The School of Drama at The New School College of Performing Arts presents The 2026 APEX Festival.
Weekend 1Â performances include:
President Protocol by Rodrigo Pocidônio
[el] Living by Pau Zabaleta Llauger
Anemone by Michael Valdes
*Please note: The performance of President Protocol contains nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.
Performance Details
Saturday, March 7 at 3:00pm
President Protocol
Saturday, March 7 at 6:30pm
6:30pm: President Protocol
8:00pm:Â [el] livingÂ
Sunday, March 8 at 1:00pm
Anemone
Sunday, March 8 at 5:00pm
Anemone
Sunday, March 8 at 7:00pm
[el] Living
President Protocol tells the story of an ordinary man who receives an obscure email appointing him as the new President of the United States. This theatre piece blends physical comedy with new media art in a contemporary tale about smartphones, mental health and the crisis of Western democracy.Â
*Content Notice: This performance contains nudity.
[el] LIVING is a visual theater piece that plays with image, movement, objects, and live music to create a fragile story in which dark topics and heavy scenes go hand in hand with humor and visual poetry. Two twin sisters and a man died a long time ago. Now they share a living room, unaware of their own passing and unaware of each other. Their bodies have been acting the actions they know in a loop, deconstructing them to the point where they are empty and senseless. They are not ready—but death doesn’t want to wait any longer. In the process, we have played with the concepts of life, death, the passing of time and the joy of being alive, aspiring to share with the audience moments of profound humanity, fear, rage, and tenderness. For this project, eleven artists of different generations, six nationalities, and four different schools come together, offering their bodies and their own stories to this truly collaborative theater piece.
ANEMONE is an intimate, contemporary play about friendship, identity, and the moment when the outside world infiltrates. Set in New York City in October 2023, the play follows two young women whose bond is tested as certainty gives way to confusion, memory, and fear.
As everyday conversations unfold—over shared meals, music, laughter, and silence—the past begins to intrude in unexpected ways. Reality blurs with dreams, humor collides with unease, and what initially feels familiar slowly shifts. ANEMONE lives in the space between what is said and what is felt, examining how people process change when answers are unavailable and
communication breaks down.
Through sharp, naturalistic dialogue and moments of surreal imagery, the play explores what it means to belong—to a place, to a culture, and to each other. It asks how identity is shaped not only by where we are, but by what we carry with us: memory, responsibility, and love that stretches across distance.
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ANEMONE is a meditation on resilience, connection, and the quiet act of continuing forward when the ground beneath you has shifted. It is not a story about politics, but about people—caught in moments they did not choose, trying to understand who they are becoming.
Presented by the College of Performing Arts at The New School.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders.
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