzaa, with songs in French, Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), German, Sanskrit, Persian, merry olde English and more! Tickets will go on sale starting in October at urbanstages.org.

Last season, Urban Stages' Outreach Program had a monumental and groundbreaking year. Outreach reached 28,982 New Yorkers with free art programs, primarily in public libraries—a record for the more than 30-year-old touring program!

The program was founded on the philosophy that art is vital and that obstacles such as high ticket prices, difficulties traveling, and language barriers should be eliminated. Last season, we held over 1,331 events citywide, admission-free, with 40% of our programming being bilingual. Outreach reaches people where they are, in neighborhoods across all five boroughs, with high-quality performances and art workshops for all ages.

In their 2026-27 season, they already have over 350 citywide Outreach programs scheduled, with many more to come. Upcoming events include performances and storytimes for young audiences and families in Mandarin, American Sign Language, Spanish, Ukrainian, Polish, Italian, Kreyol, and Bengali.

Ready Set Kindergarten, a series of early-learning and school-readiness programs, will take place at various Brooklyn Public Library branches. Magic shows, dance workshops, singalongs, crafting, and creative writing programs are all lined up as well. There will be a special tribute program to Colombian singer and folklorist, Totó La Momposina, at the Great Neck Library on September 21.

On Tuesday, October 27, our Off-Broadway stage will present a special performance of Science is Magic. In this new family program, two rival clubs are forced to share the stage, but when a mischievous magician tries to take over, they have to work together and combine their science and magic skills to save the day! Best for ages 5-12. Tickets will go on sale soon. Over the summer, Outreach held 150 free events, including an outdoor collaboration with Book Bodega, with Mayor Mamdani in attendance.

Urban Stages' 2026-27 season will bring forth brand-new theater and innovative programming on its Off-Broadway stage and citywide. The New American Play Series, a staged reading series dedicated to discovery, will bring new plays and new voices from across America to the public, admission-free. The series gives audiences a chance to meet artists and engage with new works set to shape the future of theater. Audiences will also be invited to judge the series and help recognize a standout play and playwright.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/The-New-American-Play-Series-and-More-Set-for-Urban-Stages-43rd-Season-20260914)._