without mirrors (2026)

 
 

A dense, jagged, and soulful monologue play, performed by 8x OBIE recipient David Greenspan

In 60 minutes of gleaming shadow, a lone character speaks a jagged poetry from what they think is a cave — though in truth they aren’t sure.  Without light, without sensation, without context, reference, or clear memory, their isolated mind runs at full throttle, asking: what am I?

World Premiere at The Brick, NYC 2026

Written and directed by Jerry Lieblich
Starring David Greenspan
Scenic and Lighting Designer: Kate McGee
Sound Designer: Johnny Gasper
Stage Manager: Caren Celine Morris
Graphic Designer: June Buck
Producer: Kathleen Capdesuner
Associate Producer: Emily Lawrence

without mirrors was made possible through a grant from the Cafe Royal Foundation

PRESS

"A glimpse into the abyss of what humanity has become–an exploration of the absence of the soul. "
-Loren Novek, Exeunt NYC

“A transformative meditative exploration of self through the power and vastness of language.”
-Lindsey Walko, Culturebot

“Greenspan — a national treasure — [is] spellbinding, as [is] Lieblich’s shadowy, exquisitely-designed production (the pristine creation of set and lighting designer Kate McGee, as well as sound designer Johnny Gasper), which drops the audience right into the hyper-active mind of our uncertain protagonist, a particularly immersive feat in The Brick’s extremely tight quarters.… With his masterful delivery and magnetic presence, Greenspan attacks the dense work with Olympian skill and commitment. It’s quite the sight to behold.”
-Adrian Demanlig, Interludes

“Great performances by Greenspan are hardly remarkable anymore – you can safely assume that you will be riveted by the way he inhabits a text, especially a difficult text like this one, without a narrative. His history with Gertrude Stein and Samuel Beckett texts have developed to Olympian capacity his ease with repetition, his vocal dexterity, his ability to sculpt an entire thought from a word (“charmed,” “whilst”) or a sound (“clang”), and his wizardry at bringing emotional presence to language that would seem impenetrably abstract.… What I didn’t anticipate was Greenspan being met by direction and design that matched him in artistry with the simplest of means.”
-Don Shewey, Substack

“without mirrors doesn’t hand you a neat story or a tidy meaning. It just drops you into a mind trying to locate itself in the void and lets you sit there with it for an hour. And somehow, in that tiny boxed-in space, it becomes something strangely enormous.”
-Steven Kearly, Hi Drama!

Interviews and Advanced Press