Friday September 26th - 7 PM

Hit The Lights! Theater Company and Queens Artists Connection present:
Beyond One Medium: Stories of migration and belonging

A dynamic evening of live performances spotlighting artists across disciplines of puppetry, live music, theater, poetry and more. This curated block explores a range of social justice themes, with an emphasis on migration, displacement, and the search for belonging.

Tickets HERE

ISLA: Hit The Lights! Theater Company
Three sisters escape from their island and embark on a journey to redefine the meaning of home. Inspired by the family history of company member Samantha Blain, "Isla" investigates the harsh realities of political refugees, the love of family, Cuban mythology, and the spirit of sisterhood. Mixing shadow puppetry, poetry, an original live score, and recorded audio interviews of the original sisters, "Isla" blends magical realism and documentary theater to explore the experiences of being torn from one's home and the journey to create another.
Samantha Blain (she/her): Samantha is a Cuban multi-disciplinary artist and Co-Artistic Director of Hit The Lights! Theater Co., whose performance and creative work spans Off-Broadway, national tours, children's literature, and arts education, with credits including Ars Nova, BAM, Vogue Magazine, and a board seat at Broadway Bound Kids. Claron Hayden (he/him): Claron is an actor, composer, and musician who has performed internationally and Off-Broadway, co-founded 9th Path Productions, released multiple albums, and develops new work with Hit The Lights!, including their upcoming show SUNK. Casey Scott Leach (he/him): Casey is a multi-disciplinary performer and teacher trained at CCM Drama, SITI Company, and Theater Mitu, who co-created Go Home, produced the comic Soft Reset, and explores blending visual art, puppetry, and theater. Mikayla Stanley (she/her) Mikayla is a theater manager and educator pursuing her MFA at Yale, who previously led People + Culture at Yale Summer Cabaret, taught at CCM, NYU, and Williams, and held senior leadership roles at Lululemon’s global flagship.

Yankee Crank: K!NG $LUT
K!NG $LUT emerges from the economic and spiritual wreckage of present-day New York City—the diseased heart of the American Empire. Their music is a reaction to the chaos, frustration, and absurdity of it all, but at its core, it’s driven by passion, humor, sweat, and love. Pioneering their own genre, Yankee Crank, they fuse the jagged urgency of post-punk, the raw theatricality of outlaw performance, and the defiant soul of American protest music.
Liam Davis (He/Him) - Playing drums since he could pick up sticks, Liam is a force of nature and is affectionately called Scumpling by his band mates. Claron Hayden (He/Him) - Claron composes and performs on guitar for multiple projects including his theater and production company, Hit The Lights! He is also a co-producer at 9th Path Productions and a writer for multiple mediums. Julian Smith (He/Him) - You can find Julian all over NYC playing upright bass for multiple Jazz ensembles, but if you want to see him get punk you gotta watch K!NG $LUT. Matt Wills (He/Him) - Musician and theatre artist Matt Wills has worked with Hit The Lights on multiple shows, he co-produces with 9th Path Productions, and performs his solo music under the name The Kentucky Gent.

Macabre Americana or "The Future is the Past is the Present": Macabre Americana
Macabre Americana is a New York City-based folk-fusion collective that explores the dark undercurrents of the American dream — past and present. Blending haunting melodies with poetic storytelling, our music delves into themes of identity, struggle, justice, and the often forgotten voices that shaped this country. Drawing inspiration from blues, folk, jazz, and soul, we craft songs that are both emotionally raw and theatrically rich. From tales of coal town fires to protest anthems and spectral ballads, each track offers a window into America’s beautiful and brutal complexity.
Lacey – vocals, guitar. Laura – cello, vocals, bass, kazoo, glockenspiel, accordion. TBD – keys, guitar, vocals. John – bass, electric guitar. Willy – drums, rhythm. - Together, we are not just musicians — we are storytellers uncovering the shadows that shape our history and our present.

Don't Open The Door: Andrew Aaron Valdez
Don’t Open the Door unfolds over a single night as an older brother runs through his practiced routine—hiding documents, packing bags, rehearsing silence—to prepare himself and his younger sibling for the moment ICE might arrive. Tense, tender, and quietly relentless, the play reveals the emotional toll of living in a constant state of readiness, where love is measured in precautions and every sound in the hallway could change everything. In the space between knock and response, Don’t Open the Door becomes a meditation on protection, resilience, and the rituals we create to survive.
Ankit Pandey is a New England–based lighting designer, theatre practitioner, and educator from India whose work spans theatre, music, film, and installation, with a focus on scenographic storytelling and community-rooted design education. Andrew Aaron Valdez is a playwright, producer, and educator from Donna, Texas whose Xinatchli-based practice bridges Indigenous memory, digital ritual, and community healing through performance, research, and cultural facilitation.

Saturday September 27th - 3 PM

sarAika movement collective presents: Assigned at Birth

Tickets HERE

Queens resident contemporary dance artists, sarAika movement collective presents “Assigned at Birth”, an evening-length contemporary performance featuring four original choreographic works by Suzanne, Rylan, Lo Poppy, and sarAika movement collective. This program offers a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration of identity through movement, drawing from a rich tapestry of lived experiences. Each piece reflects the artists’ individual perspectives—ranging from the complexities of identity assigned at birth and LGBTQIA+ narratives to immigrant journeys, BIPOC experiences, and other expressions of selfhood. Assigned at Birth is an invitation to witness and reflect on the diverse realities that shape who we are, both on and off the stage.

Dear , : Lo Poppy
Each section will be exploring themes of identity and sexuality utilizing these concepts: Carl Jung: - Spirit of the Times: To consciously move and build ones life around our external environments, cultural expectations and desire to be accepted; - Spirit of the Depths: To intuitively connect to the inner landscape of ones fullest expression through subconscious portals; dream life, imagination and intrinsic callings. Kenji Yoshino: “Covering” : the act of minimizing, quieting or muting parts of ones identity to adapt, survive or conform. Costume Designer: Lo Poppy/ Costume Design Assistant: Sadi Weir/ Costume Materials: Recycled clothes, pillowcases, dish towels.
Lo Poppy (she/they) is a movement based choreographer, performer and mixed media artist based in NYC, originally from Southern Oregon. @_lo_poppy. Natalia Nikitin (she/her) is a freelance dancer & choreographer based in NYC. @natalianikitin_ @natalianikitinanddancers. Zoey Barnes (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and photographer originally from Dallas but is now based in NYC. @zoeyellabarnes. Sadi Weir (she/they) is a freelance performer and choreographer based in NYC. @sadiweir

Unsaid, Still Understood: sarAika movement collective (Sara Pizzi and Aika Takeshima)
This new duet piece draws from a real and complex relationship between two people—one marked by silence, conflict, tenderness, violence, and unspoken love. Through movement that shifts from raw and forceful to fragile and delicate, the two dancers embody the subtle gradations of complex emotion. It is a portrait of a heart torn between leaving and returning, of loving despite being hurt, and of the regret that comes when the final words come too late. Each gesture, whether clashing or gently supportive, holds the weight of these emotions. This work is a requiem for all the words left unspoken—and a prayer for the love that, despite everything, truly existed.
sarAika movement collective is a contemporary dance collective, founded by immigrants and queer women Aika Takeshima (she/her) and Sara Pizzi (she/her) in New York.

Faim: Rylan Joenk
”Faim” explores identity and self surrender through themes of metamorphosis and symbolic autocannibalism. In ”Faim”, Death is cunning, clowning, and inevitable, they are the genesis of growing pains, and the master of a constant cycle of eating and rebirthing yourself. With Melinda Harrison and Lulu Munteanu.
Rylan Joenk (she/they) is a movement artist dedicated to creating work that dissects and challenges the expectations of contemporary dance performance.

Tapestries: The Hunters Enter the Woods: Suzzanne Ponomarenko Dance
Tapestries: The Hunters Enter the Woods is the opening solo of an evening length dance theater pieced based on a reimagining of The Unicorn Tapestries to queered out Ukrainian Folklore.
Pilar (they/them): dancer; Katie-James Rushin (she/he/they): composer; Suzzanne Ponomarenko (she/they): choreographer.
Pilar Mellon-Reyes (they/them) is a NYC based dancer and dance educator with a BFA in dance and choreography from Marymount Manhattan College Katie-James Rushin is an MD/Composer/multi-instrumentalist with a love for improvisation and games. Suzzanne Ponomarenko (she/they) is a choreographer, educator, and performer based in queens.

Saturday September 27th - 7 PM

Celebration of Human Rights I presents: What Really Makes Queens Great

Tickets HERE

Queens of Queens: Rashmi
Queens of Queens is a musical celebratory tribute to the women who shape our borough with quiet power. Three songs. Three stories. One shared heartbeat of resilience, memory, and belonging. Created and performed by Rashmi. *Originally commissioned by the Queens Council On The Arts and The Puffin Foundation (2021).
Rashmi (she/her/hers) is an award-winning NYC-based singer-songwriter, actor, and screenwriter whose work lives at the intersection of story, song, and social resonance. She crafts emotionally raw, genre-blurring indie-pop—equal parts anthem and ache—alongside powerful stage and screen performances and visually poetic scripts. Her artistry is rooted in empowerment, transformation, and soul connection.

Duet Rehearsal: Rebecca Kane
Katie and Ainsley stretch for their duet rehearsal. It's just like any other day -- they don't like their costumes, their teacher's on their case, their muscles feel tight. Except lately their teacher has REALLY been on their case in a close, unnerving way. But competition's coming up, and so is a high school dance, and they just can't seem to get the steps right...
Rebecca Kane (she/hers) is an Astoria-based playwright, stage manager, and performing arts administrator with plays produced and published across the country and overseas. Lita Lofton (she/hers) is a Brooklyn-based director and performance artist specializing in movement-driven storytelling, immersive theatrical experiences, and glamour on purpose.

Las Pizcas: Felicia B. Avalos
"Las Pizcas" is an excerpt from Felicia's MFA thesis concert "The Beast: A Daughter's Document of an Undocumented Journey," which follows her father's story of not only crossing the border but highlights three jobs he had before becoming an American citizen. Working in las pizcas, or fields, as a farmworker picking lemons and lettuce in California was one of those jobs.
Argelia Arreola: Performer; Christopher Cortez: Performer.
Felicia B Avalos (she/her/hers) is a dynamic tejana contemporary and Mexican folklórico storyteller, performer, choreographer, and educator whose original works, blending cultural heritage and social activism, have graced stages in Washington, DC, Judson Church, Australia, New York, and New Jersey. Argelia Arreola (she/her/hers) is a Bronx-based Mexican dancer, choreographer, musician and creator of AfroKorp who has had 23 years of training in traditional Guinean dance and has a degree in Contemporary Dance from Universidad Veracruzana. Christopher Cortez (he/him/his) is a California native and Queens-based performing artist and dance educator with a focus on modern and traditional Mexican folk dance.
* ”I dedicate this piece to my father and the millions of migrant farmworkers who continue working in the fields.”

Hot Water Fuss: David Mills
Slavery Beyond the South: Queens in Queens.
David Mills has performed the works of Langston Hughes and Dr. King for two decades and has played and understudied Othello.

Seeds: Holly Hepp-Galván
"Seeds" is a theatrical parable about ecological hope and the human capacity for renewal, even when threatened with collapse. Inspired by W. S. Merwin's poem, "Place" about planting a tree on the last day of the world.
Holly Hepp-Galván - (She/Her) - is a Queens–based playwright, book writer, and lyricist whose work explores environmental themes and amplifies the experiences of women, alongside imaginative work for young audiences. Robert René Galván - (He/Him) born in San Antonio of Indigenous/Mexican heritage, resides in Queens where he works as a professional musician and poet. Amiere A. Bell - (He/Him) - resides in Queens, NY and is graduate of SUNY Potsdam as well as The illustrious The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater where he received Meisner acting training and dance techniques including Cunningham, Graham, Vaganova ballet, Improvisation and Foundations of Choreography. Ally Harwell - (She/Her) - is a recent graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse where she studied Meisner Technique and has been trained in stage, film, voiceover, Shakespeare, stage combat as well as jazz and modern dance. Mariano Morales - (He/Him) - is an actor, veteran, and father who received a B.F.A in Film Editing from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and a two-year training at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre.

A Dark Phoenix: Hokum Arts
In this intimate, genre-blending solo work, a queer Black professor draws strength from the mythos of the X-Men (particularly Storm and the Dark Phoenix) to anchor her partner through trauma, confront intergenerational expectations of care and silence, and reclaim her own psychic power. Blurring personal memory, pop culture, and ancestral inheritance, The Dark Phoenix Saga is a lyrical meditation on identity, intimacy, and the dangerous brilliance of Black femme rage.
Hokum Arts is a creative incubator and producing platform led by Louis DeVaughn Nelson (he/him), dedicated to developing bold, boundary-pushing work across theatre, dance, and interdisciplinary media that centers underrepresented voices and urgent cultural inquiry. Louis DeVaughn Nelson (he/him) is a multidisciplinary Black queer playwright, director/choreographer, and dramaturg whose genre-crossing work examines intimacy, identity, and power through theatre, dance, film, and new media. Stephen Anthony Elkins is an NYC-based composer/lyricist originally hailing from Athens, Alabama.  He loves exploring various musical styles- especially folk and bluegrass- to tell deeply human stories.  He's also really into myth, spirituality, mysticism, and dad jokes. @stephenelkins stephenanthonyelkins.weebly.com. Amrita Bose (she/they/he) is an Indian-American queer interdisciplinary artist. They combine their background in STEAM (BSE in Chemical Engineering, Minor in Visual Arts and Tech) with her passion for film and literature, creating pieces that stretch the bounds of organic and inorganic materials and spaces, treating the canvas like a set or a living being.  Since 2022 Amrita has been supporting numerous artists and art organizations in an effort to support and learn as many different perspectives and practices as possible. @a_a_b8

Sunday September 28th - 3 PM

Celebration of Human Rights II presents: What Really Makes Queens Great

Tickets HERE

Before it’s too Late: Dr. Evilletown
This work is an original music performance, accompanied by video projections. This piece explores the effects of unchecked pollution.
Dr. Evilletown is an interdisciplinary artist working in sound and visuals.

Threads of the Wild: Melis Yeşiller
This work is based on the ecological phenomenon sparked by reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995, a case study in trophic cascade and environmental restoration. Hunted to local extinction in the early 20th century, their absence had led to an overpopulation of elk, which overgrazed vegetation and disrupted the balance of the ecosystem. As a keystone species, their return reshaped the landscape—changing animal behaviors, restoring vegetation, even altering the flow of rivers. This piece reflects how everything in nature is connected, and how balance returns by allowing the wild to be itself. Choreography: Melis Yeşiller; Dancers: Barbara Sulvic, Facundo Ferreyra, Brandy Brown, Leya Matulessy Gullström, Melis Yeşiller; Music: Drums by Shamanic Guru & Isa by Wardruna.
Melis Yeşiller (She/Her) is a New York-based Turkish choreographer and performer whose work explores themes of identity, social justice, and mythology through movement. Brandy Brown (she/her) is a trans-femme artist and activist who’s work focuses on documenting trans stories, putting queer bodies on stage, and finding radical joy. Facundo Ferreyra (He/Him) is an Argentinian modern and contemporary dancer based in New York City, currently dances with Allison Cook Beatty Dance Company and teaches Graham-based modern classes. Barbara Sulvic (She/Her) is a French dancer based in New York City, currently training at the Martha Graham School, with a diverse background in ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Leya Gullstrom Matulessy (She/her) is a New York-based contemporary dancer, native of Stockholm, who uses a mix of dynamics and rythm to influence her creative movement, and has roots in modern dance.

Where Language Ends: Ali Motamedi
A performance – Dance – Story on how we interact without words. This piece explores other ways we can connect, express, and respond to one another.
Written and directed by Ali Motamedi; Performed by Timmy Ong, Marión Juárez, and Sonja Haapamaki.
Marión Juárez-Rivas is a passionate dancer, musician, and actor who blends creativity with advocacy to express herself and inspire change. Sonja Haapamaki is a NYC- based actor, singer and dancer originally from Finland. She has studied musical theater in a conservatory and continues training in acting, dance and voice. Sonja was recently featured in Broadway World for her performance in True North 2025. Timmy Ong (he/him/his) is a Malaysian actor, singer, musician, dancer, writer, and multidisciplinary theatre artist based in NYC. Ali Motamedi (he/him/his), an author, artist, and educator, explores themes of language, immigration, and identity. His work often bridges disciplines to create participatory experiences that invite dialogue and collective storytelling.

路麗 Pathway~pave your own way~: Mariko Shibata
“Episode One” marks the first step into an unknown dreamscape, where silence stirs, movement drifts through the body, sound clings like breath on skin, and improvisation becomes the soul’s native language.
Mariko Shibata (She/Her) balances life as a mother of three while continuing to dance with quiet passion!! -she is deeply grateful to her family for their support and to IHRAF for the opportunity to share her piece. - Shu Odamura (He/His) is a New York-based guitarist and composer originally from Kyoto, Japan, active in Jazz, free improvisation, and contemporary theater, with three album releases and international performances.

Choke: Susie McHugh + Dancers
“Choke” is a raw, visceral response to the often impersonal nature of mental healthcare. It reflects on the tension between help and control, and the quiet struggles that can arise when systems meant to heal instead feel frightening and unfeeling. Trigger Warning: Contains themes of mental healthcare and emotional struggle.
Choreographer/Dancer: Susanne McHugh (she/her) is a New York–based choreographer, dancer, and mental health advocate whose dance theater work explores the intersections of psychology, mental illness, and the complexities of the human experience. Dancers: Emory Ferra Campbell (she/her), hailing from Brooklyn, NY, is a queer dancer/actor/performer who uses movement to explore presentationalism, femininity, and boundlessness.
 Natalie Long (she/they) is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in Brooklyn, currently performing with Six Degrees Dance and creating pieces with her own company, ERELONG.
Caitlin Knowles (they/them) is a freelance performer and educator based in the NJ/NYC area currently grateful to be performing with Susie McHugh + Dancers and Heidi Latsky Dance. Emily Tarrier (she/her) is a graduate from SUNY Purchase and has been dancing with Susie McHugh + Dancers since 2020.

Magnum Octopus: Suni Reyes
Magnum Octopus is a multidisciplinary theatrical experience that highlights the decade long journey of "momedian" , Suni Reyes, and some of the wild situations she encountered navigating the two VERY different worlds of motherhood and comedy. She'll explore the themes of class disparity, the patriarchy, discrimination, and social inequalities all in 12 minutes!
Suni Reyes (she/her) is a Caribbean multidisciplinary theater artist based in Queens who sometimes appears on TV and Film. She also loves to use humor to bring awareness to socio-political issues.

Sunday September 28th - 7 PM

Valerie Green/Dance Entropy presents: Dance as Reflection and Reckoning

Tickets HERE

Join us for an evocative evening of dance that speaks to the heart of our human experience. Dance as Reflection and Reckoning features six compelling works by a range of contemporary choreographers, exploring themes of personal growth, emotional vulnerability, and our evolving relationship with each other and the world around us. From raw solo reflections and intimate duets to powerful ensemble work confronting climate change and collective grief, these performances invite you to witness transformation in motion. Curated to uplift voices that are honest, resonant, and deeply moving, all themes close to my heart.  

man/Mother: Valerie Green/Dance Entropy
"man/Mother" composes three separately made solos to original music by Philip Butta that translate emotions, specifically connected to each dancer’s experience of the global COVID-19 pandemic. A thick branch, suspended down stage center, both an obstacle and a comfort, confronts us with hard truths that demand reflection and action. Why would mother nature create such an affliction? What have we done as humans to contribute to bringing it into being? How can we mend our fragmented relationship with that which made us?
Choreography by Valerie Green; Performed by Johnny Mathews III, Richard Scandola, Tsubasa Nishioka; Original Music by Philip Butta; Set Design by Valerie Green.
Valerie Green (she/her) is a New York City–based dancer, choreographer, and educator who founded Dance Entropy in 1998 and its home studio, Green Space, in 2005, creating over 50 original works and leading international performances and workshops in more than 25 countries, all rooted in her belief that dance is a transformative practice accessible to every body. Johnny Mathews (he/they) III is a Brooklyn-based dancer originally from Madison, he joined Dance Entropy in 2023, and currently performs with several NYC-based companies. Richard J. Scandola, (he/him) originally from southern France, a versatile dancer, has been working with Dance Entropy since 2017, while also pursuing his passions for yoga and spiritual healing. Tsubasa Nishioka,(he/him) originally from Japan, is a contemporary dancer, he joined Dance Entropy in 2023 and currently performs with several NYC-based companies.

Pillow Talk: Aidan Feldman
"Pillow Talk is a modern dance duet that I made coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that time, romantic relationships were on my mind: the focus and strain it put on them, the ways it built them up and damaged them, the appreciation and frustration within them. The piece explores the mundanity, playfulness, and intimacy experienced while being stuck together at home."
Aika Takeshima, dancer; Nicole Y. McClam, dancer; Aidan Feldman, choreographer.
Aika Takeshima (she/her) is a Japan-born contemporary dance artist, choreographer, and co-founder of sarAika movement collective, with over 15 years of international experience, holding certifications in Yoga (200h) and as a DEI practitioner. Nicole Y. McClam (she/her) is a dancer, educator, aspiring scholar, and reluctant choreographer with a passion for knitting, vegan donuts, and zombies. Aidan Feldman (he/him) is your typical dancer / choreographer / software engineer / professor of public policy, who can often be found glaring at cars from his bicycle.

Just InSight: Chris Ferris and Dancers
Chris Ferris & Dancers premiere, Just InSight, a trio that invites both performers and audience members into an immersive experience of focus and observation. Seated audience members participate when cued by performers to initiate dance gestures that will be taught to them ahead of time. Gestures are drawn from the dancers’ choreographed movement. Knowing a part of the movement will deepen the viewers’ experience of the dance and add a kinesthetic relationship to their visual one. The connection developed between each audience member as well as audience members and performers will transcend the theater to create fuller connection and compassion extended to the whole community. Choreography is by Chris Ferris. Music is by Loren Kiyoshi Dempster. Dancers are Mackenzie Bingham, Kayla Laufer, and Caleb Patterson.
Chris Ferris (she/her) is the Artistic Director of Chris Ferris & Dancers, a company known for its fearless action, physical indulgence, and elegant design the seats you squarely in the present tense of performance. www.chirsferrisdance.com. Loren Kiyoshi Dempster (he/him) uses a combination of cello, secondary instruments, computer, electronics, composition, improvisation, notated scores, and world music influences to create and perform music. www.lorendempster.com. Mackenzie Bingham (she/they) is a NYC-based freelance artist, originally from Houston, Texas, and is excited to be performing. Kayla Laufer (she/her) is a contemporary dancer, choreographer, and technologist currently performing with companies such as Chris Ferris & Dancers and Eryc Taylor Dance and developing work that combines movement, music, and code to explore the relationship between dance and technology. Caleb Patterson (he/them) is a contemporary modern artist in New York City and he’s very happy to be here.

Oasis: Feathers Dance Company
Dance/Duet: Tsubasa Nishioka (he/him) and Yurie Ono(she/her)

UnFinished Object: Nicole Y. McClam
“UnFinished Object” is an exploration of personal, artistic, and spiritual growth. Created from a snippet of a piece I choreographed in my 30s, I confront how I’ve changed, who this body is now, and what new self is emerging. Through this process, I invite others to reflect on their own transformations.
Nicole Y. McClam (she/her) is a dancer, educator, aspiring scholar, and reluctant choreographer with a passion for knitting, vegan donuts, and zombies.

Concrete Ocean: Rebecca Lloyd-Jones
“Concrete Ocean” is a dance performance exploring the theme of climate change and the tension between nature and human. Are we part of nature, or are we against nature? Are we creating or destroying? In the cycle of life and death in nature and human life, how is human behavior similar or different than nature? How can we be more in line with nature so that we are generating healing and creation as opposed to destruction?
Rebecca Lloyd-Jones (she/her) is a dancer, choreographer, and a video artist based in Queens, and her work explores complexity and contradiction of human behaviors.