Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Underground Theater Turns Subway into Stage
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 2, 2009
Modified Feb 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 2, 2009
Modified Feb 2, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A 30-member cast and crew took over various subway lines last weekend to perform a vaudevillian melodrama starring August Belmont Jr., the early-20th century president of the Interborough Rapid Transit, which operated the city’s first underground line. Called IRT: A Tragedy in Three Stations, the show begins in a Brooklyn subway station disclosed only to audience members who buy tickets in advance, and continues on and off various trains running up to Harlem, lasting about two hours, depending on the MTA's quality of service.
Courtesy Pixietart.
Written and directed by Jeff Stark, a fixture of the city's DIY arts and events scene, the action revolves around rabble-rousing union organizer Thomas Fowler, the aforementioned August Belmont, and his daughter Clara, the object of Fowler's ardor. According to the Times, no police interrupted the Thursday night performance, and Stark says the production "operated within the guidelines for subway performers," though we're pretty sure performing on subway cars is prohibited.
The opening night performance was attended by a sold-out audience of 30, plus random commuters who got to witness the spectacle—which featured numerous set pieces, such as a roll-top desk, and a turn-of-the-20th-century Salvation Army band in long gray coats—for free. Steve Thompson, a 44-year-old courier from Brooklyn who was not part of the paying audience, told the Times, "For a minute there, I thought I was in the Twilight Zone. But this is really cool. Just when you think you’re fed up with New York City, something like this endears you to it all over again."
Tagged
irt
jeff stark
MTA
nyc
show
subway
theater
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .