What's Happening!

  • WINTERWORKS 2025 HAS COME TO A CLOSE

    Thank you to the hundreds of people who joined as at Playwrights Downtown for the 10th annual Winterworks. We were so proud of the work these amazing artists made — and we managed to cram everyone in to share it. Congratulations especially to Directing Fellows Iris McCloughan, NJ Agwuna and Laura Dupper – read more HERE

  • NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FOR THE 10TH BIENNIAL COMMISSION

    This year we lost one of our great comic dramatists: Christopher Durang. We’ve been reflecting on how powerful and much-needed savage humor like his is in a world like ours today. So, for the 10th Biennial Commission, please consider his work, especially from the 1980’s. Applications are due March 20th, 2025. Read more and submit yours HERE

  • ANNOUNCING A RETURN ENGAGEMENT OF SUMMERWORKS 2023'S DEEP BLUE SOUND

    We are thrilled to announce that Deep Blue Sound – which ran to sold-out houses at Summerworks 2023 – will return for five weeks this winter. After a wildly successful run of Grief Hotel earlier this season, we are excited to return to The Public Theater with another Summerworks hit. CLICK FOR TICKETS & INFO

  • THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR GALA SUCH A SUCCESS!

    Monday night’s Gala, celebrating our dear friends and collaborators dots, was beautiful, moving and very fun. Thank you to everyone who attended, performed, volunteered, donated and otherwise supported this very special night.

    See photos from the event on our Instagram (and tag @clubbedthumb if you’re posting your own)!

    At the event, we raised funds in honor of dots to help us better support the designers in our community – and we happily exceeded our goal. But there’s no such thing as a late donation! If you’d like to contribute to the fund, click HERE

  • OUR 2024 SEASON HAS COME TO AN END

    The last six months were the busiest in our history. We started with Winterworks at Houghton Hall in January, followed by six weeks of Grief Hotel at the Public in the spring, and we rounded it all out with Summerworks at the Wild Project, where we managed to cram in 47 performances over seven weeks.

    Some of you saw it all, some just a piece, and some met our work for the first time. We were thrilled to share it with all of you.

    Here are some photos and essays from the season, to tide you over until we have work to share again in the fall (or when we see you at our gala honoring dots!)

    Lastly: We had our most successful season at the box office ever. If you were there, you know it was full to overflowing. And you might remember that your ticket was pretty affordable—maybe even free. That’s important to us.

    But what that means is, even when we sell out all the time, tickets only cover a fraction (about 1/7th) of what it all costs, especially considering we pay people better every year (That’s important to us too!)

    Throughout the year, we support hundreds of artists, mostly early in their careers, whether in our writers or directors groups, readings, workshops, commissions, retreats, or in production. So, if you can, make a donation today and be a part of our effort to pay artists, to make beautiful, affordable work, and to do it even better next year!

  • ANNOUNCING SUMMERWORKS 2024

    We’ll be back at the Wild Project May 16th through June 29th with the 27th iteration of SUMMERWORKS, featuring: Usus by T. Adamson, directed by Emma Miller; Coach Coach by Bailey Williams, directed by Sarah Blush; and Find Me Here by Crystal Finn, directed by Caitlin Sullivan. Tickets on sale now! Learn more & get yours here

  • GRIEF HOTEL'S MAGNIFICENT ENCORE RUN AT THE PUBLIC THEATER

    We were thrilled to bring Summerworks 2023’s Obie-winning hit production Grief Hotel back for a six-week run at The Public Theater, in partnership with our friends New Georges. It was very special to dig back into the play and production with the exceptional group of artists who made it, and such a joy to share it with so many more people. We had a tremendous run – sold out, extended and beloved by critics and audiences – thank you to all who attended and to all who made it possible. CLICK HERE TO READ ESSAYS AND MORE ABOUT THE SHOW

  • OUR NEW ANTHOLOGY - ON SALE NOW

    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

TUMACHO

a play with music by Ethan Lipton
directed by Leigh Silverman

with Bill BuellJohn Ellison ConleeRandy DansonGibson FrazierCelia Keenan-BolgerJennifer LimOmar MetwallyJeremy Shamos and Danny Wolohan

set by David Zinn
costumes by Anita Yavich
lights by Jennifer Schriever
music director Mike Brun
production stage manager Megan Schwarz Dickert

An “impeccably inane horse opera by Ethan Lipton, directed with cantering wit by Leigh Silverman…Tumacho is the platonic theatrical version of the artfully anarchic, shrewdly mindless comedies we wait for every summer to hit movie theaters, often in vain. In other words, there’s no need to hold out for the rebooted Ghostbusters for as long as Tumacho is in town.”
CRITICS’ PICK!! 
– Ben BrantleyThe New York Times

June 27 – July 9, 2016

Gibson Frazier, Jennifer Lim, Omar Metwally, John Ellison Conlee, Bill Buell, and Randy Danson
Omar Metwally, Danny Wolohan, and Celia Keenan-Bolger
Gibson Frazier, Jennifer Lim, John Ellison Conlee, Randy Danson, Bill Buell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Jeremy Shamos
Bill Buell, Celia Keenan-Bolger, and Jeremy Shamos
Jeremy Shamos, Randy Danson, and Danny Wolohan
Danny Wolohan and Randy Danson
Celia Keenan-Bolger and John Ellison Conlee
Bill Buell, Jeremy Shamos, Gibson Frazier, Jennifer Lim, and Danny Wolohan
Randy Danson, John Ellison Conlee, Jennifer Lim, Jeremy Shamos, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Gibson Frazier, and Danny Wolohan
Gibson Frazier, Randy Danson, Jeremy Shamos, Omar Metwally, and Celia Keenan-Bolger