Vir Das Opens Hey Stranger at Lincoln Center Theater, Launching New Comedy Series -

Photo by Michaelah Reynolds - EMMY^®-WINNING COMEDIAN VIR DAS

Vir Das Opens Hey Stranger at Lincoln Center Theater, Launching New Comedy Series

Lincoln Center Theater and Seaview have released a first look at Emmy-winning comedian and actor Vir Das on stage at the Claire Tow Theater for the opening of Vir Das: Hey Stranger. 

Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel, the show marks the debut of The Comedy Series, a new LCT3 initiative that runs through November 9.

Das’s performance begins an ambitious lineup that places stand-up at the intersection of theater and storytelling. Following Hey Stranger, Jerrod Carmichael will bring his live show to Lincoln Center Theater from November 12 to 16, followed by Ego Nwodim Live, directed by Zhailon Levingston, running November 19 to 23. The series concludes with Sam Jay: We The People, scheduled for December 3 through 14.

A collaboration between LCT3 and Seaview, The Comedy Series serves as a laboratory for comedians to test new material and expand their creative range. The project’s production design is overseen by Justin Townsend. The series’ mission, according to Lincoln Center Theater, is to present comedy not as a fixed act but as a living art form—one that evolves night by night as performers navigate the shifting terrain between humor and truth.

About Vir Das

Vir Das has emerged as one of the most global voices in stand-up comedy. As The New York Times noted, “No artist embodies the globalization of stand-up like Vir Das.” His most recent Netflix special, Fool Volume—which he also directed—was hailed by Vulture as “a uniquely sumptuous experience.”

Das’s 2022 special Landing earned him the 2023 International Emmy Award for Best Comedy, following his first nomination for Vir Das: For India in 2021. This fall, he adds “author” to his résumé with the release of his memoir The Outsider, a reflection on a life shaped by displacement, humor, and resilience.

A major star in India and a growing force internationally, Das has performed more than 180 shows worldwide, including at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Carnegie Hall in New York, and London’s Eventim Apollo. His work extends beyond stand-up to film and television, with credits that include the ABC series Whiskey Cavalier, the Netflix dark comedy Hasmukh, and Amazon’s travel show Jestination Unknown. He also appeared in Judd Apatow’s Netflix film The Bubble and fronts India’s premier comedy-rock band, Alien Chutney.

About Lincoln Center Theater

Now entering a new chapter under Artistic Director Lear deBessonet, Lincoln Center Theater continues its mission to expand the boundaries of live performance. The 2025–26 season includes deBessonet’s revival of Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont Theater; Kyoto, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and The Whoopi Monologues at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater; and an eclectic LCT3 lineup at the Claire Tow Theater, including The Comedy Series, Night Side Songs, A Woman Among Women, and The Reading Series.

Founded in 1985 by John V. Lindsay, Bernie Gersten, and Gregory Mosher, Lincoln Center Theater has earned 87 Tony Awards, 97 Drama Desk Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize among its many honors. Today, the institution remains a cornerstone of New York’s cultural landscape, drawing nearly 300,000 audience members each year to its stages on the Lincoln Center campus.

Support for LCT3 is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, and members of the LCT3 Council, with additional endowment support from Daryl Roth, James-Keith Brown and Eric Diefenbach, and the Judith Champion Playwrights' Vision Fund and Mel Litoff. Season support for Lincoln Center Theater is provided by Daryl Roth, Denise Littlefield Sobel, and American Airlines.