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MATCHBOOK FEST 2026, the brand-new five-week summer festival is launching this week with legendary duos and new works. MATCHBOOK FEST 2026 was created to celebrate the creative process, the festival provides artists with the opportunity to develop, test, and share ideas in front of a live audience at one of New York’s most iconic Off-Broadway venues, Greenwich House Theater.
Coming up this week:
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A reunion of the television talk show hosted by Michael Riedel and Patrick Pacheco.
“There are two important events in the history of television: When Philo Farnsworth invented it, and when I decided to appear on it. “Theater Talk” is considered one of the greatest talk shows of all time. It certainly is the greatest television show devoted to the theater and remains head-and-shoulders above its pale imitators, New York One’s “On Stage” and CUNY-TV’s “All the Moving Parts.” Since Theater Talk went off the air 10 years ago, Broadway grosses have yet to recover.” – Michael Reidel
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July 23, 7:00 PM – Matchbook Spark Vol. 1: FOMO x Such a Precious Thing
FOMO
Written and performed by Frankie Lee
FoMo: Formerly Mormon is the story of a young man discovering his queer identity while signing his life away to the Mormon Church. Frankie Lee genuinely and humorously reflects on the opportunity he took to escape Mormonism and live as a gay man despite the pain and opposition he faced.
New York’s improv and sketch comedy fiend, Frankie Lee (The Second City New York, The PIT, and UCB NY), brings his two-time award-winning solo-show, FoMo: Formerly Mormon, to Matchbook Fest for a night of love, loss, tears, and queer-cheers. Don’t miss your opportunity to join Frankie on the Mormon journey that changed him forever.
Such a Precious Thing
Book by Billie Aken-Tyers and Trey Everett
Music and Lyrics by Jane Bruce
Directed by Billie Aken-Tyers
Choreographed by Ellenore Scott
Featuring Jane Bruce, Vincent Jamal Hooper, and Nathan Salstone
When an incident at her alma mater exposes devastating secrets about a man she thought she knew, Jessica, a thirty-something photographer, is forced to re-evaluate her decades long on-and-off relationship with her former teacher.
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July 24, 7:00 PM – Steady
Written by Trey Everett
Original Music by Eleri Ward
Directed & Choreographed by Ellenore Scott
Starring Damon Daunno, Samantha Williams, Cole Wachman, and Gabby Rembert
Exploring the themes of power dynamics, abuse, and what we are willing to accept for our art, Steady follows a world-renowned dance company artistic director, and his increasingly toxic relationship with an up-and-coming star in her first year at his company.
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Tony Award winners Matt Doyle and Bonnie Milligan team up for an evening of unforgettable songs, behind-the-scenes stories, questionable decisions, and whatever delightful chaos happens when two of Broadway’s powerhouse performers share a stage. Expect roof-shattering vocals, plenty of laughs, and the kind of chemistry that only comes from years of friendship.
