19 Stage Performances to Watch Today, October 29

Theater of War Productions: Philoctetes and Women of Trachis
At noon ET, Theater of War Productions, a company that uses classical texts to examine contemporary issues, presents a reading of scenes from Philoctetes and Women of Trachis, followed by a town hall-style discussion with the audience. Andrea Patterson, David Zayas, Frankie Faison and Nyasha Hatendi will perform scenes from Sophocles’ tragedies, and then director-adapter Bryan Doerries will facilitate a conversation about how the plays’ themes relate to the trauma frontline medical workers are facing during the pandemic. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link. This performance won’t be available after-the-fact.

MCC Theater: ¡Gárgola!
At 5:30 p.m. ET, MCC Theater launches a new season of its LiveLabs: One Acts series with ¡Gárgola!, Omar Vélez Meléndez‘s new drama about a supernatural happening in rural Puerto Rico. Cristina Angeles directs an all-Latinx cast: Vélez Meléndez, Willie Denton, Maricelis Galanes, José Eugenio Hernández, Beatriz Miranda, Sophia Ramos and Cristina Soler Tickets are $7 and a talkback follows.

Anika Noni Rose on Classic Conversations
At 6 p.m. ET, Classic Stage Company continues its Classic Conversations with a chat between artistic director John Doyle and Caroline, or Change Tony winner Anika Noni Rose, who starred in the theatre’s acclaimed revival of Carmen Jones in 2018. Watch for free on Classic Stage Company’s Facebook page.

Karen, I Said
At 6 p.m. ET, writer, performer and TDF Stages contributor, Eliza Bent, explores the phenomenon of white wokeness with wit and bite in her solo show Karen, I Said, directed by Tara Ahmedinejad. Tickets start at $5 and a portion of the proceeds go to the Black LGBTQ org Brave Space Alliance.

Scott Siegel’s Great American Songbook Concert: Volume 13
At 7 p.m. ET, Scott Siegel has been producing starry cabaret concerts at Town Hall and other storied venues for years. Now he brings his talent for assembling crackerjack crooners to YouTube. This edition’s lineup includes Tony nominee Emily Skinner, Girl From the North Country‘s Luba Mason, Phantom favorite Ali Ewoldt, seasoned second banana Eddie Korbich and Groundhog Day‘s Rebecca Faulkenberry. Watch for free on YouTube.

Shakin’ the Blues Away: A Virtual Gala Concert for Goodspeed
At 7:30 p.m. ET, musical theatre favorites who’ve graced the stage of Goodspeed Opera House come together for a song-and-dance-filled virtual benefit. Enjoy uplifting performances by James Snyder, Rashidra Scott, Alysha Umphress, Gizel Jiménez, Klea Blackhurst, Nicholas Ward, Bryan Thomas Hunt, Kelly Sheehan and Troy Anthony in support of this Connecticut gem. Tickets are $25 but TDF members get a discount. The recording will be viewable until Thursday, November 5.

The Metropolitan Opera: Nixon in China
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera continues its week of Election Day-themed productions with Nixon in China, John Adams’ examination of President Nixon’s controversial 1972 visit with Chairman Mao in Beijing. This 2011 mounting was staged by Peter Sellars and choreographed by Mark Morris, with James Maddalena as Nixon and Robert Brubaker as Mao. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Simon Boccanegra, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

New York City Ballet: Festival of New Choreography
At 8 p.m. ET, New York City Ballet wraps up its digital fall season with five nights of world premieres performed at different locations around the city and filmed by director Ezra Hurwitz. Tonight, Andrea Muller leans in to her Latina heritage with new song, set to music by Chilean songwriter Víctor Jara and danced by NYCB soloists Harrison Coll, Unity Phelan, Indiana Woodward and Sebastian Villarini-Velez. Watch for free indefinitely on NYCB’s YouTube channel.

City Lyric Opera: The Threepenny Opera
At 8 p.m. ET, City Lyric Opera premieres a modern-day digital take on Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s groundbreaking The Threepenny Opera offering a timely critique of capitalism along with iconic songs such as “Mack the Knife” and “Pirate Jenny.” Presented in two parts, the production was filmed during quarantine but this is no disconnected Zoom piece. The trailer shows how technology was used to give the sense of actors playing together on an actual stage, and the performance fuses prerecorded and live elements. Part I premieres tonight, with part II launching tomorrow. Tickets start at $12 per part but TDF members get a discount.

Act Out: Vote 2020
At 9 p.m. ET, even if you’ve cast your ballot, you won’t want to miss this evening of stories and songs aimed at encouraging audiences to vote. An impressive array of writers, including Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage; Tony winners David Henry Hwang and Lisa Kron; and Tony nominees Danai Gurira, Tarell Alvin McCraney and Heidi Schreck contribute vignettes performed by Yvette Nicole Brown, Ryan J. Haddad, Tonia Jo Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Lloyd Knight, Sandra Oh, DeLanna Studi and Ephraim Skyes. Directors include Tony winner Stephen Daldry, Saheem Ali, Lileana Blain-Cruz, Steve H. Broadnax III, Lila Neugebauer, Leigh Silverman and Whitney White, plus choreography by Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon. Watch for free on YouTube.

Available to Watch All Day

The Metropolitan Opera: Rusalka
Ever since the shutdown began, the Metropolitan Opera has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week’s offering is Rusalka, Antonín Dvorák’s tragic Little Mermaid-style fable. Soprano Kristine Opalais, tenor Brandon Jovanovich and Eric Owens (Porgy and Bess) star in Mary Zimmerman‘s acclaimed 2017 mounting. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.

George Street Playhouse: Conscience
New Jersey’s George Street Playhouse presents Conscience about US Senator Margaret Chase, who heroically denounced McCarthyism in her 1950 “Declaration of Conscience” speech. Written by Memphis Tony winner Joe DiPietro, this comic drama was running at the New Brunswick theatre when the shutdown hit. Director David Saint reunites castmates Mark Junek, Lee Sellars, Cathryn Wake and Tony winner Harriet Harris as the courageous Chase for this virtual production. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish but a $25 donation is suggested. A recording is viewable until Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

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Top image: Amanda Williams Ware, Jay Armstrong Johnson and Allison Robinson in I Put a Spell on You. Photo by Roberto Araujo.

RAVEN SNOOK