LEAN-TO
a new play by Stephen Sheffer
directed by Jesse Jou
An overprepared hiker and a not-so-prepared couple are forced to share a rustic lean-to shelter in the woods. Bonding over Britney Spears, shared supplies, and the desire to escape city life for a weekend, these strangers experience a rare moment of authentic connection. But as they come together around the warmth of the campfire, a different type of kindling threatens to combust.
Part comedy and part tender drama, LEAN-TO explores the human desire to connect and the shadow of loneliness that lurks within all of us.
Performances:
September 2nd thru 5th
This production will have its world premiere at Pendragon before moving Off-Broadway in the fall of 2026 in NYC.
The Team
Written by Stephen Sheffer
Directed by Jesse Jou
Team Announcement Coming Soon.
The Cast
Cast Announcement Coming Soon.
STEPHEN SHEFFER
Playwright
Stephen (he/him) is a Canadian-born,
Brooklyn-based writer, performer, and teaching artist. His work has been seen on stages & screens (big & small!) all over North America. Plays for the stage include the freshly-penned S.O.S., Private Property (Out of the Box Theatrics, NYC), the award-winning Back To Mine, and the one-acts The Spark (Mastodon / Barrow Group, NYC) and IRMPOV SHOW. He also writes episodic concepts, including: The Innkeepers, Geri Atrick Mayor (Bell Canada), and Archipelago (with collaborator Meghan Hemingway). As an actor, Stephen has been seen on-stage at Pendragon as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show. In NYC, he appeared in Rattlestick's New Country at The Cherry Lane, and sang the iconic 'Ballad of Mack The Knife' in Marvell Rep’s Drama Desk-nominated The Threepenny Opera. "The play's the thing!" More at stephensheffer.com.
JESSE JOU
Director
Jesse (he/him) is a director of new and
contemporary plays and musicals. Favorite projects include Bruise &Thorn by C. Julian Jiménez (world premiere, New York Times’ Critic’s Pick); I Wanna F*ck Like Romeo & Juliet by Andrew Rincón (world premiere, New Light Theater Project); Cebollas by Leonard Madrid; and The Betrothed by Dipika Guha (Boston Globe Critic’s Pick). He is an alumnus of the Cherry Lane Mentor Project, the Drama League’s Directors Project, the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and the Civilians' R&D Group. He received his MFA in directing from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.