All Of It – Previewing This Year's 'Under The Radar' Fest

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (A), WNYC
Date: January 6, 2026
Guests: Merope Peponides (B) and Kaneza Schaal (C), Co-Creative Directors, Under the Radar Festival

Episode Overview

In this episode, Alison Stewart previews the highly anticipated 21st edition of New York City's "Under the Radar" Festival, renowned for spotlighting experimental theater and multidisciplinary performance. Stewart is joined by the festival's new co-creative directors, Merope Peponides and Kaneza Schaal, who delve into the fest’s citywide scope, the meaning behind its new rotating leadership model, and highlight several must-see events and artists from this year’s program.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Expanding the Festival’s Scope & Legacy

• Festival Overview:

  • Runs from January 7-25, 2026
  • Hosts 31 shows across 24 venues in Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn
  • International and New York artists combine to create a diverse, ambitious slate

• Quote:

  • “Under the Radar is striving to become a citywide festival... bringing international artists into conversation with artists from New York.” – Merope Peponides [01:23]

2. Leadership Evolution: The Rotating Model

• Rotating Leadership Structure:

  • Merope and Kaneza, alongside founder Mark Russell, are serving two-year terms as creative directors
  • Involves input from 24 venue partners and a collaborative curatorial process
  • Designed to encourage innovation, multiplicity of voices, and fresh perspectives

• Quotes:

  • “We are bringing our communities, our perspectives, our various tastes and what we love to the table.” – Merope Peponides [03:17]
  • “It’s not about serving permanence, but... serving change and ecology.” – Kaneza Schaal [04:10]

3. Notable Performances and Highlights

“12 Last Songs” – La Mama (Jan 17)

• Unique Structure:
  • 12-hour durational performance; no actors, just New York workers performing or demonstrating their professions live
• Themes:
  • Celebrates the labor that makes NYC run
  • Merges labor and performance in an epic, communal format
• Quote:
  • “It’s a celebration of performance and labor, and labor is performance.” – Merope Peponides [05:08]

The Hot Plates “Dream Feed” – HERE Arts Center (Jan 9-25)

• Info:
  • Musical group featuring Kenita Miller-Hicks, Jade Hicks, & Justin Hicks
  • Blends expansive musical genealogies and personal, original expression
• Quote:
  • “I can’t imagine a better prayer to start 2026 with. It is the fuel we need to meet this year.” – Kaneza Schaal [07:11]

“Love Force” by Sunny Jain – Symphony Space (Jan 9)

• Focus:
  • Music performance celebrating Black and Brown solidarity across decades
  • Timely themes of unity and resilience
• Quote:
  • “Sonny is... telling this beautiful story about Black and Brown solidarity across decades that I think is just so needed and so important in our moment right now.” – Merope Peponides [07:44]

“Voyage into Infinity” by Narcissister – NYU Skirball (Jan 16-18)

• Info:
  • Interdisciplinary artist exploring new dimensions of theatrical practice
  • Emphasizes how Under the Radar amplifies bold, genre-blurring work
• Quote:
  • “To watch her sink her teeth into kind of the theatrical tools and the scale of the Skirball is really exciting.” – Kaneza Schaal [08:19]

“Yes, Mami” by Mario Banushi – NYU Skirball (Jan 7-10)

• Details:
  • U.S. premiere from an acclaimed European director
  • Nonverbal, expressionistic stage pictures center on the mother-child relationship
• Quotes:
  • “He doesn’t use text in his work, but it’s this incredible striking visual storytelling.” – Merope Peponides [09:21]
  • “There are many pieces in the festival this year that do that beautiful thing of getting out of the silos of how we like to classify in the West and living in the kind of expression that is true to each artist.” – Kaneza Schaal [10:18]

4. Interdisciplinary Offerings: Dance, Theatre, and Conversations

• Many featured works defy easy categorization, blending dance, theater, and visual art.
• Emphasis on cross-disciplinary collaboration and breaking traditional artistic boundaries.

5. “Data Room” – The Performance Garage (Jan 10-12)

• Kaneza’s Special Project:
  • Three hosted conversations exploring artistic genealogies, creative meaning, and knowledge-sharing in the digital age
  • Featured guests: Esperanza Spalding, Kyle Abraham, Helga Davis, Alicia Hall Moran, Daniel Alexander Jones, Anne Hamilton, and Liliana Blaine-Cruz
• Quote:
  • “For me, [these conversations are] about how we exchange knowledge and invest in creative age and build senses of shared meaning in this time of fragmented attention and digital hyper exposure.” – Kaneza Schaal [11:08]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Leadership and Change:

  • “A new American model that isn't about serving permanence, but is about serving change and ecology.” – Kaneza Schaal [04:17]

• On Community and New York City:

  • “It’s a celebration of these divergent perspectives all coming together under this one umbrella...” – Merope Peponides [05:27]

• On Art Classification:

  • “Many pieces in the festival this year... do that beautiful thing of getting out of the silos of classification.” – Kaneza Schaal [10:20]

• Closing Light Touch:

  • “See you in the lobby.” – Kaneza Schaal [13:00]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:09] Festival introduction, scope, and legacy
• [01:23] Merope discusses returning and festival ambitions
• [03:14] Rotating leadership model explained
• [04:09] Kaneza on multiplicity and the benefits of the new model
• [05:04] Preview of “12 Last Songs”
• [06:33] The Hot Plates “Dream Feed” background
• [07:41] Additional music performance highlights
• [09:21] Discussion of “Yes, Mami” and cross-disciplinary dance/theatre
• [11:00] Introduction to “Data Room”
• [12:33] How to find the full lineup

Further Information & Festival Lineup

• Full lineup available at utrfest.org and through all 24 partner venue websites across New York City.
• Festival runs January 7–25, 2026.

This episode offers an inspiring insiders’ preview of Under the Radar’s forward-thinking approach to curation, with a clear focus on collaboration, artistic risk, and reflecting New York City’s broad cultural tapestry.