Critically acclaimed play tackles authority, morality and conflicting loyalty; reading to be held in Stissing’s intimate Grace Note space
Tivoli, NY, July 8, 2026 – Tangent Theatre Company, based in Tivoli NY, continues their presentation of pop-up readings in the region, with a play more relevant today than when it first appeared on Broadway 25 years ago: LOBBY HERO by Kenneth Lonergan, to be held Friday and Sunday, July 24 @ 7:30pm and July 26 @ 3pm in Stissing Center’s intimate downstairs Grace Note space. A favorite of the company’s, Tangent produced the play in 2015 and has held prior readings of this modern classic. With themes of race, gender, class and morality, the play feels prescient in today’s volatile landscape. When a serious crime is committed in a New York neighborhood, two security guards and two police officers test their principles over the course of a few late-night shifts in a Manhattan apartment building lobby.
Two shows are scheduled as Tangent’s readings have been enjoying sell-outs each time. Tickets are free, though reservations are required (donations welcome). Stissing Center in Pine Plains NY is a non-profit community-driven space providing an artistic home for a wide variety of talents and performances in the Hudson Valley. The venue boasts two professional stages; the intimate Grace Note provides a cozy, close knit experience. Playwright Kenneth Lonergan is a writer, director and actor known for the plays This Is Our Youth and The Waverly Gallery, and the films You Can Count on Me, Gangs of New York (co-writer)and Manchester by the Sea (Academy Award, Best Original Screenplay)…and the critically acclaimed Lobby Hero.
With a cast of four, the LOBBY HERO reading features familiar talents from the company’s core ensemble: Sam Eisenbaum, Jessie Zarrelli, Tangent’s artistic director Michael Rhodes* and a new face in the mix, New York based Devin T. Gibbs. Veteran local director Christine Crawfis helms the ensemble; Steven Young to read stage directions; produced by Andrea Rhodes (* member Actors’ Equity Association). Tangent’s readings of compelling, engaging plays have become a popular series in Tivoli and beyond, often presented in pubs, restaurants or unique intimate spaces – including Stissing Center (now their fourth appearance at the venue), Village Hall in Tivoli, Upstate Films in Rhinebeck and The Moviehouse in Millerton, to name a few. Now in their 26th year, Tangent’s trademark readings showcase plays with actors sitting on bar stools, scripts in hand and with no props, miming or blocking; stage directions are read to orient the audience, move the story along and help visualize the play.
“Lobby Hero is a powerful play, and it’s right up our alley. It feels timeless and urgent with issues that are important, intense and inevitably uncomfortable” says Michael Rhodes. “Lonergan’s writing is so strong, he forces us to look at conflicts of the everyman with honesty, brutality and even great humor” he adds.
“We love hosting Tangent Theatre Company at Stissing Center – they have an incredible eye for outstanding plays and playwrights, work with some of the finest actors in the Hudson Valley, and every visit reminds me why we love having them here” chimes in Patrick Trettenero, Stissing Center’s Executive Director.
Stissing Center is a go-to venue for Tangent; two prior readings over the past few years were in the main-stage theater (Dinner with Friends by Donald Margulies and The Seafarer by Conor McPherson), along with a reading of Betrayal by Harold Pinter in The Grace Note last June. “Lobby Hero is well suited for the intimate cellar space. It allows our audience to lean into the story with close proximity to the small stage and the actors. They won’t miss a beat” Rhodes adds.
LOBBY HERO by Kenneth Lonergan, play reading Friday July 24 @ 7:30pm & Sunday, July 26, 2026 @ 3pm @ Stissing Center-Grace Note, 2950 Church Street (aka route 199), Pine Plains NY 12567 (doors open one-hour before showtime); Tickets free but reservations are required | general seating (rsvp: info@tangent-arts.org). The play is two full acts with an intermission; drinks and snacks available for purchase. Theater is accessible via stairs or elevator.
Tangent Theatre Company was founded in New York City in 2000 by Hudson Valley natives/married couple Andrea & Michael Rhodes, and the late Keith Teller, and re-located to Tivoli in 2009. Tangent is a professional theater company known for intimate character driven productions, their new works festival and their popular play readings.