Climate Week NYC Will Feature Flood Awareness Comedy Peformance In Gowanus

BROOKLYN, NY — A new theatrical production will combine comedy, music, and climate preparedness in public spaces across New York City during Climate Week NYC 2026.

Rainy Day Plays, in partnership with NYC Emergency Management and the Waterfront Alliance, will present "Please Don’t Flush!" from September 19–27, with all performances free to the public.

Billed as a “municipal comedy,” Please Don’t Flush! follows a community board preparing to vote on a mysterious waterfront development that neighbors, seagulls, and plumbers fear could worsen inland flooding.

Instead, the board becomes distracted by preparations for its biannual gala, a second vice chair’s half-birthday celebration, and the chaotic confinement of an anti-development coalition in a bathroom.

Behind the humor, the production aims to give New Yorkers practical information about flood preparedness and resiliency. Developed in close partnership with NYC Emergency Management and the Waterfront Alliance, the performances will pair entertainment with flood-preparedness resources, information, and calls to action.

The free performances are scheduled for:

• Saturday, September 19, at 5 p.m. — Staten Island Urban Center, Stapleton, Staten Island
• Sunday, September 20, at 5 p.m. — Baisley Pond Park, Jamaica, Queens
• Tuesday, September 22, at 6:30 p.m. — Van Alen, Gowanus, Brooklyn
• Sunday, September 27, at 1:30 p.m. — Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, Queens

For more information, New Yorkers can visit the production's website.

"Waterfront Alliance is proud to support the production of Please Don't Flush, which uses the power of storytelling to make flood preparedness personal, relatable, and actionable,” shared Julie Raskin, President and CEO, Waterfront Alliance, said. “As climate impacts become more frequent and visible, we need new ways to engage communities in preparedness and resilience. By centering lived experiences and local voices, this production helps audiences connect with the importance of flood preparedness while reminding us that resilience is built together."