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The Underground Update
April 2026 (Volume 2.4)
Kiera Egan
April 26, 2026
In this Edition:
System Processing:
Goodbye to Rossum’s Universal Robots
by Kiera Egan, Julia Cahn, Laura Clinton, Fiona Egan, and Daniel Walton
Left to right: Amy Savino, Audrey Owen, Magdaliz Rivera, Neysa Lozano, Renee Hapeman, Eythen Anthony, and Daniel Walton. Photo by Alicia Vnencak.
It has officially been one week since we closed Rossum’s Universal Robots, and most of us over at The UTA are still somewhere between the denial and the bargaining stages of grief.
Emily McGuire as the Robot Sulla. Photo by Alicia Vnencak
The show had four successful shows at HB Playwright’s Theatre on Bank Street, and we — the executive board of The UTA — are so grateful for all the amazing creatives who lent their time and talents for this production.
To the crew: Renee Hapeman (hair and makeup, scenic), Nick Kaladjzic (lighting design), Jessie Kay (house manager), Audrey Owen (fight captain), Zaina Shariff (social media), and Erin Sullivan (scenic and props), thank you for your knowledge and your willingness to help; this play was significantly improved due to all of you. And shoutout to Matt and Kevia Walton— over half of the props used were provided by them!
Magdaliz Rivera (Helena) and Audrey Owen (Alquist). Photo by Alicia Vnencak
To the newcomers to The UTA stage: Ben Fiorica, Milton Daniel Lopez, Emily McGuire, and Magdaliz Rivera— thank you for taking a gamble on our humble theatre company… and welcome to the Alliance.
Daniel Walton as Domin. Photo by Alicia Vnencak
To The UTA Veterans: Renee Hapeman, Neysa Lozano, Audrey Owen, Zaina Shariff, and Erin Sullivan, we’re so happy to work with you again, and we can’t wait for the next collaboration.
And of course, we didn’t forget Eythen Anthony, Carolyn Oursler, and Amy Savino— not quite newcomers as they all killed it at our Roast of William Shakespeare event this past August, but new to acting with us— thank you for blessing us with yet another one of your talents.
Ben Fiorica and Carolyn Oursler as Primus and Robot Helena. Photo by Alicia Vnencak
This show would also not have been possible without the assistance of Dominican Academy, who provided the printing services for our playbills as well as their facilities for our weekly Sunday rehearsals. Their generous support enables us to keep doing what we love to do, and we are so grateful.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to everyone who came out to see this show. You’re the reason we do this. We hope you enjoyed the show.
BRB, gonna go cry in the corner for a little bit.
Party with Us:
Alliance Updates this Month
Although we are still grieving the end of R.U.R., everyone knows the best way to move on is with a new beau… a new beau with an extra-large nose…
MORE ALLIANCE MEMBER EVENTS AND UPDATES
SG Egan co-wrote and co-directed the short film Secret Menu Beauty Pageant, produced through Nice Hog! Productions and now available to stream via this link.
Matthew Fay’s improv group will be performing at BoogieManja on Thursday, April 30th, at 6:30 PM. You can get your tickets here!
Lily Lipman wants disabled folks to know they can join the Disabled Dismantlers group to help provide collective care, equity, safety, and joy for themselves and each other. Interested parties are invited to fill out this Form, join a Zoom, or reach out to Lily at [email protected].
Jim McMahon will be workshopping his original work, Find Me a Raisin, on Tuesday, May 5th, for our Breaking Ground workshop series.
Sasha Rechler’s band with her sister, Ruby & Sasha, will be holding a release show at pinkFROG Cafe on May 12th at 8 PM. Tickets are $22 in advance and $27 at the door.
Word on the Street:
A Silly New Cyrano de Bergerac Coming this July!
Graphic designed by Alexandra Matsu
The UTA couldn’t stay away from the classics for long, and as you know, we MUST give it a silly spin.
This summer’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac is adapted for a cast of clowns, so get ready for UNPRECEDENTED levels of silly. The Underground Theatre Alliance is producing this show alongside GrannyCart Theatre (run by the incredible Alexandra Matsu and Megan Twamley), and it will be performed over the weekend of July 9th-July 11th at the Makers Ensemble in Brooklyn.
Megan Twamley and Paolo Ragusa in The UTA’s mime-themed version of Merry Wives of Windsor
Megan Twamley, a teaching artist and clown, and The UTA’s very own Laura Clinton, have been writing their new script based on the classic version of the tale by Edmond Rostand. The dynamic duo will also be directing the piece together as well!
There is a vulnerable, silly, soft, and squishy version of ourselves that lives in a deep corner in our hearts - and we spend our lives protecting it. Clowning isn’t all about make up or balloon animals - it is the art of allowing that version of ourselves to be offered to an audience. I hope that our show’s elements of vulnerability and whimsy alongside Rostand’s poetry will allow for audiences to reflect how they can let their guard down and share their softness with the world.
The script, which balances poetry with a healthy dose of tom-foolery, has been workshopped amongst Alliance members since January, and has delighted those who have had the pleasure to read it. As Laura Clinton says of their concept, “by adding elements of clowning into the play, I hope to highlight [the] intensity in a way that is endearing & fun.”
I have a very personal connection to this story, and think the adaptation that Megan and I wrote honors the elements that make this story a classic while challenging some of the more outdated aspects. For example, we were really curious about Roxane's arc throughout the story, and have given her a lot more stage time to explore that narrative. I hope that audiences will feel like this is an entirely new story, one that feels comfortable and familiar, like a vintage sweater coming back in style.
Laura Clinton getting in touch with her clowning side in Merry Wives of Windsor
Anyone interested in auditioning for this production can submit a self-tape to The UTA email until April 30th. In-person auditions will be held TONIGHT (4/26) and TOMORROW (4/27) at A.R.T. New York South Oxford Space, from 7:30 PM — 9:30 PM. Sign up using this audition form!
Send in the Clowns:
Shakespeare’s Best Fools
by Fiona Egan
It’s Billy’s birthday, and there’s nothing that man loved more than a fool to keep the party (and plot) going! So to celebrate our favorite bard and honor all April Fools, I’ve compiled a list of the best fools and clowns Shakespeare ever wrote!
Falstaff
Shakespeare loved this fool so much that he appears in a whopping three different plays. With his playful antics, good spirits, and charisma, Falstaff quickly became a fan favorite of royals, both real and fictional alike. Clownery is so ingrained in Falstaff that even in our mime-themed Merry Wives of Windsor, he broke through as a lone, horny, renegade clown.
Wait, is that Domin? No, it’s Falstaff!
Feste
A personal favorite, Feste is a fool and beloved confidant to Countess Olivia in Twelfth Night. His knaveries include singing Bo Burnham-esque musical stylings, roping the town drunkards into his schemes, and pranking the office asshole.
Bottom
As a thespian, Bottom is no stranger to playing the fool, but in A Midsummer Night's Dream, he takes method acting to a new level. Outside of learning his lines and the whole ironic body-horror thing, Nick Bottom is just your average guy, singing about how not afraid he is, and legitimately believing he can pull a fairy queen.
From The UTA’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. We are bound to keep using one of the six photos from this production until we do it again, someday.
Touchstone
Often referred to as a “natural” fool, Touchstone is the kind of guy who is down to clown. Whether in the royal court or the middle of the woods, Touchstone enjoys providing a constant stream of biting observations and rage-baiting everyone he argues with.
The above video does not depict a Shakespearean clown; rather, it is a group of Alliance members acting quite foolishly
Want more clowns? Much like our favorite bard, we can’t get enough, so be sure to check out our collaborative production of Cyrano De Bergerac this July for your next hit of clownery!
What Willy Said:
“A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age.”
~ William Shakespeare, reflecting on changes he’s made to his diet following his 462nd birthday