In this five-month new play directing intensive, fellows work on 30-minute commissioned pieces with writers from the Clubbed Thumb community. These plays are developed over the course of a semester with Playwrights Horizons Theater School student and alumni actors, in rehearsal rooms at Playwrights Downtown. In January, the same plays are rehearsed in the same rooms in quick processes with professional actors, and performed as part of Winterworks: a five-day industry showcase.
New play directors who have worked at least three years outside of an educational setting and plan to be in NYC September 2023 through January 2024 are welcome to apply for the fellowship by completing the form HERE by May 1st, 2023.
“DRAGON FRUIT! BLACK BELUGA LENTILS! PERFECTLY SOFT-BOILED EGGS!” Seven public defenders seek meaning, belonging, and some semblance of order via their frenzied quest for the perfect lunch – while battling ACS, inequality, burnout, and a big ole serving of existential dread.
It is with great delight that we share the news that, at long last, a big hit of both Winterworks AND Summerworks 2019, NYT’s Critic’s Pick Lunch Bunch is returning for a limited run, with The Play Company. CLICK FOR TICKETS
Clubbed Thumb is seeking production interns for our 26th Summerworks festival. Interns have hands-on roles throughout May and June, plus opportunities to meet and work with both peers and professional artists. Learn more and apply how HERE
Thank you to all who attended, and congratulations to the many artists who spent their Januarys with us! Soon we will open the application for our next fellowship cohort – stay tuned!
We’re back with the 8th iteration of Winterworks – a progressive performance of three short-ish plays, which culminates our New Play Directing Fellowship – featuring:
Kedian Keohan directing BUTTON LAKE BAND CAMP
by Elijah Guo; Nemuna Ceesay directing REPLY ALL
by Jahna Ferron-Smith; and Dara Malina directing COACH COACH by Bailey Williams.
There are only 7 showings, and capacity is extremely limited! Tickets are free, but an RSVP is required. CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
We’re excited to join forces once again with Brown University’s MFA Playwriting Program in the Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies
to present readings of plays by two new graduates: Nkenna Akunna and Seayoung Yim, on Tue Nov 29th and Wed Nov 30th at Playwrights Horizons.
And thank you Etsy for hosting us, and the many people who volunteered to help make it a special night. It was such a pleasure to reconnect with old friends, and to meet some new ones as we celebrated Clubbed Thumb, and the many many artists and craftspeople who we’ve had the pleasure of working with these 25 years. Check out photos on Instagram!
Want to support our 25th Anniversary? There’s still time!
Donate $25 or more to our gala campaign and we’ll send you a limited-edition Clubbed Thumb coloring book and matching pencil set!
Thank you to the over 100 artists, production staff, crew, interns and other folks who came together this year to make our 25th Summerworks. It was a giant feat – and we were so thrilled by the work we all created together.
And thank you to the thousands of audience members who came to a show or a reading this year. We did not know what to expect, but you all really showed up for our work and we are humbled by that. We’ll have plenty of updates about the future coming soon – but for now: thank you!!
Tickets are on sale now for The 25th Summerworks – running May 20th through July 2nd at the Wild Project. We’re thrilled to announce initial casting and design teams for these three plays – READ MORE AND GET YOUR TICKETS HERE
Applications are now open for the 2022-2023 cohort of Clubbed Thumb’s New Play Directing Fellowship. Directors who have at least 3 years of experience outside of an academic environment, will not be in grad school in the coming year and plan to be in NYC September 2022 through January 2023 are welcome to apply now through May 1st. CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
Oh Summerworks, how we’ve missed you! With your idiosyncratic, fast, funny plays. On a warm summer evening with the garage door rolled up and a cold drink in hand – what could be better? We’re thrilled to be back at the Wild Project, May 20 – July 2, with three new plays we love. Please join us – we miss you too! CLICK FOR INFO & TICKETS
We are delighted to support this new work from Agnes Borinsky (playwright of Summerworks 2017’s Of Government), and directed by Machel Ross (who interned for us many years ago)! A Song of Songs is produced by The Bushwick Starr and Jeremy O. Harris, in partnership with El Puente. Performances May 10 – 27: CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND INFO
We’ve been eager to put out a second anthology since Funny, Strange, Provocative was published in 2007, and the last year finally provided us with the time to take on this long-awaited project. We are thrilled to announce that Unusual Stories, Unusually Told, published by Bloomsbury/Methuen, is now available!
In it you’ll find seven Clubbed Thumb plays that span 18 years of our history, as well as essays and interviews about the work, and the often atypical processes that led to their productions.
Read more about the book and get your discounted copy (and our first anthology) HERE
Over the past few months we’ve been commissioning Clubbed Thumb artists to make short videos while we wait for theaters to re-open. We’re pleased to bring you the first installment of this initiative, a series created by Directing Fellowship alumnae Kate Hopkins, Kate Eminger and Caitlin Sullivan.
It began as a chance to check-in with various CT artists during the pandemic – but quickly became a much deeper investigation of our community, of how we rely on one another, and how we might rebuild and reimagine a better future. This first episode features actress, playwright and good friend Crystal Finn cooking with her daughter Delphina (follow along from home with the recipe on the left).
The series also features an organization which started in March to address food insecurity in New York – EV Loves NYC. Their work is crucial and ongoing, and we hope the videos inspire you to spread the word about what they do, volunteer and donate. They need our help.
Click here to learn more & donate to EV Loves NYC
And stay tuned for two more episodes, featuring Chinaza Uche & Caitlin Zoz and Mel Ng – as well as more commissioned work from a variety of Clubbed Thumb artists, coming soon to CT/TV!
written & directed by Jenny Schwartz
with Griffin Frey, Nathan Lee Graham, Annie McNamara and Paul Thureen
set by Arnulfo Maldonado
costumes by Tilly Grimes
lights by Matt Frey
sound by Brandon Wolcott
associate director Knud Adams
stage manager Anne Huston
May 30 – June 8, 2014
by Ariel Stess
directed by Kip Fagan
with Lauren Annunziata, Seth Clayton, Alexander Flores, Ben Hollandsworth, Ana Nogueira, Bonnie White, Danny Wolohan and Colleen Werthmann
set by Andromache Chalfant
costumes by Jessica Pabst
lights by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew
sound by Daniel Kluger
stage manager Ellen Goldberg
“Clubbed Thumb’s Summerworks Festival fields another tremendous production–exquisitely cast, cleverly designed and directed with warmth and ease.” – Helen Shaw, Time Out NY
June 13 – June 22, 2014
by Peggy Stafford
directed by Portia Krieger
with Crystal Finn, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Neal Huff, Mia Katigbak, Caitlin O’Connell, Jessica Rothe and Clayton Dean Smith
set by Daniel Zimmerman
costumes by Sydney Maresca
lights by Mike Inwood
sound by Stowe Nelson
stage manager Danielle Teague-Daniels
June 26 – July 5, 2014