Working Theater is proud to announce their 41st Season which focuses on a year of expansion, risk, and deep commitment to community-rooted theater. Fresh off the success of their fortieth anniversary season, Working Theater is setting the tone for the next era of the company, by trailblazing programs they hope will break ground to sustain not only Working Theater, but the American Theater for years to come.

The season kicks off with the 5th Annual Mark Plesent Commission Fund Final Readings, presenting powerful new plays by Max Garcia and Brian Francis Pickett. The program, unique in the American Theater, platforms playwrights without previous theater training, to correct the pipeline problem facing working class artists in the theater. This year’s recipients have been mentored by acclaimed playwrights Martyna Majok and Naomi Wallce, and these readings celebrate the voices of emerging playwrights who, despite systemic barriers, have  stories to share about labor, resilience, and belonging. 

Coming soon, the company will announce an exciting new partnership spotlighting working New Yorkers, taking place at La MaMa theater in January as part of the 2026 Under the Radar Festival.

Their commitment to arts education remains as strong as ever with two sessions of their arts in education program, TheaterWorks!, this season. In partnership with 32BJ SEIU and the Climate Jobs Institute, TheaterWorks! offers 12-week playwriting and performance classes to working people, empowering them to share their stories, learn new skills, and spark conversations in their own communities. And as part of their commitment to nurturing both art and advocacy, they’ll launch a new Art & Political Activism series led by Chris Myers, designed for Working Theater artists to deepen the radical linkages between creative practice and social justice work

In March, the company will present Control, the new play from this season’s Playwright-in-Residence, Kallan Dana. Developed with the support of Action Lab, Control explores the work of air traffic controllers and examines the pressures and humanity of those who keep our skies safe. This residency is unique in combining artistic development with actionable advocacy in order to harness the power of theater to inspire change.

As part of this suite of new play development, the company is thrilled to announce their partnership with esteemed playwright Theresa Rebeck as she develops a bold new, contemporary response to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. The commission will be presented in a developmental reading in June 2026, with casting to be announced in the spring 2026. 

Finally the season will conclude with the Second Annual Stage Left Festival presented with Broadway Advocacy Coalition with the support of CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies’ Murphy Institute and Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, which will unite playwrights, activists, and audiences in a two week-long celebration of new plays and cultural organizing across New York City. 

“We are producing more theater for working people than ever before, because our moment demands it,” says Artistic Director, Colm Summers. “Not only are we offering a season of world-class art, by for and with working class people, but new models for the next generation of our company, towards a working theater – one that works for everyone.”

Stay tuned for more information, the full season schedule, and ways to get involved or donate, by visiting https://theworkingtheater.org/41st-season/