Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Hari Nef and More Join BREAKING THE BINARY THEATRE FESTIVAL

Breaking the Binary Theatre revealed additional cast members for the fifth annual Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival which will take place from October 5 – 11, 2026 at The Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater at the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space. Tickets are all complimentary and are now available.

As previously announced, programming will include staged readings of My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theatre by Zaza Diana Oh, directed by Miranda Haymon; Twitch by Liliana Padilla, directed by Jack Ferver, starring Joslyn DeFreece; The Magically Re-Imagined History of J.K. Rowling by Jaime Jarrett, directed by Emilio Ramos; Glitz, Glamour, Girls: A Variety Show featuring the dolls from Cats: The Jellicle Ball, directed by Noax; Red Ink by Cecilia Gentili, directed by Nic Cory, starring Qween Jean; as well as readings of four new plays including our chronicle by DJ Hills directed by Will Davis; Boids by reid tang, directed by Kedian Keohan; Before Then, There’s Now by Ianne Fields Stewart, directed by N’yomi Allure Stewart; Spin by Jake Brasch, directed by Sivan Battat; and an annual finale co-conceived by L Morgan Lee and George Strus.

Additional casting includes, Alex Lugo (they/them), b (they/them), B Noel Thomas (she/her), Barsha (she/they), Bianca Leigh (she/her), Bryson Battle, Carl Clemons-Hopkins (they/he/anything with respect), Carmen LoBue (they/them/Bue), Che, Kabia (they/them), Cheeyang Ng (they/them), clew (they/them), Dani Martineck (they/he), Dom Martello (they/them/she), ), Ema Zivkovic (they/them), Essence Lotus (she/her), Evie Schuckman (they/them), fatima jamal, Futaba (he/him), Garnet Williams (she/they), Gigi Gatekeeper (they/she), Hari Nef (she/her), Hennessy Winkler (he/him), Ishmael Gonzalez (they/them), Jax Jackson (no pronouns), Jayae Riley Jr (she/they), Jess Barbagallo (he/him), Jesse James Rose (she/they), JJ Maley (he/they), Jonny Beauchamp, Julie J, Kalyn West (they/them), Kya Azeen (she/her), Kyr Siegel (he/him), L Morgan Lee, Leiomy (she/her), Mariyea (she/her), Marquise Vilsón (he/him), Marti Cummings (they/them), Mei Ann Teo (they/them), Murphy Taylor Smith (she/her), Nora Brigid Monahan (she/they), Nora Schell (they/them), Reed Northrup (he/him), Sabrina Wu (they/them), Sagan Chen, T Mitsock (she/her), Taylor Trensch (any pronouns), “Tempress” Chasity Moore (she/her), TL Thompson (they/them), and travis l. tate (they/them).

Festival casting is by The Telsey Office / Charlie Hano, CSA. Esmé Maria Ng (they/he/she) serves as Festival Producer and Is Perlman (they/them) is Assistant Producer.

Monday, October 5

My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theatre

by Zaza Diana Oh (they/them)

directed by Miranda Haymon (they/she)

Creative Consultant: Mei Ann Teo (they/them)

Stage Manager: Alisha Simmons (they/them)

starring Alex Lugo, b, Bianca Leigh, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Cheeyang Ng, Dani Martineck, Dom Martello, Mei Ann Teo, Sagan Chen, T Mitsock, and TL Thompson

Zaza Diana Oh’s My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theatre centers on a writer, musician, and actor who confronts the Gr8 American Theater. Through ranting, laughing, singing, pleading, evoking history, making fun of, calling out, and deeply loving, our protagonist gives us a play-by-play critique of theatre – its diversity panels, fundraising galas, playbills, white leads, Shakespeare, and more. It is a fierce, joyful, relentless h8-filled love-fest that generously invites all of us to take a look at the institution to which we’re so devoted. Following Zaza Diana Oh’s passing last year, Breaking the Binary Theatre is proud to present this reading in their honor.

Tuesday, October 6

Twitch

by Liliana Padilla

directed by Jack Ferver

starring Joslyn DeFreece (she/her)

Pam searches obsessively for her missing son, accompanied by a twitch no one else can see. Searching for her son, Pam follows clues to the pound, computer store, a missing person’s group, airport, and other crevices of her splitting psyche. In tracking her son’s vanishing steps, she also chases hope. Twitch was previously developed as part of the inaugural Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival in 2022. This new, solo version of the piece premiered at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it was named “a show worth seeing” by Vogue.

Wednesday, October 7

The Magically Re-Imagined History of J.K. Rowling

Book, music, and lyrics by Jaime Jarrett (they/he)

directed by Emilio Ramos (he/they)

music directed by Jack Cline (they/he)

Stage Manager: Dot Scuotto (they/she)

Guitar Accompaniment: Will Shishmanian (he/him)

starring Evie Shuckman, Hennessy Winkler, Jesse James Rose, and Marti Cummings

In the turbulent summer of 2020, Oliver, a transgender man, and his eleven year old daughter, Georgie, have been in lockdown in their tiny apartment for three months. The only thing holding the two of them together? Harry Potter. So when J.K. Rowling publishes an essay spreading dangerous rhetoric about the transgender community, Oliver cannot imagine taking the books away from Georgie— or himself. He magically travels into Rowling’s past: first in an attempt to prove the author’s morality, and then to attempt to alter her history— and transform her into the brave person he desperately needs her to be. With songs that explode events from Rowling’s life, and a book that incorporates verbatim text from her interviews, The Magically Re-Imagined History of J.K. Rowling explores the interconnectedness of art, artist, and audience, and the consequences their entanglement brings.

Thursday, October 8

Glitz, Glamour, Girls: A Variety Show

directed by Noax (they/them)

Stage Manager: Nat Kelley DiMario (they/them)

starring B Noel Thomas, Garnet Williams, Kya Azeen, Leiomy, and “Tempress” Chasity Moore

with special guests Bryson Battle, Kalyn West, and Nora Schell

Come one, come all! Join Breaking the Binary Theatre as we celebrate the five dolls of Cats: The Jellicle Ball –B Noel Thomas, Garnet Williams, Kya Azeen, Leiomy, and Tempress Chasity Moore –as they reunite for the first time since the show’s closing for a dazzling variety show not to be missed.

Friday, October 9

Cecilia Gentili’s Red Ink

developed and directed by Nic Cory (he/him)

starring Qween Jean (she/her)

God won’t give up on Cecilia Gentili. Unfortunately, neither will the devil. Follow a young trans girl as she navigates the hilarity of rural Argentina in the 1970’s. Part stand-up, part camp, and (almost) all true, Cecilia Gentili’s Red Ink is an irreverent romp in the search for faith while trans. Red Ink was awarded a Special Recognition at the 26th GLAAD Media Awards. This performance of Red Ink marks the debut performance of Tony Award-winner Qween Jean in the role of Cecilia.

Saturday, October 10

our chronicle

by DJ Hills (they/them)

directed by Will Davis

Stage Manager: Eli Gutierrez (he/they)

Dramaturg: Samuel Yates (they/he)

starring Hennessy Winkler and Reed Northrup

Structured as a short story collection for the stage, our chronicle follows two brothers on an epic river journey, as they age from 14 to 92, intercut with scenes from their lives that shape the people they become.

Boids

by reid tang (they/he)

directed by Kedian Keohan

Stage Manager: Angie Salazar (they/she)

starring Che Kabia, Futaba, Ema Zivkovic, Ishmael Gonzalez, Jonny Beauchamp, Kyr Siegel, and Sagan Chen

Five men go to men’s group to be taught how to be a proper man—by a woman. Fortunately, gender isn’t real. Boids is a Breaking the Binary Theatre commission.

Before Then, There’s Now

by Ianne Fields Stewart (she/they)

directed by N’yomi Allure Stewart (she/her)

Stage Manager: Alisha Simmons (they/them)

Dramaturg: Deziré Michael (they/she)

starring Carmen LoBue, Essence Lotus, fatima jamal, Gigi Gatekeeper, Jayae Riley Jr, Mariyea, Marquise Vilsón, N’yomi Allure Stewart, and travis l. tate.

Five years from now, during the last hour and a half before the nationally mandated Tigerpox lockdown, seven Black Trans people find comfort and safety in a new home and each other. A sweet utopic relationship blossoms against the backdrop of our world’s terrifying future. In this new home, some want to nest, some want to run, and one of them, Leo, is trying to hide. As they set the foundation for their final home, Leo’s grief becomes unavoidable. In Act Two, we flash back to NOW as Leo is on a porch in the Deep South. With the help of Them, she faces what hurts and heals because Before Then, There’s Now.

Spin

by Jake Brasch (he/they)

directed by Sivan Battat (she/they)

Stage Manager: Skylar Back (they/them)

Dramaturg: Genevieve Simon (he/they)

starring Barsha, clew, Hari Nef, Jax Jackson, Jess Barbagallo, Nora Brigid Monahan, Sabrina Wu, and Taylor Trensch

What do a birthday party clown, an ornithologist, a rabbi, a park ranger, a grief counselor, a goat cheese enthusiast, and a flock of critically endangered Barn Owls have in common? Turns out a hell of a lot! Jumping wildly through time, Spin charts the lives of a group of lost souls, slowly revealing the strange, invisible threads that bind them together.

Sunday, October 11

Celebrate: A Collection of Commissioned Scenes and Monologues

co-conceived by L Morgan Lee (she/her) and George Strus (they/them)

directed by L Morgan Lee (she/her)

Stage Manager: Jude Brandt (they/them)

featuring works from Chris Bush, D.A. Mindell (he/him/his), Dante Green (they/she/he), Esmé Maria Ng (they/he/she), Jen Silverman (they/them), Jordan Ramirez Puckett (they/them), Kit Yan (they/he/she), Nora Brigid Monahan (she/they), Rob Madge (they/them), Sasha Velour (she/they), and Sharifa Yazmeen (she/her)

starring JJ Maley, Julie J, L Morgan Lee, Murphy Taylor Smith, Nora Schell, and TL Thompson

Since the inaugural Festival in 2022, Tony Award-nominee L Morgan Lee and BTB’s Founding Artistic Director George Strus have joined forces to commission over 50 short scenes and monologues. These pieces have been published in partnership with Broadway Licensing/Concord Theatricals to create more material specifically for the TNB2S+ community. Join us for the grand finale of the fifth annual Breaking the Binary Theatre Festival to celebrate this year-long collaboration by highlighting some of the greatest hits from the four published collections: Overheard, Bliss, Dare, and Limitless.

In addition to the yearly week-long festival, the organization will also present a one-night-only concert of The Danish Girl taking place at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium to celebrate Transgender Day of Remembrance on Friday, November 20, 2026.

Based on the award-winning book by David Ebershoff, the new musical features book and lyrics by Nora Brigid Monahan, an original score by Alex Parker, and direction by Georgie Rankcom. The production, which held its first private workshop earlier this year, is being developed by Strus’ commercial producing venture, Benson Drive Productions. Information on casting and tickets will be announced in the coming weeks. All tickets are complimentary and General Admission. For more information, please visit https://lincolncenter.org/series/lincoln-center-presents/the-danish-girl-in-concert.