The beginning of the 2024-2025 off-Broadway season has belonged to the site specific. 

The logic seems to be: if the play is set in a location that can be found around New York. . . then it’s not necessary to recreate it through a set. Rent a space that matches the setting, put up some seats, and let’s go. 

The recent productions that fit this bill: Egg & Spoon’s The Voices in Your Head, Hoi Polloi’s Family, New York City Players’ Buildings I & II, Out of the Box’s Inspired by True Events, Death of Classical’s mɔɹnɪŋ [morning//mourning], Emursive’s Life and Trust, and Vineyard’s The Wind and the Rain.

Meanwhile, the set designs for McCarter’s Empire Records and MCC’s Table 17 attempted to transform established theaters into a record store and a restaurant, respectively. . . but imagine if they had used the real thing.

No matter how exact the construction, the audience’s knowledge that they’re inside a theater changes the verisimilitude.