What’s on in Rockland County in October and beyond? Check out our selected listings of plays and films you don’t want to miss. Please note: Several plays that opened in September and October have ended their run. For this reason, we’ve included plays opening in November, too. You can buy tickets for them now. If you have additional films and theater performances that you’d like to see included in our next roundup, email us at info@nyacknewsandviews.com.
SPOTLIGHT: “ArtsRock, “Dracula”: Special Immersive Screening Event + Live Music
October 30, 6:00 p.m – 9:30 p.m., The Angel Nyack, 18 S. Broadway
The 1931 film “Dracula” is a landmark horror classic starring Bela Lugosi in his iconic portrayal of Count Dracula. Based on the stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel, the film follows the mysterious vampire as he travels from Transylvania to England, where he preys upon unsuspecting victims while spreading fear and supernatural terror. Its haunting atmosphere, memorable performances, and enduring influence helped define the vampire genre and established Universal Pictures as a powerhouse of classic horror. Ben Model, organist and historian for The Library of Congress, will play The Angel Nyack’s Peragallo Pipe Organ live. Buy tickets
On Stage in Rockland
Elmwood Playhouse
“I Hate Hamlet”
September 18 – October 10
10 Park Street, Nyack
TV star Andrew Rally has come to New York City to play Hamlet in Central Park. He moves into an apartment that was inhabited — and now haunted — by the legendary actor John Barrymore. Comedy and chaos ensue as they battle over questions of fame, romance, ambition, and art. As he wrestles with Barrymore and with his own conscience, Rally is forced to choose between Shakespeare and television. The play was written by Paul Rudnick (who lived in the real-life apartment while writing the play) and is directed by Kathleen Mahan. Buy tickets
Penguin Rep Theatre
“In Plain Sight,” world premiere of a new play by Michael McKeever
September 25 — October 18
7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point
The author of “Daniel’s Husband” and “Mr. Parker” returns to Penguin to ignite the stage with his customary wit, humor, savvy, and gut-wrenching twists. After 11 years together, Elliot and Alan are about to tie the knot. Or are they? How do you reconcile choices made to escape an unforgiving past when they undermine who you are today? The past, present, and future collide as one family attempts to deal with buried secrets and a rapidly changing world. World premiere. Buy tickets
The 5th Annual Phoenix Festival
Live theater, dance, music, and more
October 8 through 25 in several Nyack locations
The Phoenix Festival returns to Nyack for its 5th season of live performing arts featuring theater, music, dance, improv, family entertainment, and more. Three weekends, four venues, fifteen shows, and only one performance of each. You can buy a flex pass and see six shows or buy individual tickets. See their website for what’s on when and where. Buy tickets
Antrim Playhouse
“The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde
November 6 – 22
32 Old Tappan Road, Tappan
Set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household, “The Dining Room” is a mosaic of interrelated scenes — some funny, some touching, some rueful — which, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP. The actors change roles, personalities, and ages with virtuoso skill as they portray a wide variety of characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids. Written by A.R. Gurney, directed by Steven Bell. Buy tickets
Elmwood Playhouse
“DIal M for Murder,” written by Jeffrey Hatcher adapted from the original by Frederick Knott, directed by Melinda Pinto
November 13 – December 5
10 Park Street, Nyack
A suspenseful thriller full of twists and deception! When a jealous husband plots the perfect murder, his deadly scheme begins to unravel in unexpected ways in this gripping new adaptation of the classic mystery. Buy tickets
Nyack High School Drama Club Fall Play
“Clue”
November 13, 7:30 p.m. and November 14, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Watch the November On Stage and Screen for more information.
On Screen in Rockland
Nyack Library: Hybrid Documentary Screening “Dorothy M. Gillespie: Courage, Independence, and Color” including a Q+A with her son, Gary Gillespie Israel
October 14, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., 59 South Broadway (in-person and Zoom options)
Spanning more than seventy years, this documentary captures Gillespie’s evolution as a groundbreaking artist and woman who helped shape several defining movements of 20th-century art. Her bold, colorful painted aluminum sculptures, rooted in abstract expressionism, remain a source of joy and inspiration nationwide. The filmmakers have traveled to cities across the country where they interviewed friends, artists, collectors, museum officials, university administrators, public art officials and others to paint a rich portrait of her and her world. Free but registration is required.
Rivertown Film: “Legal,” directed by Daniel Arango with Jennifer Areanas and Josefina Scaro
October 21, 7:30 p.m., the Nyack Center, 58 Depew
A young Colombian actress and single mother leaves everything behind to pursue her career and dreams in America and spends all her savings on an agency that promises her a visa and a contract in New York City, but it doesn’t work out as planned. Determined to do whatever it takes, she embarks on a migrant’s journey along with an Argentine woman in a similar situation. A discussion afterward will feature actress/producer Jennifer Arenas; Dr. Carolyn Fraker, assistant professor of Sociology and interim director of the Justice Studies Center at St. Thomas Aquinas College; and Dr. Oscar Gonzales-Barreto, professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at the college and Rivertown board member. Buy tickets
Nyack Library
“Allswell in New York”
October 21, 2:00 p.m – 3:00 p.m.
Three Nuyorican sisters navigate the daunting life challenges of single motherhood, career, and family while finding humor and solace in the bond of sisterhood. Free but registration required:
Lafayette Theater
“Concessions”
October 16 – 18
97 Lafayette Ave., Suffern
“Concessions” is an acclaimed independent feature filmed largely at the Lafayette Theater with many local patrons and friends appearing as extras. Set during the final shift at a beloved movie theater facing closure, the film follows employees, misfits, and dreamers whose lives intertwine in unexpected ways. There will be an organ performance on October 18 at 3:30 p.m. for people with tickets. Buy tickets
Lafayette Theater: “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
October 30 and 31
97 Lafayette Ave., Suffern
In this 1984 classic supernatural slasher film by Wes Craven, teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of Freddy Krueger, the spirit of a serial killer, who murders teens through their dreams. Fun fact: Johnny Depp made his film debut in this movie. There’s an organ performance on Friday at 7:00 p.m. for people with 7:30 p.m. tickets. Buy tickets
On the Radar
Elmwood Playhouse
“Come From Away,” written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein (book, music, lyrics), directed by Claudia Stefany
January 8, 2027 – February 6
Come From Away is based on the true story of the time when the isolated community of Gander, Newfoundland, played host to the world. What started as an average day in a small town turned into an international sleepover, when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the globe, were diverted to Gander’s airstrip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander cheered the stranded travelers with music, an open bar and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family. Buy tickets