A found text song-cycle/punk cabaret based on the short stories, articles, poems, and personal essays of Das 3. Geschlecht, a transvestite magazine published in five issues from 1930-1932 in Berlin before n*zis burned its publishing house to the ground. THIRD SEX brings these forgotten trans and queer narratives to life through music inspired by the antifascist krautrock movement, punk, and experimental.
Translations by Erica Kastner & Thomas Gurinskas
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.
THIRD SEX: 1930s transvestite lieder will stream live from Ars Nova on June 26 @ 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.
ADAM J. RINEER (they/xe/he) is a NYC composer, writer, music director, and artistic leader. Adam’s work has been developed with or performed at Roundabout Theatre Company, HERE Arts Center, NYMF, Theatre Now New York, The Parkside Lounge, Green Room 42, The Maas Building, and CAP21. Their work as a music director has been at MCC Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, TheatreWorks Hartford, Prima Theatre, The Cutting Room, and many more. Adam is a Founding Co-Artistic Director of UNTITLED Musical Project and holds an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Collaboration from Temple University. @adamjrineer
JASON AGUIRRE (he/him/el) is a Mexican-American director, bookwriter, and choreographer, specializing in new work development. As a director and dramaturg, Jason has developed and presented work at HERE Arts, Vineyard Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, The Tank, Pete’s Candy Store, and the Maker’s Ensemble. He is a SDCF Fellow — mentored by Susan Stroman, an alumnus of the Directors Group at Roundabout Theatre Company, a graduate of the George and Joy Abbott MFA in Musical Theatre Collaboration at Temple University, the 2021 Artistic Producing Fellow at Vineyard Theatre, and a Founding Co-Artistic Director of UNTITLED Musical Project. www.j-aguirre.com @jasona57
Jacey Ziev (they/she, ziv) is a Brooklyn-based, Trans theatre maker and musician. They gravitate toward themes of Dissent and Justice through a Queer lens, aiming to subvert old tropes and establish new ones. Currently, they are developing their musical: My Own Worst Enemy (@MOWEmusical), drumming with multiple Brooklyn-based artists and bands (@1hourphoto.nyc), and struggling to capture concrete evidence proving the existence of the elusive drag cryptid known as Sp’Tonna Kôpp. Jace is a TEDxBroadway 2022 Young Professional and a proud collaborator with The Living Theater.
Lisa Stephen Friday (she/her) is a Singer, Musician, Actor and playwright based in New York City. Lisa’s most notable work is her one woman show TRANS AM. Lisa first performed at Are Nova in 2003 with her band Lisa Jackson and Girl Friday and she is thrilled to be back twenty years later for ANT Fest and singing the brilliant songs of Adam Rineer’s Third Sex! Lisa is also the composer of the new musical Doll/ Girl which had it debut at Judson Memorial Church in 2023 and is currently being featured at Joe’s Pub. You can follow Lisa on IG @lisastephenfriday and www.lisastephenfriday.com
Murphy Taylor Smith is an actress and songwriter. Theatre: A TRANSPARENT MUSICAL (Centre Theatre Group, dir. by Tina Landau), DOLL/GIRL (Joe’s Pub). Film: OH SUGAR! (dir. Gabe Dunn). She has written the music and lyrics for: WATCHDOG, an identical twin psycho thriller; ELEKTRIC, a trans woman-centered Oresteia; and RADIO: A MUSICAL GHOST STORY, a lesbian horror film. The RADIO original soundtrack and her latest single Monster are available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. @msmurphysmith // MurphyTaylorSmith.com
Simón Gómez Villegas (he/she/they) is a burgeoning performer and composer from Bogotá, Colombia. Simón makes music at the intersection of musical theatre, indie pop, and Americana Shakespeare—and intends to continue doing so for as long as she can. Their first full-length work, KEEP ME IN MIND—a sweeping and vibrant contemporary musical about caregiving, memory, reckoning, and relinquishing—is currently undergoing renovations in partnership with book writer Paloma Sierra. Simón is also an adaptable actor/musician who has played both piano and guitar in a wide range of settings, such as Alaskan dinner theatre, devised work, and early childhood enrichment programs.
Tẹmídayọ Amay (they/he) is a Black Trans Non-Binary writer, producer, actor, and queer activist. OFF-BROADWAY: Classic Stage Company: black odyssey; MCC Theater: On Love; Classical Theatre of Harlem: Foriwa; The Public Theatre; Ars Nova; Clubbed Thumb. REGIONAL: Round House Theatre: School Girls: or, the African Mean Girls Play (Helen Hayes Award: winner); Signature Theatre: The Color Purple; Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Describe the Night; Arena Stage; The Kennedy Center; Shakespeare Theatre Company; Longacre Lea: The Interstellar Ghost Hour (Helen Hayes Award: nominated). DIRECTING: The Athena Project: The Newlywed Game. WRITING: POOL, The Invention of Women, The Legend of Zora, That’s Queer(?!). AFFILIATES: BTB New Works Playwright, MAESTRA Mentee, TPOC Fellow, MTF Musicals Fellow. temidayoamay.com
Projections Designer: www.zacklobel.com
Props Designer: www.rachelgrafevans.com
Natalie Joy Johnson Broadway credits: Lempika (Suzy Soldier), Kinky Boots (Pat), and Legally Blonde (Enid, OBC). Other favorites include the first national tour of Legally Blonde (Paulette), Southern Comfort and 2004’s Off-Broadway production of Bare: A Pop Opera. TV credits: High Maintenance (HBO) and Difficult People (Hulu). Natalie is an accomplished cabaret artist, selling out shows all over NYC, performing internationally and creating two multi-year residencies at queer clubs in NYC. Her singles Gorging and Get Into It…Queen (by Miss Natalie) are available wherever you stream music, and the videos live on YouTube. www.nataliejoyjohnson.love
Will Shishmanian (Guitar)
James Rushin (Bass)
Caro Moore (Drums)
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
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