System Processing:

Goodbye to Rossum’s Universal Robots

by Kiera Egan, Julia Cahn, Laura Clinton, Fiona Egan, and Daniel Walton

Left to right: Amy Savino, Audrey Owen, Magdaliz Rivera, Neysa Lozano, Renee Hapeman, Eythen Anthony, and Daniel Walton. Photo by Alicia Vnencak.

It has officially been one week since we closed Rossum’s Universal Robots, and most of us over at The UTA are still somewhere between the denial and the bargaining stages of grief. 

Emily McGuire as the Robot Sulla. Photo by Alicia Vnencak

The show had four successful shows at HB Playwright’s Theatre on Bank Street, and we — the executive board of The UTA — are so grateful for all the amazing creatives who lent their time and talents for this production.

To the crew: Renee Hapeman (hair and makeup, scenic), Nick Kaladjzic (lighting design), Jessie Kay (house manager), Audrey Owen (fight captain), Zaina Shariff (social media), and Erin Sullivan (scenic and props), thank you for your knowledge and your willingness to help; this play was significantly improved due to all of you. And shoutout to Matt and Kevia Walton— over half of the props used were provided by them! 

Magdaliz Rivera (Helena) and Audrey Owen (Alquist). Photo by Alicia Vnencak

To the newcomers to The UTA stage: Ben Fiorica, Milton Daniel Lopez, Emily McGuire, and Magdaliz Rivera— thank you for taking a gamble on our humble theatre company… and welcome to the Alliance.

Daniel Walton as Domin. Photo by Alicia Vnencak

To The UTA Veterans: Renee Hapeman, Neysa Lozano, Audrey Owen, Zaina Shariff, and Erin Sullivan, we’re so happy to work with you again, and we can’t wait for the next collaboration. 

And of course, we didn’t forget Eythen Anthony, Carolyn Oursler, and Amy Savino— not quite newcomers as they all killed it at our Roast of William Shakespeare event this past August, but new to acting with us— thank you for blessing us with yet another one of your talents.

Ben Fiorica and Carolyn Oursler as Primus and Robot Helena. Photo by Alicia Vnencak

This show would also not have been possible without the assistance of Dominican Academy, who provided the printing services for our playbills as well as their facilities for our weekly Sunday rehearsals. Their generous support enables us to keep doing what we love to do, and we are so grateful.

Finally, a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to see this show. You’re the reason we do this. We hope you enjoyed the show.

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BRB, gonna go cry in the corner for a little bit. 

Party with Us:

Alliance Updates this Month

Word on the Street:

A Silly New Cyrano de Bergerac Coming this July!

Graphic designed by Alexandra Matsu

The UTA couldn’t stay away from the classics for long, and as you know, we MUST give it a silly spin.

This summer’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac is adapted for a cast of clowns, so get ready for UNPRECEDENTED levels of silly. The Underground Theatre Alliance is producing this show alongside GrannyCart Theatre (run by the incredible Alexandra Matsu and Megan Twamley), and it will be performed over the weekend of July 9th-July 11th at the Makers Ensemble in Brooklyn.

Megan Twamley and Paolo Ragusa in The UTA’s mime-themed version of Merry Wives of Windsor

Megan Twamley, a teaching artist and clown, and The UTA’s very own Laura Clinton, have been writing their new script based on the classic version of the tale by Edmond Rostand. The dynamic duo will also be directing the piece together as well!

The script, which balances poetry with a healthy dose of tom-foolery, has been workshopped amongst Alliance members since January, and has delighted those who have had the pleasure to read it. As Laura Clinton says of their concept, “by adding elements of clowning into the play, I hope to highlight [the] intensity in a way that is endearing & fun.”

Laura Clinton getting in touch with her clowning side in Merry Wives of Windsor

Anyone interested in auditioning for this production can submit a self-tape to The UTA email until April 30th. In-person auditions will be held TONIGHT (4/26) and TOMORROW (4/27) at A.R.T. New York South Oxford Space, from 7:30 PM — 9:30 PM. Sign up using this audition form!

Send in the Clowns:

Shakespeare’s Best Fools

by Fiona Egan

It’s Billy’s birthday, and there’s nothing that man loved more than a fool to keep the party (and plot) going! So to celebrate our favorite bard and honor all April Fools, I’ve compiled a list of the best fools and clowns Shakespeare ever wrote!

Wait, is that Domin? No, it’s Falstaff!

From The UTA’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We are bound to keep using one of the six photos from this production until we do it again, someday.

Want more clowns? Much like our favorite bard, we can’t get enough, so be sure to check out our collaborative production of Cyrano De Bergerac this July for your next hit of clownery!

What Willy Said:

Spotlight On:

Karel Čapek: The UTA’s Newest Star Playwright (sorry, Shakespeare)

Karel Čapek in the coolest picture you’ve ever seen

In less than three weeks, The Underground Theatre Alliance plans to do something their friends didn’t think they were capable of doing: perform a show NOT written by William Shakespeare.

Rossum’s Universal Robots, or R.U.R. (affectionately pronounced “rrrr” internally), is a science fiction play written by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in 1920. Tragically timely, this piece tells the story of a group of scientists who risk ending humanity with their robot workforce. This play is probably best remembered for coining the word “robot,” but it is far more than just a sci-fi fun fact. Campy yet poignant, this play has developed quite a cult-following for its relevance and cast of zany characters.

Foreground: Milton Daniel Lopez, playing a robot. Background left to right: Eythen Anthony and Amy Savino.

But don’t just take it from me! Hear what theatre critic and social media influencer Joe Weinberg had to say about Čapek’s classic— and our upcoming reimagining

@overthinkingtheatre

🤖 #theatre #nyc #hiddengems #arts #history

Within two days of Joe’s video, Čapekheads flocked, and we sold out all planned showtimes. No hate to our guy Billy Shakes, but I don’t think even one single All’s Well That Ends Well superfan exists.

The cast of R.U.R. is all smiles for Karl Čapek

So three cheers for Karel, who famously once said, “Only years of practice will teach you the mysteries and bold certainty of a real gardener”— damn, Karel, we didn’t know you rolled like that.

We hope that with time, The UTA will be as bold and mysterious as you.

Party with Us:

Alliance Events in April!

Word on the Street:

Interview with Audrey Owen, Actor and Alliance Member

Audrey in rehearsal for Alquist in our upcoming production of R.U.R.

How did you find out about The Underground Theatre Alliance, and what has made you want to return for your THIRD production?

TL;DR: Through a friend of a friend.

Now if you want the full story, of course I’ll deliver.  I went to college in Boston, where I met my best friend.  Upon moving to NYC after graduation, I moved in with my boyfriend (now husband) and my best friend moved in with a family friend.  This family friend just so happened to be UTA member Paolo Ragusa’s sister.  I met Paolo a few times and heard whispers of his girlfriend’s Shakespeare company, but it wasn’t until years later that I decided to finally audition.  And to be honest, I’m surprised they even cast me seeing as I submitted late with a COVID era self tape.  The kicker to this all is that I actually spent a very important night with many of the UTA members before ever auditioning for Julius Caesar.  My husband just so happened to be the DJ at Paolo’s sister’s wedding, so I bore witness (and I have video footage to prove it) to the one and only Daniel Walton’s passionate singing and tearing it up on the dancefloor before ever formally meeting them.  The rest is history.

I keep coming back to UTA for quite a few reasons.  First off, they keep casting me, which is thrilling.  Second, they are a group of passionate artists who strive to make the best work that they can.  I’ve seen them evolve so much over just the past three productions, and I cannot wait to see how far they go in the future.  The biggest reason I keep coming back is because I love playing with my friends.  Theater is all about fun, discovery, and being open to silliness/failure/exploration in a world that is quite literally pretend.  I will always love working with The UTA because I simply have fun creating with them.

Audrey contemplating life in 2025’s Julius Caesar

How would you describe yourself as an artist? What excites you most about theatremaking?

I would describe myself as an actor primarily, but one who wants to try on all the hats so I can level up in my own role. In my BFA we focused a lot on collaboration, and it taught me that understanding and collaborating with all of the players who make up a production helps you do your own job better. This proves true time and time again, whether it be chatting with an AC on set about focus or a lighting designer during tech about their gel preferences. And I absolutely believe that the best directors to work with are the ones who understand the “actor brain” or even are actors themselves. Someday, I’m sure I’ll throw my hat into the ring to direct a thing or two.

I love to work on film sets, and have really gained an appreciation for the complexities of filmmaking, but the theater will always be my home. I grew up in the theater, and it was always my favorite place in the world. From 8-18 I was doing (in school and community theater) approximately 6 shows a year. It never felt like a choice to be an actor or an artist, it was just who I was. I mentioned play earlier, and that is probably the number one reason I love being an actor. But when it comes to theater specifically, it's all about the room. So much of our time is spent in isolation nowadays, and we have truly lost the art of listening and practicing empathy. Now I’m not saying Netflix is the root cause of our problems today, but I do think that if we spent more time together listening to stories and experiencing catharsis we would all be better off. When COVID hit I had a conversation with my therapist about how I was overwhelmed in so many ways and was lost as to why. Sure, things were crazy, but it seemed like something was blocking me from processing anything. Shocker, my therapist enlightened me to the fact that I had gone from living and breathing shared emotional journeys and spaces for my entire life to the most intense isolation I’d ever felt. The theater helps us breathe and move through things in ways we don’t even realize. That is why I choose theatermaking.

Audrey during rehearsal for last October’s All’s Well That Ends Well

Aside from starring in our last three productions, you were also our fight captain for the Julius Caesar choreography created by Nic Coccaro, and played the Bard himself during our Roast of William Shakespeare last August. What is the wackiest talent (or form of artistic expression) you hope to do at a future Alliance show or event?

Honestly, I like to live by a motto that a 6 year old taught me one summer while I was an instructor at a summer camp: “Don’t Yuck My Yum”. Simply put, I’ll try anything once. Everyone involved in our upcoming production of R.U.R. knows just how excited I am to “pop my bald cap cherry” for this show, so that’s a big one off the bucket list! What’s next? You tell me!

Audrey as the man of the hour of the Roast of William Shakespeare

In our last production, you played Diana, the goddess-like maiden of All’s Well That Ends Well. In Rossum’s Universal Robots, you play a bald, middle-aged architect. What has been the biggest difference in your approach to these two characters?

Strangely enough, I don’t think Diana and Alquist are all that different.  Sure, I am approaching them differently in terms of physical exploration and vocal quality, and the language is different on the tongue with Shakespeare vs. anything else.  However, both Alquist and Diana are trying to figure out who they are or what they believe.  They both are critical of the situations they find themselves in and often feel isolated from the people around them.  I like to think that they would be allies if placed on the same plane, maybe giving each other “Office” styled Jim looks from across the stage.

Audrey contemplating life again (but different this time) in rehearsal for R.U.R.

Where do you hope to see yourself in one year, creatively and/or personally?

A cruel question to ask, as just a week ago I turned 29.  You’re asking me where I see myself at 30, which feels like it has to be at least 5 years from now.  To be so honest with you, I’m focusing on taking things day by day.  I hope to have found a little more balance, a little more growth, a lot more time either on stage or set, and hey, I wouldn’t mind a little more financial growth due to my acting endeavors.  I, like Alquist and Diana, plan on continuing the long journey of exploring who I am and what mark I want to leave on the world.  I can promise it’ll be a year full of hustling, bustling, digesting art in all forms, and dancing away as many nights as possible surrounded by my friends.

Audrey looking like a literal goddess in All’s Well That Ends Well

Much Ado About:

Doodles of Robots. Yes, that’s it.

Robots drawn by Erin Sullivan

Putting on a production is a lot of work, and the cast and crew of Rossum’s Universal Robots are getting fried brains. So instead of a well-thought-out article, enjoy some robots created by members of the cast, interspersed with some of the incredible reels social media manager Zaina Shariff has been cooking up lately.

Robot by Magdaliz Rivera

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Robot by Neysa Lozano

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Robot by Ben Fiorica

Robot by Audrey Owen

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What Willy Said:

Spotlight On:

Readings & Workshops & R.U.R. — oh my!

Laura Clinton directing the cast of R.U.R. at their first rehearsal.

Our first production of the year may not be until mid-April, but we have been quite the busy bees already this year!

On January 30th, members of The UTA met with the founders of GrannyCart Theatre to hold a special first reading of our summertime collaboration, Cyrano de Bergerac. The clown-themed retelling of the classic French play, as written by Laura Clinton and Megan Twamley, delighted the group as we snacked on macarons and sipped red wine. Oui, oui (or should I say, honk, honk?)!

From left to right: Daniel Walton, Megan Twamley, Julia Cahn, Laura Clinton, and Alexandra Matsu are all smiles at the Cyrano reading.

Our first Breaking Ground workshop event, held on February 17th, was another bright spot of the past month. A small cohort comprised of veteran UTA members, as well as some new faces, gathered to read alliance member Jim McMahon’s original play and give feedback. The unexpected and absurdist work — entitled Find Me a Raisin — totally embodies The UTA spirit, and we can’t wait to see what’s in the future for this impressive project. If you’re a fellow playwright looking to workshop your piece, we’d love to hear from you!

Jim and his raisins. Back row (left to right): Laura Clinton, Paolo Ragusa, Kevin Keating, Jaxon Beirne, Julia Cahn. Front row (left to right): Kiera Egan, Jim McMahon, Daniel Walton

And of course, our first production of the year, Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R. for short), is now well underway! A lovely cast of returning and new Alliance members has been hard at work rehearsing each Sunday, and this time around, The UTA is equipped with their largest production team yet.

In addition to the usual suspects (a.k.a. The UTA executive board, a.k.a. the people featured in our “team” announcement article from the December newsletter), The UTA is proud to be assisted by such talented folk as Zaina Shariff, social media management; Erin Sullivan, props and set design; Nick Kaladjzic, lighting design, and more. Together, the cast and production team are developing a show you’re not gonna wanna miss!

Follow us on Instagram to see more updates on what we’re up to!

Party with Us:

Alliance Events in March!

Mark your calendars for Radical Joy: A Fundraiser for Transgender Rights on Friday, March 13th at 7:00 PM at The Green Room 42!

Our collaborator Em Radi and their organization, the Musical Theatre Writing Collective, are hosting their second annual cabaret fundraiser event, showcasing new musical theatre music from their membership.

The cast, band, and creative team will be filled with transgender and nonbinary artists, and the event will be raising funds for Transgender Law Center.

Tickets are available to watch both in-person in midtown Manhattan, as well as live-streamed for those unable to be there physically!

MORE ALLIANCE MEMBER EVENTS AND UPDATES

SG Egan co-wrote and co-directed the short film Secret Menu Beauty Pageant, produced through Nice Hog! Productions and now available to stream via this link.

Matthew Fay has THREE sketch comedy events in the upcoming month! With The Sketch Collective: BoogieManja, on February 26th at 9:30 PM at the Caveat. With The Armory Comedy: Road House Sketch Show on March 17th at 7:00 PM at The Tank. With The Walking Juxt Sketch Team: The Walking Juxt Sketch Show on March 26th at 7:00 PM at The PIT.

Lily Lipman wants disabled folks to know they can join the Disabled Dismantlers group to help provide collective care, equity, safety, and joy for themselves and each other. Interested parties are invited to fill out this Form, join a Zoom, or reach out to Lily at lilyalipman@gmail.com.

Rebecca Wolf will be having her SOLO SHOW, The Pigs Next Door, on March 15th at 8:30 PM at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective (Pig Pen Space). Purchase your tickets through the BCC website!

Word on the Street:

Interview with Julia Cahn, General Manager

Julia Cahn posing for her first official R.U.R. Production Manager photo

You began your journey with The UTA acting— what motivated you to get involved with the business side of the operation?

Knowing that I could help my friends thrive! I’ve been a theatre company manager and have seen many sides to the business, plus I’m a project manager by trade, so it was more like: How can I convince my friends to let me help them?? Someone must have relented finally, because here I am now!

For those who may not know, what does a General Manager for a theatre company do, generally?

Keeps this choo choo train a-chuggin’! It’s mostly operational oversight, logistics, and production planning, plus some business strategy work. Think: lots of to-do lists, emails, and organization. Normally, a GM also handles financial management, but we have the brilliant Fiona Egan covering our accounting.

Julia as Marc Antony in Julius Caesar (what’s that she’s holding? A to-do list, perhaps?)

What aspect of the job do you like best/enjoy the most?

Helping people! I love being someone that anyone can come to for support- whether that’s logistical, technical, or emotional! I love the challenge of working through all kinds of problems…. It’s also fun to check things off our aforementioned to-do lists.

The UTA has done a lot of important brand work in the past few months, a lot of which has been spearheaded by you. Can you tell us about a new development/initiative within the company that you are most excited to see come to fruition?

First off, shout out to Daniel, one of our incredible Artistic Directors, for co-heading the rebrand! Aside from getting to share more of our branding concepts with the world, I’m probably most excited to see us plan smaller, more community-focused events outside of our productions. We’re looking at improv workshops, open mics, maybe even a sip & scenes night?? Clear your calendars because we’ve got a lot of fun plans!

Julia singing her heart out at our first annual Juneboree (I wasn’t able to get to ALL of Julia’s talents in this interview, but she is an incredible singer as well)

In our upcoming production of R.U.R., you’re taking a break from acting in order to take on production and stage management duties. What’s one difference you’ve noticed between being on stage vs. behind the scenes?

Who I’m focused on! As an actor, I’m constantly thinking about memorizing my lines, reviewing my blocking, how I look to the audience, etc. But backstage, I’m constantly thinking about everyone else: How do I balance the needs of the production with the needs of our team members? How can I ensure our actors and crew members have the support they need? How do I make sure everyone’s time is used appropriately? Thankfully, I love my team, so it’s easy to think about them all the time.

In our e-board GC, you are the number #1 provider of FMK hypotheticals. So, to close this interview, FMK the characters you’ve played in The UTA: Lady Macbeth, Marc Antony, and Helena.

EASY. Marry Marc Antony because that boy is L-O-Y-A-L. Lady Mac is obviously going to be the hottest and freakiest you’ve ever had in your life. And then kill Helena, I suppose… sorry, girl.

Julia as Helena in All’s Well That Ends Well (the character she’d kill)

Much Ado About:

Iconic Shakespeare Couples Ranked According to How Insufferable They’d Be on Social Media

I did this because I love Valentine’s Day, and I love taking the piss out of Shakespeare’s depictions of love. If you don’t wanna read this, check out the REEL version of this article instead.

What Willy Said:

Spotlight On:

The UTA’s 2026 Season

by Artistic Director and Founder Laura Clinton

For those in the know, The Underground Theatre Alliance has been a sacred home for those who wish to desecrate Shakespeare’s legacy since our inception in 2013. This year, we are finally ready to change that narrative — not by treating Shakespeare with reverence, obviously, but by bringing you TWO (2!!) non-Shakespeare productions!

On April 17th & 18th, we’re proud to produce Karel Čapek’s Rossum’s Universal Robots, an early science-fiction play that coined the term “robot” and looked ahead to the wonders and dangers of artificial intelligence decades before it was cool to worry about such things.

This July, we’ll return to the classics with a new take on Edmond Rostand’s iconiqué French play Cyrano de Bergerac, a tale of love, loss, and clown noses that we’re thrilled to produce alongside our friends Alexandra Matsu and Megan Twamley over at GrannyCart Theatre!

Finally, it wouldn’t be a true UTA season without bringing you at least SOME of our usual Shakespearean shenanigans. We hope to see you this November for our interpretation of THEE seminal Shakespeare play Romeo & Juliet, where we hope to bring new color into the well-known world of family feuds and star-crossed lovers.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can join us this year, both onstage and off. Feel free to also DM us on Instagram, or email us if you have any inquiries.

Party with Us:

Alliance Events in February!

Please join GrannyCart Theatre, an independent theatre operated by alliance members Alexandra Matsu and Megan Twamley (and our dear collaborators for the recently announced clown-themed Cyrano) at their upcoming Giggle Hour: Bing-Gos My Heart event next Sunday, February 1st at 7:00 PM at Brooklyn Comedy Collective. You can purchase tickets using this link!

MORE ALLIANCE MEMBER EVENTS AND UPDATES

SG Egan, co-wrote and co-directed the short film Secret Menu Beauty Pagaent, produced through Nice Hog Productions and now available to stream via this link.

Matthew Fay will be stage managing and starring in Brody West Missing, written and directed by Matt Stephens, at Caveat on February 1st at 5:00 PM. Purchase tickets here.

Lily Lipman wants disabled folks to know they can join the Disabled Dismantlers group to help provide collective care, equity, safety, and joy for each other and yourself. Interested parties are invited to fill out this Form, join a Zoom, or reach out to Lily at lilalipman@gmail.com.

Rebecca Wolf will be featured in The Duck Show, a comedy variety show that will begin at 9:30 PM on February 7th at The PIT. Purchase tickets here.

Word on the Street:

Laura Clinton and Paolo Ragusa are ENGAGED!!!

Almost one month after the momentous day on December 31st, 2025, we over here at The UTA are still GIDDY over the engagement of artistic director Laura Clinton and longtime alliance member Paolo Ragusa.

These lovebirds met in 2019 during a UTA production of Taming of the Shrew and started dating soon after. Ever since, they have been a creative POWER COUPLE.

Laura Clinton (left) and Paolo Ragusa (middle) during a rehearsal for the Rat Galathon this past Decemeber. Also pictured: Jim McMahon (right)

Seriously, Laura’s got a degree in directing and a decade’s worth of experience in theatre, and Paolo’s an NYU-trained actor with incredible skills in music and writing. Together, their collective and complementary talents have enriched every UTA endeavor since 2019.

Paolo Ragusa (left) and Laura Clinton (right) in 2023’s Merry Wives of Windsor. Also pictured: Megan Twamley (middle).

Although they have never played a couple on The UTA stage, these two have recently decided to become each other’s love interests for life. Laura and Paolo are two of the brightest and funniest people around, and we could not be happier for them both.

Cheers and well-wishes to the happy couple!

Much Ado About:

2026: Ins and Outs

As we head into what is bound to be a busy year, the executive board of The UTA spent some time reflecting on what they’d like to invite in and cast out this year in 2026. Please note that the following decisions were not made lightly. UTA e-board members spent countless sleepless nights deliberating their predictions and hopes for the upcoming twelve months.

What Willy Said:

Spotlight On:

The Rat Gala-Thon is a HIT!

Jim McMahon, Daniel Walton, and Meg Twamley play shocked and appalled lords during their improv set at The Rat Gala-Thon

On December 14th, The Underground Theatre Alliance participated in The Rat’s first annual "Gala-Thon” to raise money for their 2026 season. An intensely supportive and community-driven venue space, there is no other black box theatre so deserving of funding as The Rat, and we are honored to have been included in their special event.

Laura Clinton and Jim McMahon play some sick air flute and guitar.

Laura Clinton, Jim McMahon, Paolo Ragusa, Meg Twamley, and Daniel Walton performed a 20-minute improv set, where they shared with the audience some of the "deleted scenes” of Shakespeare’s canon.

Our off-the-cuff act was in good company that day — audiences also enjoyed the improvisational work of Old School, Siblings Playdate, 2 Raccoons in a Trenchcoat, Last Minute Edition, and The Drunk Texts.

In addition to improv, the band Oil and Whiskey performed many of the songs featured in their upcoming musical of the same name, Drops in the Vase performed numbers from their cabaret, and Harp Theatricals read excerpts from an original play by Amelia Kennedy.

Oil and Whiskey perform their holiday-themed country songs

The Rat Theater in DUMBO is a new but significant friend to The Underground Theatre Alliance; in 2025, they provided the venue for THREE of our productions: our sorority-themed Julius Caesar in January, our first annual Juneboree variety show, and our Roast of William Shakespeare comedy night in August.

Paolo Ragusa sets boundaries during the UTA improv set

We’d like to extend our sincerest thanks to Jennifer Sandella at The Rat for inviting us to perform alongside such other talented people. We are so happy to be a part of your community and look forward to our SECOND ANNUAL JUNEBOREE in your cozy and inviting space!

You can support The Rat and their incredible work by donating here, and you can check out some more pictures from the event on our Instagram!

Party with Us:

“New Year, New Work” Coming Soon

by Artistic Directors Laura Clinton and Daniel Walton

Hey! Are you a playwright? A friend of a playwright? Would you like to workshop your New Work™* at an intimate gathering with real-life actors?

You're in luck! We, The Underground Theatre Alliance, are looking for playwrights & friends of playwrights who would like to workshop their New Work™ at an intimate gathering with real-life actors!

Send us your scripts! Send us your friends! Send us your friend's scripts!

Throughout the year (2026!!) The Underground Theatre Alliance will host a series of gatherings to workshop New Work™! If that sounds interesting to you, let's connect! We'll let you know soon when our first workshop is and for what script. And regardless of the script, we'd love to see you there…

*Trademark pending

**Trademark not actually pending

Word on the Street:

Meet the Underground Theatre Alliance Team!

The end of 2025 has been quite a busy time for The Underground Theatre Alliance executive team. Since All’s Well closed, we have been planning and prepping our 2026 theatrical season, while working on launching a plethora of fun business-y things, too. Knowing that we’re about to crank this party up several notches very soon, we thought now is a good time as any to formally introduce you to the team that plans to develop and deliver some awesome things in the months and years to come.

P.S.: For a little extra holiday fun, we decided to tell you about our team “Secret Santa” style, meaning we were randomly assigned another team member to hype up and introduce.

P.P.S.: For some MORE fun (and completely unconnected to our inability to schedule everyone for new professional headshots before the New Year… what? who said that?), we also decided to include pictures of us as adorable babies, so we hope you enjoy seeing our cute baby selves!

Much Ado About:

2025: A Recap and Review

As 2025 comes to a close, we’d like to look back and celebrate all our incredible productions and events from this past year. We accomplished quite a lot in 2025, and we are proud as hell about it — so forgive the blatant UTA ego-stroking that follows this introduction (or don’t read this article at all if you can’t, HATER).

Of course, we know none of this would be possible without the support, collaboration, and creativity of so many wonderful individuals. Please know that if you played any role in our 2025 year — whether that be lending your artistic talents, attending a show or event, or showing your support to our members behind-the-scenes — we wish to celebrate and stroke your ego, too. It’s truly because of you that we are motivated to continue to provide community and entertainment to our punky pack of artists and their supporters. Cheers to an even more fruitful 2026!

What Willy Said:

Spotlight On:

(Unofficial) UTA Turkey Trot to Support Food Bank for NYC

by Artistic Directors Laura Clinton and Daniel Walton

Later this week, many of us will gather with friends, foes, and family alike (sometimes all in one King Lear adjacent relative) to celebrate Thanksgiving.

In an attempt to express our gratitude and pay homage to Shakespeare’s iconic "Exeunt, pursued by a bear” stage direction, The Underground Theatre Alliance will be running an (Unofficial) 5K around Hession Lake in Bear Mountain State Park at 10 AM on Thursday, November 27th. Join us, or simply be pursued by the bear. It’s your choice.

UTA Founders Fiona Egan and Laura Clinton at last year’s (Unofficial) Bear Mountain Turkey Trot

As you probably already know, we here at The UTA have quite a lot to be thankful for. Between our talented community of artists, our beautiful and iconic audiences, and the readers of this newsletter that allow us to gush about them in incredibly long sentences such as this one, we are eternally grateful to everyone who considers themselves even a small part of this alliance.

One of the reasons we identify as an “alliance” (edgy, cool, mysterious) as opposed to a traditional “theatre company” (boring, tired, “sometimes profitable”) is that we truly believe the act of creating and sharing in art is inherently rebellious. In a world that demands we consistently tune ourselves out, art asks us to tune into our inner world and translate that experience to those around us. It is an incredible privilege to be able to engage with and create art, and one that we all deserve access to as we navigate the fundamentally messy experience of being human. Art gives us the ability to contextualize our lived experiences and connect with each other in a deep and meaningful way.

Artistic directors Laura Clinton and Daniel Walton writing this heartfelt message.

But for as much as art can feed your soul, it cannot feed your stomach.

Core to our mission as an alliance is to always center the needs of our community. Food insecurity is not a foreign problem – it’s in our backyards, impacting our friends and neighbors every single day. In 2024, more than 1.2 million New Yorkers reported using a food pantry as a form of assistance. SNAP benefits are losing funding, and so many of those we know and love will be impacted by these critical changes. We hope that you will join us in supporting the work of Food Bank For NYC, who deliver food and resources across every borough, background, and barrier.

Graphic from the Food Bank for NYC website

To thank you for your support, we’ll even bribe you with a fashion statement. Send us a screenshot of your donation on Instagram or email it to us at undergroundtheatrealliance315@gmail.com to get a one-of-a-kind (Unofficial) 5K T-shirt designed by alliance member Renee Hapeman!

Digital mockup of the t-shirt you can win if you make a donation to Food Bank for NYC! Winner bear designed by Renee Hapeman.

Party with Us:

UTA Performance at The Rat this December!

Is there a better way to celebrate the holiday season than in the company of a bunch of theatre kids? If you vibe with our company, odds are, you don’t think so.

Come see us on December 14th at The Rat Theatre in Dumbo, where we will be featured in their special Rat Gala-Thon telethon-style showcase! The event runs from 12:00-10:00 PM, with the UTA act expected to begin at 3:45 PM.

Beloved company members Laura Clinton, Matthew Fay, Jim McMahon, Paolo Ragusa, Meg Twamley, Daniel Walton, and Rebecca Wolf will perform some classic, warm, and cozy Shakespearean-inspired improv.

It’s gonna be an Elizabethan winter wonderland.

Click here to purchase tickets, and be sure to say the “UTA” invited you!

Word on the Street:

Hear the Buzz about All’s Well That Ends Well

Executive producers for All’s Well That Ends Well pose for a photo after the Saturday show. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

Over here at the Underground Theatre Alliance, we are in serious denial that our last creative endeavor, All’s Well That Ends Well, is actually over. In an effort to cope, we have been scrolling nonstop through our amazing production photos (captured by longtime UTA photographers Alicia Vnencak and Stephanie Roberts), while lamenting that we are not providing the sensation that was that show nightly. It was THAT good. But don’t take my word for it, a humble widow of this production, hear it from two important people who took a gamble on us and (up until the publication of this newsletter) do not regret it: Elissa Weil of Dominican Academy and Vilma Hodo of G-Gallery:

Pictured: Julia Cahn and Neysa Lozano. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak.

For the second production in a row, the Underground Theatre Alliance has brought their show to eager high school students at Dominican Academy, where UTA founder Kiera Egan works as a teacher. We are beyond happy for the collaboration we have with the school and are forever grateful that we’ve had such incredible first audiences for our last couple of shows.

Members of All’s Well That Ends Well pose with some senior students at Dominican Academy after performing an invited dress rehearsal at the school.

Pictured: Audrey Owen and Jim McMahon. Photo credit: Stephanie Roberts

And of course, the show could not have been what it was if not for the wonderful collaboration we had with Vilma Hodo at G Gallery. At every step of the way, G Gallery understood our vision and was an incredibly supportive and integral space for the event’s overall execution.

Pictured: Clarissa Hernandez and Zaina Shariff. Photo credits: Stephanie Roberts

Cheers to many more productions, collaborations, and happy audiences in our future!

If Food be the Food of Love, Eat On:

Thoughts on Shakespeare’s Dinner Scenes

by the UTA Production Team: Julia Cahn, Laura Clinton, Fiona Egan, Kiera Egan, and Daniel Walton

With Thanksgiving approaching, the Underground Theatre Alliance wanted to reflect on what some of the joys of the holiday — decadent food and open displays of humble gratitude — meant to the people of Shakespeare’s world… till we remembered the Brits have never really done either of those things particularly well. So, instead of ranking the slop Billy’s characters ate, or monologues about “gratitude” caked in layers of subtext and irony, we decided to revisit and reflect on the scenes of the canon wherein people eat a meal together.

From supernatural happenings to accidental lover mishaps to human-flesh revenge pies, we have to give our dear Billy Boy his flowers, because somehow, he penned some of the spiciest dinner scenes of all time — without using a single spice.

Cassius (played by Lily Lipman) dislikes the food served at the Delta Roma sleepover in the 2025 UTA Production of Julius Caesar

A dining scene from the 2019 UTA Production of Taming of the Shrew, featuring Paolo Ragusa as Petruchio. This scene was not reviewed as it’s gross and misogynistic.

Laura Clinton in the 2018 UTA production of The Comedy of Errors.

Titania (portrayed by UTA founder Jessie Kay) and Bottom in the 2014 UTA Production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

What Willy Said

Spotlight On:

All’s Well That ENDED Well :(

Pictured left to right: Clarissa Hernandez, Rebecca Wolf, Audrey Owen, Renee Hapeman, and Neysa Lozano.
Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

On October 3rd and 4th, the Underground Theatre Alliance shared our latest production with two sold-out audiences, Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well.

The art-history themed show — performed at the illustrious G-Gallery in SoHo — coincided with a 22-piece art gallery, which included reimaginings of the characters as famous artworks, as well as other original art inspired by the show. And best of all, every piece was created by a member of the Underground Theatre Alliance.

Pictured: Julia Cahn and Jim McMahon. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

We are truly so grateful to all the wonderful people who made this production possible, including but not limited to: Vilma Hodo at G-Gallery, photographers Alicia Vnencak and Stephanie Roberts, videographers Charley Walton and Rubin Parker, and our friends over at Dominican Academy, who allow us to rehearse there and share our shows with their incredible students.

Pictured: Lily Lipman and Paolo Ragusa. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

We’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our angel ticket donors — Amine Bensaid, Andrew Clinton, Jacqueline Clinton, John Clinton, Joseph Clinton, Victoria Clinton, Toby Jaguar, Mike Kot, David Kopp, Kevin & Jane Mahoney, Alex Markle, Juanita Ossa, Daisy Phillips, Gigi Phillips, Laurie Ragusa, Shivanie Ramsood, Chris Schembra, Patricia Titland, and Cheryl Untemann — it is because of you that we can share our art with so many people.

Pictured left to right: Matthew Fay, Lily Lipman, Erin Sullivan, Jim McMahon (standing), Paolo Ragusa (kneeling). Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

Of course, the show would truly be nothing without the hard work and commitment of our amazing cast: Julia Cahn, Matthew Fay, Renee Hapeman, Clarissa Hernandez, Lily Lipman, Neysa Lozano, Jim McMahon, Audrey Owen, Paolo Ragusa, Zaina Shariff, Erin Sullivan, and Rebecca Wolf — your creativity, professionalism, and positivity is unmatched, and we cannot thank you enough for your trust and collaboration.

Pictured: Audrey Owen and Lily Lipman. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

Finally, we’d like to express gratitude to everyone in the audience who came out to support us. Your claps, gasps, and laughs invigorate and inspire us.

In the words of director and UTA founder Laura Clinton, “We’re so lucky to have been able to share this fever dream of a story with you.”

Check out our Instagram to see some pictures and videos from the night!

The cast of All’s Well That Ends Well poses for a photo together after the Saturday show.
Photo by Alicia Vnencak. Not pictured: Zaina Shariff

Party with Us:

(Unofficial) Thanksgiving Day 5K at Bear Mountain!

This Thanksgiving, the Underground Theatre Alliance will be holding the second annual (Unofficial) Bear Mountain Thanksgiving Day 5K.

Last year, company founders Laura Clinton and Fiona Egan braved the harsh weather, heroically jogging in the cold rain, as a means of expressing gratitude or whatever*?

Laura Clinton and Fiona Egan at last year’s run

Join Fiona and Laura this Thanksgiving morning at 10 AM, rain or shine, at Bear Mountain State Park. Anyone who completes the 5K will receive an original UTA Bear Mountain Thanksgiving Day 5K t-shirt!

Email us to RSVP!

*UTA members Paolo Ragusa and Kiera Egan (the writer of this newsletter) did not participate in the 5K last year because it was truly awful weather. With all love, Laura and Fiona are built different, and also, incredibly stubborn.

Word on the Street:

Interview with Director and Actor Daniel Walton

Daniel smiles for a photo before our production of Julius Caesar

As an NYU-trained actor and a vital member of the Underground Theatre Alliance for three years now, what do you find most appealing about Shakespearean theater?

Shakespeare gives performers the gift of speaking our feelings with language that meets the size at which we feel them. Where contemporary theatre concerns itself with how we cover up our internal life, Shakespeare externalizes it. Uh oh! Truth bomb alert! Newsflash! We’re ironically detached all the time. Is it not a more interesting choice to fully feel and express a thing? ON THE OTHER HAND, a big reason I like Shakespeare is, I just deeply like messing with y’all. Everybody puts this stuff on such a pedestal, I can't help but get that house cat impulse to push it off the ledge.

Daniel poking fun at Shakespeare during their improv set at the first annual Juneboree

All’s Well That Ends Well marks your second directorial project with Laura Clinton. How did your experience with this production compare to Julius Caesar in January?

Lemme start with saying co-directing is a lot of fun. Having someone to bounce ideas off of, to gas you up over a bit of stage magic that you're not sure you can pull off, and to share the handle of the knife that you “kill your darlings” with (an adage about how artists must often let go of their favorite ideas). And Laura and my directorial partnership shares all those joys in addition to knowing each other very well and having built a cache of creative trust in one another. In the process of All's Well, we were able to access that cache with increased consistency. Much of the show was blocked and rehearsed in tandem in two different rooms. And when we would come together and share what we've been working on, it'd be such a joy to see the other's stamp on something, or the way they furthered or clarified a thing you had blocked.

The Soldiers performing “See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil” while Parolles hits “The Thinker”

This show was an incredibly visual one. There was not just a 21-piece art gallery to peruse before and after the show, but also multiple on-stage art-based gags. Which on-stage nod to the art history theme was your personal favorite? Which was the hardest to create and/or rehearse?

I mean, Laura did a beautiful job choreographing that “Birth of Venus” at the start of the second act: which was always a favorite character/art-piece pairing– the goddess’s birth as a sexually mature naked woman tells an interesting male-gaze-y story that parallels Bertram’s relationship to Diana quite nicely. The Soldier’s hitting “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” while Parolles does “The Thinker” both consistently cracked me up. I don’t know if there is one that was harder per se, but there were a LOT of art pieces that we just loved and kept looking for ways to fit in. Some of which didn’t make it as stage pictures but just informed the show: Helena as Madame X, Bertram as Wanderer. Some of which took different forms: “The Treachery of Images” was nearly a moment where Parolles tried to light a paper pipe and ad-libbed “this is not a pipe” before we landed on the pregnancy test. Helena brought out a painting that said “Ceci est une test de pregnancy” which in a reversal of the original Magritte message demanded of our audience “look, we know it’s not a pregnancy test, that’s not even real French, just suspend your disbelief a little please.”

“Titled Goddess,” one of the many paintings composed by Daniel Walton for All’s Well

You also personally created and spearheaded almost half of the gallery creations. Which of your pieces are you most proud of and why?

Oh wow, is that true? That can’t be true. I mean of a lot of them I began and passed off, shared, or they took a different life. It’s not often as a visual artist that one collabs and passes pieces off for others to work on and that was a really cool experience in relinquishing control and watching things flourish in other's hands. To paint that enormous Rothko and then to bring in the cast to splatter paint it was such a thrill. Actualizing Laura’s vision with the color-changing hidden image piece, “The Deception” was so cool. As far as personal pride, I mean, Diana’s portrait, “Titled Goddess,” was just so fun to work on. I love Klimt’s “The Kiss”: the abstraction & flatness of the golden scene & clothing set against the lovers’ depth creates such a distant intimacy. And what a fun sandbox to play in as an artist.

All’s Well featured multiple classical music covers of famous pop songs, including “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Bittersweet Symphony.” How did you and Laura determine the musical tone for this show?

We landed on string/classical covers pretty fast and “Dancing On My Own” became a real pillar to build the rest off of. Such a perfect unrequited love song, that is. It's cruel really how easily that one pulls the heart strings. We almost did a live musician— and I'm glad we didn't with how deeply embedded the transitions were in the rehearsal process. It would've meant months of Laura or I singing violin or cello at our actors as they do ballet or splatter paint each other. As is, we put our actors through the ringer with the tracks that we did land on—or rather one track that fortunately didn't make it into the show. It wasn't far into blocking a scene to a string cover of “Dance Monkey” that we realized “oh no, we can't possibly put the audience through this.” The actors on the other hand 🤷🏼‍♂️. Good sports. We must've played that song 8 times that rehearsal.

Daniel reprising his Falstaff character at our first annual Juneboree

Now, curious minds who saw you kill it as Falstaff in Merry Wives want to know, when can audiences expect you to grace the UTA stage again? Do you have any Shakespearean dream roles?

Oh, that can’t be far away! But I wouldn’t jinx it by telling you when and what roles I have my sights on. Laura & my directorial partnership is certainly also far from over, but there are definitely shows that could have room for me both on the stage and off. But, yeah, I mean watching such skilled and playful actors doing their thing in these last two productions has definitely had me chomping at the bit to get in there. I’ll say I’m craving drama. I’d love to play a role with some real teeth.

Okay… so then who’s the toothiest Shakespeare character?

Reaching for the Bottom of the barrel with Shakespeare character traits, I see…

Daniel (middle) after the Friday night performance of All’s Well That Ends Well

Double, Double, Ghostly Trouble:

A Ranking of Shakespeare’s Ghosts

by UTA Founder Fiona Egan

Back when Billy was writing his iconic plays, a ghostly appearance let the audience know it's time for spooky revenge and our main character was about to get some hard truths from beyond the grave. Ghosts are used 5 times in the Bard’s canon; sometimes as vengeance seekers, sometimes as omens, or to give prophecies, and other times as a personal hype squad. So in honor of Spooky Season, I’m figuring out the best ghostly visitors based on: “Importance to the Plot,” “Spooky Factor,” and “Is it Memorable?”

Laura Clinton as Julius Caesar takes a bow in her bloody, ghostly get-up

King Hamlet from the UTA’s 2016 Production. Yes, all the pictures are this grainy.

What Willy Said

Spotlight On:

The Artwork Behind All’s Well That Ends Well

An Andy Warhol-style “Beef drum” for the character Parolles, played by Alliance member Paolo Ragusa. Designed by Daniel Walton.

As of the publication of this newsletter, the Underground Theatre Alliance is a mere 18 days away from All’s Well That Ends Well, a performance and visual art show premiering at G Gallery in Manhattan! Since we announced this show, many of our committed patrons (and wonderful actors) have asked questions such as “Is this a show or an art exhibit?” “Will there be mimes again?” and “What the hell are you freaks doing this time around?”

To that we say: Both, maybe, and lemme give you a behind-the-scenes sneak peek 😉

As always, the UTA is committed to pushing the boundaries of what Shakespeare can be, and this production of All’s Well That Ends Well, with its coinciding gallery full of relevant art, is arguably our greatest feat yet.

Initial sketch of an All’s Well inspired piece entitled “Mort du Vinaigre,” named after a line said by the character Parolles. Made by Fiona Egan.

Every character in this story represents an iconic work or artistic movement. Multiple interactive, original pieces of art will help tell the story of one of Shakespeare’s most problematic problem plays. Supplemental art pieces created by inspired Alliance members reflect on the difficult themes and emotions present throughout the show.

Work in progress: A close-up image of a Birth of Venus-esque shell, to be used by Diana (Audrey Owen) during the show. Designed by Fiona Egan.

And best of all, audience members can browse the complete gallery before and after the show, featuring all of these All’s Well-inspired pieces, created and assembled by a team of over ten dedicated Alliance members.

Work in progress: A character portrait for the King, played by Neysa Lozano. Designed by Daniel Walton.

Be sure to join us on October 3rd or 4th to see how the complete collection of artwork comes together at G Gallery in SoHo!

Party with Us:

October 3rd and 4th — All’s Well That Ends Well

Don’t miss the must-see Underground Theatre Alliance show, All’s Well That Ends Well, this October 3rd and 4th!

The UTA is proud to collaborate with G Gallery in SoHo for this special event. The performance begins at 8 PM, and the show-themed art will be on display for one hour both before and after the show.

Please email us or DM us on Instagram if you have any questions!

Poster design by Daniel Walton.

Purchase your tickets online here!

Be there or be SQUARE….

Word on the Street:

Shakespeare’s Ass = ROASTED

Audrey Owen in the role of William Shakespeare at The Roast of William Shakespeare event.

On August 22nd, the UTA turned up the heat as they spent an entire evening making fun of their main breadwinner and biggest creative contributor: Billy Shakes. The Roast of William Shakespeare, held at The Rat in Dumbo, marked the Underground Theatre Alliance’s first (of hopefully many) comedy nights — so, of course, we had to celebrate our brief departure from theatre by dissing on the Bard.

Comedian Carolyn Oursler shows off her artwork depicting iconic works of William Shakespeare.

As the audience sipped on the drink of the night, a spicy margarita called the “Harlots Just Wanna Have Fun,” and partied like it was 1599, they enjoyed stand-up sets from resident Alliance members Laura Clinton, Kiera Egan, Paolo Ragusa, and Bailey Whitehead, as well as sets from new members of the Alliance: Sydney Kaehler, Carolyn Oursler, Amy Savino, Eythen Anthony, and Aran Abilock Clemmons.

And of course, the night would not have been possible without our irreplaceable Roast master, Daniel Walton.

Irreplaceable Roast master, Daniel Walton.

Keep scrolling to see some audience reviews and pictures from the event!

Resident Alliance member Paolo Ragusa performing stand-up at the Roast.

Stand-up comedian Eythen Anthony dabbing up audience member Shane Cawley.

Thanks again to everyone who attended, and check out our Instagram to see more videos and pictures from this event, as well as updates about our latest adventure, All’s Well That Ends Well.

UTA Production members Laura Clinton, Daniel Walton, Kiera Egan, and Fiona Egan pose for a photo after the Roast.

Much Ado About 30:

Shakespeare’s Best Partiers

Written by Artistic Director Laura Clinton

In approximately two (2!!) weeks, I will turn thirty years old — the oldest age that any human person has ever been or will ever be again. As I reflect on the raucous decade that was my 20s, I've been putting some serious thought into which of Shakespeare's characters I would want to party with. The answers may or may not be obvious:

Laura Clinton as Mercutio in the Rockland Shakespeare Company’s 2013 Production of Romeo and Juliet.

Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew Aguecheek in the 2013 Underground Theatre Alliance Production of Twelfth Night.

Daniel Walton (center) as Falstaff in UTA’s 2024 Production of Merry Wives of Windsor.

What Willy Said

Spotlight On:

All’s Well That Ends Well, at G-Gallery this October!

Photo of G Gallery in SoHo

The Underground Theatre Alliance is proud to announce that their next production, All’s Well That Ends Well, will be at G Gallery in SoHo on October 3rd and 4th!

As with all UTA productions, All’s Well That Ends Well will not be your typical boring, stuffy Shakespeare show. But instead of mimes or a sorority sleepover, we are bringing you a kind of two-for-one entertainment experience: All’s Well That Ends Well will be both a theatrical play AND an art gallery you may visit before, during, and after the show!

Artistic works inspired by the characters, plot, and overall themes of the play will be on display at the beautiful G Gallery for the entirety of the show’s run at the space on October 3rd and October 4th. Every piece of art has been created by alliance members, in the cast or otherwise — a massive collaborative project complete with references to art history and movements. It’s a love letter to Shakespeare, and a love letter to visual art, in one incredible event at G Gallery.

Returning alliance members in this amazing cast include: Julia Cahn as Helena, Jim McMahon as Bertram, Paolo Ragusa as Parolles, Audrey Owen as Diana, as well as Zaina Shariff, Matthew Fay, and Lily Lipman as soldiers. The UTA is also proud to announce some new alliance members joining us for this production: Renee Hapeman (Widow), Clarissa Hernandez (Countess), Neysa Lozano (King), and Rebecca Wolf (Lafeu). Laura Clinton and Daniel Walton will also be reprising their role as your favorite director duo.

Stay tuned for more information about how to buy your tickets, and follow us on Instagram to see fun behind-the-scenes moments!

Promotional poster by Kiera Egan

Party with Us:

Roast of William Shakespeare THIS FRIDAY AT 9 PM!

We know the Bard is overhyped. We also know that we may be the biggest overhype-rs of his work that you know personally, and to atone, we’d like to roast the shit out of him for an evening.

Join us for a night of comedy and drinks while the talented members of the UTA make fun of a celebrity long overdue for some humbling: the one and only William Shakespeare!

Poster by Daniel Walton

Purchase your tickets online here.

Email us or DM us on Instagram if you have any questions.

Word on the Street:

Interview with Artistic Director Laura Clinton

Laura Clinton as Julius Caesar. Photo credit: Stephanie Roberts

What inspired you to do a sorority-themed Julius Caesar? 

There’s a certain je ne sais quoi about the power dynamics that emerge in a sorority, where young women are desperate to find some sort of structure and social safety. When that gets threatened, it really can feel like warfare. To me, there was a really natural fit with this theme that allowed us to explore the interpersonal dynamics and power shifts of these characters through an accessible lens. Also, the cuntiness of the text is undeniable. The way that these characters speak to each other is dripping with subtext, and playing with that sass was just ✨FUN!✨

Was this your first all-woman show? What are some of the strengths or challenges of having an all-woman cast for a play like Caesar?

WE ❤️ ALL-WOMEN SHAKESPEARE IN THIS HOUSE.* There’s a beautiful irony in working with all-female casts given that these plays were originally performed with all-male casts. It feels like a karmic rebalancing every time we get to work with only women. Especially with Caesar, there was a massive advantage in having so many different female perspectives, as well as a few nonbinary perspectives in the room (including my co-director, Daniel Walton!). Gender is a weird construct and I try not to assign too much meaning to it, but our company is certainly built on a lot of feminine energy.

*i.e., our 2017 burlesque-themed production of Antony & Cleopatra, our 2016 production of Hamlet, and our 2018 production of The Comedy of Errors.

The cast of Julius Caesar poses for a picture during the show. Left to right (kneeling): Audrey Owen, Kiera Egan, Laura Clinton, Julia Cahn, Fiona Egan. Left to right (standing): Lily Lipman, Zaina Shariff, Sasha Rechler, and Amelie Eckhart.

And of course, you were not just the director, but also the titular role! What was the most fun thing about playing such a well-known character?

I LOVED being able to reinterpret such an iconic character. There’s a real gravitas associated with this role and it was a blast to turn that on its head. I loved the idea that she leads through charm, confidence, and beauty, not through overt domination or military skill. Regina George was (of course) a huge inspiration, and the way she switches between warmth (Omg I love your sweater where did you get it) and ice (That is the fugliest sweater I’ve ever seen) is so disorienting in the best way, I loved trying to recreate that in Caesar.

As many close to you know, you have a personal goal to direct all of Shakespeare’s canon, of which you’ve already done 11. What remaining show(s) are you most excited to give the Laura Clinton spin?

That's a great question. I've been really fortunate to tackle a lot of the big hits already, but I still haven't directed Romeo & Juliet. There's a lot of pressure on that one since the story is so embedded in our culture. I'd really want to find something new to say about it, but I haven't experienced the personal trauma that I think would push me into that world yet. I also haven't tackled any of the history plays yet, and those I'm just excited to get really weird with -- I have no respect for British history, so you can expect that a lot of royals will begin rolling in their graves as we work our way through them.

Well, we know the next show is All’s Well That Ends Well, coming this October, can we expect Romeo and Juliet after that?

That depends, what kind of trauma are you planning to inflict upon me over these next few months?

Laura Clinton as Mistress Page in Merry Wives of Windsor.

All That Did NOT End Well:

Shakespeare’s Worst Endings

In honor of our upcoming production of All’s Well That Ends Well, as well as the Roast of William Shakespeare THIS FRIDAY, members of the alliance share the Shakespeare plays whose endings they believe are, to put it kindly, rough:

UTA’s 2019 Production of Taming of the Shrew

UTA’s 2014 Production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

UTA’s 2013 Production of Twelfth Night

What Willy Said

Spotlight On:

The First Annual Juneboree!

Company founders pose for a picture after the Juneboree. From left to right: Fiona Egan, Kiera Egan, Jessie Kay, and Laura Clinton

On June 7th, the Underground Theatre Alliance hosted an event that we hope to celebrate for many more years to come: the first annual Juneboree fundraiser and variety show. A night of jam-themed drinks and desserts, the UTA mixed and mingled with the patrons that make this theatre company possible, as some incredible acts showcased their talents in music, improv, and more!

Thank you to our special guests, stand-up comedians Bailey Whitehead and Mark Little, for your participation in this event and for concluding our lovely evening with some hilarious musical theatre jokes.

To all of the returning UTA alliance members who helped make this magical night happen: Julia Cahn, Laura Clinton, Kelly Clinton, Fiona Egan, Kiera Egan, SG Egan, Jessie Kay, Jim McMahon, Paolo Ragusa, Charley Walton, Daniel Walton, and Megan Twamley— thank you for lending us your talents once again. And, a very warm welcome to the NEW alliance members we gained that night: Juan Carlos, Erin Clinton, Alex Spurlock, and Mariana Perez — we are thrilled to have you join our silly little group.

Alliance Member Daniel Walton reprises his role as Sir John Falstaff in an improvised mime act

Whether you performed or helped behind the scenes (or both!), we are beyond grateful you were a part of this special event and look forward to future collaborations!

And finally, a big congratulations to our raffle basket winners, Kevin Jacobsen, who took home the second-place basket, and Sidney Reeves, who took home the first-place basket.

Check out our Instagram to see some pictures and videos from the night!

Party with Us:

August 22nd — Roast of William Shakespeare

The Underground Theatre Alliance is proud to announce our next fundraising event, the Roast of William Shakespeare, will be on August 22nd at 8 PM, at The Rat in Dumbo.

Please email us or DM us on Instagram if you are interested in participating or have any other inquiries!

Purchase your tickets online here!

Be there or be SQUARE!

poster created by Daniel Walton

Word on the Street:

Audiences Rave About Julius Caesar!

Pictured left to right: Julia Cahn, Zaina Shariff, Fiona Egan, and Audrey Owen. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

On January 10th and 11th, the UTA girl bossed the hell out of Shakespeare’s classic, Julius Caesar. Set at a college sorority house, Caesar was transformed into a sapphic, Juicy Couture-wearing Queen Bee— the likes of which could put Regina George and Heather Chandler to shame.

From a pillow fight turned suffocation, to a self-imposed curling-iron branding, to the iconic and well-known assassination made anew with knitting needle stabs and cherry-scented blood, this production was full of campy, girly gore.

Pictured left to right: Kiera Egan, Fiona Egan, and Lily Lipman. Photo credit: Stephanie Roberts

And, on January 5th, the cast of Julius Caesar held an open dress rehearsal at Dominican Academy High School on the Upper East Side, where company member Kiera Egan (Brutus) works as a teacher. The performance was attended by over 40 members of the school community, and it is now official— Julius Caesar is a hit with the youth.

But don’t take it all from me (the writer of this newsletter, who may or may not be the aforementioned Brutus), take it from these three individuals who attended the show:

Pictured: Lily Lipman. Photo credit: Stephanie Roberts

Background (left to right): Lily Lipman, Kiera Egan, and Zaina Shariff; foreground (left to right): Amelie Eckhart and Laura Clinton. Photo credit: Stephanie Roberts

Pictured (left to right): Lily Lipman, Audrey Owen, Fiona Egan, and Zaina Shariff. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

Pictured (left to right): Julia Cahn and Sasha Rechler. Photo credit: Alicia Vnencak

The cast of Julius Caesar poses for a picture during the show. Left to right (kneeling): Audrey Owen, Kiera Egan, Laura Clinton, Julia Cahn, Fiona Egan. Left to right (standing): Lily Lipman, Zaina Shariff, Sasha Rechler, and Amelie Eckhart.

Double, Double, Trolling & Trouble:

4 Things the Bard Did That Deserve Some Roasting

In honor of our Roast of William Shakespeare next month, company founder and alliance member Kiera Egan shares some of his most roast-worthy moments:

What Willy Said