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After more than four decades entertaining audiences from near and far, Vassar College’s Powerhouse Theater announces its latest summer lineup. Beyond bringing together some of the most influential theatrical voices from this era, this milestone season welcomes a new generation of artists.

Over the years, Powerhouse has hosted many artists and students from Lynn Nottage to Alex Brightman, Taylor Mac, and Sarah DeLappe. Many more will join the ranks, including Drew Droege (Messy White Gays), who kicked off the season on June 18 with his comedic show, Theater Idiot.

“Vassarʼs role in shaping the history of American theater cannot be overstated. It is a privilege to welcome and support the work of renowned artists each summer, as well as the works of local artists of the Hudson Valley, including Vassarʼs own Associate Professor of Drama, Peter Gil-Sheridan, and Professor of Drama, Shona Tucker,” said Vassar College President Elizabeth H. Bradley.

This season, Gil-Sheridan teamed up with Cristina Luzárraga, Julián Mesri, and Rebecca Aparicio to create Marielitos—a musical about the Cuban Refugee Crisis of 1980.

“Itʼs an honor to have so many Powerhouse favorites alongside fresh voices on campus, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary Powerhouse Season,” said Producing Director Michael Sheehan. “Since 1985, Powerhouse has offered space to both established and emerging artists. Forty years later, Iʼm proud to be continuing that tradition at Vassar.”

It’s show time!

Workshop tickets are $30 and can be obtained via the Box Office at 845-437-5599 or phtboxoffice@vassar.edu. Here’s the lineup.

From July 2-5, Powerhouse will welcome Gianfranco Lentini and Jonathon Loy who is the Cofounder-Berkshire Opera Festival, with a workshop of Ocean Walk, which explores the topics of survival and surrender.

The story: A cataclysmic storm has breached Fire Island’s last defenses, leaving the Pines swallowed by the ocean. All residents have evacuated—except Harry, a 70-year-old man unwilling to abandon his submerged home. When Casey, a 17-year-old deckhand from the ferry service, arrives to pull him out, the two find themselves caught between survival and surrender, history, and erasure.

Another workshop, Godfriend, will be on stage from July 10-12. Longtime Powerhouse alums and real-life couple, Hal Cosentino and Ellenor Riley-Condit, explore the possibility of having a child as a trans man and cis woman, with some help from a 19th-century Quaker preacher who claimed that God freed them from gender. Equal parts true story, theatrical play, live music, and spiritual gathering, Godfriend asks audiences to practice radical belief in each other while facing uncertain futures.

A live music score created by Hannah Read, who is known for her work as Lomelda, transforms the performance into a participatory Quaker meeting, where audiences listen for wisdom from the divine.

More Workshops

Broadway musical theater veterans Cheri Steinkellner (Sister Act) and David Zippel (City of Angels, Lizaʼs at the Palace) have teamed up to create the hilarious and heartfelt musical Fanboy/Diva Workshop, which will be on stage from July 17-19.

The story centers around a once-iconic Broadway diva determined to reclaim the role that made her a star. She soon discovers that her online identity has been hijacked by a teenage superfan. Forced into a prickly alliance, diva and fan must share the spotlight until admiration turns to confrontation.

The play was directed by original Dear Evan Hansen cast member Will Roland. Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award-winning composers Walter Afanasieff, Cy Coleman, Alan Menken, and Matthew Wilder are the talents behind the music.

Jocelyn Kuritsky (KPOP) and her writing partners return to Powerhouse to present the third installment of episodes in progress of the Webby Award-honored podcast A Simple Herstory. A collaboration with The Muse Project NYC, it was directed by The Tankʼs Artistic Director, Meghan Finn.

A Simple Herstory, on stage July 24-26, is the genre-blurring performance project that explores the more than 100 women who have run for President of the United States. This newest installment returns to Margaret Chase Smith and the volatile political climate surrounding mid-20th century Republican Party politics, tracing her evolving political identity amid shifting pressures of ideology, public expectation, and personal conviction.

A special event 

Powerhouse is also hosting Soundpainting Thinktank—a week-long gathering of artists from destinations around the globe, which culminates in a one-night-only performance. The universal, multidisciplinary sign language for live composition, Soundpainting is used by musicians, actors, dancers, and visual artists. With more than 1,500 gestures, it enables composers to shape work in real time—nothing is pre-planned or repeated. Soundpainting was created in Woodstock by composer Walter Thompson.

Readings, too

Rounding out the season are free readings of new works written and directed by Lynn Rosen and Julie Kramer (The Tank), Isaac Byrne and Jessi D. Hill (Mechanical Raven Productions), Abe Johnson and Ryan Dobrin, Pete McElligott and Judson Jones (Theatre East) and Genevieve Simon, the winner of the Leah Ryan Fundʼs “Leah Award.” All readings at the Powerhouse Theater are free; tickets can be reserved. Here’s the lineup:

On June 26, pits will debut. Written by Abe Johnson and directed by Ryan Dobrin, it is set inside an underfunded American public middle school. Two eighth-grade boys spiral down dark internet rabbit holes while their first-year teacher struggles to keep up with a mandated “social-emotional learning” curriculum and a generation of kids raised by algorithms. As online exposure intensifies and institutional and parental supports fail, the play sparks questions around children’s unrestricted access to the internet, desensitization, neglect, masculinity, and what it means to educate “the whole child.”

On July 25, Punch Back, written by Genevieve Simon, will entertain audiences. “The play for trans students on college campuses in red states in 2025. Come to class. You know which one. Someone was whispering about it at the bathroom protest. Remember? Your ex might be there. Your crush will definitely be there. Weʼre gonna box it out. Weʼre gonna get strong. There is definitely absolutely no other resource we will be…distributing. Is your friend trans? Bring them too.”

On June 27, it’s Marielitos with Vassarʼs Peter Gil-Sheridan and Cristina Luzárraga behind the book and lyrics and Julián Mesri behind the music. The “tragicomic” musical was directed by Rebecca Aparicio. It traces the story of an immigrant’s fight to bridge cultural divides and find his place in the world.
In summary: In 1980, thousands of Cuban refugees arrived in the U.S. via the Mariel Boatlift. “Marielitos” were a motley crew of political dissidents, artists, prisoners, “mental patients,” and homosexuals—all eager to escape Castroʼs regime. Told through the rhythms of the Caribbean and the Midwest, Marieliotos centers around the linguist René Valdesʼ quest for belonging, as well as his struggles as a partner and father.

Finally, on June 28, it’s The Power of Something Invisible, written by Pete McElligott
and directed by Judson Jones. Separated by space and time yet united by the same sky, astronomers Caroline Hershel, Maria Mitchell, and Vera Rubin dared to see beyond their known world. Their brilliance pierced the darkness, reshaping how we understand the stars and our place among them.

In Training

Vassar welcomes a new cohort of actors, directors, and writers as members of the Powerhouse Theater Training Company. These emerging artists will present Shakespeareʼs Romeo and Juliet, adapted and directed by Elizabeth Dahmen, and Lope de Vegaʼs Fuenteovejuna, adapted and directed by Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy. All Training Company performances are free and open to the public. Additional projects and casting will be announced so stay tuned. Here’s the schedule:

Fuenteovejuna, July 10-12, outside at the Preserve at Vassar
Written by Lope de Vega
Adapted and Directed by Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy
Based on actual events, Lope de Vegaʼs Fuenteovejuna shines a spotlight on the small Village of Fuente Ovejuna in 15th century Spain. The village, run by a corrupt and overbearing tyrant, must find their courage and their voice after years of horrific abuse, or risk losing their honor, freedom, and the beloved community they call home.

Romeo and Juliet, July 17-19, outside at the Preserve at Vassar
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted and Directed by Elizabeth Dahmen

This athletic, ensemble-forward approach to Shakespeareʼs timeless tragedy dives into the volatile world of two young lovers caught in the crossfire of their familiesʼ violent feuds. Racing through secret vows, public duels, exile, and desperate final choices, this reexamined production explores how impulsive passion and inherited hatred propel the story toward its inevitable conclusion.

In This Economy?, July 2, 9, 16, and 23, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Conceived and Composed by Max Reuben
Developed and performed by members of the Training Company

In This Economy? utilizes the gestural composing language of Soundpainting to create an ensemble-based improvised performance about what things cost.

In summary: “Hello. I saw your listing for “Five beverage glasses, two mugs” online. I know you set your price at “$10 or best offer” and I was wondering if maybe you’d be interested in parting with the glasses and mugs for something other than money? For instance, I am a freelance artist and can do a nice portrait of a beloved pet. Many would say that is worth much more than $10. A neighbor offered to pay me upwards of $50 for a watercolor of his Bichon Frisé. I also do tarot readings and I’m learning to cut hair via YouTube. Let me know if any of those things would be considered a “best offer” instead of the aforementioned $10. Thank you.”

Ashram, July 19-20, Susan Stein Shiva Theater
Written by Erin C. Buckley
Directed by Aysan Celik
Developed and Performed by Members of the Training Company

Once upon a time there was an ashram…that had a guru…who had devotees. And then there was an audit. Om guru om. Ashram explores obsession, devotion, mortality, sexuality, and the mundane—the spiritual through the quotidian—the afterlife and doing dishes.

New Works Play Festival, July 25, Susan Stein Shiva Theater
Written and Directed by members of the Training Company

This festival of new works is the culminating event for the directors and writers of the Training Company. Along with their coursework, directors and playwrights will have observed the process of bringing a new script to life in a professional rehearsal setting. Each pair of writers and directors will workshop a play that they have developed over the summer. Featuring performances by the actors of the Training Company, these short plays reflect the students’ unique voices and vision for the future of American theater.

Also in residence this summer is Vassar Professor Shona Tucker (To Kill a Mockingbird) who is developing Better Angels by LuAnn Kaldor alongside John Summerford, are and Eve Gendron.

For updates and more information, visit www.vassar.edu/powerhouse/season.