New Workshops, Free Readings, Special Events, and Training Program for Six Weeks: June 18–July 26, 2026

Vassar College is thrilled to announce the lineup for the 40th Powerhouse Theater Season. After more than four decades, this annual summer season brings together some of today’s most influential theatrical voices and welcomes the next generation of theater artists as members of the renowned Powerhouse Theater Training Program.

Since 1985, Powerhouse has welcomed artists and students of the highest caliber to the Vassar College campus—from Lynn Nottage to Alex Brightman and from Taylor Mac to Sarah DeLappe. The artists and projects that join the ranks of this esteemed group in 2026 include Drew Droege (Messy White Gays), who kicks off the season with his new comedic one-man show, Theater Idiot. Broadway musical theater veterans Cheri Steinkellner (Sister Act) and David Zippel (City of Angels, Liza’s at the Palace) have teamed up to create the hilarious and heartfelt new musical Fanboy/Diva, directed by original Dear Evan Hansen cast member Will Roland, with music by Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning composers Walter Afanasieff, Cy Coleman, Alan Menken, and Matthew Wilder.

Jocelyn Kuritsky (KPOP) and her writing partners return to Powerhouse to present the third installment of episodes in progress of the historical and witty Webby Award-honored podcast A Simple Herstory, in collaboration with The Muse Project NYC and directed by The Tank’s Artistic Director, Meghan Finn. Powerhouse welcomes Gianfranco Lentini and Jonathon Loy (Cofounder - Berkshire Opera Festival) to Vassar with a workshop of Ocean Walk, exploring survival and surrender after a cataclysmic storm wipes out the LGBTQ enclave of Fire Island Pines. Associate Professor of Drama Peter Gil-Sheridan, along with Cristina Luzárraga, Julián Mesri and Rebecca Aparicio have partnered to create a new musical about the Cuban Refugee Crisis of 1980 in Marielitos.

Longtime Powerhouse alums and real-life couple, Hal Cosentino and Ellenor Riley-Condit, explore the possibility of having a child as a trans man and cis woman, with help from a nineteenth-century Quaker preacher who claimed God freed them from gender in Godfriend, directed by Caley Chase, with music by Hannah Read (aka Lomelda). Rounding out the Powerhouse Season are free readings of new works written and directed by Lynn Rosen and Julie Kramer (The Tank), Isaac Byrne and Jessi D. Hill (Mechanical Raven Productions), Abe Johnson and Ryan Dobrin, Pete McElligott and Judson Jones (Theatre East) and Genevieve Simon, the winner of the Leah Ryan Fund’s “Leah Award.”

Powerhouse is also pleased to be hosting the Soundpainting Thinktank, a week-long gathering of artists from around the world, culminating in a one-night-only performance. Soundpainting is the universal live composing sign language created in Woodstock by composer Walter Thompson.

As always, Vassar is excited to welcome a new cohort of young actors, directors, and writers to campus as members of the Powerhouse Theater Training Company. These emerging artists will present a slate of free theater throughout the season, including Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, adapted and directed by Elizabeth Dahmen, and Lope de Vega’s Fuenteovejuna, adapted and directed by Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy. Both will be performed outside at the Preserve at Vassar. Max Reuben returns to direct the company in the innovative use of Soundpainting, a gestural language, in a completely devised project at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. And Erin C. Buckley and Aysan Celik explore life in a cult, from the spiritual to the mundane in Ashram.

Also in residence at Powerhouse this summer is Vassar Professor Shona Tucker (To Kill a Mockingbird) who, alongside John Summerford, are in the early stages of developing Better Angels by LuAnn Kaldor and Eve Gendron.

“It’s an honor to have so many Powerhouse favorites alongside fresh voices on campus, as we celebrate the 40th Anniversary Powerhouse Season,” said Producing Director Michael Sheehan. “Since 1985, Powerhouse has offered space to both established and emerging artists. 40 years later, I’m proud to be continuing that tradition at Vassar.”

“And what a joy it is to welcome back Powerhouse alums Erin C. Buckley and Ellenor Riley-Condit, both of whom were members of the Powerhouse Training Program. After having begun their journey as artists at Powerhouse, it’s a joy to have them return to share their latest work with our audiences and students,” added Producing Director Ed Cheetham.

“Vassar’s role in shaping the history of American theater cannot be overstated. It is a privilege to welcome and support the work of renowned artists each summer, as well as the works of local artists of the Hudson Valley, including Vassar’s own Associate Professor of Drama, Peter Gil-Sheridan, and Professor of Drama, Shona Tucker,” said Vassar College President Elizabeth H. Bradley.

“At the foundation of the Powerhouse program is the Training Company. We are delighted to welcome a new cohort of dedicated aspiring artists, who come from all over the country to study, create, and perform alongside our world-class faculty and professional artists,” added Sheehan.

“We can’t wait to welcome our loyal audiences back to the Vassar campus. See you this summer!” concluded Cheetham.

Additional projects and casting information will be announced in the coming weeks. 

See the 2026 Powerhouse Season Schedule

Box Office Information

Online ticket sales: May 28, 2026
In-person ticket sales: June 11, 2026 at the Powerhouse Box Office
Theater Idiot tickets: $40.00
Workshop tickets: $30.00
Readings, An Evening of Soundpainting, and Training Program Performances: Free
Box Office hours: Wednesday–Monday, 12:00–6:00 p.m.
Box Office: (845) 437-5599, phtboxoffice@vassar.edu

Background

Celebrating its 40th Season in 2026, Powerhouse Theater (Ed Cheetham and Michael Sheehan, Producing Directors) is dedicated to both emerging and established artists in the development and production of new works. For six weeks every summer, the Powerhouse Theater Program comes to life on the Vassar College campus to provide a nurturing environment in which passionate theater lovers, from students to professional practitioners and audience members, learn from one another. The Powerhouse Theater Training Program provides aspiring theater professionals a chance to immerse themselves in acting, directing, and playwriting. The program’s Training Company also offers free performances throughout the season. Together with our adventurous partners, students, and dedicated audiences, we create a crucial community—one that gives time, space, and voice to artists of the American theater.

Recent projects that have premiered in New York City developed by Powerhouse include: Messy White Gays (Off-Broadway), Mexodus (Off-Broadway), A Trojan Woman (The Tank), The Notebook (Broadway), The Connector (MCC Theater), birthday birthday birthday (The Tank), annA (Stella Adler), Canaan Unremembered (Theatre East), Luna and the Starbodies (Lincoln Center), Sweet Chariot (The Public), Sanctuary City (New York Theatre Workshop), Diana (Broadway), Head Over Heels (Broadway) The Secret Life of Bees (Atlantic Theater Company), The Great Leap (Atlantic Theater Company), Alice by Heart (MCC Theater), A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (St. Ann’s Warehouse) and The Wolves (Lincoln Center Theater). Other projects developed at the Powerhouse include the Tony Award-winning Side Man and Tru; the multi-award-winning Doubt by John Patrick Shanley; the groundbreaking Broadway musical Hamilton; and Stephen Karam’s The Humans.

Vassar—located in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley—is an independent, coeducational, residential liberal arts college, which fosters intellectual openness and lively exploration through its widely varied course offerings. Founded in 1861 to offer women a fully equivalent education to that of the best men’s colleges of the period, Vassar became the first women’s college in the nation to expand its mission to coeducation by opening its doors to men in 1969. Today’s students, who meet each other as equals, are encouraged to develop diverse perspectives through engaging in lively dialogues with faculty and fellow students, which enables them to achieve the insight and confidence needed to function most creatively in today’s complex world. Consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country, Vassar continues to be renowned for pioneering achievements in education and for the beauty of its campus in Poughkeepsie, New York.

2026 Season Partners

Tori Kraese is a New York-based producer and theatermaker with a background in operations, administration, and new work development. She currently works in project management while independently producing new plays. Her work is driven by an interest in emotionally urgent stories, contemporary social themes, and collaborative artistic development. This is her first project developed through the Powerhouse Theater Season at Vassar College.

The Leah Ryan Fund began giving out its annual prize, The Leah, in 2010 to honor the memory of playwright and “woman of letters” Leah Ryan, and to encourage and support the work of brilliant and unrecognized women, trans, and non-binary playwrights. It is the purpose of the prize to perpetuate the integrity, compassion, and creativity that Leah herself possessed and inspired in others.

Mechanical Raven Productions is an independent production company founded in 2025 by creative producer and dramaturg Megan E. Carter. The company takes on a selective roster of performance projects early in their development, with a focus on work that is formally innovative, intellectually rigorous, and that treats the audience as an active collaborator in meaning-making. Mechanical Raven Productions is guided by an ethos of choosing depth over breadth, supporting artists with thriving wages and humane processes, and assembling stories that are overlooked into works that challenge, illuminate, and transform. www.mechanicalraven.org

The Muse Project NYC is a New York–based development incubator focused on centering women stage actors. Founded and led by Jocelyn Kuritsky, the company develops original interdisciplinary work through workshops, readings, performances, and long-term artistic collaboration. In 2024, Kuritsky and the initiative received the New York Independent Theater Awards' Ellen Stewart Award, honoring leadership and contribution to independent theater. Muse’s mission is to “shift the traditional theater paradigm” by giving actresses space to generate and shape their own material. Over the years, they’ve collaborated with New Georges, The New Group, The Tank, Torn Page, Theaterlab, and The Flea Theater. Artists associated with the project have included Florencia Lozano, Lynn Cohen, Jessica Frances Dukes, Vanessa Aspillaga, Déa Julien, and many others from various corners of the NYC theater scene. More recently, The Muse Project has become especially associated with A Simple Herstory, the award-winning podcast/live performance hybrid about women who have run for U.S. president. The project has garnered notable recognition, including a Webby Awards distinction, two Anthem Awards, and a Telly Award. www.themuseprojectnyc.com.

Platt Productions is a New York City–based independent theatrical production company focused on developing and presenting new work. Founded by Jake Platt in 2012 the company supports emerging playwrights, directors, and performers by bringing intimate, character-driven stories to the stage. Past productions include In Search of Eliana (The Players Theater, 2024), and Desiree Burch's award winning one woman show Tar Baby (DR2 Theater, 2012; Stockton College, 2013; SUNY New Paltz, 2015; 59E59 East to Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2016; London Underground, 2017; Auckland Arts Festival, 2016). Awards include: The Scotsman's Fringe First Award and Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. Platt Productions continues to contribute to the city’s vibrant grassroots theater community, supporting independent artists and helping bring new voices to the stage.

The Soundpainting Thinktank is an annual international gathering of artists invited by Walter Thompson to develop the Soundpainting language, share research, and collaborate across disciplines. Participants engage in performances, discussions, and pedagogical exchange, advancing the practice in both artistic and educational contexts.

Originating as residencies at the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock (1998–2000), the Thinktank has since evolved into a weeklong program hosted by institutions worldwide, including conservatories, universities, and arts organizations across Europe and the United States. Its mission is to further refine approaches to live composition and expand the applications of Soundpainting in diverse settings.

Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble was founded in 1997 and is an interdisciplinary collective of improvising musicians, dancers, and actors based in New York City. Working at the intersection of art, activism, and social justice, the ensemble creates original performances and education programs that foster empathy, creativity, and civic engagement. Strike Anywhere has performed and taught in more than 200 venues across 16 states and 8 countries, using theater, improvisation, and Soundpainting to amplify underheard voices and build community. The company is widely recognized as the leading U.S. ensemble working with Soundpainting.

The Tank, celebrating 20 years in 2023, is a nonprofit arts presenter that champions performing artists working across a variety of disciplines engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. Led by Artistic Director Meghan Finn, Director of Artistic Development Johnny G. Lloyd, and Managing Producer Molly FitzMaurice, the company provides a home to artists working and experimenting in theater, comedy, dance, film, music, puppetry, and storytelling by removing the economic and accessibility barriers from the creation of new work.

Artists who have developed their craft at The Tank include Tony Award-winner Alex Timbers, Tony Award Nominee Amy Herzog, Lucy Alibar, Kyle Jarrow, Reggie Watts, Kyle Abraham, Andrew Bujalski, We Are Scientists, and tens of thousands of others from various corners of the NYC theater scene. The Tank has been honored with a 2020 OBIE Award for Institutional Recognition celebrating their Extraordinary Support of Emerging Artists, six Drama Desk nominations for their co-produced work, and an official New York City Council proclamation. Recent co-produced work includes hit productions of Three Scenes in the Life of a Trotskyist by Andy Boyd (2024), Mahinerator by Jerry Lieblich (2023), New York Times Critics’ Picks Simon and His Shoes (2022), Taxilandia (2021, 2023 OBIE Award), OPEN by Crystal Skillman (2019), Red Emma & The Mad Monk by Alexis Roblan (2018), and The Offending Gesture by Mac Wellman (2016); as well as Drama Desk Award-nominated productions The Hunger Artist (2018), The Paper Hat Game (2017), the ephemera trilogy (2017), Ada/Ava (2016) and youarenowhere (2016). The Tank’s track record of artistic success is not an accident of their model: it is a direct outcome of the culture of creative possibility they have intentionally cultivated.

Theatre East is a nonprofit theater company whose mission is to provide the community with a platform to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world we share through theater. Theatre East stirs the human side of current issues by fostering new plays of social relevance through New York and world premieres. Furthermore, they create access to art makers and storytellers through the space they manage and operate in Long Island City, the Court Square Theater. www.theatreeast.org

Theatre 4the People is a 501c3 nonprofit company run by a Co-Op of artists dedicated to: Nurturing and supporting a truly diverse range of emerging and established theatre artists—giving voice to new stories; ensuring that theatre is accessible to all people, regardless of background or status.

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