Tisch New Theatre’s Cabaret for Change
The team behind Tisch New Theatre’s upcoming cabaret spoke to WSN about the ways they seek to inspire audiences amidst national unrest.
As the semester reaches its most chaotic peak, members of Tisch New Theatre are hard at work producing their Fall 2025 production. An original, story-driven cabaret, “DISTANCE FROM THE DREAM: Songs to Face a Vanishing America” consists of politically relevant songs from the musical theater canon. With music from Tony Award-winning shows like “Rent,” “Spring Awakening” and “Hadestown,” the production explores the complicated, emotional experiences of young artists living in a tumultuous America.
The show, which consists of only songs, offers an eye-opening look into our nation’s present by traveling through music theater’s iconic past. The 13 cast members perform a mix of ensemble and solo numbers that all relate to the political and social structures within America.
“All of these shows, taken from various times, exist within the culture of America at that time. We are in an America shaped from our past,” Ani Chong, music director and Steinhardt Piano Performance senior, told WSN. “Musical theater is the perfect way to present how we are feeling now.”
Liam Redford, director, choreographer and Tisch Dance sophomore, shared that he and the Tisch New Theatre team have been working hard on the show since the beginning of the summer. They selected musical theater songs that felt the most relevant to America in 2025.
“We are building a show from the ground up,” Redford said. “We really tried to build a set list that ebbs and flows — a story with the absence of the script.”
The directing and production teams are not solely responsible for crafting the cabaret’s story. Each actor holds a crucial role in the conversation.
“We were not so much just looking for talent,” Redford said, reflecting on the show’s audition process, “but also people that would contribute their own beliefs, thoughts and expression to this piece.”
After the show was cast, the rehearsal process began with long conversations with actors about how they wanted to embrace their personal identity and experience throughout their performance.
“I have made it a point to unapologetically bring my Latinhood and Puerto Rican-ness with me the entire time,” cast member and Tisch Drama junior, Camelia Elías Sierra said. “In ‘La Vie Bohème,’ there are a bunch of parts where we speak on top of each other. I will do them in Spanish. You won’t necessarily hear them, but I know I’m doing them.”
Sierra also collaborated with the costume department to put Puerto Rican imagery into her costumes, such as wearing a necklace with one star to represent the Puerto Rican flag.
The rehearsal room functions not only as a place of self-expression, but also as a sanctuary for self-reflection. In preparation for performing songs like “Trina’s Song” from “Falsettos,” Ila David, cast member and Tisch Drama sophomore, found it especially important to look back on times when her Afro-Latina identity was targeted with racism and xenophobia.
“I’m channeling those moments — the sadness, the frustration — but I’m also looking at them as a sign of growth and a symbol as to how much I’ve overcome,” David said. “The only way that we can move on from experiences of trauma and hurt is to use them as fuel, and to not let them keep us down, but only let them bring us up.”
The “DISTANCE FROM THE DREAM” cast and crew do not simply channel this sense of empowerment on the stage or in the rehearsal room. Their shared goal of finding strength in unity and vulnerability informs every off-stage conversation.
“It’s been a really personal experience for a lot of us and we’ve been navigating that together,” Todd Croslis, cast member and Tisch Drama first-year said, citing a group chat where they frequently send and discuss news articles to process current events as fuel for their performances.
“Everything that is being sung within these songs is ultimately a message of love — love for each other, love for ourselves and our identities, and even love for the nation that we are currently in,” David said. “And with love comes nonconformity. I don’t think you can just love something fully without wanting to make it better.”
“DISTANCE FROM THE DREAM: Songs to Face a Vanishing America” is running Nov. 14, 15 and 16 at the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Black Box, tickets are available online.
Contact SophieAnn DeVito at arts@nyunews.com.