Theatre for a New Audience Presents

THE SWAMP DWELLERS
By Wole Soyinka
Directed by Awoye Timpo

GET A NEW DEAL TICKET TO ANY PERFORMANCE FOR JUST $20!*
If you are 30 years old or under OR a full-time student of any age, you can purchase a $20 New Deal ticket (up to $95 value). Choose your seat, choose ticket type New Deal (change from Standard), and use promo code NEWDEALSKINT. ONE ID PER TICKET, FOR OTHER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS – SEE BELOW.

SINGLE TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR ANYONE FOR $65** WITH CODE SKINT65!

GET TICKETS AT TFANA.ORG

“Director Awoye Timpo and a pitch-perfect cast slowly crank up the intensity, balancing knife-edge tension with a deeply metaphorical story…Exciting, beguiling theater.”
—TheaterMania, Rachel Graham

The Swamp Dwellers, a rarely produced drama written in 1958 on the eve of Nigerian independence when Soyinka was about age twenty-four, is in one act and runs approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Yoruba myth is integrated with the mid-20th century in a story about change that includes clashes between parents and children, women and men, tradition and modernity, rural and city life, poverty and wealth, nature and survival, and subservience to religious authority and freedom.

The play takes place during one day in the life of a Nigerian family living in a hut built on stilts over swamps in a village in the Niger Delta.

Director Awoye Timpo (Obie Award winner, Wedding Band) returns to TFANA.

The Swamp Dwellers’ cast is: Ato Blankson-Wood (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Slave Play, Hamlet), Leon Addison Brown (Misery, The Trip to Bountiful, On the Waterfront), Joshua Echebiri (Merry Wives, Partnership, King James), Jenny Jules (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Crucible, Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman), Jason Maina (Culture Shock, There Goes the Neighborhood, Timon of Athens), Chiké Okonkwo (Julius Caesar, A Matter of Life and Death, His Dark Materials Parts I & II), and Olawale Oyenola as A Drummer.

Polonsky Shakespeare Center: 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217

* Each New Deal ticket holder must be 30 years of age and under, or a full-time student. A valid ID proving eligibility must be presented for each ticket purchased. IDs must be presented at entry beginning two hours prior to curtain. Failure to show proof of age or student ID will result in a surcharge for a full price ticket.

** $65 ticket discount offer expires 4/27/2025. Full price up to $95. Subject to availability. All internet and phone orders are subject to a handling fee. The offer may be discontinued at any time. Not valid for previous purchases.

Box Office hours are Monday–Saturday, 1–7pm and it can be reached at 646-553-3880 or tickets@TFANA.org.

Face masks are encouraged, but not required.

Click here to learn more about our policy on refunds and exchanges.

Design by Paul Davis Studio / Paige Restaino

Deloitte and Bloomberg Philanthropies are the 2024-2025 Season Sponsors.

Principal support for Theatre for a New Audience’s season and programs is provided by the Bay and Paul Foundations, The Jerome and Marlène Brody Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation Fund at the New York Community Trust, The Dubose & Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, The Polonsky Foundation, The SHS Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and The Thompson Family Foundation.

Theatre for a New Audience’s season and programs are also made possible, in part, with public funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities; the National Endowment for the Arts; Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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CONTEMPORARY JAZZ MASTERPIECES
Featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
April 25-26 at 7:30pm
Save 30% on tickets with promo code SKINT30

Contemporary Jazz Masterpieces takes listeners on a thrilling ride through works composed and orchestrated by composers and big band leaders of today, including Miho Hazama, Darcy James Argue, Helen Sung, and Jihye Lee. This concert will also feature newly commissioned works by George DeLancey, Leo Steinriede, and Steven Feifke — works that reflect the depth and breadth of the big band tradition. With music direction by Wynton Marsalis and Steven Feifke, expect an evening of fresh takes and exploratory sounds from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

Enjoy a free pre-concert lecture starting 1 hour prior to the concert and use your ticket for complimentary access to Dizzy’s Club Late Night Session at 11 pm that evening.

Reserve Your Seat Today
Tickets start at $33 with promo code SKINT30

Jazz at Lincoln Center is located inside the Shops at Columbus Circle, 60th Street and Broadway

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tuesday

thru 10/19: the met fifth ave’s new roof garden commission: ensemble: sonic and visual artist jennie c. jones’s acoustic sculptures take over the met’s iris and b. gerald cantor roof garden for the season. metropolitan museum of art (ues), free entry with museum admission (pay-what-you-wish admission for new york state residents and ny, nj, and ct students, $30 general/$22 seniors/$22 visitors with disabilities/$17 students otherwise). >>

thru 4/30: nypl’s world literature + arts festival: shining a spotlight on nyc’s communities, the new york public library’s world literature + arts festival brings together writers, artists, and thinkers from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to celebrate storytelling—through books, performances, culinary traditions, and beyond. select topics include the new rap language, the future of food, and translating the world with the national book foundation. various locations, free admission. >>

thru 4/26: taste of science festival: feed your curiosity with this annual series of informal discussions on everything from fungus to hunger to city infrastructure. pete’s candy store (williamsburg), ryan’s daughter (ues), kgb (east village), and q.e.d. (astoria). free-$8. >>

thru sun: rent the runway sample sale: save up to 70% on pre-loved designer apparel, handbags, accessories, and more. 260 fifth ave (bet. 28th + 29th sts), free admission. >>

tues 12-7pm: newman’s own ‘pay-what-you-want-food truck: choose-what-you pay for newman’s own pizzas, salads, cookies, coffee dog treats, and more, with 100% of the proceeds going to newman’s own foundation. bryant park at 40th street between 5th + 6th aves. >>

tues 6pm: beyond architecture: the new new york – a discussion on historic preservation: the skyscraper museum (battery park) hosts a discussion on beyond architecture: the new new york, a collection of essays marking the 60th anniversary of the new york city landmarks law. contributors justin davidson, a pulitzer prize-winning architecture critic, and nat oppenheimer, a structural engineer specializing in historic preservation, will explore their essays, ‘the long view: building for rebuilding’ and ‘engineering landmarks,’ in conversation with museum director carol willis. free admission. >>

tues 6pm: miller theater’s pop-up concert series: the columbia university school of the arts’s musical happy hour returns for a new season of hour-long concerts where the audience is permitted to sit onstage with the performers and enjoy a free drink. tonight’s linuep: guitarists miles okazaki and bill frisell. columbia university’s miller theatre (morningside heights), free admission. >>

tues 6:30pm: no new things with ashlee piper: sustainability expert ashlee piper chats about no new things, her new book on ditching consumerism, regaining financial and mental wellness, and saving the planet. katie horwitch, founder of want (women against negative talk), joins. p+t knitwear bookstore (les). $5 admission can be applied towards any book or item in the café. >>

sponsored: tues 7pm: early risers vs. night owls: comedy debate: the popular comedy debate series returns with guests emmy blotnick (the late show with stephen colbert), rob cantrell (the colbert report), kerry coddett (flatbush misdemeanors), jon fisch (spiraling up), clare o’kane (saturday night live), and shalewa sharpe (hbo’s two dope queens), who’ll go head-to-head over the merits of their preferred time of day—from the joys of sunrise yoga to the allure of midnight snacks. the verbal sparring and all-around absurdity only stop when the audience decides the winner. featuring special guest host wyatt cenac. symphony space (uws), $15 with code ‘timeofday’ >>

tues 7pm (monthly): brooklyn books + booze: hear established and up-and-coming authors of different genres read from their current works every third tuesday of the month at barrow’s intense tasting room (industry city). tonight’s lineup features anna rasche, radha vatsal, christina li, and gregory wilson. hosted by randee dawn. free admission. >>

tues 7pm (monthly): the broad squad: kendra cunningham presents a throwback variety show filled with stand up, storytelling, music, and trivia. tonight: mel ferraro, sue funke, and mindy raf. young ethel’s (park slope), free ($5 suggested donation). >>

tues 8pm: open mic + open tables: 15 comedians. 8 djs. no cover. isola brooklyn (fka the knitting factory) hosts open mic + open tables, a new weekly series blending music and comedy with 8 dj sets (15 minutes each) and 15 stand-up slots (5 minutes each). sign up on-site to perform or just kick back and enjoy the show. isola brooklyn (williamsburg), free admission. >>

tues 8pm (monthly): animation nights new york: watch a curated program of animated short films from around the world at this monthly screening event. the gutter spare room (williamsburg), pay-what-you-wish admission. >>

sponsored

Guitarist Stephane Wrembel celebrates legendary “Gypsy jazz” musician and composer Django Reinhardt in a one-night-only concert in two parts: Classic Django and Django New Orleans. With performances by Stephane Wrembel, his band, and an international ensemble of special guests including Django’s great-grandson Simba Baumgartner.

Use code SKINT10 for $10 off full price tickets.

Stephane Wrembel’s Django a Gogo
Friday, May 9 at 8pm
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway & 95th Street, NY, NY 10025

GET TICKETS

wednesday

weds thru 5/24: the lady at 100: columbia classics from the locarno film festival: celebrating columbia pictures’ centennial, the museum of modern art and the locarno film festival present a series tracing the evolution of the hollywood studio. the program features 30 newly-restored films from 1934 to 2010, including it happened one night, the lady from shanghai, in a lonely place, gilda, taxi driver, and the social network. moma (midtown), $14 general, $12 seniors, $10 students. >>

weds 7pm: speakeasy: ‘the definitive speechwriting comedy show’: professional speechwriters and comedians are really into speeches talk about the techniques they love, the clichés they hate, and the written remarks that rocked their world. hosted by chandler dean. caveat (les), $15.67 adv with promo code ‘speakcheaply’ (reg. $24-25). >>

weds 7:30pm: well well well! comedy: chuckles for charity. co-hosts griffin leeds and nora jefferies present an all-lgbtq+ comedy show, with proceeds benefiting the ali forney center. featuring jess elgene (nyt), julia shiplett (hbo), jay jurden (fallon), and josh sharp (d*cks: the musical). the rosemont (williamsburg), $9 suggested donation. >>

weds 7:30pm: we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (park slope), with stand-up by kelly bachman (hulu), caitlin reese (hbo), adam flick (don’t tell comedy), kidané kelati, and crenshaw white. free admission. >>

sponsored: weds 8pm: enough is enuf book release party: spelers, unite! gabe henry selebrates the release uv enough is enuf, his new book about our failed attempts to make english eezier to spell, with a reading, signing, and spelling bee at littlefield (gowanus). free admission. >>

weds 8pm: music for enophiles: music for enophiles, an nyc-based band dedicated to playing brian eno’s solo pop recordings from 1974-1977, returns with its annual concert at the bowery electric (east village). $15. >>

thursday

thurs (ongoing): the frick collection: following a multi-year renovation, the frick collection’s historic fifth avenue galleries reopen to the public. advance timed tickets required. $30 general, $22 seniors, $22 visitors with disabilities, $17 students, free ages 10-18, pay-what-you-wish wednesdays 2-6pm. >>

thurs thru 5/17: encore: broadway photographs by mark s. kornbluth: cavalier gallery revisits dark, a 2023 exhibition of mark s. kornbluth’s large-format photographs of broadway theaters that were taken during the 2020-21 covid closure, with several previously unseen images featured. artist reception 4/17 5-7pm. cavalier gallery (midtown), free admission. >>

thurs thru 4/23: 1-800-on-her-own: film forum presents 1-800-on-her-own, filmmaker dana flor’s portrait of singer/songwriter, social activist and author ani difranco. special events include a q+a with difranco and flor (thurs 6:30pm), an intro by difranco (thurs 8:45pm), an intro by flor (fri 6:30pm), and a pflag benefit screening (8/23 8:20pm). film forum (south village), $17. >>

sponsored: thurs 7pm: design matters with debbie millman, roxane gay, chelsea clinton, suleika jaouad, and more: join us for an unforgettable evening at symphony space (uws) celebrating the 20th anniversary of design matters, the groundbreaking podcast that has redefined conversations around design, creativity, and culture. host debbie millman and wife roxane gay will take center stage, leading interviews with writer and advocate suleika jaouad (between two kingdoms) and dr. chelsea clinton. plus, a dynamic mix of performances including spoken word by timothy goodman, magic by david kwong, and a live segment featuring jad abumrad (radiolab), on being host krista tippett, new york times bestselling psychotherapist esther perel, sarah polley (women talking), and more! skint readers can get a $15 tier 2 ticket using code ‘design(reg. $32). >>

thurs 7pm (monthly): facts machine: science, comedy + trivia: scientists and comedians share the stories behind their favorite facts, ‘conduct experiments’ (play drinking games), and probe their knowledge with a trivia challenge loosely inspired by tonight’s theme: dinosaurs. hosted by scientists and pub trivia hosts em costa, noah guiberson, and rob frawley. caveat (les), $18.76 with promo code ‘theskint’ (reg. $24-$25). >>

thurs 7:30pm (monthly): pete’s reading series: hear from literary icons and newcomers alike at this long-running reading series, hosted by temim fruchter and brian gresko. tonight’s event features jeremy gordon (see friendship), jane pek (the verifiers), anton solomnik (realistic fiction), and jeanne thornton (a/s/l). pete’s candy store (williamsburg), free admission. >>

thurs 8pm (monthly): star trek entirely from memory: blindly-cast ten bones theatre company performers will attempt to recreate star trek, with no scripts, no rehearsals, and no agreement over which version of star trek they’re actually doing. as chaos ensues, drinks are drunk while the players are challenged to incorporate lines written by the audience and create ‘deleted’ scenes. littlefield (gowanus), $12 adv, $14 day of. >>

thurs 9:30pm: facebook marketplace live!: inspired by facebook marketplace, craigslist, and buy nothing groups, this game show pits comedians in a series of marketplace-themed games to win the title of ‘king of sh*t.’ hosted by amanda melhuish (reductress) and virginia dickens (the onion). caveat (les), $16.70 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $22-23). >>

thurs 10pm: alttv: a ’90s alternative music video party: dance to ’90s alternative, britpop, and grunge as djs chase coppins and warrenb project/dj music videos from oasis, hole, the replacements, sonic youth, pulp, weezer, pavement, nin, pixies, and many more at cassette (ridgewood). free admission. >>

ongoing

our roundup of 35+ ongoing events and attractions: central park and brooklyn botanic garden cherry blossom updates, amy sherald: american sublime at the whitney, cj hendry: keff joons in dumbo, brooklyn cyclones baseball season, bargemusic, and more. >>

stay safe and healthy
– the skint