Transcendency Rising: Short Plays About Defying Limitations

March 21 - April 11

TBTB is thrilled to showcase their first Short Play Festival after nine years! Running through April 11, 2026, the festival’s name is TRANSCENDENCY RISING: SHORT PLAYS ABOUT DEFYING LIMITATIONS, and it is at Theatre Row’s Theatre Five in New York City. The playwrights are John Patrick Shanley, Cate Allen, Bekah Brunstetter, Kathryn Grant, Lyle Kessler, Jeff Tabnick, and a few other surprises.

Thursday–Saturday at 7 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm. *Special performance is on Wednesday, April 8th at 7 pm. Tickets are NOW on sale for this festival. Don’t miss out!

Get Your Tickets Today!

The Short Play Festival is made possible in part by the generous support of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. TBTB is grateful for their commitment to our work and the arts.

For a complete list of our wonderful founders and Partners-In-Art, please click/tab here!

Playwrights

(Click/tab on the images to learn more about the playwrights)

Cate Allen

Bekah Brunstetter

Kathryn Grant

Lyle Kessler

John Patrick Shanley

Jeff Tabnick

To view our Accessible Playbill for Transcendency Rising, view it here, or scan the QR code below!

A picture of a QR code for the Accessible Playbill for Transcendency Rising.

Production Photos from TRANSCENDENCY RISING

An older light-skinned man in glasses, a red plaid shirt, red tie, brown jacket, and khaki pants, stands smiling on a dimly lit stage. Above him, text reads, “I’ve come with the Good News.”

Photo credit: Carol Rosegg

(L to R): Xen Theophall

(L to R): Jennifer Elizabeth Bradley, Emma Shafer, Jamie Petrone, & Amanda Cortinas

An older, light-skinned man in a patterned robe sits on a chair while a woman in pink scrubs and blue gloves stands nearby, looking at a mess on the floor beside a bed in a brightly lit room.

(L to R): Scott Barton & Carla Brandberg

Three light-skinned people sit on a stage under purple-blue lighting; they are all wearing casual clothing, and the person in the center uses a wheelchair. Above them, projected text reads, “You're a wheelchair user?”

(L to R): Dan Teachout, Ann Marie Morelli, & Aya Ibaraki

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