Independent Arts News Reporting Not Ready for Prime Time Gets NYC Debut
Reported Wednesday, August 20, 2025.
Pictured Above: Show art for “Not Ready for Prime Time.” Photo Credit: Contributed.
NEWSROOM POST: NEW YORK, NEW YORK
The unauthorized, unsanitized, and slightly unhinged story of how a small group of lunatics made Saturday night unmissable.
New York, NY — Grove House Productions and executive producer Lisa Dozier Shacket are thrilled to announce the New York premiere of NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME, a bold, behind-the-scenes look at the launch of one of America’s most iconic shows. Written by Erik J. Rodriguez & Charles A. Sothers and directed by Conor Bagley, performances begin October 5, 2025, with opening night set for October 20, 2025, and will initially run through November 30 at The Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space (511 West 52nd Street).
Arriving during a milestone anniversary season for the legendary show that inspired it, NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME is set in 1975 and follows nine soon-to-be legends—Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Lorne Michaels, Garrett Morris, Bill Murray, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner—as they navigate the chaos, creativity, and comedy that changed television forever. This new play pulses with live music, quick wit, and backstage mayhem, capturing the electric atmosphere of a cultural revolution in the making.
From the writers’ room battles to the live-on-air adrenaline, this fast-paced and irreverent play dives into the personalities, clashes, and lightning-in-a-bottle moments that built an American institution.
“This is a story about the moment lightning struck,” says co-writer Erik J. Rodriguez. “These performers didn’t just make comedy—they changed it forever.”
NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME
Begins October 5, 2025
Opening night is October 20, 2025
Performance schedule is Monday at 7 PM, Wednesday at 7:30 PM, Thursday at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM, Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM.
The Newman Mills Theater at The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space is located at 511 West 52nd Street.
Tickets and more information can be found at www.NotReadyForPrimeTimePlay.com
ERIK J. RODRIGUEZ (co-writer) was the Director of New Work at Miami New Drama from 2018 – 2020 and Literary Manager at New Theatre from 2014-2016. Some of his production credits include Body Awareness (Actor, Island City Stage), One Night In Miami (Associate Director, Miami New Drama), Antigone In The World (Line Producer, Miami New Drama). Erik has produced One-Act Festivals in South Florida and line-produced the National New Play Network 2015 Showcase at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center. In 2019, Erik was selected by the Theatre Communications Group as one of its Rising Leaders of Color, nationally.
CHARLES A. SOTHERS (co-writer) After a brief stint as a pre-med student at the University of Miami, Charles Sothers received a Bachelor’s in theater from Florida International University. He went on to study improvisation at the famed Second City in Chicago. Charles is the co-founder and artistic director of the **Roxy Theatre Group**, a youth performing arts nonprofit that trains students ages 3-17. He has several acting and voice-over credits in his hometown of Miami, including roles as the Cat in the Hat in Seussical, Versace killer Andrew Cunanan, and Coral Gables visionary George Merrick in The Placemaker-Poet. The latter has a yearlong installation at the Coral Gables History Museum. Charles is happy to bring Not Ready for Prime Time to New York. The project has been a long time in the making—a passion he’s had for many years. It’s an homage to the pioneers who revolutionized television comedy 50 years ago, and a chance to share the deeply human story behind the headlines: a group of outsiders who fought for their place and ended up reshaping an art form.
CONOR BAGLEY (director) is a New York-based director and producer. Directing: Off-Broadway: “Two by Friel”: Lovers: Winners (50th Anniversary) & The Yalta Game (NY Premiere)(Irish Repertory Theatre); The Smuggler by Ronán Noone (Irish Rep; MV Playhouse; Ireland/UK Tour). Regional: Not Ready for Prime Time by Erik J. Rodriguez & Charles A. Sothers (Roxy Theater, Miami); The Adult in the Room (Victory Gardens, Chicago); An Iliad (Atlas, DC). Associate Directing: Translations, dir. Doug Hughes (Winner, Outstanding Revival, Lucille Lortel Awards); Juno and the Paycock, dir. Neil Pepe; The Home Place, dir. Charlotte Moore (Irish Rep); Donegal, dir. Conall Morrison (Abbey Theatre). He has directed developmental readings/workshops with numerous playwrights, including Marina Carr, Larry Kirwan, Vanessa Garcia, Christopher Demos-Brown, & Deirdre Kinahan. Producing: Broadway: The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez (Tony Award, Best Play); Once on This Island (Tony Award, Best Musical Revival). Bagley was a Manhattan Theatre Club Directing Fellow, a directing alum of the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals and sits on the Board of Directors of Irish American Writers & Artists. Recipient of Irish Echo’s 40 Under 40 Award, the V. Browne Irish Award for “artistic excellence” from Silliman College at Yale University, a DCMTA’s “Outstanding Performance of 2018”, and a BroadwayWorld Regional Award for “Best Direction of a Play” for Not Ready for Prime Time.
MCC THEATER, one of New York’s leading nonprofit theaters, is driven by a mission to provoke conversations that have never happened and otherwise never would. Founded in 1986 by Bob LuPone (1946-2022) and Bernie Telsey,and later joined by co-Artistic Director Will Cantler and Executive Director Blake West, MCC produces work that challenges artists, audiences and students alike to explore contemporary personal and social issues through productions, artistic development and education programs. For more information: mcctheater.org.
