Production Gallery · 2022–2026

The Worlds We Build

Each Neighborhood Playhouse production brings together dozens of actors, designers, faculty members, and crew under the guidance of professional directors. While no collection of photographs can capture the full scope of the collaboration or every unforgettable moment, this gallery offers a glimpse into the characters, relationships, movement, and theatrical worlds our students bring to life each season.

Swipe each production to explore

Neighborhood Playhouse production season

2026

Travelin’ Through

Conceived by Sandy Faison and Ben HartleyWritten, directed, and choreographed by Ben Hartley

Performer singing into a vintage microphone with hands raised in Travelin’ Through.
Two seated performers lean toward each other during Travelin’ Through.
Two performers sing into microphones beneath warm marquee lights in Travelin’ Through.
Performer sings beside a glowing Swing Dancing sign in Travelin’ Through.
Cellist smiles while playing under warm stage lighting in Travelin’ Through.
Three performers leap with arms raised under purple and blue lights in Travelin’ Through.

The Art of Dining

By Tina HoweDirected by Cameron King

On the opening night of an elegant new restaurant, its anxious owners and eccentric diners reveal the hungers, anxieties, and desires that shape their relationships with food.

Performer seated at a restaurant table holds eyeglasses in The Art of Dining.
Standing server holds a plate beside a seated diner in The Art of Dining.
Ensemble reaches toward a large candy sculpture on the colorful set of The Art of Dining.
Chef in a green uniform tastes food from a spoon in The Art of Dining.
Empty restaurant table and chairs beneath oversized food illustrations in The Art of Dining.
Ensemble crowds around a chef holding a large platter in The Art of Dining.

Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play

By Anne Washburn; score by Michael Friedman; lyrics by Anne WashburnDirected by Megan Campisi

After an apocalypse brings down the electrical grid, survivors rebuild community by retelling a Simpsons episode that gradually evolves into myth.

Performer in a green costume peers through a black tube in Mr. Burns.
Two performers wearing paper crowns peek over purple fabric in Mr. Burns.
Performer in a striped suit and sculpted cap crosses the stage mid-step in Mr. Burns.
Performer in a gold costume and crown stands center stage in Mr. Burns.
Tall handmade robot-like set piece illuminated by string lights in Mr. Burns.
Ensemble surrounds a performer holding a large fabric panel under blue light in Mr. Burns.

Bus Stop

By William IngeDirected by Pamela Moller Kareman

A snowstorm strands a mismatched group of travelers in a Kansas diner, where loneliness, desire, and an unruly courtship collide before morning.

Performer in glasses, blazer, and sweater stands at the diner counter in Bus Stop.
Three performers gather around the green diner counter in Bus Stop.
Performer in a pink showgirl costume poses inside the diner in Bus Stop.
Seated performer in a black western shirt looks downward in Bus Stop.
Performer in a green uniform stands silhouetted in the diner doorway in Bus Stop.
Performer in a cowboy hat plays an acoustic guitar in Bus Stop.

Neighborhood Playhouse production season

2025

The Waterfront

Conceived by Sandy Faison and Ben HartleyWritten, directed, and choreographed by Ben Hartley

Performer in a red coat sits under cool blue stage light in The Waterfront.
Seated delivery worker holds a leather bag as another performer leans in during The Waterfront.
Two performers dance together against a city skyline in The Waterfront.
Two performers embrace under bright stage lights in The Waterfront.
Performer in a floral dress and red cardigan stands before the waterfront skyline.
Ensemble in coordinated costumes sings before the city skyline in The Waterfront.

Our Lady of 121st Street

By Stephen Adly GuirgisDirected by Lori Triolo

When a beloved nun’s body disappears from a Harlem funeral home, her former students confront grief, old wounds, and the people they have become.

Performer in a leather jacket sits with hands clasped in Our Lady of 121st Street.
Two performers share a scene, one standing behind the other seated, in Our Lady of 121st Street.
One performer hugs another around the waist as a third gestures in Our Lady of 121st Street.
Close-up of a performer looking upward in a striped cardigan in Our Lady of 121st Street.
Funeral home set with brick walls, gold curtains, chairs, and a coffin in Our Lady of 121st Street.
Two performers stand close together, one adjusting the other’s red dress, in Our Lady of 121st Street.

Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Fantasy, Really

By Kate Hamill; adapted from the novel by Bram StokerDirected by Brad Lemons

Bram Stoker’s vampire tale is reinvented as a darkly comic feminist reckoning with predators, power, and the question of who the real monsters are.

Performer in a light gray vest stands before an arched doorway in Dracula.
Performer in a white coat holds another performer seated on a bed in Dracula.
Three performers form a dramatic tableau beneath handwritten wall text in Dracula.
Performer in a black costume sits at a candlelit table in Dracula.
Performer in white stands framed by open windows as others reach toward him in Dracula.
Two performers in period-inspired costumes face each other on the brick-walled set of Dracula.

Translations

By Brian FrielDirected by Pamela Moller Kareman

In 1833 rural Ireland, British mapmakers rename the landscape in English, exposing the intimate costs of colonialism, language, and cultural erasure.

Seated performer smiles on the rustic set of Translations.
Two performers sit close together under blue moonlight in Translations.
Performer offers a small bouquet to another in Translations.
Performer in a long plaid dress speaks on the rustic set of Translations.
Older performer sits on a stool amid the wooden village set of Translations.
Three performers confer on the rustic wooden set of Translations.

Neighborhood Playhouse production season

2024

Pure Imagination

Conceived by Sandy Faison and Ben HartleyWritten, directed, and choreographed by Ben Hartley

Performer plays the violin beside shelves of books in Pure Imagination.
Two performers embrace under red and blue stage light in Pure Imagination.
Performer in a black dress reaches one arm upward mid-dance in Pure Imagination.
Performer kneels beside another person lying on a bed in Pure Imagination.
Performer crouches beside a bookshelf and examines the books in Pure Imagination.
Four performers in colorful dresses sing together in Pure Imagination.

Small Mouth Sounds

By Bess WohlDirected by Megan Campisi

Six strangers at a silent retreat struggle with private pain and the deeply human need to connect when words are forbidden.

Performer speaks alone on the sparse retreat set of Small Mouth Sounds.
Seated performer rests a hand on another performer’s shoulder in Small Mouth Sounds.
One performer embraces another from behind in Small Mouth Sounds.
Barefoot performer balances with arms extended on a wooden platform in Small Mouth Sounds.
Two performers hold rolled mats and a glowing lantern in Small Mouth Sounds.
Ensemble stands in profile under purple and blue light in Small Mouth Sounds.

Red Velvet

By Lolita ChakrabartiDirected by Timothy D. Stickney

In 1833 London, Black American actor Ira Aldridge steps into the role of Othello and confronts a theatre world divided by art, ambition, and racism.

Performer in a pink period dress and teal headwrap stands beside luggage in Red Velvet.
Performer in a burgundy coat gestures beside a performer in a blue gown in Red Velvet.
Performer in a patterned robe raises one hand while holding costume fabric in Red Velvet.
Seated performer in a red plaid dress holds a folding fan in Red Velvet.
Performer in a burgundy suit sits as another performer stands behind him in Red Velvet.
Four performers face a seated figure on the wooden theatre set of Red Velvet.

Book of Days

By Lanford WilsonDirected by Pamela Moller Kareman

After a suspicious death unsettles a small Missouri town, a bookkeeper playing Joan of Arc risks everything to uncover the truth.

Close-up of a performer in a gray suit and patterned tie in Book of Days.
Two performers sit close together under warm amber light in Book of Days.
Two performers kneel with arms raised as the ensemble surrounds them in Book of Days.
Performer dressed as a sheriff sits with one hand to his chin in Book of Days.
Two performers in suits sit side by side behind a wooden railing in Book of Days.
Performer in a white blouse and floral skirt speaks before the seated ensemble in Book of Days.

Neighborhood Playhouse production season

2023

Stoop Songs

Conceived by Sandy Faison and Ben HartleyWritten, directed, and choreographed by Ben Hartley

Performer sings into a headset microphone in Stoop Songs.
Two seated performers lean together, one with an arm around the other, in Stoop Songs.
Two dancers move across the stage in front of the stoop set in Stoop Songs.
Ensemble lounges and sings on the steps of the colorful stoop set in Stoop Songs.
Silhouetted performers dance before red apartment windows in Stoop Songs.
Large ensemble gathers around a performer in a dark coat beside glowing candles in Stoop Songs.

Men on Boats

By Jaclyn BackhausDirected by Megan Campisi; choreographed by Christina Toth

Ten explorers embark on a perilous 1869 journey down the Colorado River in a funny, physical retelling that challenges who gets to make history.

Performer in expedition costume holds a metal cup against the rocky set of Men on Boats.
Two performers in layered frontier costumes look upward in Men on Boats.
Kneeling performer reaches upward as hands extend into the scene in Men on Boats.
Two performers stand side by side in red and dark expedition costumes in Men on Boats.
Two performers peer forward from a red-lit rocky setting in Men on Boats.
Ensemble raises long white poles against a blue river backdrop in Men on Boats.

LEAR

By William ShakespeareAdapted and directed by Timothy D. Stickney

An aging monarch divides her realm according to her daughters’ declarations of love, setting betrayal, madness, and family ruin into motion.

Performer in a long light-colored coat stands against a blue background in LEAR.
Two performers in dark coats stand together, one clutching a red scarf, in LEAR.
Two performers wield staffs in a close confrontation in LEAR.
Performer in a white robe stands before a vivid red backdrop in LEAR.
Performer in a long black coat stands before a red throne as another lies onstage in LEAR.
Three performers kneel together in an intimate scene from LEAR.

Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid

By Molière; adapted by Miles MallesonDirected by Pamela Moller Kareman

A wealthy hypochondriac schemes to marry his daughter to a doctor for free medical care, only to have his household expose the absurdity around him.

Performer in a cap and robe sits in an ornate chair in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.
Two seated performers lean forward with hands at their chins in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.
Two performers grapple in a comic physical scene from Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.
Close-up of a performer in a polka-dot cardigan in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.
Two performers in period costumes converse in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.
Seated performer in sunglasses is surrounded by three costumed figures in Molière’s The Imaginary Invalid.

Neighborhood Playhouse production season

2022

Another Hundred People

Conceived by Sandy Faison and Ben HartleyWritten, directed, and choreographed by Ben Hartley

Performer in a denim jacket speaks into a headset microphone in Another Hundred People.
Dancers in red and white costumes perform an energetic number in Another Hundred People.
Three performers sing together in yellow and tan costumes in Another Hundred People.
Performer in a brown leather jacket speaks onstage in Another Hundred People.
Ensemble leans together in a choreographed pose in Another Hundred People.
Performer in a dark costume stands before a seated ensemble under blue light in Another Hundred People.

Dance Nation

By Clare BarronDirected by Megan Campisi

A fiercely ambitious team of preteen dancers prepares for nationals while wrestling with competition, growing up, and who they hope to become.

Performer stands alone center stage in a blue shirt and black shorts in Dance Nation.
Two performers sit together on a bench, one resting her chin on her hand, in Dance Nation.
Dancer in a white-and-blue uniform performs a high kick in Dance Nation.
Three performers prepare at a makeup table with a handheld mirror in Dance Nation.
Dancer in black leads the ensemble under red and purple lighting in Dance Nation.
Dancer in a blue leotard stands center as the ensemble forms a radiating arm pattern in Dance Nation.

Let the Right One In

Stage adaptation by Jack Thorne; based on the novel and film by John Ajvide LindqvistDirected and choreographed by Ben Hartley

A bullied, lonely boy befriends the mysterious girl next door, beginning a tender and frightening bond amid a series of brutal killings.

Performer crouches against a brick wall with one hand raised in Let the Right One In.
Three performers cluster around a person lying on the floor in Let the Right One In.
Three performers leap and brace in a green-lit action sequence from Let the Right One In.
Seated performer in layered winter clothes looks forward in Let the Right One In.
Two performers sit on the floor under red light in Let the Right One In.
Two performers embrace beneath a narrow blue spotlight in Let the Right One In.

Radium Girls

By D.W. GregoryDirected by Pamela Moller Kareman

After factory workers are poisoned by luminous paint, dial painter Grace Fryer takes on a powerful corporation in a fight for truth and justice.

Performer in a gray suit and blue vest sits in profile in Radium Girls.
Performer in a white coat stands before two seated figures in Radium Girls.
Two performers dance beneath a large wall clock in Radium Girls.
Performer in an orange dress stands under cool blue light in Radium Girls.
Performer in a white coat and glowing protective mask stands under blue light in Radium Girls.
Performer in a suit reads from an open book beneath a large clock in Radium Girls.
Production photography by Matt Simpkins Photography