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Daggers in men’s smiles. Scorpions in king’s minds. Serpents under flowers. Scotland is infested with paranoia and conspiracy in this high-octane rendition from ASP Artistic Director Christopher V. Edwards.

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War, the Macbeths will stop at nothing to grasp their rightful throne — be it assassinating rivals, harnessing psychological warfare, even fracturing reality itself. With classic ASP verve and artistry, this new spin on one of the greatest pieces of literature ever written blurs the lines between free will and control, as the despotic tyrants slowly learn who is really pulling the strings.

With ambition and political intrigue at center stage, ASP is delighted to kick off our 22nd Season with one of the Bard’s most celebrated tragedies.

Quite often, productions of Macbeth lean on the supernatural: a swirl of witches, omens, and fate pressing down on mortals. I am struck by something more terrifying. The horror of Macbeth is not locked in the occult, but in the human capacity for cruelty when power is within reach.

Strip away the cauldron and spells, and what remains is people choosing—sometimes willingly, sometimes under pressure—to commit atrocities. For me that is more unnerving than supernatural prophecies.

Our version—MK-Beth, as we lovingly nickname it—begins with that premise: what if the Weird Sisters weren't sorceresses after all, but the architects of state-sponsored psychological manipulation? Set in a covert Cold War, the play unfolds through the lends of mind-control experiments, drug trials, and clandestine operations (à la MK-Ultra). The Weird Sisters become scientists and handlers, not fortune tellers. Macbeth and his wife are test subjects as much as they are conspirators. Their choices blur between autonomy and programming, desire and design.

As the Macbeths rise, we watch not only the corrosion of their morality but also the unsettling possibility that government-sanctioned manipulation is guiding their every step. Have they been stripped of their free will — or simply given a push that allowed their darkest impulses to bloom?

By reimagining Shakespeare's tragedy in this way, MK-Beth asks us to reconsider ambition, conspiracy, and complicity in an era where truth itself could be weaponized. It becomes a story not only of vaulting ambition, but of the fragility of the human mind when caught in the machinery of unchecked power.

Manual Cinema returns to Boston with their signature stage-magic to conjure Macbeth from a brand new perspective.

The 4th Witch is a fantastic new tale, inspired by elements of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which a girl escapes war and flees into a dark forest. Orphaned and exiled, she is rescued by a witch, who adopts her as an apprentice. As she becomes more skilled in witchcraft, her grief and rage draw her into a nightmarish quest for vengeance against the warlord who killed her parents: Macbeth.

Using inventive practical effects executed in plain sight, the troupe brilliantly employs shadow puppetry, live music and actors in silhouette, to create an entire new world in The 4th Witch. Manual Cinema has built a devoted fanbase in Boston over the course of their thrilling past productions at ArtsEmerson including Ada/Ava and Frankenstein. Do not miss its triumphant return this fall!

With silly humor full of in-community jokes, the Teddy Award-winning LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS is an animated sci-fi adventure for any queer person who has ever feared they weren’t cool enough.

BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER meets Adult Swim in this hilarious and heartfelt romp that won the prestigious Teddy Award at this year’s Berlinale. Hailing from the land of Clitopolis, awkward princess Saira yearns for the approval of her moms and their kingdom. It’s not her fault she prefers table magic to partying! But when her emotionally unavailable bounty hunter ex-girlfriend is kidnapped by Straight White Maliens, Saira sees an opportunity to win back her love and prove she’s just as cool and gay as the rest of her planet.

With a silly sense of humor full of in-community jokes, LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS is an animated sci-fi musical adventure for any queer person who has ever been afraid to be their authentic self — even if that self is a big gay loser.

An affirming shorts program for LGBTQ+ teens and allies, featuring diverse stories of resilience, magic, and joy—presented with the NYC Department of Education for the eighth year.

Now in its eighth year, NewFest is thrilled to collaborate with NYC’s Department of Education and GLAAD on this uplifting shorts program curated for LGBTQ+ teens. These upbeat, affirming films — from intergenerational bonds to magical drag foxes — give queer youth the chance to see themselves on screen and feel inspired to tell their own stories.

From ACT UP to Black trans joy, these shorts showcase queer resistance in all its forms—activism, euphoria, and radical imagination.

From ACT UP’s historic protests to today’s Black trans leadership, these shorts spotlight queer defiance across decades and identities. Whether through street activism, Black trans euphoria, or experimental visions of liberation, THE QUEER REBELLION celebrates community power, radical imagination, and the refusal to be erased.

( The Queer Rebellion shorts playlist )

Fifteen-year-old Karla, growing up trans in rural Mexico, shares her story with filmmaker Kani Lapuerta, together creating a tender, intergenerational portrait of adolescence filled with courage, humor, and authenticity.

Fifteen-year-old Karla navigates the turbulence of adolescence while making the life-changing decision to legally transition. Supported by her parents and community yet confronting the prejudices of her rural Mexican town, Karla tells her own story alongside trans filmmaker Kani Lapuerta, who has documented her since childhood.

Together, they craft a vivid portrait of what it means to grow up proudly trans in a world mediated by the ever-present lens of a front-facing camera. NIÑXS is a nuanced and intergenerational coming-of-age story that reimagines small-town life—and a whimsical reminder that no one escapes the painful, awkward, and beautiful parts of adolescence.

In 1981, James Reyos, a gay Apache man, was wrongly convicted of murdering a priest. Peabody-winning journalist Deborah S. Esquenazi’s searing documentary follows the decades-long fight to clear his name.

In 1981, James Reyos, a young gay Apache man from Odessa, Texas, was pressured into confessing to the murder of a Catholic priest and sentenced to 38 years in prison. Nearly four decades later, armed with new evidence, justice-driven lawyers from The Innocence Project of Texas fight to clear his name.

With NIGHT IN WEST TEXAS, Peabody-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated documentarian Deborah S. Esquenazi transcends the tropes of true crime to expose decades of systemic injustice stacked against marginalized communities. The result is a powerful and deeply moving portrait of a man seeking redemption and a legal system reckoning with its failures.

“In this nuanced deconstruction of the true crime genre, director Deborah S. Esquenazi continues her biting exploration of the ways the judicial system is stacked against minority groups, and how the damage it creates cannot be undone with a simple overturning.” – Jorge Molina, Industry Manager & Programmer

A trans-led program of bold, unfiltered shorts—original, smart, and brilliantly made. Rooted in resistance and care, these films embody the strength and spirit of trans lives. No T, no future.

A trans-led, nonconforming program of bold, unfiltered short films — original, smart, and brilliantly made. Rooted in community, resistance, and care, these radical works center self-determination beyond mere survival. Dissident bodies come together to claim space, embrace each other, and create futures. ALL ABOUT THE T means no compromise.

When high-schooler Alex convinces his best friend Ethan to pretend to be trans to get girls, Ethan discovers she isn’t pretending. Chaos, comedy, and self-discovery collide in this sweetly subversive queer teen romp.
When high-schooler Alex convinces his best friend Ethan they should pretend to be trans to hook up with girls, Ethan makes a startling discovery: She isn’t pretending. Blending farce with genuine emotion, this subversive comedy takes rightwing locker-room panic to its funniest and most poignant conclusion. With a fresh spin on the coming-out narrative, debut director Siobhan McCarthy pays homage to iconic high school comedies like SHE’S THE MAN and BRING IT ON while adding a distinctly queer twist. Led by Misha Osherovich and Nico Carney, an ensemble of trans actors deliver both irreverence and heart–cementing this as a new teen comedy classic.

“On paper, SHE’S THE HE sounds like it could go totally off the rails — but Siobhan McCarthy and the hilarious ensemble pull it off with skill and wild charm. Bold, irreverent, and unexpectedly sweet, it’s the queer teen comedy we didn’t know we needed until now.” – David Hatkoff, Executive Director