Under the Radar Festival
January 7–25, 2026
Various Locations
New York, NY
For over two decades, the Under the Radar Theater Festival has brought bold, risk-taking work to New York City, celebrating groundbreaking theater and performance from around the world and just down the street. The 21st Edition of the festival will present productions by Creative Capital Awardees Kaneza Schaal, Pamela Sneed, Dahlak Brathwaite, Narcissister, and The Team.
Kaneza Schaal — DATA ROOM
Dates: January 8–12, 2026
Venue: The Performing Garage (33 Wooster St, NYC)
A series of intimate public conversations conceived by Kaneza Schaal that explore how knowledge, cultural memory, and shared meaning circulate in an era of fragmented attention and digital saturation.
Pamela Sneed — A Tribute to Big Mama Thornton
Dates: January 11–17, 2026
Venue: Joe’s Pub (425 Lafayette St, NYC)
A theatrical cabaret honoring the life and musical legacy of blues and rock & roll pioneer Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton, written and performed by poet/performer Pamela Sneed with a live band.
Dahlak Brathwaite — Try/Step/Trip
Dates: January 8–25, 2026
Venue: A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 W 53rd St, NYC)
A concept musical performed through the choreographic language of stepping, blending rhythm, movement, and embodied storytelling in a dynamic live performance.
Narcissister — Voyage Into Infinity
Dates: January 16–18, 2026
Venue: NYU Skirball (566 LaGuardia Place, NYC)
A performance rooted in explorations of literal and metaphorical collapse that juxtaposes reclaimed everyday objects with the visual spectacle characteristic of Narcissister’s two-decade practice.
The TEAM — RECONSTRUCTING
Dates: January 9–11, 2026
Venue: Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (2920 Campus Rd, Brooklyn)
A new theatrical work unfolding within a two-story house, blending fact and fiction, performance and ritual to explore reckonings with history—especially in the aftermath of slavery—through a quilt-like narrative.
Kaneza Schaal
JACK &
Kaneza Schaal is a New York City-based theater artist invested in research-based processes.
Pamela Sneed
America is Ready
Pamela Sneed is a poet, performer, and visual artist. She is the author of Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom Than Slavery (Holt, 1998) and Funeral Diva (City Lights Books, 2020), which won the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry.
Dahlak Brathwaite
COMMERCIAL
Dahlak is a theatre artist: playwright, composer, and performer. He is a Princess Grace Awardee, has been presented at The Kennedy Center and on HBO’s Def Poetry, and is a MFA graduate of NYU Tisch.
Narcissister
Narcissister Organ Player
Narcissister works at the intersection of performance, dance, art and activism, integrating prior professional dance and commercial art experience with long-standing visual art practices in a range of media.
Primer for a Failed Superpower
The TEAM is a Brooklyn-based ensemble dedicated to creating new work about the experience of living in America today.