After a sold-out debut in 2024, Circle Festival is back for its second season, running through October 19 at AMT Theater (354 W 45th St, NYC). Presented by RJ Theatre Company in partnership with The Actor Launchpad, the festival features twelve daring new productions that push the boundaries of contemporary theater, embracing the raw, the immediate, and the gloriously human.
The 2025 lineup spans family dramas, dark comedies, reimagined musicals, and movement-based experiments, all united by a commitment to storytelling that refuses to compromise. Artistic Director Emma Tadmor emphasizes the festival’s core ethos: “The world is literally burning, and we’re still making theater. Maybe that’s exactly what we need—not more efficient solutions or optimized experiences, but the stubborn, inefficient, gloriously human act of gathering together to tell stories.”
Festival Highlights include:
- Sunbreak by Jonathan Goetzman, a tightly wound family drama exploring grief, reconciliation, and sisterhood, starring Martina Ferragamo in a breakout performance.
- Replica by Paul Tully, a raw, unflinching exploration of addiction, violence, and identity.
- Mom Play by Madelyn Slattery, a fiercely tender autobiographical piece about a daughter seeking closure while visiting her mother in prison.
- Enmeshment by Caity Ladda, a movement-based experiment probing the boundaries of identity.
- Another Kind of Holding On by Genevieve Scott, a time-bending meditation on memory and selfhood.
- Lodestone by Constance Lake, a multimedia ritual blending immersive sound, projection, and physical storytelling.
- Three One-Act Plays by Edward Allan Baker, intimate blue-collar stories curated by Actors Studio Lifetime Member Suzanne Di Donna, honoring Baker’s legacy through the inaugural Edward Allan Baker Award for New Writing.
Other offerings include The Sleepover Show, Packed, Don’t Push the Red Button, Into Your Hands, Late Night Cabaret, and Sugar and Salt, a trans-led musical reimagining inspired by Candy Darling. The festival proudly showcases work by queer, femme, and neurodiverse artists alongside seasoned voices from the Actors Studio, offering audiences a spectrum of perspectives and experiences.
Tickets for Circle Festival 2025 range from $20 to $53 and are available online at rjtheatrecompany.com/circlefestival-1