La MaMa world premiere of Robert Lyons’ Class Dismissed

Press release

New York, NY – La MaMa proudly presents the world premiere of Soho Think Tank and One-Eighth Theater’s CLASS DISMISSED, written by Robert Lyons and directed by Daniel Irizarry, with original compositions by Rhys Tivey. CLASS DISMISSED runs Off-Broadway April 18 – May 4, 2025 in a limited engagement at La MaMa’s Ellen Stewart Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street in New York City. Previews begin April 18 for an April 21 opening.

CLASS DISMISSED celebrates the exuberance of young minds imagining a future of possibility in an intellectually exhausted and emotionally self-absorbed pataphysical academia.

Anticipate your (consensual) participation as we peel yuca, improvise dances, make butter, and invite the audience onstage to eat (bread), drink (Puerto Rican rum), write on the set (with chalk), and swap books (that they brought to the show). With live music, sing-alongs, and a different guest artist at each performance. This is the grad school you wish you went to!

Robert Lyons says, “This is the third collaboration between Daniel and I. So far the shows have been performed in New York, Cuba, South Korea, Poland, and soon in Romania. We plan on many more to come!”

The cast includes Pepper Binkley, Yaraní del Valle Piñero, Daniel Irizarry and Rhys Tivey.

The production team includes Deb O (Set & Costume Design), Robin A. Ediger-Seto (Light Design), Florian Staab (Sound Design) and Emily Hart (Production Stage Manager).

Performances are Thursdays - Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Special opening night show on Monday, April 21 at 7pm. There will be a livestreamed performance on Saturday, April 26 at 9am. Tickets are $35 and $25 for students and seniors (includes fees). For more info and to purchase tickets visit https://www.lamama.org/class-dismissed.

CLASS DISMISSED Goes Global!
The April 26 9am performance will be livestreamed to Turkey and South Korea in a collaboration with CultureHub (NYC), Seoul Institute of The Arts (SK) and Bilkent University (TR). This educational cultural exchange will connect NYC students with their international peers - as viewers and participants during the performance, followed by a post-show conversation between the students, teachers, and artists. CultureHub is a global art and technology community that fuels artist mobility, creates opportunities for cultural exchange, and broadens human understanding through the convergence of art, technology, and education.