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In the four years since it opened its gates, Little Island has become one of New York's primo warm-weather destinations: an elevated oasis of trees and knolls and winding paths that rises—as though suspended on a bed of coupe cocktail glasses—above Pier 55 in the Hudson, just west of the Meatpacking District. In the same brief period, it has established itself as one of the city's most vital sources of low-cost high culture in the summer.
Concerts, plays, dance shows, operas: These and more can be found on Little Island all summer long, whether at its 687-seat open-air amphitheater (the Amph), its smaller performance stage (the Glade) or at pop-up locations throughout the space. Performances have been part of Little Island's mission from the start, but the offerings have gotten more and more ambitious. Last year, the park upped its game to present a sold-out season of world premieres. Building on that success, Little Island has just announced its lineup for its 2025 season, which includes many new works by major artists. Many of the shows are free, and those that aren't cost just $25; to buy tickets to them, visit Little Island's ticketing page on TodayTix.
Curated by artistic director Zack Winokur, The 2025 season includes three long multiweek runs at the Amph. The first is The Counterfeit Opera, Kate Tarker and Dan Schlosberg's new adaptation of The Beggar's Opera, John Gay's 1728 satirical musical portrait of sex and perfidy in the criminal classes (which also inspired The Threepenny Opera); directed by Dustin Wills, the production stars Damon Daunno, Lauren Patten, Zenzi Williams, Katerina McCrimmon and national treasure Ann Harada. July brings director Shayok Misha Chowdhury's revival of Lee Breuer and Bob Telson's 1983 musical tragedy The Gospel at Colonus, the piece's first major restaging in New York, with a cast that includes gospel singer Kim Burrell, operatic bass-baritone Davóne Tines and R&B artist Serpentwithfeet. The season wraps up in September as countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo plays the titular demented opera diva in Galas, director Eric Ting's revival of a 1983 comic melodrama by Ridiculous Theatrical Company's queer auteur Charles Ludlam.
But that's far from all. Also on the slate are musical works by Suzan-Lori Parks, Meshell Ndegeocello, Whitney White, Ben Lerner and Matt Aucoin; Sarah Gancher's Eugene Onegin, a bluegrass adaptation of the Tchaikovsky opera directed by Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown); the dance show Seven Scenes, a collaboration between choreographers Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber and the musical duo Ringdown; and a six-hour, cross-Island tribute to the legacy of art-pop pioneer Arthur Russell, with performers including Laurie Anderson, Martha Wainwright and the event's curator, Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman).
Below is a list of Little Island's upcoming theater-adjacent events. In addition to them, the season will also include parties hosted by Brooklyn nightlife collective Papi Juice, a suite of concerts by pianists Jeremy Denk and Conor Hanick, jazz nights curated by Cécile McLorin Salvant, a concert assembled by painter Amy Sherald and live broadcasts of the WNYC show RadioLab. For more information about these and other shows, or about the park in general, visit the Little Island website.
LITTLE ISLAND 2025 THEATER HIGHLIGHTS
THE COUNTERFEIT OPERA: A BEGGAR’S OPERA FOR A GRIFTER’S CITY
May 29–June 15 at 8:30pm in the Amph ($25)
World premiere of a new adaptation of John Gay’s ballad opera of 1728
Book and lyrics by Kate Tarker; music by Dan Schlosberg; directed by Dustin Wills
Cast: Christopher Bannow, Damon Daunno, Sola Fadiran, Ann Harada, Rob Kellog, Dorcas Leung, Daniel Liu, Katerina McCrimmon, Leonardo Khan, Lauren Patten, Emma Ramos, Henry Stram, Zenzi Williams
NO MORE WATER: THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN
June 21–25 at 8:30pm in the Amph ($25)
The Grammy-winning album honoring the life, legacy and writing of James Baldwin, celebrating the centenary of his birth and brought to life onstage
Conceived, composed and performed by Meshell Ndegeocello, alongside her band
THE CASE OF THE STRANGER
June 26 at 10pm in the Glade (free)
A brand-new song cycle exploding a piece of Shakespeare text to explore contemporary themes of immigration
By Whitney White; directed by White and Maxim Pozdorovkin; music directed by Ben Covello
Cast: Florencia Cuenca, Rotana Tarabzouni, Whitney White
THE GOSPEL AT COLONUS
July 8–26 at 8:30pm in the Amph ($25)
The first new production in New York of the groundbreaking work based on the Oedipus plays by Sophocles and told here in gospel
Conceived and adapted by Lee Breuer; music by Bob Telson; directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury
Cast: Kim Burrell, Davóne Tines, Serpentwithfeet and more to be announced
EUGENE ONEGIN
July 30–31 at 10pm in the Glade (free)
The first New York City listen of a new bluegrass take on Tchaikovsky’s classic opera, based on the novel by Pushkin
Book, music and lyrics by Sarah Gancher; directed by Rachel Chavkin
Cast: To be announced
THE TUNE UP
July 30–August 3 at 8:30pm in the Amph ($25)
Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks debuts an evening of new work
Conceived, written and composed by Suzan-Lori Parks; directed by Niegel Smith
Cast: Rona Figueroa, Leland Fowler, Danyel Fulton, Suzan-Lori Parks, Lance Coadie Williams and more to be announced
THE LIGHTS
August 2–3 at 10pm in the Glade (free)
A world premiere choral song cycle setting of poetry by Ben Lerner, in his first collaboration with composer Matthew Aucoin
ARTHUR RUSSELL: THE PLATFORM ON THE OCEAN
August 10 at 5:30pm throughout the Island and moving to the Amph at 8:30pm for a ticketed performance and DJ set (free)
Six-hour marathon of free music and performance throughout the park with special performers
Curated and arranged by Thomas Bartlett
Performers: Zoh Amba, Sam Amidon, Laurie Anderson, Thomas Bartlett, Hannah Cohen, Elysian Fields, Peter Gordon, Ella Hunt, DM Stith, Martha Wainwright and more to be announced
SEVEN SCENES
August 22–28 at 8:30pm in the Amph ($25)
A world premiere dance and music collaboration between Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber and Ringdown (Caroline Shaw and Danni Lee Parpan)
Conceived, choreographed and directed by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber; music by Ringdown
Cast: Alexander Bozinoff, Mikael Darmanie, Jonathan Frederickson, Keir GoGwilt, Coleman Itzkoff, Payton Johnson, Doug Letheren, Danni Lee Parpan, Or Schraiber, Caroline Shaw, Bobbi Jene Smith, Ophelia Young
GALAS
September 6–28 at 8pm in the Amph ($25)
Anthony Roth Costanzo takes on Charles Ludlam’s radical idea of Maria Callas in this diva-skewering classic, in a role previously performed by Ludlam himself
By Charles Ludlam; directed by Eric Ting
Cast: Anthony Roth Costanzo and more to be announced
