About
About The Big Bang: Works-in-Progress
The "Big Bang" at Judson Church is a monthly Works-in-Progress (WIP) series where playwrights present short (under 10 pages) excerpts of new scripts, performed as cold readings by actors, with a free community dinner provided by Judson Church before the show, fostering creative development in a supportive setting. It's a free, casual event for writers, actors, and audiences to experience exciting new material, with doors opening around 6:30 PM for food and casting, and performances starting at 7:30 PM.
At 7:30pm, five excerpts from new work in progress are read for the audience, including a performance by a rotating musical guest. The next regular edition of The Big Bang will be January 14, featuring work by Milo Cramer, Nick Kaidoo, Allyson Morgan, Graham Techler, and Michelle Vera, with music by Andrew Paulsen.
.jpg)
About The Big Bang Benefit
February 5th-6th 2026.
The festival will include new plays and screenplays by Rachel Bonds, Susanna Fogel, C.A. Johnson, and Michael Mitnik. Actors scheduled to appear include Michael Cyril Creighton, Ira Glass, Jeff Hiller, Gayle Rankin, and many more to be announced, with musical performances by Ava Delaney and Nev Sings. The festival is produced by Jonathan Caren, Serena Berman, Hayley Jonsen Watkins, Michelle Vera, and Layomi Oloritun.
The festival will raise funds for the continued artistic programming of Judson Commons, the secular arts and justice arm of Judson Memorial Church, including The Big Bang: Works in Progress.
About Judson Commons
Judson Commons, led by Senior Minister and Artistic Director Rev. Micah Bucey, has a storied history of supporting downtown artists from Sam Shepard and Maria Irene Fornés to more recent collaborations with Heather Christian, Isaac Oliver, Whitney White, and numerous others.
Judson Commons stewards a 135-year legacy of creative cultural innovation and justice-driven action with a mission to cultivate a community-rooted commons that uplifts unfettered art and radical justice-making without restriction. Judson Commons makes it a practice to listen to artists, activists, and organizers, say ‘yes,’ and meet the moment, advancing a vision of society in which generous abundant co-creation, encouraged through shared space and resources, fuels collective liberation.