New York Theatre Workshop sets 2024-25 season

The new Off-Broadway season includes three world premieres — two musicals and a play — featuring award-winning talent, plus a fourth production to be announced.

New York Theatre Workshop has named three productions in its 2024-25 Off-Broadway season, which will premiere at the award-winning theatre company's East Village venue between fall 2024 and spring 2025.

The first production is We Live in Cairo, a new musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Daniel and Patrick Lazour and direction by Taibi Magar. The show follows six student activists, inspired by real young people who protested during the Arab Spring, as they use art and music to overthrow a regime older than them, weighing the fruits and costs of their work in the face of violence.

We Live in Cairo won the Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater following its world premiere in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The show begins performances in the fall.

The next show in the season is winter 2025's A Knock on the Roof, written by and starring Khawla Ibraheem. Olivier Butler directs and developed this show about Mariam, a mother living in Gaza trying to survive everyday life while also preparing for the "knock on the roof" — a warning about an imminent bomb threat that will force her to flee.

NYTW's spring 2025 musical is Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole, written by 2024 Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (Rustin) and NYTW artistic director Patricia McGregor, who also directs. The show takes place on the day of final broadcast of Cole's groundbreaking NBC variety show, on which he has to decide whether to step quietly out of the spotlight or "go out with a bang" per the advice of Sammy Davis Jr.

Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole features a score of Cole's hit songs, including “Nature Boy,” “It’s a Good Day,” “Smile” and “Unforgettable.” The cast is led by Emmy Award nominee Dulé Hill as Cole and Tony Award nominee Daniel J. Watts as Davis.

NYTW will announce a fourth production at a later date. Additional casting, creative team, and dates for all productions have yet to be announced.