Opening Act Youth Company to Premiere GORGONE, an Original Play

This spring, Opening Act’s Youth Company takes the stage at Theatre Row with the premiere of GORGONE, a bold, original play created and performed by a collective of young artists from across New York City. Developed over months of collaborative writing, devising, and rehearsal, GORGONE represents the culmination of the Youth Company experience — a citywide ensemble that brings together student leaders from Opening Act’s partner schools to create new work from the ground up alongside professional theater artists.

Inspired by the story of Medusa, GORGONE reimagines Greek mythology through a contemporary lens, interrogating the systems that shape how we understand power, beauty, and worth. Blending myth with modern cultural critique, the play explores the hypocrisies of the beauty industry, the brutalism of late-stage capitalism, and the commodification of the bodies of the most vulnerable. What emerges is an action-driven, suspenseful story that challenges audiences to reconsider who is seen as a hero, who is labeled a monster, and what it takes to resist systems designed to dehumanize. Both mythic and immediate, GORGONE is an electrifying story of resistance and transformation, where monsters are manufactured, heroes emerge from unexpected places, and truth has the power to turn systems to stone.

Performances will take place at Theatre Row (Theatre 2), located at 410 West 42nd Street in New York City, on Friday, April 10 at 7:00 PM; Saturday, April 11 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM; and Sunday, April 12 at 3:00 PM. Tickets to the free performances are available at this link.

The Sunday, April 12 performance will serve as a special benefit event celebrating Opening Act’s 25th anniversary and supporting its Spring 2026 programming. The event will begin with a champagne brunch and sponsor reception at 1:30 PM, followed by the performance at 3:00 PM. Benefit performance tickets and sponsorships are available at this link.

GORGONE marks the first time the Opening Act Youth Company will present a fully realized production at Theatre Row, offering these young artists the opportunity to share their work in a professional theater setting. This milestone reflects Opening Act’s ongoing commitment to centering student voices and creating pathways for young people to develop as artists, leaders, and storytellers.