“Breaking the Binary” Festival Announces Fifth-Edition Program: Theatre by Trans and Nonbinary Artists in New York

Breaking the Binary Theatre has announced the program of the fifth edition of its annual festival, to be held from October 5 to 11, 2026 at the Susan & Ronald Frankel Theatre, in the Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space in New York. The festival is dedicated to works created and developed by transgender, nonbinary and Two-Spirit+ (TNB2S+) artists.

The program includes staged readings of five works: “My H8 Letter to the Gr8 American Theatre” by Zaza Diana Oh — a posthumous tribute to the author who passed away last year; “Twitch” by Liliana Padilla, whose new solo version premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where Vogue called it “a show worth seeing”; “The Magically Re-Imagined History of J.K. Rowling” by Jaime Jarrett, which explores the relationship between art, artist and audience; the variety show “Glitz, Glamour, Girls” with five stars of “Cats: The Jellicle Ball”; and Cecilia Gentili’s “Red Ink”, in which Tony Award winner Qween Jean debuts in the role of Cecilia.

On Saturday, October 10, four new plays will be read, while the festival closes on Sunday with “Celebrate”, a commissioned compilation of scenes and monologues conceived by Tony nominee L Morgan Lee and founding artistic director George Strus.

In addition to the festival, the organisation will present a one-night-only concert of the new musical “The Danish Girl” — with book and lyrics by Nora Brigid Monahan, music by Alex Parker and direction by Georgie Rankcom — at the David Rubenstein Atrium of Lincoln Center, on November 20, on Transgender Day of Remembrance. Tickets will be free.

The news is accompanied by a leadership change: after the festival and the concert, George Strus will retire from the artistic director post in December 2026; succession plans will be announced later in the year. Founded in July 2022, Breaking the Binary Theatre has produced over 50 workshops and readings, paid over $1 million to more than 600 TNB2S+ artists, and collaborated with Playbill, Lincoln Center, Signature Theatre and Roundabout Theatre Company.

Source: BroadwayWorld — https://www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/BREAKING-THE-BINARY-THEATRE-FESTIVAL-to-Present-New-Works-by-TNB2S-Artists-20260918