Welcome to American Bard Theater Company

What's Happening at ABTC

THANK YOU to all the Playwrights who submitted their plays for consideration! ABTC's 2025 Playwirights Invitational has CLOSED.

Dear Playwrights,

An acknowledgement that your submission was received has already been sent or will be shortly for those plays that have come in at the end of the submission period.

Your plays are being read and considered for ABTC's Corner Stone Reading Series.

We will email you by October 15, 2025 if your play moves forward.

The Corner Stone Reading Series is free and open to the public, with required reservations.

This invitational is focused on works by female and female-presenting playwrights.

This programming was started in 2015 as an opportunity to connect with our alumni artists a, meet new talent, and invite our audience into the incubation process of a potential fully-staged production for American Bard.

Thank you to every writer that has submitted! Our fantastic Board has offered to assist our Co-producing Artistic Directors over the next month with administrative tasks and thanks to that - we've raised the "100 submissions" limit! If you have a play that fits our needs (see list on our website), we'd love to hear from you. Get your play to us by midnight! Thanks again, all!

Hell yeah! Congrats to alum Mel House for her nomination for "Hot Angry Mom"! Go over to her handle and watch it (you'll also see alums Nihara Nichelle & Chris Harcum) WE LOVE IT. @melhousenyc @hotangrymom @niharan @chrisharcum

ONE more chance to ABTC Alum Joy Marr play Hamlet for FREE in Queens this week with @hiptohiptheatre - playing in rep with The Tempest. Check out their Insta for more info!

What do these three shows have in common? They are all written by female playwrights and came through our Cornerstone Reading Series before receiving a fully staged production with us! Maybe YOU and YOUR PLAY are next?!
Check our link for our 2nd Playwright Invitational. We are currently accepting submissions. Thank you!

"We are such stuff as dreams are made on..." 🌀Hip to Hip Theatre Company is offering The Tempest in rep with Hamlet over the next couple of weeks for FREE at parks all over Queens. Come a half-hour early for the pre-show for kids! @hiptohiptheatre

A light pre-show drizzle, but it's just the Theatre Gods putting us in the mood to see a ghost!!🤣 ☔️👻 🎭 @hiptohiptheatre

Something fun from Basil Rodericks (...and what a cast!!)

Hey, hey, hey! We are accepting submissions from female & female-identifying playwrights through September 1. Maybe our next play is...YOURS? 👀 See details on our website. Thank you!!

Saw Boomerang Theatre's strong production of Richard II, directed by Aimee Todoroff and starring ABTC alums Tasha Milkman and Chris Harcum. Runs thru July 20 in Central Park on Sat/Sun at 2pm. FREE. We highly recommend it - an incredible ensemble keeping the ball in the air for two hours' traffic of the stage. Bravo! @aimee2thetod @tashamm9 @chrisharcum @boomerangtheatre

Would you just take ten seconds to ADMIRE the cover of this book? And hit that heart button? Liz Keefe has worked so hard for the past year to get her beloved John Basil's third and final book published. We just bought our copies today!

CREATIVE PEOPLE: go to
https://www.johnbasil.com
or https://www.bookstoredorrancepublishing.com
to get the book!

(psst - lots of joyful videos of John teaching First Folio on his website, too!)

HBD to our Co-Producing Artistic Director, Cheri Wicks! May you walk thru many more stage doors in the coming years!!

Pic of the program or it didn't happen! Congratulations to the cast of Eric Bogosian's Humpty Dumpty, directed by @ellajanenew at @chaintheatrenyc 🎭 Excellent work, all! @kirkgost @christinaperryperry @gabrielrysdahl @mariedinolan @vincent_bran_dugh

Great work by @nicholasjamesreilly in @headwalltheatre production of The Pillowman....and oooo! we ran into @bazzact checking out the show, too!

A delightful performance by @ktpancakes and her company @thebkpk before they head to Greece!

Alum alert! All the bday love to @sierrarein this weekend! 😘

A lil' "Co-Producing Artistic Director field trip" to The Drama Book Shop this morning. 🤓📚🎭❤️

Alum Alert! Cheri took a field trip just outside of NYC to see Richarda Abrams in House of Latticeville at Phillipstown Depot Theatre (Artistic Director, Alice Jankell) Win-Win-Win!! @dramaartisan @alicejankell @philipstowndepot

...and that's a wrap on Pecking Order! ❤️🎭

Robert Lee Taylor in the role (and practically every scene) as Albert. It's a demanding role, but Robbie has met the challenge with talent, determination and a million-dollar smile. Two more performances of Pecking Order, by Robin Rice & directed by Basil Rodericks. 🦅 @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭: @rleetaylor 📸: Carol Rosegg

Joy Marr excellently captures the mystery, sweetness and resolve of May, Albert's love, in Pecking Order. Joy has been with us since the first reading and we love working with her! Three more chances to see Pecking Order, by Robin Rice & directed by Basil Rodericks, at @59e59! @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭:@joymarr (with @hbrado, seated) 📸: Carol Rosegg

Laura Lee Botsacos plays Broadway Star Bootsie Chesnut 💃 Bootsie & Albert share a fondness for birds and she is a loyal ally in his desire to save Pale Male's nest. Laura has been such fun to work with - her passion and dedication to her work have informed the creation of Bootsie, delighting audiences at every performance. 🦅 Four more chances to see Pecking Order, by Robin Rice and directed by Basil Rodericks, at 59E59 Theaters. @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭: @lauraleebotsacos (pictured here with @rleetaylor) 📸: Carol Rosegg

"Hey guys, It's me, Sorrell Soffit - the face of Lumi Aura!" 💗 Caroline Portante brings star quality, humor & tenderness to her role as a young NY influencer intent on proving to certain people in her life that her work is significant. We love you, Caroline. 🦅 Pecking Order, by Robin Rice and directed by Basil Rodericks, plays @59e59 thru Feb 15. @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭: @sour_caroline 📸: Carol Rosegg

Rosa is played by the marvelous Heather Abrado. Heather began working on this role a few months before we went into rehearsals - we were lucky to have her in a studio, workshopping the Rosa/Albert scenes for the playwright. We love her emotional availability & her willingness to lean in on hard stuff. 👏👏👏 Pecking Order, by Robin Rice & directed by Basil Rodericks, runs thru Feb 15 at @59e59 🦅 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭: @hbrado (with @rleetaylor) 📸: Carol Rosegg

Nicholas James Reilly plays Tony, an ambitious new doorman in Pecking Order, by Robin Rice. Nicholas is already preparing to play a role in The Pillowman at @secrettheatreny and...of course he is! Nicholas is always prepared and ready to work. A pleasure to have in our production! @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 📸:Carol Rosegg 🎭: @nicholasjamesreilly (with @rleetaylor to the left)

With one week left of Pecking Order, we want to highlight our wonderful actors! First up: Rohana Kenin as Rosa's neighbor Helen. Rohana is a SOLID actor (and person!) and gives us such riches in her scenes. Inspirational. 🦅 Pecking Order, by Robin Rice and directed by Basil Rodericks, runs at @59e59 thru Feb 15. @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 📸: Carol Rosegg 🎭: @rohanakenin (pictured here with @hbrado, seated)

Jeanne Travis, Sound Design! Wow, these two actors get to work directly with Jeanne's magic: a small snippet of an Azealia Banks song really hits Sorrell's vulnerability...and Tony's encounter with a hoity-toity cat? IYKYK 😼 We've been working with Jeanne since 2010 - she's amazing! "Pecking Order" by Robin Rice runs ONE MORE WEEK at @59e59. Directed by Basil Rodericks. @jeanniecats @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto
🎭: @sour_caroline @nicholasjamesreilly
📸: Carol Rosegg

This LIGHT. Pecking Order Lighting Design by Sasha Finley, assisted by Em Stripling. We hit the jackpot with this team. The very best; hard-working, creative, kind.
@finleylighting @emscollectiion @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto
🎭: @hbrado, @rohanakenin
📸: Carol Rosegg

Props design by Seth Mazlin! We're hesitant to shout their name from the rooftops b/c they'll get swooped up by a bigger theater company, ah, but here we go - Seth is a dream to work with & anticipates every producer need. Every time we say, "Hey, can we...?" they put their hand up and respond in their trademark deadpan, "It's done." 🙌 (Q to the actors and ASM @jean_mykulbowen: what are you DOING with allllll these donuts that have one bite taken out of them on stage? 😋🍩) @theysoup @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭: @joymarr @rleetaylor 📸: Carol Rosegg

"This is a charming, humorous, poignant play; beautifully acted by the ensemble. Happy Face!" - Eva Heinemann, Hi! Drama ❤️

Set Design by Robert Dutiel. It's always fun to work with a designer that comes to the table with a few "But what if we....?" ideas 😂 Rob played a big part in shaping the visual world for Pecking Order. This is our 2nd show with Rob; always a pleasure. @robinriceplaywright @59e59 @faceitfoto 🎭: @rleetaylor @nicholasjamesreilly @joymarr 📸: Carol Rosegg

Shout out to Pecking Order's Costume Design by Debbi Hobson. We love her attention to detail - of course Broadway Star Bootsie Chestnut shows up to a hastily-called board meeting in her patriotic best (because Democracy!)...and don't even get us started on Influencer Sorrell Soffit's Fendi pants, which Debbi scored for a fraction of their $700 retail price at UES thift shop (😮). Doormen uniforms from TDF Costume Collection. This is our 3rd show with Debbi and we love working with her! @off_the_1_train @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto 🎭: @rleetaylor @lauraleebotsacos @sour_caroline @nicholasjamesreilly 📸: Carol Rosegg

Beyond our dreams - ABTC started producing indie theater in 2009 and if you told us then that we'd get to place in our work that we could hire a projection designer and have THIS, we would've been so bewildered...but here it is: gorgeous projection design by Scott Fetterman 🤗 Dream come true! (Actors: Heather Abrado, Robert Lee Taylor, and Laura Lee Botsacos. 📸: Carol Rosegg) Pecking Order, by Robin Rice, runs thru Feb 15 at 59E59 Theaters. Directed by Basil Rodericks. Lee Monahan, Stage Manager. 🎭
@scottfetterman @hbrado @rleetaylor @lauraleebotsacos @faceitfoto @itsleemonahan @59e59 @robinriceplaywright

This group! So happy they flocked around Ye Olde Step-n-Repeat at the Opening Night Party - peep that back row: Kim Wadsworth (sound/projection op), Lee Monahan (SM), Basil Rodericks (director) and Jon-Mykul Bowen (ASM). Not pictured: Catherine Brunelle (Wardrobe). This is the best team! 🦅🦅🦅 @59e59 @robinriceplaywright

....and Pecking Order takes flight! From here on out, we producers stay back in the nest while our team does what they do best: soar with the storytelling. What an experience this has been. Pecking Order, by Robin Rice and directed by Basil Rodericks, runs at @59e59 thru Feb 15. @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto

Opening Night sparkled more than the birthday cake we presented to actor Robert Lee Taylor* (pictured here with Joy Marr*) ✨Happy Birthday, Robbie. Blessings and much success to you, your castmates, and crew for the run of Pecking Order! 📸: Carol Rosegg @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto @rleetaylor @joymarr

Walkin' into final preview tonight like we have as many followers as Taylor Swift. Almost.

Pecking Order, by Robin Rice, officially opens Feb 1 and runs thru Feb 15 at 59E59 Theaters. Directed by Basil Rodericks.

Doormen Tony (Nicholas James Reilly*) & Albert (Robert Lee Taylor*) with Influencer Sorrell Soffit (Caroline Portante) 📸: Carol Rosegg @59e59 @robinriceplaywright @faceitfoto @rleetaylor @nicholasjamesreilly @sour_caroline

Love this pre-show snap by our SM, Lee Monahan. This is ABTC's first time using projections with our sound & lighting design. It's been a lot to learn for us, but we've enjoyed it! Projections by Scott Fetterman, Sound by Jeanne Travis, and Lights by Sasha Finley. Pecking Order, by Robin Rice and directed by Basil Rodericks, plays at @59e59 until Feb 15. Caw! 🦅 @faceitfoto @jeanniecats @scottfetterman @finleylighting @itsleemonahan @robinriceplaywright

Cast, Crew, and Designers - This is the "Pecking Order" family & they all have a special place our hearts for pouring THEIR hearts into this wonderful new play by Robin Rice. First Preview Performance is on Wednesday night, January 29, at 59E59 Theaters! 😍🦅 @59e59 📸: Carol Rosegg

59E59 Theaters is a gorgeous, modern venue. We love producing here and one of these days we're gonna get a great shot of our show banner w/out scaffolding in the way. Oh, NYC. 😜

Long cue-to-cue day at 59E59 today with the "Pecking Order" family, but look at this beautiful lighting by Sasha Finley. Director Basil Rodericks on the right. Set design by Robert Dutiel. We love this team! We love this new play!

A couple of clips from Eva Heinemann's You Tube show "Hi! Drama" featuring our director, Basil Rodericks. Check out the full 12-minutes on our website - LINK IN BIO. We can't get enough of Eva's tender reaction to Basil's synopsis of the play in the interview! 🥰) Thank you to Eva Heinemann & the Hi! Drama team for letting us share this special play with you and your fans! "Pecking Order" by Robin Rice begins performances at 59E59 Theaters on January 29, 2025.

Yes, it's true. We are low-key sold out. There's 1 or 2 tickets available right now for *some* performances. But listen! Swipe to hear our Co-producing Artistic Director Cheri Wicks as she gives a tip on how to score a last minute seat. (calling at noon the day-of worked for some of our peeps during last year's The Sweet Spot!)

We got our cast/creatives from last year's The Sweet Spot together last night for a little catch up - the visit went nearly 5 hours and we only got ONE picture...and it's blurry. 😂 We had a good time. Love these folks!

Caught "Thistles" last night at @59E59 - ABTC alums @devbondarin (Director) and @melhousenyc (Actor) truly bringing it. 🤩

Oh, you know. We like a marquee poster! 😂

We are doing a reading of Matthew Libby's play (directed by Julie Kramer) and maybe you want to come see it & tell us what you think?

rsvp: info@americanbard.org

"1998. Laney Chamberlain is an acclaimed poet-turned-professor with a severe case of writer’s block. One day, she is approached by the CEO of a tech company with a strange proposition: he wants to design an artificially intelligent computer program that will create works replicating her poetic voice – in other words, a machine that can write her poetry. This sends Laney through a journey of self-discovery, as she struggles with her identity as an artist in academia, with a tragedy in her recent past, and with the question: what does it mean to lead a creative life in an increasingly technological world?"

Our sweet @rhyleewatson! We loved him as David in our remount of "Echoes in the Garden" in 2021 & we're so thrilled to see his work as Felix in "Ashes & Ink" tonight - 🤩

celebrating @alicejankell - director of this wonderful new play by Martha Pichey tonight! @amttheater45

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