Led by Uncle John and his niece Sonya, a band of musicians attempt a ritual to contact the spirit of their sister and mother through song. The sound of wind rattles the cabin walls and shakes the door handles. There are rumors of a demon in the woods beyond. Who or what is the ghost that haunts this forest? A song cycle of folk music performed by the band Go Home, a theatricalized concert, and a ritual seance based on the characters and narrative of Anton Chekov’s Uncle Vanya.
Tix to this show are Name Your Price starting at $15, 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.
Uncle John and the Demon of the Wood will stream live from Ars Nova on June 18 @ 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.
Dalia Ashurina is an Assyrian-American theater director focusing on explosive theatricality and subverting existing narratives. Broadway: Associate Director Sweeney Todd, Resident Director Phantom of the Opera. Regional: Three Tall Persian Women at Shakespeare and Co. Forbes Under 30, SDCF Denham Fellow, UC Irvine Alum. Now Playing: Iraq, But Funny at Lookingglass Theater @your_gal_dal
Zak Houston (he/him) is a songwriter/musician/actor from the flat and fertile land of Columbus, Ohio. BA – the Ohio State Unversity, MFA – UC Irvine. He lives in NYC, writes and plays with Go Home, teaches acting and songwriting, and runs Dungeons & Dragons for middle schoolers. @zakhouston
Chris Cornwell is an actor/musician/songwriter originally from Austin, Texas. Recent credits: Musty/Gutsy in Clown Bar 2 (SparkPlug Productions), Eddie/Dr. Scott/Guitar in The Rocky Horror Show (ZACH Theatre), Shesus (written and produced by John Leguizamo, Rattlestick Theatre) B.F.A. Acting, Texas State University; IG:@christophcornwell, www.chris-cornwell.com
Jessie has worked as an Associate General Manager at TT Partners since 2022. Shows include Death of a Salesman, Leopoldstadt, The Shark is Broken, Merrily We Roll Along, Patriots, Hills of California, Operation Mincemeat, and Duke & Roya. Prior to TTP, she served as a nonprofit administrator at Williamstown Theater Festival, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, and Theatre Aspen.
Will Z. Gillman is a NY-based producer, engineer, and musician in soul and spirit. His skills were honed during his time at SUNY Purchase where he received his BA. He currently is co-owner of small-time label Big Talk Records, and operates out of a studio in Dumbo.
Travis Emery Hackett (he/him) is a Texas born, Brooklyn based multi-disciplinary artist working primarily in the field of photography. His work can be seen in the pages of Vogue, New York Times, and Interview Magazine. Acting Credits: The Kennedy Center, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, etc.
JuJu Jaworski is a New York-based director, writer, and producer. JuJu has worked professionally in New York and beyond in spaces such as the National Alliance of Musical Theatre, North Shore Music Theatre, Fordham University, and The Tank. Selected New York Credits: Medusa (NAMT), 54 Sings The Princess Diaries (54 Below), Thoughts on Girlcock (Fordham Theatre), SCOUTS (Fordham Theatre). Regional: The Sound of Music (North Shore Music Theatre). Training: Fordham University, BA. jujujaworski.com
Daphne Silbiger is a playwright and musician. Her plays have been supported by The Brick, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Roundabout, Crashbox, Dixon Place, Corkscrew Festival, and others, and are published through DPS. She is a MacDowell Fellow and teaches with the School of Making Thinking. MFA Playwriting, UT Austin
Marlena Mack (she/her) has been summoning spirits as a member of the art-rock band Go Home for just shy of a decade. She holds a BFA from UC Irvine, where she began her musical collaboration with the illustrious Zak Houston and never looked back. Marlena lives in Brooklyn with her partner Mikhail and their cat children, Bug and Bosco.
sandile (they/them) is a nonbinary Zimbabwean multidisciplinary artist based in NYC. Their work spans the disciplines of music, theatre, film, fiber arts, and movement. In June 2024, sandile released their debut album, “america’s boyfriend”, a diaristic alt-rock album about love, gender, and community. Follow them on IG: @africanarchy
Katie Ortiz (they/she) is a Brooklyn musician and creative events producer. They hold a degree in ethnomusicology from NYU and lead the brooding alt-rock band Debbie Dopamine. They are also the programming director at Purgatory in Bushwick, a frequent haunter of public libraries, and an enthusiastic enjoyer of the company of lizards. @debbiedopamine
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 $15, 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 $15 + 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 $15 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 tix@arsnovanyc.com, 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 ANT Fest shows here!
Charlene Jean, Regi Angelou, Star Mitchell, Dria Brown
ANT Fest 25
Mack Brown, Murphy Taylor Smith, Emerson Mae Smith
ANT Fest 25
Xhloe Rice, Natasha Roland
ANT Fest 25
kanishk pandey, Milo Tucker-Meyer, Lauren Serafica, Katie Walenta
ANT Fest 25
Carsen Joenk, Molly Bicks, Rat Queen Theatre Company
ANT Fest 25
Dalia Ashurina and Go Home
ANT Fest 25
