It’s that time of year where New Yorkers get to enjoy more shows and theater than ever. Horse Trade Theater Group is presenting the 8th annual Frigid New York Festival, which takes place at The Kraine Theater and Under St. Marks. The festival takes place beginning February 19th and ending March 9th. The goal of Frigid is to showcase New York’s independent theater scene and all of the proceeds from the shows go directly to the artists. Check out the amazing and plentiful list of shows below and check back at Manhattan with a Twist for reviews of our favorite shows!
A Date for the Evening
Presented by Celestial Zenith & Liz Lee – New York, NY
Written by Celestial Zenith, Directed by Shannon Stowe
One woman in the course of an evening takes on a night of speed dating, struggling to connect to anyone in an attempt to mend her broken past.
Sat 2/22 @ 8:25pm, Wed 2/26 @ 10:15pm, Sat 3/1 @ 2:05pm, Mon 3/3 @ 8:40pm & Sun 3/9 @ 2:05pm at UNDER St. Marks $15
A List of Irrational Fears for Future Leaders of the World
Presented by Critical Point Theatre – Blacksburg, VA
Written by Andrew Terrance Kaberline, Directed by Julia Katz
Over eleven years, Kenrick and Jorja learn to live together while selfishly destroying the scary unknown that is post-college life, in a dark investigation of the power of fear, the state of trust in a youthful world, and the inane mental responses to tragedy.
Sat 2/22 @ 6:50pm, Sun 2/23 @ 12:30pm, Mon 2/24 @ 7:05pm, Tue 2/25 @ 10:15pm, Thu 2/27 @ 5:30pm & Sat 3/1 @ 3:40pm at The Kraine Theater $10
Almost a Genius
Presented by Maja Wojciechowski – Chicago, IL
Written by Maria Wojciechowski, Directed by Natalie Shipman
Maria Wojciechowski suffers from bipolar disorder and panic attacks, so she did what any other insane person would do, she wrote a comedy show about it! In Almost A Genius, Maria invites you to into her mind through storytelling, music, dance, and a colorful cast of characters.
Fri 2/21 @ 7:05pm, Wed 2/26 @ 8:40pm, Sat 3/1 @ 5:15pm, Sun 3/2 @ 12:30pm, Mon 3/3 @ 10:15pm & Fri 3/7 @ 5:30pm at UNDER St. Marks $15
Basic Help
Presented by StrangeDog Theatre – Montclair, NJ
Written by Ben Clawson, Directed by Artem Yatsunov
“Your call may be monitored.” NJ’s premiere indie-theatre auteurs, StrangeDog, bring you Ben Clawson’s (Luna Stage, Shadowlands, OG Productions) latest odyssey – a chronicle of two strangers who clash with a kitchen appliance, conquer customer service and quality assurance, only to discover simple companionship in the strangest of places.
Fri 2/21 @ 8:40pm, Thu 2/27 @ 5:30pm, Sat 3/1 @ 6:50pm, Wed 3/5 @ 10:15pm & Sun 3/9 @ 12:30pm at UNDER St. Marks $16
Boogie of the Apes
Presented by Broom Street Theater – Madison, WI
Written & Directed by Rob Matsushita
A parody of one of the best-loved sci-fi franchises of the 1970’s. With the help of vintage children’s records and other found material, we’re recapping, lampooning, and critiquing the first four Planet Of The Apes movies–in less than an hour. Also, like any good 70’s variety show, there are dance numbers.
Wed 2/26 @ 5:30pm, Fri 2/28 @ 7:05pm, Sat 3/1 @ 5:15pm, Sun 3/2 @ 2:05pm & Mon 3/3 @ 7:05pm at The Kraine Theater $16
Brownie and Lolli Go to Hollywood
Presented by Genie’s Hat Productions – New York, NY
Written & Directed by Alycya K. Miller
Two aspiring actresses get a chance to be on their favorite TV show. They just have to be in Hollywood by tomorrow. With no wheels or money between them, the oddball song and dance duo soon discovers that the road to fame is naughtier and more dangerous than they imagined.
Wed 2/19 @ 5:30pm, Fri 2/21 @ 7:05pm, Tue 2/25 @ 7:05pm, Sat 3/8 @ 6:50pm & Sun 3/9 @ 12:30pm at The Kraine Theater $8
Charlotte the Destroyer
Presented by Playhouse Creatures Theatre – New York, NY
Written by Megan O’Leary, Directed by Janet Bobcean
A dark comedy about a washed up children’s book author whose drinking problem and phobias sabotage her ability to write. With a deadline long past, the writer’s poisoned thoughts manifest in the twisted behavior of her characters as our author struggles to find her way back toward reality.
Wed 2/19 @ 7:05pm, Fri 2/21 @ 8:40pm, Wed 2/26 @ 7:05pm, Mon 3/3 @ 5:30pm & Sat 3/8 @ 2:05pm at The Kraine Theater $16
Chicken-Fried Ciccone: A Twangy True Tale of Transformation
Presented by Hard Sparks – New York, NY
Written & Performed by J. Stephen Brantley, Directed by David Drake
Armed with an acoustic guitar, actor-playwright J.Stephen Brantley reveals how he got from junkie to functional with a little help from the queen of reinvention. Chicken-Fried Ciccone is one man’s journey to heroin and back, set to countrified covers of classic Madge. Obie-winning master of the one-man-show David Drake directs.
Wed 2/19 @ 7:05pm, Mon 2/24 @ 5:30pm, Fri 2/28 @ 7:05pm, Thu 3/6 @ 10:15pm & Sat 3/8 @ 12:30pm at UNDER St. Marks $16
Presented by Ginger Galore Productions – Toronto, Canada
Written & Performed by Rebecca Perry, Directed by Michael Rubinstein
Rebecca Perry’s award-winning one-woman “show-sical”(★★★★ Performer, CBC Canada) for the graduate in all of us. Stuck paying off debt, feisty little Joanie makes the most out her barista job by reporting her “findings” on the creatures of “The Coffeeshop Jungle” much like Jane Goodall did with the gorillas! Hilarity ensues.
Fri 2/21 @ 5:30pm, Tue 2/25 @ 5:30pm, Fri 2/28 @ 10:15pm, Sun 3/2 @ 2:05pm, Wed 3/5 @ 8:40pm & Fri 3/7 @ 8:40pm at UNDER St. Marks $15
Presented by Kelly Haramis – Chicago, IL
Written by Kelly Haramis, Directed by David Knoell
A former Chicago Tribune journalist juggles fertility, adoption and loss as she takes the audience on her quest to have a baby. Find out how Penn State parties, a journey to China, and the world’s most fertile man helped form a forever family. Thu 2/20 @ 8:40pm, Sun 2/23 @ 12:30pm, Wed 2/26 @ 5:30pm, Sat 3/1 @ 8:25pm, Tue 3/4 @ 5:30pm & Thu 3/6 @ 5:30pm at UNDER St. Marks $15
Presented by The Theatre Elusive – Toronto, Canada
Written & Performed by Gillian English
Directed by Chris Gibbs
This is the story of knowing who you are, forgetting who you are, wondering who the hell you are, and that one time a drag queen stole my goddamn dress. From the award winning company that brought you Love in the Time of Time Machines (2013 FRIGID Hangover Selection & Audience Choice Winner). Sat 1/22 @ 8:25pm, Mon 2/24 @ 5:30pm, Thu 2/27 @ 10:15pm, Sun 2/2 @ 12:30pm, Tue 3/4@ 7:05pm & Sat 3/8 @ 5:15pm @ The Kraine Theater $15
East in Red
Presented by Estraña Theatre Company – New York, NY
Written by Ryan Sprague, Directed by Ron Nummi
The grisly murders of the Whitechapel Ripper take on a whole new level of brutality in modern day New York City. As a sadistic serial killer terrorizes the streets of the East Village, four women fall victim to ghastly acts of contempt. But a dark secret slowly rises to the surface on the night of the final and most brutal murder. A psychological thriller filled with calculated accusations, sharp knives, and scathing twists, East in Red digs deep in to the darkest corners of our minds to reveal our greatest fears.
Sun 2/23 @ 2:05pm, Tue 2/25 @ 5:30pm, Sat 3/1 @ 8:25pm, Tue 3/4 @ 5:30pm & Wed 3/5 @ 8:40pm at The Kraine Theater $16
Eating My Garbage
Presented by David Mogolov – Boston, MA
Written by David Mogolov, Directed by Steve Kleinedler
Dumbfounded by a call from a political pollster, David begins a hilarious and revealing dive into his own thought process, searching for a reason any one person’s opinion ought to matter. The further he goes, the less plausible it seems that democracy has worked as well as it has.
Wed 2/19 @ 10:15pm, Mon 2/24 @ 7:05pm, Fri 2/28 @ 5:30pm, Thu 3/6 @ 7:05pm & Sat 3/8 @ 2:05pm at UNDER St. Marks $12
For Body and Light
Presented by Travail Rouge – Montreal, QC
Directed & Choreographed by Stephanie Morin-Robert
Spoken Word & Music by Ian Ferrier
For Body and Light explores the interface between darkness and light, form and imagination: meditative stillness, then moving shapes, whispered words and the light catching only the ghost of a body as it flashes past. In darkness, spoken word and music create and project direct on your imagination. The dancers are colour, beauty, motion and touch, intimacy and solitude.
Sat 3/1 @ 12:30pm, Mon 3/3 @ 8:40pm, Wed 3/5 @ 5:30pm, Thu 3/6 @ 10:15pm & Fri 3/7 @ 7:05pm at The Kraine Theater $15
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Gardaí
Presented by Sunglasses After Dark Productions – New York, NY
Written by Liliana Ashman with additional text by Malu Bremer
Directed by Madeleine Rose M. Parsigian
This new play sheds light on one woman’s attempt to interrogate the bureaucratic horror that is Immigration Policy. Borders are not only political they are personal. This show examines the desire to find something human and worthwhile in a deeply dehumanizing process. Lili explores immigration from Ireland to her native New Mexico and why it’s an issue everyone is so damned worried about.
Thu 2/20 @ 5:30pm, Sun 2/23 @ 3:40pm, Sun 3/2 @ 3:40pm, Tue 3/4 @ 7:05pm & Sat 3/8 @ 8:35pm at UNDER St. Marks $10
I Shall Forget You Presently
Presented by Dysfunctional Theatre Company – New York, NY
Based on the poems & letters of Edna St. Vincent Millay
Created by Eric Chase & Amy Overman. Directed by Eric Chase
“Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand, come and see my shining palace built upon the sand!” Funny and sexy, sacred and profane — Poetry, music and memories form a patchwork, spiraling through the life of a woman who captured love, defined feminism and shaped the 20th century.
Wed 2/19 @ 8:40pm, Sat 2/22 @ 3:40pm, Fri 2/28 @ 8:40pm, Sun 3/2 @ 6:50pm & Thu 3/6 @ 5:30pm at The Kraine Theater $16
I-DJ
Presented by Overtime Theater & The Woodlawn – San Antonio, TX
Written by Gregg Barrios, Directed by Greg Hinojosa
A queer Chicano DJ/actor spins the soundtrack of his life on the dance floor by night and by day in a gay send-up of Shakesqueer’s Ham-a-lot set to a dub-step beat of ecstasy, tainted love, Rollerena and Herb Alpert.
Wed 2/19 @ 5:30pm, Sat 2/22 @ 6:50pm, Sun 2/23 @ 2:05pm, Mon 2/24 @ 10:15pm & Tue 2/25 @ 7:05pm at UNDER St. Marks $16
Key of E
Presented by Dark Side of Saturn – Orlando, FL
Music, Lyrics, Story and Direction by Andy Matchett
Script by Corey Volence
Disaffected wannbe-rocker Ethan has been dreaming of the End of the World, but when a giant flood turns the globe into a watery wasteland and brings his fantasies to life, he finds the Apocalypse ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. Killer music, fantastic visuals and a hilarious cast of misfits, this junk rock musical has it all! Sat 2/22 @ 5:15pm, Mon 2/24 @ 10:15pm, Sun 3/2 @ 3:40pm, Tue 3/4 @ 8:40pm, Wed 3/5 @ 10:15pm & Fri 3/7 @ 8:40pm at The Kraine Theater $12
My High-Heeled Life: Or, How I Learned to Keep Worrying and Love My Stilettos
Presented by Sparking Fuse – New York NY and Toronto, ON
Written by Katharine McLeod, Directed by Rod Ceballos
Have you ever had an accidental orgasm in the shoe department? Or wondered when Uggs and flip-flops became acceptable dinner attire? In this witty, seductive confessional, McLeod asks how to navigate the obsession with finding True Happiness. Perhaps it begins one pair of impossibly high stilettos at a time… Sat 2/22 @ 10pm, Thu 2/27 @ 10:15pm, Sun 3/2 @ 6:50pm, Wed 3/5 @ 5:30pm & Fri 3/7 @ 7:05pm at UNDER St. Marks $16
Óscar Tango-Bravo
Presented by Temerity Theatre Company – Brooklyn, NY
Written by Ed Malin, Directed by Bricken Sparacino
A comic look at conspiracy theories and the people who believe in them, in light of 20th Century events like the Cuban Sandwich Crisis. Do you have what it takes to be a would-be revolutionary? Señor Óscar Tango-Bravo runs the world his way.
Wed 2/19 @ 8:40pm, Sun 2/23 @ 5:15pm, Thu 2/27 @ 7:05pm, Sat 3/1 @ 12:30pm & Sat 3/8 @ 3:40pm at UNDER St. Marks $10
Petunia and Chicken
Presented by Animal Engine – New York, NY
Inspired by the works of Willa Cather
Created & Performed by Carrie Brown and Karim Muasher
Directed by Melinda Jean Ferraraccio
From the creators of last year’s FRIGID hit The Vindlevoss Family Circus Spectacular! comes a two person turn-of-the-century epic prairie love story based on the writings of Willa Cather. Sprawling fields of wheat, bustling train stations, and rain-soaked kisses are brought to life with only a hat, a scarf, and song. Thu 2/20 @ 7:05pm, Mon 2/24 @ 8:40pm, Mon 3/3 @ 10:15pm, Thu 3/6 @ 8:40pm & Sat 3/8 @ 3:40pm at The Kraine Theater $15
Professor Ralph’s Loss of Breath
Presented by Playlab NYC – Astoria, NY
Written by “Professor” Ralph Philips
Mr. Lackobreath is the luckiest man alive, but soon after his wedding his life becomes a high-spirited comic nightmare. Punch and Judy meets the Book of Job in Professor Ralph’s neglected masterpiece.
Thu 2/20 @ 8:40pm, Sun 2/23 @ 3:40pm, Wed 2/26 @ 8:40pm, Wed 3/5 @ 7:05pm & Sat 3/8 @ 12:30pm at The Kraine Theater $15
Questions of the Heart: Gay Mormons and Me
Presented by Inquisitive Productions – Bloomington, IN
Written by Ben Abbott, Directed by Mark Kamie
Ben is Mormon. Ben has close gay friends. Is he supposed to pick sides? Questions of the Heart follows Ben as he interviews a wide range of gay Mormons in an attempt to navigate the often-painful intersection of religious faith and sexuality.
Thu 2/20 @ 10:15pm, Sat 2/22 @ 5:15pm, Wed 2/26 @ 7:05pm, Sun 3/2 @ 5:15pm, Thu 3/6 @ 8:40pm & Sat 3/8 @ 10pm at UNDER St. Marks $12
Real Dead Ghosts
Presented by Shelby Company – Brooklyn, NY
Written by Jonathan A. Goldberg, Directed by Courtney Ulrich
A cabin in the woods becomes home to disappointments, secrets and regrets when a young couple are haunted by past choices and future responsibilities. A modern day ghost story. Unfinished business kind of shit.
Fri 2/21 @ 10:15pm, Mon 2/24 @ 8:40pm, Sat 3/1 @ 10pm, Wed 3/5 @ 7:05pm & Sat 3/8 @ 5:15pm at UNDER St. Marks $16
Presented by Proletarian Productions – New Haven, CT
Written by Charles Gershman
Directed by Eli Taylor
Brothers Abe and Shlomi know a lot less about each other than they think. When Abe barges in on Shlomi during a nude male photo shoot, his desire for a closer relationship with his brother results in a strange and unexpected outcome.
Sat 2/22 @ 2:05pm, Thu 2/27 @ 8:40pm, Sat 3/1 @ 6:50pm, Tue 3/4 @ 10:15pm & Sun 3/9 @ 3:40pm at The Kraine Theater $15
Something Wicked
Presented by Everyday Inferno Theatre Company – New York, NY
Adapted & Directed by Anais Koivisto
“The Queen, my lord, is dead.” Lady Macbeth awakes to a purgatory created from her own gruesome misdeeds. Unsure whether her final destination is Heaven or Hell, and guided by three gleefully tormenting witches, she searches for answers… and her lost love… in the mind-bending hereafter.
Thu 2/20 @ 10:15pm, Sun 2/23 @ 5:15pm, Tue 2/25 @ 8:40pm, Sat 3/1 @ 6:50pm & Sat 3/8 @ 8:25pm at The Kraine Theater $16
Steve: A Docu-Musical
Presented by Tremor Theater Collective – Brooklyn, NY
Created & Preformed by Colin Summers, Directed by Nessa Norich
Colin and Steve have never met. Colin is a twenty-something musician living in Brooklyn. Steve is a retired railway clerk in Australia who writes eccentric books, lyrics, scripts and countless emails to Colin. Over the last five years, they have written over 100 songs together… and passed over 6,000 emails between them. In Steve: A Docu-Musical, the quirky and charming Colin Summers shares songs, emails, bells, flags, clocks, frogs, maps, a stylophone and other curious artifacts to tell their comic and moving story.
Sat 2/22 @ 2:05pm, Sun 2/23 @ 6:50pm, Thu 2/27 @ 8:40pm, Mon 3/3 @ 7:05pm & Sun 3/9 @ 3:40pm at UNDER St. Marks $10
The Eyes of Orbach
Presented by No. 11 Productions – New York, NY
Written by Julie Congress, Ryan Emmons, Zachary Fithian & Jen Neads
Directed by Ryan Emmons
“Jerry Orbach gave his heart and soul to acting and the gift of sight to two New Yorkers.” What if those two New Yorkers fell in love? Celebrate all things NYC, from Dan Smith to Dr. Zizmor, in this new musical comedy about finding connection in the big city.
Wed 2/19 @ 10:15pm, Sun 2/23 @ 6:50pm, Thu 2/27 @ 7:05pm, Sun 3/2 @ 5:15pm & Fri 3/7 @ 5:30pm at The Kraine Theater $15
Tina and Amy: Last Night in Paradise
Presented by SixTee Collective – Brooklyn, NY
Created by Nikki DiLoreto, Antonia Lassar & Maria Gilhooley
Before the fame, before the glory, before the drunk texts from Lorne Michaels, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were really broke. One uncomfortable night in 1997, Tina and Amy are struggling to write the perfect sketch. From the creators of the FRIGID New York 2013 Best Show award, The God Box, comes this super true, totally not made up story about two iconic women of comedy.
Thu 2/20 @ 7:05pm, Sat 2/22 @ 3:40pm, Sat 3/1 @ 3:40pm, Fri 3/7 @ 10:15pm & Sat 3/8 @ 6:50pm at UNDER St. Marks $16
Yelling at Bananas in Whole Foods
Presented by Dan Bernitt – New York, NY
Written & Performed by Dan Bernitt
Organic. Raw. Vegan. Local. Gluten-free. Free range. Hormone-free… STOP THE INSANITY! After a chance meeting with a 1990s infomercial health guru, Dan radically changes his relationship with the food he consumes. But will his journey into the rabbit hole of food politics isolate him from humankind?
Fri 2/21 @ 5:30pm, Wed 2/26 @ 10:15pm, Fri 2/28 @ 5:30pm Thu 3/6 @ 7:05pm & Sun 3/9 @ 2:05pm at The Kraine Theater $16
Tickets to the shows can be purchased at http://www.frigidnewyork.info/.
Twisted Talk: Which show are you most looking forward to? Have you been to Frigid in the past? Discuss in the comments below!
