MELTINGPLOT | A NEW FESTIVAL | May 18-31, ’26

Theaterlab Presents

MELTINGPLOT

30 performances over 2 weeks provide YOU the opportunity to experience what’s next in participatory live performance. Join us for this inaugural festival May 18 -31, 2026 as 5 creators present brand new work.

Like a Good Neighbor by Jake Alexander, THIS IS NOT A CULT by Christopher Lewis Dawkins, In the shadows of her past selves by Deniz Khateri, FEEL BAD by Katy Murphy, and TENN LOVERS by Kristopher Victoria.

There are so many ways to enjoy the festival! Purchase a festival pass to enjoy it all, double down on a weeknight to see 2 shows back-to-back for less, or use code DATENIGHT for any single performance to get a discount on 2 tickets for you and a +1. Be sure to add on the FREE Q&As with the artists – and upgrade your experience to kick-off the festival with us during the VIP Opening Reception on May 18th.

GET SINGLE TICKETS

FESTIVAL PASSES

FLEXIBLE 5-SHOW FESTIVAL PASS - $145.50/$358.50

Includes 5 flexible tickets (Standard/True Cost)

GET PASS NOW

VIP FESTIVAL PASS - $150/$345

Includes 4 out of 5 shows, PLUS VIP Opening Reception, AND Closing Reception (Standard/True Cost)

GET PASS NOW

ALL ACCESS FESTIVAL PASS - $500

Includes up to 30 tickets, Opening VIP Reception, Artist Talks, Special Events, and Closing Reception

GET PASS NOW

FESTIVAL SHOWS

FEEL BAD

THIS IS NOT A CULT

created by Christopher Lewis Dawkins

For one night only, Eleon the 1st will unlock the doors to the secret Hell’s Kitchen meeting room that all your friends have been whispering about for months.
“Where is the entrance?”
“Have I been here before?”
“Who is Eleon?”
“Why does it always sound like childhood laughter?”
If YOU dare to peek behind the mask, and play his games, all will come to light.
Drop your cloaks at the door and enter the chamber, because THIS IS NOT A CULT.

SEE THIS SHOW
MAY 21, 23, 27, 29, 30, & 31

GET TIX NOW

ADD ON: Q&A with Artist on Thurs, May 28

LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

created by Jake Alexander
in collaboration w Hayley Moir

He’s here to help! Exploring friendship, bullying and the concept of the clothing chair; Jake tells the story of trying to save a stray cat in an alley, and everything that came after (trauma, blood, tears, etc) all while he attempts to help some of YOU with your day-to-day problems in real time.
Immediately inviting you into the living room of an internal monologue, Like a Good Neighbor is a warm, welcoming and hilariously self-conscious show about just that: being a good neighbor.

SEE THIS SHOW
MAY 18, 20, 22, 27, 29 & 31

GET TIX NOW

ADD ON: Q&A with Artist on Thurs, May 28

IN THE SHADOWS OF HER PAST SELVES

created by Deniz Khateri
in collaboration with Siobhan Carroll & Bahar Royaee

In the Shadows of Her Past Selves uses shadow puppets to take YOU through a woman’s different possibilities of being – from childhood dreams and secret desires, sparked by the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?”, to the choices she makes as an adult and how they are shaped by society.

Light and shadow are manipulated interchangeably by YOU and the characters. Through this collective act, the piece explores how identity is presented not as fixed or singular, but as something shaped by many hands, perspectives, and choices.

SEE THIS SHOW
MAY 18, 21, 23, 28, 30 & 31

GET TIX NOW

ADD ON: Q&A with Artist on Fri, May 29

TENN LOVERS

created by Kristopher Victoria
in collaboration with Alejandro Victoria

in Provincetown with Kip . . .
in New Orleans with Pancho . . .
in New York with Frankie . . .
Tenn Lovers tells the true story of three relationships which shaped the life of Tennessee Williams. It is an examination of the necessary endurance and resilience required for queer people to live and love, in contention with the external forces seeking to control them.

It’s also a test of real-life physical endurance, as YOU’ll determine which muscle groups are worked as I tell the story while performing high-volume sets of weight-lifting exercises with a single dumbbell.

SEE THIS SHOW
MAY 19, 22, 23, 28, 30, & 31

GET TIX NOW

ADD ON: Q&A with Artist on Fri, May 29

FESTIVAL EVENTS

05/18 VIP OPENING RECEPTION

05/27 GOTHIC HOROR GAME SESSION w/ KATY MURPHY

Wednesday, May 27 @ 6:00pm

It’s time for you to play your part. Add on a fast-paced Gothic Horror Game Session led by Katy Murphy and find yourself at the center a not so classic murder mystery.
Complete your night with tickets to THIS IS NOT A CULT (7:30pm) & In the shadows of her past selves (8:45pm).

SINGLE TICKET - $15/$20/$35
ALL ACCESS PASS holders do not need separate ticket.

GET TIX NOW

05/31 CLOSING RECEPTION

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE:

Monday, May 18th
>>> Get your double feature ticket

- VIP OPENING RECEPTION @6:00pm
- Like a Good Neighbor @7:15pm
- In the shadows of her past selves @8:30pm

Tuesday, May 19th
>>> Get your double feature ticket

- FEEL BAD @6:00pm
- TENN LOVERS @7:15pm

Wednesday, May 20th
>>> Get your double feature ticket

- FEEL BAD @ 6:00pm
- Like a Good Neighbor @7:15pm

Thursday, May 21st
>>> Get your double feature ticket

- In the shadows of her past selves @7:15pm
- THIS IS NOT A CULT @8:30pm

Friday, May 22nd
>>> Get your double feature ticket

- Like a Good Neighbor @7:15pm
- TENN LOVERS @8:30pm

Saturday, May 23rd

- TENN LOVERS @3:15pm
- THIS IS NOT A CULT @7:00pm
- In the shadow of her past selves 8:15pm

Sunday, May 24th – DARK

WEEK TWO:

Monday, May 25th – DARK

Tuesday, May 26th – DARK

Wednesday, May 27th

- THIS IS NOT A CULT @7:30pm

Thursday, May 28th

>>> Get your double feature ticket

- TENN LOVERS @7:30pm
- In the shadows of her past selves @8:45pm

Friday, May 29th
>>> Get your double feature ticket

- Like a Good Neighbor @7:30pm
- THIS IS NOT A CULT @8:45pm

Saturday, May 30th

- FEEL BAD @11:45am
- FEEL BAD @12:00pm
- FEEL BAD @2:30pm
- TBA @ 5:15pm
- TENN LOVERS @6:30pm
- In the shadows of her past selves @7:45pm
- THIS IS NOT A CULT @9:00pm

Sunday, May 31st

- FEEL BAD @11:45am
- THIS IS NOT A CULT @2:00pm
- TENN LOVERS @ 3:15pm
- In the shadows of her past selves @4:30pm
- Like a Good Neighbor @5:45pm
- CLOSING RECEPTION @7:00pm

FESTIVAL TICKETS

SINGLE TICKETS
All ticket tiers provide the same level of access and opportunity for participation in performances. This festival is made possible through a ticket split with the artists, please make your purchase according to your needs and level of generosity for the artists.

- Access – $25.00
- Standard – $35.00
- True Cost – $70.00

GET SINGLE TICKETS

DISCOUNTS

- ACCESS Tickets | All performances include a lower no-proof-needed $25 ticket. Please select this option if you need it (students, seniors, artists, historically-excluded, etc…).
- DOUBLE FEATURE Tickets | $59.59 – See both shows on any weeknight (regular $70)
- Use code “DATENIGHT” | $60 for 2 tickets to any performance (regular $70)
- STANDARD Festival Pass | $150 – 5 tickets for $30 each (regular $175)
- VIP Festival Pass | $185- 4 out of 5 shows, VIP Reception, and Closing Reception (regular $240)
  - Due to the limited capacity of FEEL BAD, please purchase a single-ticket if you would like to participate.
- ALL ACCESS Festival Pass | $500 – see up to 30 shows, PLUS VIP Reception, AND Closing Reception
  - This pass allows you to reserve 1 ticket to each performance. You may use these tickets for yourself or a guest.

GET A FESTIVAL PASS

Want to see a show for FREE? Sign-up to volunteer by emailing ProducingIntern@TheaterlabNYC.com

MEET THE CREATORS

JAKE ALEXANDER (Like a Good Neighbor)

Jake Alexander is CT-born playwright and theatre artist whose work has been produced by The Maker’s Ensemble, Equity Library Theatre, Christopher Newport University, Soop Theatre Co., the Player’s Theatre of the West Village, Jakespeare Virtual Theatre Co., NY Theatre Festival, Chestnut Street Playhouse, Broward College, Emerging Artist Theatre Co., and Rockford New Words Theatre Co. Jake has been published by 1319 Press, and in Qu Literary Magazine and Literature Today Webzine. Jake’s newest one-person show is being produced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2026. He is a 2014 graduate of Boston College and works in the Music and Performing Arts Profession Department in Steinhardt at NYU. He currently resides in NYC.

CHRISTOPHER LEWIS DAWKINS (THIS IS NOT A CULT)

Christopher Lewis Dawkins is an Afro-Panamanian-American actor, director, and multimedia artist from Rockaway Beach, N.Y, whose work spans across theatre, film, video art, and performance art. He recently originated the role of Lolo in “Waiting For Daddyot” by Nicole Stewart Reyes (New York Theater Festival). He played Marcus in the tour guide mockumentary pilot, “Misguided.” Some favorite roles include Kenneth ( Primary Trust), Luke (Dance Nation), and Sean (Accident Prone). Christopher is an award winning director — his recent financial literacy series, “Your World on Money” won a Telly Award and was featured on the Jennifer Hudson Show. He’s currently directing a financial literacy docu-series and watching a lot of anime. He studied acting under Celestine Rae, and most recently trained with the LAByrinth Theater Company’s 2025 Intensive Ensemble. Instagram: @christopherdawk

DENIZ KHATERI (In the shadows of her past selves)

Born and raised in Tehran, Deniz Khateri is a New York–based multidisciplinary artist working in theater, experimental music-theater, contemporary opera, and animation. Her work explores memory, grief, immigration, and home. She is a selected playwright in PEN America’s paid Dream Out Loud program and a former Season 64 resident artist at La MaMa, with additional residencies at University Settlement, New Perspectives Theatre, and Center at West Park. Deniz has received the Al-Bustan Award for her solo show A Bach’eh Who Wanted to Become Bach, the UNIMA-USA Nancy Staub Award for writing for puppetry, and project support from NYFA, NYSCA, and the Jim Henson Foundation. Her Oscar-qualified animated documentary series Diasporan explores immigrant life and has screened internationally. She holds an MA from Hunter College, where she teaches as an adjunct lecturer. denizkhateri.com

KATY MURPHY (FEEL BAD)

Katy Murphy is a performance artist creating theatrical experiences that defy easy categorization. Critics have praised her “star power” (Adrian Dimanlig) and “nimble improvisation” (Lamesha Ruddock), but Helen Shaw’s description of her as “caffeinated” is the most objectively accurate. She created and stars in (No) Refunds an interactive gameshow play that premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe with Just the Tonic last summer and is returning this August with Gilded Balloon. Her work has also been produced by Theaterlab, Candle House Collective, Brooklyn Comedy Collective, Northwestern University, Shakespeare on the Sound, and the Catherine Lindsey Actors/Playwrights Workshop. Offstage, she is a professional voiceover artist represented by Grossman & Jack Talent and a barre teacher at Pure Barre NYC. katy-murphy.com

KRISTOPER VICTORIA (TENN LOVERS)

Kristopher Victoria is a NYC-based bi-racial Latine playwright, actor and performance artist originally from Houston, TX. He was previously enrolled in the BFA Acting program at Texas State University, and has been living in NYC with his husband Alejandro and their dog Dionysus (Daya) since the fall of 2023. He recently presented his solo-performance piece, This Used to be a Place Called Kansas at The Spark Festival through Emerging Artists Theatre in September 2025. Additionally, he has completed a full-length play with four queer-identifying characters, and is currently working on several other plays as well as an essay. For updates on his theatrical work, you can follow his Instagram, @kris2pherwithak

FESTIVAL SPONSORSHIP

Want to support this work more? Become a festival sponsor for a tax-deductible donation as low as $5.

NEIGHBOR | $5-$100

Make a tax-deductible donation of $5-$100 to be included on the website.

DONATE TODAY

WELCOME MAT | $250

Make a tax-deductible donation of $250 to be listed in printed programs and on website.

DONATE TODAY

COMMUNITY LEADER | $500

Make a tax-deductible donation of $500 to be included on the festival poster, in printed program, and on website. (Donations made after May 8th may not be include on print material)

DONATE TODAY

PRODUCTION SPONSOR | $1000

Make a tax-deductible donation of $1000 to be included in the curtain speech of your chosen production, on the festival poster, in the printed program, and on the website. (Donations made after May 8th may not be include on print material).

DONATE TODAY

MEET THE DONORS & SPONSORS

MELTINGPLOT would not be possible without YOU, our friends and neighbors. Thank you for your generous support of imagination, discovery, and the creation of new work.

All programming at THEATERLAB is made possible through grant from New York City Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, and the Foundation for Fairer Capitalism.

MEET THE FESTIVAL TEAM

From checking you in on your arrival, collaborating with the artists, or turning the lights on and off – THEATERLAB would love for you to meet the many faces making YOUR experience at MELTINGPLOT the very best it can be!