At the Judy Theatre, a New Festival Puts Labor and Justice on Center Stage

In a theater landscape often slow to confront real-world injustice, a new festival cuts through the noise.

This month, the Broadway Advocacy Coalition and Working Theater launch the first-ever Stage Left Festival, a slate of six original plays shaped in partnership with labor organizers, incarcerated artists, and advocacy groups working at the edge of policy and protest. Presented at The Judy Theatre with support from the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies’ Murphy Institute and Leadership for Democracy and Social Justice, the festival offers a rare collision of stagecraft and structural critique.

Each production is a collaboration between emerging theater-makers and frontline organizations. The themes are not subtle: prison, labor, survival, power.

“Storytelling is our oldest art form, but now our right to tell our stories is being legislated away,” said Elz Cuya Jones, Executive Director of the Broadway Advocacy Coalition. “These stories will demand something from you. You will walk out seeing and moving differently.”

Six Plays, One Message

“La Dureza”, written by Ed Cardona Jr. and directed by Lou Moreno of INTAR Theatre, is a bilingual piece developed in solidarity with Los Deliveristas Unidos. It follows New York’s delivery workers as they organize for labor protections.

“Hit Machine”, by Jonathan Caren and directed by Taylor Reynolds, centers on ambition and sibling rivalry in the spotlight of fame. It stars Jeff Biehl (Patriots) and Will Dagger (Goodnight and Good Luck).

“The Hero U Took”, by Pedro “Jungo Pete Roc” Rosario and directed by Leia Squillace, draws on Rosario’s lived experience and follows a man navigating parole, aided by fellow incarcerated people. Cast includes alumni of Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), alongside Sean ‘Dino’ Johnson (SING SING), Joe Grifasi (The Mystery of Edwin Drood), and Garrett Turner (Thoughts of a Colored Man).

“Foot Wears House”, a workplace union comedy by Laura Neill, is directed by Sivan Battat, known for her intergenerational, culturally rooted approach to theater. It features Miles G. Jackson (Problemista, Chicken & Biscuits).

“The Garbologists”, by Lindsay Joelle and directed by Colm Summers, focuses on sanitation workers who find meaning and connection in what the city throws away.

“Date of Release”, written by Andrea Ambam and directed by Shariffa Ali (Sweet Chariot, Mies Julie), explores the bond between twin sisters torn apart by incarceration.

Each performance is followed by a facilitated community conversation and direct action opportunities. 

The ticket price is a sliding scale, from free to $50, to ensure access.

Beyond the Stage

Panelists include:

• Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU

• Jose Saldana, Director of RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison)

• Rad Pereira, cultural organizer and co-author of Meeting the Moment

• Joey DeFrancesco, founder of United Musicians and Allied Workers

• Stephanie Pacheco, 2025 National Youth Poet Laureate

• Chris Myers, actor (How I Learned to Drive, An Octoroon)

Participating organizations include RAPP, UMAW, RTA, the Workers’ Justice Project, RWDSU, and REI Soho Union.

“We are honored that the festival has cast RTA alums to perform Pedro’s play,” said Jermaine Archer, Executive Director of RTA. “It brings a depth and urgency you can’t fake.”

 

A Legacy of Art and Action

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition was founded in 2016 by theater artists in response to police brutality. The group uses theater to challenge the carceral system and drive systemic change. In 2021, it received a Special Tony Award for its work.

Working Theater, now in its 40th year, has long produced plays centered on the lives of working-class people. From poultry plants to border crossings, its past commissions have consistently expanded the scope of American theater.

Stage Left is not just a festival. It is a demand for recognition, for fairness, and for the right to tell a story that matters.

Tickets are available now on a sliding scale ($0–$50):  

theworkingtheater.org/events/stage-left