A small-town couple on the verge of ending their first adult relationship is abducted by a race of zany Aliens hellbent on destroying the Earth! Can the star-crossed lovers save their relationship AND the fate of humankind in time? Planet W blends the concept albums of 1970’s rock music with the mythic characters and stories of superhero comic books and classic American musical comedy.
Tix to this show are Name Your Price starting at $5, meaning you decide what you pay! We pass on 100% of the single ticket revenue directly to the show’s lead artists. You can learn more about What’s Ars Is Yours: Name Your Price Tix by visiting our How We Do It page.
PLANET W will stream live from Ars Nova on June 14 @ 7pm on Ars Nova Supra. Following the live stream, you’ll be able to watch the show on-demand for up to a year. Get a cancel-anytime $15/mo subscription to stream live or on-demand.
Franco Giacomarra (he/him) is a New York City-based writer, composer, and performer who makes original works for the stage, page and screen. He is most often drawn to writing about identity—whether it’s shapeshifting aliens acclimating to Earth, or a bicultural kid like him trying to roll his R’s just so. Franco is currently an artist-in residence with The Village, A Fenix 360 Artist to Watch, and a member of the Freeman Studio. His work has recently been presented with The Green Room 42, Alchemical Studios, The Latine Musical Theater Lab,The Crypt at Columbia, and more. Francogiacomarra.com
Matt Coakley (he/him) is a producer and singer-songwriter based in Chicago. He is a classically trained pianist, guitarist, and singer. He performs and records his own music, as well as producing albums for other artists, such as The Philadelphia Spice, Mikaela Jane, and Drift. He graduated from Drexel University in 2019 with a degree in recording arts. Since graduating and moving to Chicago, he has been writing, performing, and teaching private music and production lessons for the past three years.
Marc David Wright (he/him) is a director/producer of theatre and film, community creator, and teaching artist based in Manhattan. Co-Founder/Artistic Director of The Village artist collective, developing artwork-in-progress and connecting emerging artists with New York audiences at nine sold-out Salon events and counting (iminthevillage.org). Theater: Self Tape (June 28 at Theater Row/DUAF), The Stella Show (IRT/The Village), Singfeld! A Musical Parody About Nothing (Now Playing Off-Broadway), Dark Play… (Edinburgh Fringe). Film: As You Like It or (The Pursuit of Love in Shared Isolation), Slay!, Enterprise 25: A Cinematic Advent Calendar. Fordham Theatre 2019. @marcdavidwright
Caroline Potter Shriver is an actor, writer, and producer based in Brooklyn. She graduated magna cum laude from the Alvin Ailey School/Fordham University BFA program, where she double majored in Dance and Latin American studies. In 2021, she collaborated with a team of artists to build The Village: a collective of artists and patrons that celebrate the creative process. The Village grew as an incubator for Caroline’s first solo-work, The Stella Show, which was workshopped at The Village’s Salon events and ultimately produced by The Village as a full-length one-woman show in residency at IRT Theatre. Caroline has directed theater (Public Private Prayer at Ursinus Fringe Festival), acted in film (Capsules directed by Luke Momo), and collaborated on countless projects with the incredible artists of The Village.
Dana Seach is a theatre and film artist based in New York City. She completed a Master of Science degree in Media Management from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University. She has worked as a Production Stage Manager at institutions including NYU/Tisch, Less Than Rent Theatre, and The Dalton School. Dana also has experience as an Assistant Director and Script Supervisor on short films and most recently produced The Village’s production of The Stella Show at IRT Theater. As Managing Director of The Village, Dana seeks to uplift early-career artists in the pursuit of creating new work. danaseach.com
Recent design credits include: Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (New London Barn Playhouse), Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 (Post Theatre Company), The Laramie Project (St. Bart’s Players). Vincent has also assisted designers at venues such as BAM Fisher, York Theatre Company, New York Philharmonic, Roundabout Black Box and Irish Repertory Theatre. He thanks his family for their endless support. vincentgunn.com @vincentgunndesign.
Recent: Coriolanus (Portland Center Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Hurricane Diane (People’s Light), Merry Me (New York Theatre Workshop, co-design Kate Marvin), Belfast Girls (Irish Repertory Theatre), Fences (Shakespeare & Company), The Overview Effect (Contemporary American Theater Festival), Little Women (Theatreworks, UCCS), What the Constitution Means to Me (WAM Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group).
Vittoria Orlando is an NYC-based lighting and media designer who aims to spark meaningful conversations through her work. With degrees in Theatre Design and Production, and Visual Art from Fordham University, Vittoria remains committed to pushing creative boundaries to create interesting and exciting work. Her approach is grounded in seeking imaginative solutions while recognizing the value of learning and growth. Vittoria strives to embrace each opportunity to connect with others.
Ellie is a NYC based costume designer for Film/TV/Theater. Recent design credits include Singfeld! (Off broadway), assistant credits East New York (CBS), Mother’s Instinct (Freckle face productions), The Crowded Room (Apple TV). Working with friends is the greatest job in the world! Congratulations to all involved.
Joseph DiGiovanna recently designed projections for Is it Thursday Yet? world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse and its NYC premiere at The Perelman Performing Arts Center. Broadway photography credits include Hamilton and Moulin Rouge! Cinematography credits include Vogue, Vanity Fair, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Universal Music Group, and Blue Note Records. His work has premiered at The Venice Film Festival, The New York Film Festival, Billboard.com, NPR.com, and MTV. Joseph’s innovative chronicling of the NYC skyline with his “30 Year Time-Lapse” project has garnered features on CNN and ABC. @JosephDiGiovanna @NYC_Timescape
Alumni of the theatre program at Fordham University and current MFA student at DGSD at Yale. One of many apprentices who studied under Debbie Allen. Former Broadway cast member of The Prom as well as guest star on various episodic networks.
Saúl M. Nache (he/they) is a Latinx music director, performer, vocal director, voice teacher, unapologetically gay and BIPOC, and lover of all musical styles! Saúl has a Master of Music in Voice Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Western Illinois University. Since landing in NYC, Saúl has served as music director/arranger/vocal arranger on many different kinds of projects in development as well as full productions. He made his Off-Broadway debut as the music director for HIP HOP CINDERELLA at the New Victory Theater. Other credits include THE BAR BILABO: A KURT WEILL CABARET (Cherry Grove Theater Arts Project), CATS (Perelman Performing Arts Center), LEGS DIAMOND REUNION CONCERT (Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library)
Brendan is a Drama Desk nominated theater creative and designer. Recent off-Broadway credits include Scarlett Dreams, Make Me Gorgeous, Opposite of Love, Five, and more. Upcoming: Empire at New World Stages.
Chris is a Latino singer and stage/film actor from the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. He starred in the short film Hard, directed by Christian Jacob Ramon, which was a final short film selection at SXSW. As a singer Chris has performed aboard Celebrity and CCL, traveling to Mexico, Australia, Fiji, and other countries. As an actor, he most recently performed as a Mark understudy and swing for the 25th Anniversary international tour of RENT.
Hannah Brudnock is a passionate actress/singer originally from the desert of Arizona. She got her Bachelor’s of Music from Arizona State University (summa cum laude mom is proud to say) and she’s thrilled to be celebrating her one year in NYC! When she’s not adhering to the starving artist’s lifestyle you can find her doing YouTube yoga in her living room and gigging around the city with her folksy songwriting friends. Her recent projects include her off-OFF-Broadway debut in TNC’s Takedown.
Coby C. Oram moved to NYC with his identical twin two years ago to pursue a career in acting/singing. He has since worked 4 Jersey Boys contracts and written over 20 songs with his brother. Together, they will probably take over the world.
Maxwell Swangel is a Manhattan based actor/writer. Most recently, he was seen eating scenery as François in Cinderella, the Musical (The Players Theatre). When not nomming on stagecraft, he can be found with his cats, Barbara and Diane, and his ever-supportive partner, Kia: without whom he would surely fall flat on his face in front of all the cool kids.
Asha J. Houston is an actress/singer from Philadelphia. She received her BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul and is currently pursuing her MFA at NYU Tisch Grad Acting. Lover of all things Toni Morrison and Jazmine Sullivan. Asha is super excited to be apart of this new musical!
This show will take place at Ars Nova, located at 511 W 54th Street, New York, NY 10019.
Seating is general admission and first-come first-served. So, the earlier you arrive at the theater, the more choice you’ll have about where you sit! (Bonus: cheapest drinks in Midtown are at Bars Nova!)
The only way to guarantee you reserved seats is to become a Super Nova. Super Novas never hear “sold out,” get reserved seats in prime locations, and make fair wages and accessible tickets possible. Learn more about becoming a Super Nova here!
Tix to this show are Name Your Price starting at $5, meaning you decide what you pay! Best of all, when you name your price, 100% of the single ticket revenue is passed on directly to the show’s lead artists! You can learn more about What’s Ars Is Yours: Name Your Price Tix by visiting our How We Do It page.
If a performance is sold out, you can join a standby line for day-of-show tix made available by minute cancellations and no-shows. Standby will begin 1 hour prior to curtain and will form outsideFolks from the standby line will be admitted into the show on a rolling basis as availability is confirmed. Standby tix are name-your-price starting at $5 + fees.
Additionally, Supra is never sold out! If you can’t make the show in-person, you can always stream online for only $15/mo, which gets you unlimited streaming access to performances from the last year. You can cancel your membership anytime by emailing contact@arsnovanyc.com.
Once you’ve selected your performance date and time at check-out, you’ll see a number of ticket price options ranging from $5 to $100. Select the price point you want to pay and the number of tickets you’d like to purchase and they’ll be added to your cart. After that, continue through the check-out process and you’ll be all set!
Yes. The processing fees are charged by our ticketing and credit card processors, and increase along with the base price of your ticket.
Yes! Ars Nova Supra is our digital platform where you can live stream all of our one-night shows and watch premieres from the past year on-demand. For the low price of $15/mo, you can access an entire seasons worth of comedy, music and theater from our groundbreaking artists, and additionally you can cancel your subscription anytime!
All sales are final – there are no refunds or exchanges.
If you’re unable to use your tickets, you may donate them in exchange for a letter of tax credit by emailing tix@arsnovanyc.com.
We ask that you stay home if you aren’t feeling well or are awaiting the results of a COVID test. Please let us know prior to your ticketed performance, and we will work with you to find a solution if you’re unable to attend.
We welcome and encourage mask-wearing to protect yourself and others. However, as mask mandates have lifted and city, state and federal guidelines have changed, we will not be requiring them at performances.
We no longer require proof of vaccination, but we strongly encourage all audience members to get vaccinated and boosted in accordance with public health guidelines.
Our staff will clean and sanitize the theater and common areas and we’ll continue to provide hand sanitizer for your personal use.
Signage is posted in all spaces encouraging washing or sanitizing hands frequently.
Ars Nova is uncensored. We provide content advisories — to the best of our ability — to inform audiences when shows contain racial violence, racist language, sexual violence or nudity. We provide information about this type of content in advance, based on our core values, so that each audience member can make an informed decision about if and how they’d like to engage with that content. We welcome artists to share additional information about their shows based on their own core values.
Ars Nova is wheelchair accessible. If you wish or need to remain in your wheelchair throughout the show, our staff will remove the theater chair. This can be done by letting us know your needs/plans in advance; just email Declan Zhang. It can also be done without prior notice when you arrive! If you wish to transfer to the theater seat from your wheelchair, we are happy to store your wheelchair or motorized mobility aid in the lobby during the performance. The House Manager will return your mobility device to you at the end of the performance as this show has no intermission.
About 25% of the seating is on the ground floor of the theater and does not require using stairs to access. There are five six-inch steps to get into the building.
All remaining seats require no less than one and no more than three steps to access.
Licensed service animals (any dogs that are trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities) are welcome at Ars Nova. They must rest in your seating area throughout the performance and are unable to occupy the aisle. Please bring proof of certification or a license for your service animal and be prepared to present it to the House Manager upon request. You can send advance notice to Declan Zhang, which is appreciated, but not required.
Our bathrooms are stalled, all gender restrooms – everyone is welcome to use any bathroom of their choice. We have two single-person restrooms in the lobby; with the wheelchair accessible option located right outside the theater on the first floor (doors 7 feet 10 inches x 3 feet 10.5 inches).
We have space that can be made to offer privacy for feeding should you need at any time. See the House Manager onsite and they will arrange a comfortable space, with storage and refrigeration for your materials.
The audience seating locations could be in, around and throughout the playing area. Performers will be within 3’ of you.
The seating is a combination of chairs.
Black Chairs with back: 19” wide x 32.25” high x 21.75” deep with a 500lb capacity
Black Counter height: 16.5” wide x 38” high x 18” deep with a 500lb capacity
The doors for entry into the building are 7 feet 10.5 inches x 3 feet 7 inches (external) and 7 feet 10 inches x feet 10.5 inches (internal).
Box Office height is 3 feet 6 inches and the Bar height is 3 feet 8.5 inches.
ANT Fest is our annual festival of All New Talent showcasing new work from New York’s most adventurous emerging artists. Learn more and get into our other 2024 ANT Fest shows here!
Franco Giacomarra, Matt Coakley, Marc David Wright
Madison Fiedler, Francesca Sabel
