The Chain One Act Festival: An Incubator for New Voices and Lasting Creative Relationships
The Chain Theatre | 312 West 36 Street; Floor 3 & 4, New York, NY 10018
July 9 - August 1, 2026
My conversation with Rick Hamilton, Managing Director of The Chain Theatre, made one thing immediately clear: The Chain One Act Festival is far more than a showcase of short plays. It is an incubator for artists, a catalyst for creative relationships, and a place where the future of independent theatre is actively being developed.
For emerging playwrights, the festival often represents a first step into New York City's vibrant theatre community. Hamilton believes that opportunity is just as important as experience.
"The best thing about the One Act Festival," he explains, "is that we'll have established artists alongside someone presenting their very first play."
That philosophy defines the festival.
Rather than separating seasoned professionals from newcomers, The Chain intentionally creates an environment where artists at every stage of their careers share rehearsal rooms, audiences, and creative conversations. A first-time playwright may find themselves in the same festival as nationally recognized theatre artists, creating opportunities that extend well beyond a single production.
For Hamilton, those connections are among the festival's greatest successes.
"I get curious about the relationships that build in our community," he says. "We really try to foster growth, and it's wonderful when people meet here, connect, and continue working together after the festival."
Those relationships are essential to the health of New York's independent theatre scene. Collaborators become colleagues. Directors discover new writers. Actors return to work with playwrights they first encountered at The Chain. The festival becomes not simply an event, but the beginning of creative partnerships that ripple throughout the community.
The Chain also embraces artistic risk.
Hamilton describes the festival as a place where experimentation is welcomed rather than avoided. Artists are encouraged to stretch beyond their comfort zones, knowing that creative growth often comes from trying something new.
"Sometimes something doesn't quite gel," he says. "Then we ask, 'What did we learn?' Usually it's not about throwing the idea away. It's about figuring out how to make it work the next time."
That mindset transforms the festival into a laboratory for new work. Success isn't measured solely by flawless productions, but by artistic development. Every rehearsal, performance, and conversation becomes part of an artist's evolution.
Perhaps most rewarding for Hamilton is watching playwrights return.
Many artists first arrive with a debut work, only to come back in future festivals with greater confidence, stronger writing, and a deeper understanding of their craft.
"To see how they've grown, how they've stretched, whether they're writing better or making different creative choices, that's exciting," he reflects.
In an industry that often celebrates finished products, The Chain One Act Festival reminds audiences of something equally important: every accomplished artist began somewhere.
By cultivating new voices, encouraging collaboration, and creating space for experimentation, The Chain Theatre continues to invest in the next generation of independent theatre makers. The festival is not only producing one-act plays. It is helping shape the body of work, artistic relationships, and creative community that will define the future of New York theatre.
As someone who has been part of The Chain Theatre community in multiple ways, this festival holds a significant place in my heart. This season, I'm performing in How to Trap a Cockroach by Isabel Mehta, but my connection to The Chain stretches far beyond this production. Theatre Beyond Broadway has proudly served as a media sponsor for the NYC Fringe Festival, where many shows called The Chain home, and I’ve had the privilege of producing work in the space as well.
I first encountered The Chain when it was based in Long Island City, and watching its growth has been inspiring. In a city where many arts organizations struggled to survive the pandemic, The Chain not only endured—it continued championing new artists and cultivating community. Its resilience mirrors that of the artists it uplifts, and I’m grateful to be part of its ongoing story.
Below is a look at this year’s lineup of one acts:
The alphabetical list of theater shows from the Summer 2026 submissions, including their respective playwrights, is as follows:
3600 by Molly McQuillan
5 Minutes to Midnight by Susannah Nolan
6 Month Rule by Nate Oaks
The Anti-Mary's Map to Motherhood by Dana Mazzenga-Greto
Beyond Pluto by Richard Vetere
Bodega Cat by Melvin Ningyao Yen or Dina Zhanybekova
Bottom Girls by Madison Raffield
Boyfriends in My Head by Domenick Danza
Bro's Night by Jordan Richards
Bummer Man! by Eli Shaheen
Burn by Megan Kemple
Burnt by Lauren Bryant
Buskers by Zachary Harris
Cafe d'Automatique by Dave Hanson
Cerandipity by Annabel McConnachie
Crocodile by Patrick Hamilton
Danger Prone: Paradox by Nathan Clift
Depletion Halos by Dena Igusti
Dream Share by Carlin Feck
Fair Verona by Andrew Donnelly-Yunga
Faith, Fact, or Fiction by Nick Luis
FOR US by Bofang Zhou
Funny Enough by Natasha Lancaster
Get Out of My Head!!! by Youlim Nam
Ghoul Fools by Samuel Schell
Growths by Katelyn Seyl
He Kindly Stopped For Me by Spencer Giles
Heartstrings by Julia Cowitt
How to Trap a Cockroach by Isabel Mehta
Ides of May by Jeff Dylan Garrett
In A Blind by Youlim Nam
Interior Shift by Jeryl Brunner
THE IRISH PLAY by Daniel O'Donnell
Island Full of Monsters by Claire Abramovitz
JUST ADD WATER by Kyle Mumford
The Last Light of Day by Ryan Tramont
Last Nerve by Maggie Fern
Lights Out At The Women's Hotel by Rebecca Wild
The Liminal by Emerson Riter
Mae the Magnificent by Margo Hammond
Mango Margaritas by Dot Scuotto
MATES by Sue Yocum
Mercy Road by Rob Lenihan
Moonsteak by Adam Elliott
MY MOTHER AND I by Frank Dunham Jr
Nothing Like Before by Adrienne Acevedo Lovette
On the Burners by Toby Miller
Once on a Sunday by Jeremy Hendrik
Outer Space by Zoe Prawda
Plan B by Petrina Ampeire
Play Ball by Jane Flanagan
Port Authority Breakdown by Annie Raczko
Reception by Richard MacDonald
The Record by JT Tsou
The Replacement by Gabriella Arianna
Retribution by Jeff Checkley
Rewind, Play by Jack Wohl
Ritual by Meghan Covington
Saudade or The Pleasure You Suffer by Andrea Grossi-Benitez
Sex on the Beach - a love story from the time of aids. by Walter John Thompson
Sideshow by the Seashore by Sebastian Bader
Sleeping Dogs by Patrick Lennon
SOMEWHERE THERE ARE ROOSTERS by Noelia Flores
Sparkle in the Grey by Robert Strand
Spin Queen ™™ by Megan Tomei
STALIN: The Musical by Austin Olson
STEP AND A HALF BACK by Stephen Kropa
Storc by Audra Zook
Stylish Rebellion by Sky Edward
Sunday in the street with Chuck (and Bobby) by Rebecca Frazier
Syringe by Francis Bogan
Tea Time by Kate McLeod
Time Is Money by John Skocik
To Gloria, Or Not to Gloria by Kelsey Puttrich
to be borned by Ahreumbi Rew
Today's Special by Luisa Tanno
Two As In Louisiana by Nick DeSimone
Vicious Dogs in Marietta by Lane Genee
Wait or Run by Kaitlyn Rose RaBocse
when it rains, it pours! by Zoe Benjamin
Where's Your Heart At? by Nick Von Gremp
Wicked Weather This Way Comes by Mark Rabinow
Click HERE for tickets.
Editorial by Malini Singh McDonald.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on July 7, 2026. All rights reserved.