Part theater, part variety show, Straight Icons features visits from cartoon superstars, international pop stars, unhinged politicians and late 2000s MTV dating show contestants who force Queer BFFs Anne-Marie and SMJ to confront the uncomfortable intersection of queer liberation, exploitation and performative queerness.
Suggested Tix Price: $25
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, and give them an opportunity to suggest the ticket price that they’d prefer. You can learn more about What’s Ars Is Yours: Name Your Price Tix by visiting our How We Do It page.
Straight Icons will stream live from Ars Nova on June 5 @ 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.
Anne-Marie Pietersma (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based actor, writer, comedian, voice actor, and ACS Certified Cheese Professional®️ from Claremont, CA. She has very important pieces of paper from Penn State University, Boston University, New York Film Academy, and the National Musical Theatre Institute, UCB, Comedy Sportz, and spent hours of her childhood learning every word to Spaceballs and The First Wives Club. She blends food and storytelling constantly as reflected in her first one-woman show “Mild to Wild”, her upcoming book “I’ll Have What Cheese Having: Cheese Pairings Inspired by Romantic Comedies” and her weekly newsletter Trust Your Taste.
SMJ (they/them) is a mixed-Latiné and non-binary playwright originally from Mount Vernon, OH. They were a 2022-2023 Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellow. Currently, SMJ is creating work with Ars Nova, The Road Theatre Company, The Orchard Project, American Theater Group, and Latinx Playwrights Circle. Their work has been seen in various forms with the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, New York Stage and Film, Latiné Musical Theatre Lab, Lincoln Center, National Queer Theater, Carnegie Mellon University, Otterbein University, Wright State University, New York University, Art House Productions, and The Flea Theater. Member of the Dramatists Guild and Ring of Keys.
Mackenna Goodrich (she/they) describes her taste in plays as Big Girl Explosion Fests. Selected directing credits: American Girl Doll Horror Play by Jasmine Sharma (The Brick), An Axemas Story (The Players Theatre), WO[MAN] by Alyssa Haddad-Chin (The Brick), Radio Man by Sarah Groustra (SheNYC), Bogeyman by Allison Merkel (The Road Theatre Company), The Laundry Play by Sarah Groustra (The Chain), The Pine Barrens by Molly Kate Babos (Lime Arts), The Moors by Jen Silverman (Stagefemmes). Mackenna is also an associate producer for SciShow, teaches tiny dancers at Mark Morris Dance Group, and runs The Road Theatre Company’s Under Construction playwriting group. BA: Kenyon College
Grace Guichard (she/her) is a NYC based actor and improviser from Walnut Creek, CA. Credits include SPARC’s Shakespeare in the Vineyard, Otterbein Summer Theatre, and many short films that you haven’t seen. Most recently, she was Zoey in LPAC’s Rough Draft Festival staged reading of THE COMMAND CENTER by SMJ. This is likely how she ended up here. www.graceguichard.com
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.
