PRELUDE Festival 2023

The annual PRELUDE festival is dedicated to artists at the forefront of contemporary New York City theatre, dance, interdisciplinary, and mediatized performance. PRELUDE offers an array of short performances, readings, and screenings—a completely free survey of the current New York moment and the work being prepared for the next season and beyond—as well as new commissions and panel discussions with artists, scholars, and performers. PRELUDE is a place to discover what voices are shaping the future of theatre and performance in New York City, to observe, engage, commune, and critique. Since 2003, the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center has presented the PRELUDE Festival.

Please find the livestreaming schedule below, plus select performances from the festival schedule.

Livestream Schedule

Monday 9 October

Artist Talk: Steve Cosson

12:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)
Steve Cosson is a director, writer and Artistic Director of The Civilians theater company in New York, where he has originated and developed numerous original works in collaboration with some of the leading theater artists of the country. He’s developed original shows for TBS and ITV Entertainment, is the creator and host of the documentary musical podcast Let Me Ascertain You, and with The Civilians was the first theater company to be Artist-in-Residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

PS21: Performance Spaces for the 21st Century is a contemporary arts venue in the Hudson Valley. PS21 presents innovative programming by leading and emerging artists in music, dance, theater, contemporary performance, and the visual and multimedia arts.

Wednesday 11 October

Future Visions: Provocations for the Next Performance Ecosystem
Edge Effect

7:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
New York City’s performance world has always been advanced by independent creators pushing the boundaries of how, where, and for whom we generate live art experiences. This panel begins with a series of brief manifestos delivered by artists and makers fueling the next chapter of this story, followed by a moderated conversation. Curated and moderated by Jess Applebaum and Nic Benacerraf of Edge Effect. Read more.

Thursday 12 October

The New Black Fest: Kemiyondo Coutinho, Dennis Allen II, Hayley Spivey, and Keith Josef Adkins

3:00 p.m. ED T (New York, UTC -7)
The New Black Fest presents four excerpts from new and provocative plays that interrogate issues around immigration and green card marriages, toxic patriarchy and climate change, truth and transparency, as well as a new play inspired by the absentee black character Donald Muller from the play Doubt.

The four excerpts are followed by a conversation on the topic of resistance and survival through intimacy, community, and knowledge-seeking. The post-reading panel features Kelley Giord, Kemiyondo Coutinho, Hayley Spivey, Dennis Allen II, and Keith Josef Adkins and is moderated by Robyne Walker Murphy. Read more.

Friday 13 October

Artist Talk: Nature Theater of Oklahoma

4:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
Directors of Nature Theater of Oklahoma Kelly Copper and Pavol Liska discuss their work, past and present. Read more.

AI in Performance: Kenneth Collins, Annie Dorsen, Andrew Scoville, Marianne Weems, and others

6:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
In this panel discussion, we explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the performing arts industry. Curated by Kenneth Collins. Participants: Andrew Scoville, Annie Dorsen, Marianne Weems, and others. Read more.

Saturday 14 October

A Performance of Spider Rabbit: Dan Safer/Tony Torn

An in-process performance of Michael McClure's absurdist anti war "gargoyle cartoon." Directed by Dan Safer. With Tony Torn as Spider Rabbit and Lee Ann Brown as A Vision.

PRELUDE Party

The party and awards ceremony was not livestreamed. A video recording will be shared on this page after the festival concludes.

9:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
Join us for one of the legendary PRELUDE dance parties. At 9:30 pm the PRELUDE FRANKIE AWARDS will be given to a group of theatre artists and artistic directors who have made a difference and changed the landscape of New York City Theatre and performance. Theresa Buchheister will receive the PRELUDE’23 Award on Thursday 19 October at the Segal Center following their work VISA—Mon Amour. Read more.

​PRELUDE Award Celebration

​9:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
The 2023 PRELUDE Award for significant, important, and meaningful contributions towards theatre and performance in New York City will be given this year not to an individual but to a group of distinguished leaders in the field. Read more.

Prelude 2023 Awardees:
Alex Roe, Metropolitan Playhouse
Awoye Timpo, Classiz
Anita Durst, ChaShaMa
Jim Nicola, New York Theater Workshop
Keith Josef Adkins, the New Black Fest
Kristin Marting, Here Arts Center
Linda Chapman, New York Theater Workshop
Manuel Antonio Morán, International Puppet Fringe Festival
Morgan Jenness, Dramaturge
Mark Russell, Under the Radar
Meghan Finn the Tank
Nicole Birmann Bloom, Villa Albertine/French Cultural Services in the US
Robert Lyons, the Ohio
Theresa Buchheister, the Brick
Jeffrey Shubart, Lucille Lortel Theatre Foundation

Named and created by Caleb Hammons in honor of Martin E. Segal Theatre Center executive director and PRELUDE founder Dr. Frank Hentschker, the FRANKY Award was created to recognize artists who have made a long-term, extraordinary impact on contemporary theatre and performance in New York City.

Monday 16 October

Devised Theatre After COVID: With Allen Kuharski and Others

​3:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
American Devised Theatre After COVID: Teaching, Archiving, and the Practice
The past, present, and future of devised physical ensemble theatre in the United States was the topic of an historic NEH Institute in Philadelphia in June. A diverse group of over fifty professors, artist/teachers, grad students, editors, and archivists from around the country as well as several foreign countries gathered for twelve days to discuss the issues of archiving, criticism, and especially the theoretical and historical teaching of this sixty-year-old practice in American and world theatre. This exchange was prompted by the recent proliferation of the teaching of the practice of devising in colleges, universities, and drama schools (often without a theoretical, critical, historical framing) and the larger challenges to such innovative live performance following the pandemic, Black Lives Matter, and the growing impact of climate change. The Institute was initiated by Quinn Bauriedel of Pig Iron Theatre Company's School for Devised Performance and co-hosted by Allen Kuharski of Swarthmore College. The panel at CUNY consists of participants in the Institute and will be a report and critical reflection on the larger issues that emerged from the Institute. With Allen Kuharski, Rye Gentleman (New York University), Tracy Hazas (CUNY-Queens College), Rebecca Adelsheim, Tom Sellar (Yale School of Drama) and/or others. Read more.

Academia and New York City Performance: Tomi M. Tsunoda, Daniel Irizarry, Solana Chehtman, Alexis Jemal, and Sylvaine Guyot

​4:30 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
What is the role of academia in the new landscape of theatre and performance after Black Live Matters, We See You W.A.T., The Time of Corona, and the Climate Catastrophe in a radically changing political landscape? Should academia mirror, theorize, reflect and document—or influence, shape and actively participate in the change we want to see? Featuring Tomi M. Tsunoda, Daniel Irizarry, Solana Chehtman, Alexis Jemal, and Sylvaine Guyot. Read more.

Performing Response-Ability: Esther Neff with others

​6:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
Artists and organizers from mutualistic New York performance art communities, including PERFORMANCY FORUM, debate tradition, change, and the ethics and politics of making work in response and relation to racial capitalism, climate collapse, and systemic eugenics. This event includes a short performances followed by discussion. Is performance part of "immune systems" or resilience strategies? How can both artistic works and modes of production practice response-ability? Featuring Arantxa Araujo, zavé martohardjono, Hector Canonge, Ayana Evans, and Lital Dotan. Organized by Esther Neff. Read more.

Space and the City: Randi Berry, Aaron L. McKinney, Ana Fiore, Anita Durst, Baba Israel, and Candace Thompson-Zachery

​7:00 p.m,. EDT (New York, UTC -7)
New York City gave birth to the contemporary practice of performance. Theatre artists presented works in lofts, storefronts, living rooms, churches, and streets. New gigantic Performing Arts Centers like the Shed and the Perelman opened recently and are highly visible—small spaces are disappearing and often feel invisible. Less and less free or affordable rehearsal and presenting spaces for theatre and performance artists seem to be available. But is it really the doom and gloom we talk and read about? Significant New York institutions are coming up with new ways to support New York’s Performing Arts scene. Participants: Randi Berry (Indie Space INC.), Aaron L. McKinney (Hi-ARTS), Ana Fiore (Lower Manhattan Cultural Counsel), Anita Durst (ChaShaMa), Baba Israel (Performance Project at University Settlement), and Candace Thompson-Zachery (Dance/NYC). Read more.

Thursday 19 October

VISA—Mon Amour: Theresa Buchheister, the Brick, Karuna Shinsho

7:00 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC -4)

Next to developing and presenting the work of pioneering emerging artists and career experimenters the Brick Performance Space actively support global artists without work permits or permanent visas in their dream to live and work in New York City.

Now Theresa Buchheister turns the work-in-process into a panel performance. Artist applies during the session for their visa, and panelists talk about the impossible procedure of obtaining a visa, work permit, or a green card for global artists. Audiences get a close look at the the innumerable complex challenges diaspora artists face in New York City.

The panelists are M. Can Yasar, Lianne Elsouki, Rawya El Chab, John Phillip Faienza and HanJie Chow. Moderated by Karuna Shinsho. Produced by Theresa Buchheister and the Brick Theater

Theresa Buchheister will receive their PRELUDE’23 Award after the VISA—Mon Amour presentation. Read more.

About HowlRound TV

HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound. HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world’s performing-arts and cultural fields. Its mission is to break geographic isolation, promote resource sharing, and develop our knowledge commons collectively. Anyone can participate in a community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us. Learn more by going to our participate page. For any other queries, email [email protected] or call Vijay Mathew at +1 917.686.3185 Signal. View the video archive of past events.