“Job”
July 9-26 at Bethany Hall at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston
One of the most talked-about new plays of recent years arrives in Kingston when Voice Theatre stages Max Wolf Friedlich’s psychological thriller “Job.” Set during a tense therapy session between a website content moderator seeking reinstatement after a viral incident and the therapist tasked with evaluating her, the two-character drama explores work addiction, identity, mental health, and the consequences of being very online. Sharp, suspenseful, and unsettling, the play became a Broadway hit in 2024 after acclaimed Off-Broadway runs. Show times vary.
“Lagniappe”
July 11 at Symphonic Hall at Marist University Poughkeepsie
One of the most anticipated offerings in New York Stage and Film’s summer season, C. A. Johnson’s “Lagniappe” is a new play set in Bunche Village, a New Orleans community where descendants of sharecroppers gather at a corner store that serves as the neighborhood’s social heart. Directed by Eric Ting, the work blends humor and heartbreak in a story about longing, memory, and belonging. Presented as a staged reading, it offers audiences a front-row seat to the creative process. 8pm.
Tanabata Star Festival
July 11-12 at Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in Hyde Park
A beloved Japanese tradition returns to the region when Dassai Blue hosts its third annual Tanabata Star Festival. Rooted in the legend of celestial lovers separated by the Milky Way, the festival invites visitors to write wishes on colorful tanzaku and hang them throughout the brewery grounds. Expect taiko drumming, a tuna-cutting demonstration by Michelin-starred chef Tasuku Murakami, Japanese food vendors, family-friendly crafts, an artisan market, and plenty of sake—including Dassai Blue’s new yuzu sake. Free. 12-5pm.
Vintage in the Hudson Valley Festival
July 11-12 at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz
Treasure hunters, collectors, and nostalgia lovers will find plenty to explore at this new two-day festival celebrating vintage style and local makers. More than 250 vendors and makers will fill the Ulster County Fairgrounds with vintage clothing, antiques, records, furniture, handmade goods, and architectural salvage, while live music, food trucks, and a youth entrepreneurs market keep the atmosphere festive. Bring a tote bag, comfortable shoes, and an eye for hidden gems. Saturday, 10am-6pm; Sunday, 10am-4pm.
Chanel Ali: “Relative Stranger”
July 17 at the Spiegeltent at Bard SummerScape
Comedian Chanel Ali brings her acclaimed solo show “Relative Stranger” to Bard SummerScape’s Spiegeltent. Drawing on her own experiences, Ali blends stand-up, storytelling, and theater into a funny, deeply personal exploration of identity, family, survival, and belonging. A familiar face from Comedy Central, HBO Max, and Netflix, Ali has built a reputation for turning difficult subjects into sharp, cathartic comedy. Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, this one-woman show promises plenty of both laughs and revelations. 8pm.
OC Live!
July 18 at Sweet Clover Farm in Highland Mills
Not every arts festival books headliners. OC Live! takes a different approach, creating a welcoming showcase for Orange County’s creative community in all its forms. Hosted by the Orange County Arts Council at Sweet Clover Farm, the day-long event features visual artists, musicians, writers, performers, makers, and arts organizations sharing their work with the public. Designed as an accessible, non-juried platform, OC Live! celebrates emerging and established artists alike. 10am-4pm.
“Lovesong”
July 22-August 23 at the The Unicorn Theater in Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Abi Morgan’s “Lovesong” traces a marriage across decades, with younger and older versions of a couple sharing the stage as memory and present tense entwine. Directed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Auburn, Berkshire Theatre Group’s production stars Karen Allen, David Garrison, Rebecca Brooksher, and Shawn Fagan in a tender meditation on devotion, aging, and the small moments that define a life together. Show times vary.
Uplift Festival
July 24-26 at Menla Retreat Center in Phoenicia
Part wellness retreat, part movement festival, Uplift transforms Menla’s mountain campus into a three-day celebration of connection, embodiment, and joy. The July 24-26 gathering features ecstatic dance, yoga, sound baths, cacao ceremonies, circle singing, bonfire gatherings, and a roster of facilitators drawn from the worlds of movement, mindfulness, and healing arts. If your idea of a festival involves fewer beer tents and more nervous-system regulation, this Catskills weekend may be your speed.
Cirque Du Creep: Invasion of Camp Cryptid
July 25 at The Yard in Beacon
Beacon’s strangest summer night returns when Cirque Du Creep transforms The Yard into an otherworldly carnival of monsters, oddities, and alternative culture. “Invasion of Camp Cryptid” brings together more than 80 vendors alongside live bands, sideshow performers, fire acts, stilt-walking cryptids, flash tattoos, tarot readers, and plenty of creatures from the fringes of folklore. Equal parts night market, horror spectacle, and community gathering, the event celebrates the weird, the wonderful, and the delightfully uncanny. 5-11pm.
Shana Falana and The Goddess Party: “The Wedding”
July 31-August 1 at Tempo in Kingston
“The Wedding” is an immersive ritual-performance about self-love, personal truth, and commitment created by Shana Falana, all-women art-rock choir The Goddess Party, and Gabrielle Heron, a pioneer of the self-marriage movement. Set inside Tempo’s reclaimed church, “The Wedding” blends live music, spoken word, theater, and ceremony, with optional audience participation and a guest performance by Ntangou Badila. Dress however you feel most radiant. 8pm.
“King Lear”
Through September 17 at Hudson Valley Shakespeare in Garrison
Shakespeare’s towering tragedy anchors Hudson Valley Shakespeare’s inaugural season in the new Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center. Directed by artistic director Davis McCallum and starring longtime HVS favorite Kurt Rhoads in the title role, “King Lear” follows an aging monarch whose disastrous decision to divide his kingdom among his daughters unleashes betrayal, madness, and political chaos. Performed against the dramatic backdrop of the Hudson Highlands, this open-air production promises one of the summer’s most powerful theatrical experiences. Show times vary.
This article appears in July 2026.
