A Starbucks coffee cup and a pink smoothie drink with a straw, with a background and overlay text indicating a coffee shop closure.

Presenting at Civic Ensemble in Ithaca, NY•

Presenting at Civic Ensemble in Ithaca, NY•

Thanks to a NYCSA Targeted Opportunities Grant, Notch is collaborating with Civic Ensemble to bring Café Utopia to Ithaca, NY in July and August, 2026. Playwright Gwen Kingston is gathering local stories and incorporating them into the play, and performances will feature Notch Theatre and Civic Ensemble actors.

Amazon and Starbucks are the behemoths of the 21st Century, much like Big Steel and Big Auto were at the beginning of the 20th Century. Now, as then, mass strikes herald a labor uprising that may shape the working person's future for decades to come. Café Utopia by Gwen Kingston engages the individuals and organizations behind the current unionization movement in the creation of an original dystopian comedy that speaks to this urgent moment in America. 

Get tickets here
Two women wearing pink caps and aprons are engaged in a lively conversation inside a colorful coffee shop. One woman, with curly hair, is laughing while leaning on the counter, and the other woman, with short hair, is talking and holding a gray cloth. The shop has jars of ingredients on shelves, cups, and a blue counter.

Café Utopia seems like the perfect place to work: flexible hours, great benefits, and free juice! But when mysterious pamphlets begin to appear, and key equipment breaks down, the staff start to question whether the renowned health food chain is truly all it seems. Preparing for a visit from the company’s reclusive CEO, the employees find their skills and endurance pushed to the limit as they compete to prove their total dedication… to the juice. 

Four women and one man in a colorful café setting. The women are wearing pink aprons and pink hats, while the man, crouching on a chair, is wearing a black jacket and white shirt. The women appear to be staff, and the man looks like a customer. The café has shelves with jars and bottles, a chalkboard menu, and a large pink and silver coffee roaster in the background.

Production history

Poster for the play "Café Jotopia" by Gwen Kingston, directed by Ashley Olive Teague. The event runs from November 2 to 23 at the Hudson Guild Theater, 441 W 26th St, NY. The poster features visuals of a coffee cup and a smoothie with a QR code for tickets.

Café Utopia was workshopped and presented as a staged reading in June of 2023 at The Tank. Then premiered in November of 2024 at
The Hudson Guild Theater in New York City.

It is currently touring (and available for touring opportunities), with a first stop in Ithaca, NY, at Civic Ensemble in the summer of 2025 and a second stop in Providence, RI in the fall of 2025.

Reviews

Two women wearing pink caps and aprons in a cafe setting with a logo that says 'Cafe Utopia' and features a light bulb. One woman is standing with her hand on her waist, while the other is seated with her chin resting on her hand. A quote reading 'Smart, serious, funny.' from Blogcritics is overlaid on the image.
Scene from a play with five diverse actors on stage in a cafe setting, some holding scripts, with a banner reading 'Come Laugh In' and a quote from Amanda Montoni about the play's theme.
A person with crossed arms standing in a dark setting with a quote overlayed that reads, 'Characters with depth, and surprising plot revelations, including one completely unexpected twist, make it gripping' by Jon Sobel.
A black-and-white photo of a man with long dark hair and a beard, sitting and using a smartphone. In the background, a woman is sitting at a table in a cafe with a logo on the wall behind her. Overlaid text reads: "Café Utopia offers an immensely enjoyable and engaging reason to come together." Thinking Theater NYC.
Photo of a woman wearing a pink cap and pink shirt, resting her head on her hand, holding a yellow tablet in a dark setting with stage lighting. Overlaid text quote from Theater Beyond Broadway about Teague's direction.

Cafe Utopia cast

A young man with dark hair tied in a bun, a beard, and a mustache, wearing a blue sweater over a colorful floral shirt, smiling softly against a plain light yellow background.
Close-up portrait of a woman with long, wavy brown hair and blue eyes, smiling softly against a neutral background.

Sergio Mauritz Ang

Close-up of a woman with short gray hair sitting outdoors near a brick building and black metal staircase railing.

Julia Atwood

A young woman with braided hair and a small nose ring, wearing a maroon shirt and a necklace, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

Kathleen Mary Carthy

Louis Reyes McWillliams headshot

Al Piper

Close-up of a young man with dreadlocks, beard, and dark skin, wearing a black t-shirt, against a light blue background.

Nayib Felix

Louis Reyes McWillliams

​*All actors appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association

Cafe utopia stage production team

  • Genevieve Kingston

    Playwright

  • Ashley Olive Teague

    Director

  • BT Hayes

    Associate Director

  • Charles Jackson Jr.

    Producer

  • Savannah Ritz

    Associate Producer

  • Bria Dinkins

    Community Engagement Associate

  • Calypso Michelet

    Scenic and Costume Designer

  • Abby Schroering

    Documentarian

  • Megan Lang

    Lighting Designer

Notch's Cafe Utopia programming is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Funds are also provided from Humanities NY, the JKW Foundation, Venturous Theater Fund, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.

Logo for Human Ties New York featuring a stylized human face profile in black and the text 'HUMAN TIES NEW YORK' beneath.
Text says 'JKW Foundation' in black font.
VENTUROUS Theater Fund logo with green and blue text
Logo of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council with the initials 'LMCC' arranged vertically, with the words 'Lower Manhattan Cultural Council' in blue and black text.
Stylized black and white bull symbol on a transparent background.

 

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