theAtrainplays are a celebration of New York, created by six teams while traveling the entire route of the A train from 207th Street & Broadway to Far Rockaway. On Monday evening, September 12th, six librettists will hop on the A train at 207th Street and begin writing the books for six 15-minute musicals, all set on the A train. Before each of the teams begins their journey they pick a number between 3 and 5 to set the number of characters, then choose that number of headshots through a blind draw to determine who is in each piece. When the librettists reach the Far Rockaway stop, they randomly select, through another blind draw, their collaborative lyricists, composers and choreographers, who have been awaiting their arrival at a nearby McDonalds! Six directors meet the creators at 207th Street and they all proceed to Columbus Circle where they meet the pre-selected pool of actors, decipher their scribbles, copy the scripts and begin rehearsals. They have until show time THE NEXT DAY, Tuesday night, September 13th at 8:00 p.m. to develop these works into six exciting new musical experiences to be shared with the audience at the Neighborhood Playhouse.
"The audience enjoyed itself to no end. It was lots of fun." - Clyde Haberman, New York Times
"Bone rattling experience, bizarre even by New York standards" - Josh Getlin, L.A. Times
"Fascinating venture", "You must take the A train" -Michael Portantiere, Theatermania.com
"Get in on this!" -Liz Smith, New York Post
"A charming gimmick with an urban twist" -Adam Feldman, Time Out New York
"Enjoyably gimmicky project" -Emma Rosenblum, New York Magazine
"Colorful zaniness", "Handfuls of real gold" -Helen Shaw, New York Sun
"Artistic limits stricter and stranger than any Danish film collective could have dreamed up" -Randy Kennedy, New York Times
"Lots of fun-the entertainment content and energy level in the room are both substantially higher than at any random Broadway show." - Martin Denton, nytheatre.com
"The audience was booming with applause. There was no silencing them by the end of the night. They loved the shows." - Alicia Anstead, Bangor Daily News
Box Office Hours: one hour befor showtime
Appropriate For Ages: Fifteen and Older
Directions and Map
Holiday Music
