“BESHERT”: An Interview with Daniel Kushner

In anticipation of the free public reading of BESHERT on October 26, we spoke with playwright Daniel Kushner about the inspiration behind the play, his research into New York’s immigrant history, and how his background as an actor has shaped his approach to writing.

Selected for development through Cycle 2 of New York Classical Theatre’s New Visions play development initiative, BESHERT takes audiences to New York’s Lower East Side in 1929, where a Jewish tailor and a Syrian immigrant run a dry cleaning business while concealing their relationship. As immigration raids and neighborhood betrayals threaten the life they have built together, the play explores fate, identity, sacrifice, and belonging.

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Q: BESHERT is your first play to reach this stage of development. What made this the story that pushed you from acting into playwriting?

DK: I’ve been writing plays for about two or two and a half years now, but this was the first one that felt ready. I’ve written a couple of plays before this, but this is the one that I was the most excited about.

Sometimes you write a piece and you’re kind of like, “This is going to stay in the drafts forever. This is never going to see the light of day.” But BESHERT just felt exciting. It pulled on so many different aspects of who I am and what I’m interested in as a writer and as a thinker.

It just kind of leapt off the page. I thought, “This needs to be shared.”

Q: Rather than setting the story in the present day, you take us to the Lower East Side in 1929. Why did you choose that particular time and place?

DK: I have a deep interest in New York history, specifically New York Jewish history. I’m a New York Jew through and through. My family lived in Queens and Brooklyn, but all of them, at one point or another, would have passed through the Lower East Side.

It was a very transient community. People were constantly moving through, but kind of everyone was there. That personal history was really exciting to me.

And the 1920s are obviously an exciting time in our minds, right? Flappers and Prohibition and the Harlem Renaissance. But there’s also this dark undercurrent that isn’t explored as much—anti-immigration policies, racism, and community divides that still matter and impact us today.

All of those things kind of coagulated into this time period, this moment, and this place that I just found so exciting.

Q: The title carries ideas of both fate and destiny. What does the word “beshert” mean to you in the context of the play?

DK: “Beshert” means destiny—what is meant to be. But “beshert” has another meaning, which is a soulmate. So it’s destiny as an intangible thing, and then destiny as a very tangible thing: a person.

I was very interested in that dichotomy. Destiny is something out of our control, right? Something that happens to us. Life puts things in our lap. But just because life throws something at you doesn’t mean that you have to choose it.

With a soulmate—with a person—you still have to choose that person. You still have to choose destiny. There are choices you have to make, and you have to rise up to whatever challenge that may be to embrace who you were meant to be or where you were meant to go.

Those dueling definitions are what really drive the play.

Q: The play brings together queer history, Jewish and Syrian immigrant histories, and the threat of immigration enforcement. What kind of research went into building this world?

Little Syria: Photo from archives.nyc/little-syria

DK: So much, really. For me, my interest in history is all about what’s been hidden from us or what hasn’t been passed down.

The Lower East Side is a rapidly changing neighborhood. While there are traces of its Jewish history and its history as a multiethnic community, in some ways that has disappeared. Another location the play references is Little Syria, which was a neighborhood around Washington Street, near where the World Trade Center is today. A few decades after the 1920s, that neighborhood had almost completely disappeared.

I looked at old photographs, maps, names of shops and communities—just trying to piece together what these communities used to look like. I also went down to the neighborhood a couple of times. I got to be in these spaces and feel the history in a tangible way.

One of the biggest discoveries that unlocked the piece for me was learning more about the Immigration Act of 1924 and the quota system it imposed. It created much stricter ideas about who was allowed to enter the country and radically restricted immigration from certain parts of the world.

Discovering that history and connecting it to our time period and where we are now put the whole piece into perspective for me.

Q: The play is set nearly a century ago, but many of those tensions feel very current. What connections between the world of BESHERT and today emerged while you were writing?

DK: Certainly immigration was a big one. I started writing this at the beginning of Trump’s second term, when there was a lot of conversation around immigration and policing people.

Another piece that feels always contemporary is that it’s a queer love story. I feel like no matter where we are in history, putting that forward and exploring it is, in some ways, political. There are conversations around who is entitled to love and who deserves that space.

And it isn’t just a queer love story. It’s a queer love story between a white Jewish person and a brown Muslim person. There is an idea of tension between these communities, and that is true in some ways. But what I think isn’t explored as much, and what has been my experience, is the love and solidarity between those communities and the sameness—the overlap.

Difference is focused on so much, but not similarity. I feel like this play was a way to focus on that side of the relationship between our communities, but also between all sorts of ethnic and cultural groups in our country.

Daniel Kushner in Fiddler on the Roof

Q: You’re also an actor, and you spent several years performing in Fiddler on the Roof. How has that experience shaped the way you approach playwriting and BESHERT in particular?

DK: I think selfishly as an actor. When I take a role, I want to be excited by it. So the job I put on myself as a writer is to make roles that I would want to play—for every role to be substantial or interesting or to do something.

I want to create pieces that are ensemble-focused and give actors a lot to do because that’s what I would want. I want to create a space where the actors want to be there and want to give themselves over to the piece.

And Fiddler on the Roof is baked very deeply into me. I did the tour, and I’ve done a couple of recent productions. It’s one of the most iconic pieces of Jewish theatre—but honestly, just theatre.

I was very inspired by that piece in many ways. I think people who are familiar with Fiddler will notice little things here and there that have infiltrated BESHERT. I wanted to pay homage to Fiddler while also building a new Jewish theatre—a new place for those stories to go.

Q: If you could give audiences one thing to know before they walk into the reading on October 26, what would it be?

DK: To me, BESHERT has become sort of a myth or a fable. It has become a possibility—a version of the past that could have been, but that we would never have remembered.

I want audiences to know that what they’re walking into is something different, but something familiar. I like to think of it as an embrace. The play is challenging, and the play has difficult themes and questions. But at the end of the day, I want people to walk away feeling inspired, feeling hopeful, and feeling empowered to engage in their own communities.

And I also want people to know this: it’s called dry cleaning because they don’t use water! They use chemicals, so it’s not typically dry, but it’s sort of dry.

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BESHERT by Daniel Kushner will receive a free public reading on October 26, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at ART/NY South Oxford Space Studios, 138 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Directed by Stephen Burdman, the reading is presented as part of New Visions, New York Classical Theatre’s play development initiative supporting bold new works inspired by and in conversation with the classical canon.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Top Julius Caesar Movies

The Ides of March (2011)

Did The Tragedy of Julius Caesar leave you thinking about Ancient Rome long after the final scene? If you’re eager to spend a little more time in the world of Caesar, Brutus, and Antony, here are some of our favorite film adaptations—and works inspired by Shakespeare’s play. It’s fascinating to see how each interpretation brings its own perspective while remaining rooted in one of history’s most enduring stories.

1. Julius Caesar (1953)

For a modern yet structurally accurate take on Shakespeare’s work, look no further than this Academy Award-winning adaptation starring Marlon Brando and James Mason as Marc Antony and Brutus, respectively. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the film is praised by critics for maintaining an aesthetic that feels authentic to Caesar’s Roman Republic, despite being a large-scale Hollywood production. From the costume and set design to the veteran classical theatre actors featured in the cast, Mankiewicz’s adaptation is considered by many to be the most faithful film adaptation of Julius Caesar to date. It is available to stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

2. The Ides of March (2011)

Stephen Miller (Ryan Gosling) is a campaign staffer for presidential candidate Mike Morris (George Clooney), who is faced with the choice of whether to take a job with rival candidate Ted Pullman after learning some incriminating information on Morris. Betrayal, scandal, and corruption are at the forefront of this film, whose title is an explicit reference to the eerie warning issued to Caesar shortly before his assasination by his supposed allies. The Ides of March is available to stream on Apple TV and Amazon Prime, as well as YouTube.

3. Caesar (1937, Mercury Theatre)

In case The Bard’s own words weren’t enough, the visuals of this theatrical adaptation by Orson Welles will surely get you thinking about the political themes in Julius Caesar as they relate to our more recent history. The play was the first production by the Mercury Theatre in New York City. Intended to be a direct warning against European fascism, productions of Welles’ Caesar featured a set meant to imitate the setting of the Nazis’ Nuremberg Rallies, as well as costumes styled after the uniforms of fascist Italian officials such as Benito Mussolini. Audio recordings of Caesar can be accessed through the Internet Archive.

4. Mean Girls (2004)

Miniskirts, Burn Books, Louis Vuitton—what’s more Shakespearian than that? On a serious note, though, Mean Girls is essentially a retelling of the plot of Julius Caesar set in a 21st-century high school, featuring teenage girls in place of politicians. Cady (or Brutus, perhaps?) is chosen by Janis (Cassius) to infiltrate The Plastics and topple Regina George’s “mean girl” dynasty by befriending and ultimately betraying Regina George (or Julius Caesar). Who knew that there was such insightful political commentary underneath all the ruthless high-school drama of your favorite comfort movie? Mean Girls is available for streaming on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Paramount+. 

5. Caesar Must Die (2012)

This Italian documentary examines the profound impact that engaging with Shakespeare can have on anyone, including convicted felons. It follows inmates in an Italian prison who put on a production of Julius Caesar. Throughout rehearsals and character studies, the inmates begin to recognize the ways in which they are similar to their characters and how the play’s messages about justice and guilt allow them to better understand the course of their own lives. The inmates’ lived experiences translate into a beautifully honest performance that yields triumphant applause before they return to their normal lives. Caesar Must Die is available on Apple TV.

Closing Week Announcement

Our final week of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar begins Tuesday, June 30, at The Battery and Castle Clinton!

Unfortunately, the current forecast includes an Extreme Heat Watch from Wednesday afternoon through Friday evening. While we’ll continue monitoring conditions closely, it is very likely that our Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday performances will need to be canceled to keep our audiences, actors, and crew safe.

Because we do not have a performance on July 4, your best chances to see the production this week are:

Tuesday, June 30 | 7:00pm
Our signature Panoramic Theatre performance, where the audience moves with the actors throughout The Battery.

Sunday, July 5 | 7:00pm
Our final performance of the season, presented as a stationary performance inside Castle Clinton.

We’re hopeful the forecast changes and will keep our website updated with the latest information. Before heading to the park, please check the banner at the top of our homepage for the most up-to-date performance status.

We hope you’ll join us for one final journey through Ancient Rome before the season comes to a close.

If Julius Caesar Were a Playlist

What does The Tragedy of Julius Caesar sound like in 2026?

Power. Ambition. Betrayal. A crowd ready to be persuaded—and a republic pushed to the brink.

As New York Classical Theatre gets ready for our summer production (June 2–July 5 in parks across NYC), we put together a playlist inspired by the characters and forces driving the play. If Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, and Antony had headphones… this might be what they’d be listening to!

🎧 The Playlist

1. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” – Tears for Fears
Brutus, quietly realizing how fragile everything is.

2. “HUMBLE.” – Kendrick Lamar
Confidence, control, and a carefully managed image. Caesar again.

3. “The World Is Not Enough” – Garbage
Caesar energy. Power isn’t the goal—it’s the starting point.

4. “Bad Blood” – Taylor Swift
When friendship turns—and there’s no going back.

5. “No Church in the Wild” – Jay-Z / Frank Ocean
Cassius living in a world where power outruns morality.

6. “This Is America” – Childish Gambino
Antony after the speech—chaos under control.

7. “Control” – Halsey
Brutus trying to hold it together… and not quite succeeding.

8. “Seven Nation Army” – The White Stripes
The sound of something unstoppable building.

9. “Take Me to Church” – Hozier
Moral conviction—whether it’s right or not.

10. “Bury a Friend” – Billie Eilish
Calpurnia knows something is wrong.

11. “Formation” – Beyoncé
Power, presence, and absolute command. Caesar at his peak.

12. “Radioactive” – Imagine Dragons
The moment after everything changes.

13. “You Know I’m No Good” – Amy Winehouse
Cassius, self-aware but still pushing forward.

14. “Exit Music (For a Film)” – Radiohead
The quiet aftermath. The cost.

15. “Time Is Running Out” – Muse
Pressure building—decisions closing in.

16. “Alright” – Kendrick Lamar
The crowd finding its voice.

17. “Burn the House Down” – AJR
Escalation disguised as necessity.

18. “Glory and Gore” – Lorde
Violence becomes spectacle.

19. “I Know the End” – Phoebe Bridgers
Brutus, realizing where this is all headed.

20. “The Man” – Taylor Swift
Power, perception, and who gets to hold it.

What would you add? Let us know!

Observing a NY Classical Rehearsal

by Maddie Cassidy
Senior at The Heschel School

Photo by Da Ping Luo

Should you find yourself strolling through Central Park near The Pool at West 103rd Street, you may stumble upon something truly one-of-a-kind: a New York Classical Theatre rehearsal. Filled with laughter, smiles, and thought-provoking character discussion, NY Classical rehearsals cultivate a welcoming yet devoted attitude among actors and crew alike, who work together to create an exceptional, textually faithful production—and have fun while doing it.

Part of what distinguishes NY Classical’s rehearsal process is Founder and Artistic Director Stephen Burdman’s relationships with his actors, some of whom he has been working with for over a decade. Yet even with actors making their NY Classical debut, Burdman possesses a unique ability to not only deliver helpful constructive feedback, but to accept and consider that of the actors in doing so. He recognizes that all of the actors have studied their individual characters in just as great a depth as he has, and asks them for notes and feedback when difficulties arise. Ultimately, the rehearsal process is an entirely collaborative one, one where actors and their director work as partners in conversation whose contributions are equally important in perfecting the final product.

From the very first table read to the first public performance, to see the ways a NY Classical production comes to life during the rehearsal cycle is profoundly rewarding. Throughout the rehearsal cycle, actors and director alike make choices—some that stick, and some that don’t. But whether or not a certain blocking or pause tested in rehearsal makes it into the final cut, the little conversations that happen in making those final decisions develop into caring, lasting relationships built on a shared love of high-quality, accessible theatre.

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Join us for Open Rehearsals in Central Park, held Saturday–Thursday from 10:00am to 3:30pm, May 5–27. Drop by for a behind-the-scenes look at how scenes are staged, lines are shaped, and characters come to life. Rehearsals take place near the lake by the entrance at Central Park West and West 103rd Street. No tickets or RSVP required—just come as you are and stay as long as you like.

Designing "Julius Caesar" – An Interview with Garvin Hastings

In anticipation of the first performance of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar on June 2, we interviewed our show’s production designer, Garvin Hastings. They spoke about the historical research involved in the costume design process, their goals for this particular production, as well as what makes New York Classical Theatre’s production designs unique.

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Q: From your perspective, what’s different about the costume design process for productions like ours that take place outdoors, as opposed to traditional indoor shows?

GH: Our process is unique because our production is outdoors. Our actors work as performers and guides for the audience, leading them around a pond in Central Park. Each location becomes a different moment in our story. This presents challenges of terrain and weather, which we have to consider while creating the costumes. They have to have good shoes and a base costume that they  can layer different pieces to transform into the multiple characters. It’s also helpful because we have to cart all the costumes back to storage at the end of the night and then cart it back into the parks, so it has to be easily transported as well. So I think that’s a little different than what you’re used to with a typical theater that has a stage and a wardrobe section–we don’t really have that. I also did design it so that even if [the actors] remove a layer, it still conveys the same story. We have these senator capes, but the senator doublets tell the same story and give us the same idea, and that’s to help with heat control. Another thing I like to do is avoid polyester fabrics because they don’t breathe. [Actors] need fabrics that allow air flow to help control heat.

Q: Julius Caesar is a historical play, and although not everything in the play is exactly what happened to the characters in real life, these were real people. Knowing that, do you feel any additional responsibility to depict them as accurately as possible?

GH: Somewhat. Most Americans get a lot of their historical understanding through media of all different kinds, so there is this, especially if we’re doing a period piece, “oh, this is going to be impactful to some audience members.” But at the end of the day, what we’re doing is storytelling. That’s it. So I think as long as we’re telling a story that leaves the audience with questions, then we’ve done our job. But it is also helpful when designing a world or a story to kind of root yourself somewhere. So, when Stephen and I were conceptualizing this, we were looking at that Shakespeare–Peacham drawing–to find a way to mix the Elizabethan era and the Romans. Rooting ourselves in those two periods was helpful to make it cohesive and to make it make sense. 

Photo: The “Peacham Drawing,” believed to date from the late 16th or early 17th century, is considered the only surviving contemporary illustration of a scene from a Shakespeare play. Thought to depict a performance of Titus Andronicus, the sketch is attributed to Henry Peacham and offers a rare glimpse into early modern staging, costumes, and performance.

Q: In this production, the director has re-gendered some of the male characters. What challenges, if any, does this present in terms of finding inspiration for their costumes?

GH: It doesn’t really change the research much at all. Now, once we start working with the actors and talking with them about their characters, it might shift a little bit as we come to understand [the character] more through that actor and through their background and who they are, but it doesn’t really change where you find research. The only thing it might change is how you cut and drape a certain garment. 

Q: When thinking about a play like Julius Caesar where there’s a conspiracy and all sorts of power struggles, something that typically comes up is the idea of status, which characters have power over other characters, and where that power comes from. How have you tried to communicate the different power dynamics within the play through costumes, especially so that they’re clear enough for people who maybe aren’t so familiar with the play? 

GH: Well, we know that Caesar had his political power through the military, so I think you can definitely see that through the armor and who has what armor, and the amount of armor sort of shows status. And when we were researching the Romans, they showed status through what types of clothing they could wear and those stripes on their togas, so we tried to reinterpret that into Elizabethan doublets. So some people will have very few stripes and those stripes build as their status builds as well. I hope that’s clear to an audience, but I think the elaborateness of people’s garments will definitely have an impact. 

Q: Something else that stands out is the gloves for the stabbing of Caesar, because you obviously can’t have “blood” on set. Were these gloves the original idea?

GH: We can’t wash things after every single production, so we kind of have to come up with these “theater magic” ways to kind of scream at the audience what’s happening. And we originally thought red gloves because that’s something that’s been done before, but then we thought, what if we make it a little fleshier and it looks like there’s bloodstains on their hands and such. That’s kind of how we came to that solution.

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Performances of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar run from June 2 until July 5, Tuesdays through Sundays, at 7:00 pm. Click here for more information on locations, reservations, and special events like Family Nights, Dog Nights, and more!

Adapting "Julius Caesar" for the Park

Stephen Burdman, Founding Artistic Director of NY Classical

As New York Classical Theatre prepares its 2026 production of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar—the company’s 50th production—Founding Artistic Director Stephen Burdman is already shaping the play for Panoramic Theatre. Unlike a traditional stage production, this work begins not with a set, but with the park itself—its paths, landscapes, and the audiences who will move through it. Below is a quick Q&A with Stephen on how he approaches adapting Julius Caesar for this uniquely New York experience.

Q: Why are we doing Julius Caesar this year? What made you pick it?
Stephen Burdman: Of all the plays in the canon, I would say Julius Caesar is the play for now.

Q: Why is that?
SB: It deals with so many of the same political issues and struggles that are happening in the world right now.

Q: How does cutting the play for the parks and for multiple locations shape your approach to the script?
SB: When cutting a play for a Panoramic Theatre production, it is very helpful to think of the venue, the park, as a character in the play. So when I’m working on the text, I’m actually thinking about the space and where the architecture of the park best supports specific scenes. And then once we begin staging, we’ll continue to make adjustments for the trees, bushes, hills, bodies of water, and other natural elements to help tell the story. At the same time I am also thinking about you, the audience, and your experience in the park. Where are you sitting or standing? From what perspective do you view individual scenes? And, most importantly, how can we surprise you!

Q: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve discovered in the Julius Caesar script so far?
SB: I think the most interesting thing I’ve discovered so far in the script has been the humanity in the words of the characters. These are, for the most part, all leading citizens in Rome—they’re senators, generals, and the shapers of society. In the play, Julius Caesar is about to become king, for life, but never quite achieves that. And yet, we see how his assassination affects everyone, not just those in power.

Q: You’re actively talking with actors as you shape the script—how does that collaboration influence the process?
SB: Well, first, I am working with mostly actors who are Artistic Associates of NY Classical. I’ve been working with some of them for many years; some nearly two decades. It’s great to collaborate with these folks and in the actor-director relationship we have established a shorthand—a way of working together that, externally, appears seamless. For starters, I am able to hear most of their voices when I’m cutting the text, and that’s really unique. I also reach out to selected performers when I’m struggling with a specific line or moment in the text. I want to make sure my thoughts are in line with what they are thinking about their character, and my adaptation is giving them the textual support they need to play these moments. I love these pre-production moments of collaboration, and so do many of the performers!

Q: What’s been the hardest part of adapting the play?
SB: Julius Caesar is very much about the world of Rome—and today too. And I feel like I want to make sure that we tell the story completely and honestly. Now that I’m entering Act 4 in my adaptation cut, I feel like I’m on a roll and it’s much easier to shape the story. But the initial thing—it oftentimes is the case for me for almost any Shakespeare play—is getting that first act right. That first act sets the tone for the rest of my work.

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For New York Classical Theatre, adapting Julius Caesar is not just about condensing the script—it’s about shaping the story in conversation with the space, the actors, and the audience. This summer, the company’s outdoor production invites audiences to experience the play as a shared, immersive event, moving through the landscape alongside the actors. Performed in parks across the city and free for all, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar continues New York Classical Theatre’s mission to bring high-quality, professional theatre directly into public space—no tickets, no barriers, just Shakespeare in a uniquely New York setting.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar runs June 2–July 5, 2026 in parks across New York City. Performances are free and open to the public. Learn more and reserve for updates at nyclassical.org.

Rome to Right Now: NY Classical Announces Civics Programming Around "Julius Caesar"

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, New York Classical Theatre will pair its 2026 production of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar with a season of public programs exploring the play’s enduring questions about power, rhetoric, and democracy.

At the center of this initiative is a new partnership with Civics is Sexy, a nonpartisan organization that uses the arts and storytelling to transform civic learning into engaging, accessible, and relevant experiences for modern audiences. Together, NY Classical and Civics is Sexy (CIS) will invite audiences to explore the political and rhetorical forces at work in Julius Caesar—from persuasion and public opinion to the dangerous consequences of mob mentality and political violence.

“Theatre has long been a space where societies grapple with questions of political power and collective responsibility,” said Maximina Juson, Executive Director of Civics is Sexy. “This partnership invites audiences to watch those tensions unfold onstage and consider their own role in shaping public life.”

Rather than offering answers, the partnership will frame a series of questions inspired by Shakespeare’s play: Who holds power in a republic? Who checks it? When does protecting democracy begin to undermine it? And what happens when rhetoric outruns reason?

Central to these conversations is the play’s most dramatic act: the assassination of Julius Caesar. Through guided discussions and educational materials, the program will examine how political violence—often justified in the name of protecting a republic—can reshape public trust, fuel instability, and alter the course of history.

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s most searching explorations of political responsibility,” said Founding Artistic Director Stephen Burdman. “By bringing the play into public space and partnering with Civics is Sexy, we hope to create opportunities for audiences to reflect together on how democracies function—and how fragile they can be.”

The civics programming surrounding the production will also include student matinees, dramaturgical materials developed by Shakespeare scholar Sid Ray, Family Nights with Playday, nonpartisan voter registration opportunities, the company’s Vino & Verse conversation series, and public open rehearsals in Central Park offering audiences a behind-the-scenes look at how NY Classical’s signature Panoramic Theatre brings Shakespeare to life.

Presented free of charge in New York City parks, NY Classical’s immersive productions place audiences inside the action—echoing the communal spirit of classical theatre while inviting contemporary audiences to reflect on the civic questions at the heart of Shakespeare’s work.

Upcoming Events & Civics Programming

Vino & Verse – Mar 11, Apr 15, May 13, 7 PM – NY Classical Offices (11 Broadway) & Zoom | Click here for more info

Open Rehearsals – May 4–27, Saturday–Thursday, 10 AM–3:30 PM – Central Park (enter at W. 103rd St & CPW) | No registration necessary - just show up!

Student Programs – May 20, 11 AM (Behind-the-Scenes Rehearsal); June 5 & 11, 11 AM (Student Matinees) – Central Park | Click here for more info

Civics is Sexy Evenings – June 4, 11, 18 (Central Park); June 25 (Carl Schurz Park); July 4 (The Battery) – 6:15 PM voter registration & info booth open, 6:45 PM conversation, 7 PM performance | Registration opens April 13

Family Nights with Playday – June 6 & 17 (Central Park); July 1 (The Battery) – 6:15 PM activities, 7 PM performance | Registration opens April 13

More information and updates can be found at nyclassical.org.

Happy Hour with the Bard? Yes, please!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8 AT 5 PM
ZOOM & IN-PERSON AT THE NY CLASSICAL OFFICES

Our in-person tickets are sold out—but there’s still time to grab your
FREE Zoom ticket for the very first Vino & Verse! 

Skip rush hour and join us online for this lively exploration of Shakespeare’s original practices—how his actors brought the plays to life without directors, lighting designers, or weeks of rehearsal. Together, we’ll look at how cue scripts, costumes, and shared light with the audience created performances full of immediacy, spontaneity, and deep connection.

Presented by Sid Ray, PhD
Professor of English and Women’s & Gender Studies, Pace University
Dramaturg, text coach, and longtime NY Classical Board Member