Nalini is a bat trapped in a hospital. Until Death is a not-so-solo show combining absurd theater and clown, set in a hospital where time collapses and humans panic. Inspired by her childhood, during which she survived more than one motorcycle accident, and through stories about healthcare systems, dreamers &
regretters, silliness & darkness, we meet an amalgam of the real people (and animals) she encountered and the imagination that kept her from dying of boredom.
What does it all look like upside down?
ANT Fest shows will premiere on Ars Nova Supra later this fall. Ars Nova Supra is our digital platform where you can stream all of our one-night shows 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!
Nalini Sharma is a performer, writer and clown comedian. She is a Sundance New Voices Lab finalist, part of the CBS comedy showcase, and the prestigious Blacklist + WIF episodic lab program. She co-wrote the play Being Chaka under The Archive Residency Grant that ran at The New Ohio Theater in Spring ’23. She co-founded the newly acclaimed theater company Blue Pen in Los Angeles and her own production house, Airport Road Pictures. Screen credits on ABC, NBC, FOX and more. Her absurdist play, Until Death, was a critically acclaimed hit at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and nominated for an Off-West End Award in London which she is now thrilled to bring to Ars Nova’s ANT Fest.
Mike Rose started dancing professionally at the age of 16 working with Tina Landon, Michael Rooney, Hinton Battle, Jerry Evans, Marguerite Derricks, Fred Tallaksen and Usher. Mike eventually transitioned to comedy, performing improv and sketch all over Los Angeles. Mike has created several successful web series including the animated Planet Unicorn which was named one of the 50 funniest web series in 2015 by Time Out magazine. Mike has created content for Logo, Pepsi, Comedy Central, Funny Or Die, CBS/Viacom, and Broadway Video. Television credits include ‘Til Death, Happy Endings, The Comeback, Tig N’ Seek, Community, Abbott Elementary and Dead To Me.
Bente Engelstoft is a 4-time Emmy award winning writer and producer. After graduating with a degree in theater from the University of Glasgow, Bente moved to Chicago to study improv at The Second City and iO Theaters. After 8 years of improv, sketch and storytelling, Bente moved to Los Angeles and wrote and performed for the CBS Diversity Showcase in 2016 and 2017. Bente spent 3 years writing for The Ellen DeGeneres Show before moving into narrative television, writing for Netflix comedy, Unstable. Bente also directs Short Films and award winning Solo Shows.
Kelly McCaughan is an actor, writer, comedian, clown, and theater-maker. Her award-winning solo show Catholic Guilt earned two ISH Edinburgh Comedy Award nominations, sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, and an extended Off-Broadway run at Soho Playhouse after winning the International Fringe Encore Series. She starred in Lady Magic, directed by Natalie Palamides, at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Her newest solo work, Martha’s Umbra, recently premiered at The Spaghetti Festival at The Elysian Theater in Los Angeles. Screen credits: HBO, Apple TV+, and Netflix. kelly-mccaughan.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: the most affordable 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!
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.
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.
Yes. The processing fees are charged by our ticketing and credit card processors, and increase along with the base price of your ticket.
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.
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 Taylor Rey. 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.
