With Broadway recovering from its holidays binge and rehearsing for its next batch of shows, January on New York City stages means one thing: festivals!

These days the dominant one is Under the Radar, which has overcome many odds to celebrate its 21st season with its biggest slate yet. We’re delighted to welcome founder Mark Russell, now the fest’s director (with co-creative directors Meropi Peponides and Kaneza Schaal).

Russell leads us through UTR’s ups and downs, its challenges and triumphs, the fest’s embarrassing inaugural name, and how the NYC avant and experimental scene has changed over the decades. It’s a story of survival in a tough environment that keeps getting tougher: less money, changing venues, logistical issues (often having to do with visas).

And lest you think this is just a boon for NYC audiences: UTR overlaps with the annual conference by the Association of Presenting Arts Professionals (APAP) and a lot of programmers use the opportunity to check out shows that may eventually appear at stages around the country.

Check it out: Elisabeth picked a few shows from this year’s selection for the NY Times (gift link).

Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marksvincentelli.substack.com/subscribe