New American dramedy by Andrew R. Heinze asks: Would you want eternal happiness?
October 2 - 12, 2025 at The Chain Theatre
American Renaissance Theater Company presents the World Premiered THE BLISS OPTION by Andrew R. Heinze. Co-directed with Eva Minemar, performances begin October 2 at The Chain Theater.
What would you do if you were faced with possibly the last choice you'll ever make? And that choice is a machine that will keep you happy for the rest of your life? In THE BLISS OPTION, Dave has hit rock bottom. Jobless and alone, he's in a mandatory meeting with a government employee who's skilled at getting people to sign "The Bliss Option." Multitudes - the poor, the ill, the unemployed - have already entered The Bliss. But Dave resists. Can he be persuaded to sign? Or is there another option?
THE BLISS OPTION stars Mary Murphy (Near Nellie Bly, An Evening with Lola Montez) and Eric Percival (Urban Stage's 100 Saints You Should Know, August Strindberg Rep's Mr. Bengt's Wife) with a production team that includes Christina Shrewsbury (set & art design), Jen Leno (lighting), George Port (visual & sound effects), A. Kasper (stage manager), Tony Lepore (board operator), Elisabeth Karlin (dramaturg), and M.C. Crosby (House manager/box office).
THE BLISS OPTION runs Oct 2 - 12, Thursday - Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 2pm with additional performances 10/7 at 7pm and 10/8 at 2pm. The Chain Theatre is located at 312 W. 36th Street in Manhattan. For tickets and information, visit andrewheinze.com/the-bliss-option
_____
Andrew R. Heinze's plays have been produced in NYC, LA, Seattle, Austin, Miami, Dallas, Denver, Tucson, Albuquerque and beyond. Andrew is a 2025 New Jersey State Council on the Arts Playwriting Fellow. His full-length plays include The Rimsky-Fogelman; Great Roles for Old Actresses; The Invention of the Living Room; Moses, The Author; Shylock the First; Leonardo’s Virgin; Hamilton (a tragedy about Alexander Hamilton and his son); Armed and Ready, or: The Spouse Protocols; Please Lock Me Away (a dark comedy about an older woman's unusual revenge on two teenage boys who had publicly humiliated her). Andrew's one-act plays include the The FQ (comedy about obscenity and cable TV, published in Smith & Kraus's The Best Ten-Minute Plays, 2011) and The Bar Mitzvah of Jesus Goldfarb (Winner, “Judges’ Choice" and “Audience Choice,” Best Play, 2011 New York City 15-Minute Play Festival; Finalist, 2018 National Award for Short Playwriting). A member of the Dramatists Guild and PEN, Andrew serves as dramaturg for the American Renaissance Theater Company in New York City. [andrewheinze.com]
Eva Minemar is an award-winning producer and director, a proud member of the Actors Studio Director’s Unit and Women In TV & Film. She conceived and directed the touring women's theatre staple, ‘Angry Jellow Bubbles’, which was performed at the United Nations for International Women's Day. Ms. Minemar has directed over a dozen one-woman shows, including international hit SOLO ANNA, the story of iconic Italian actress, Anna Magnani; and Messianic Moments and Cosmic Conversations, a one-woman multimedia experience that continues to tour the globe with performances in Edinburgh, New York, London, Israel, Hollywood, and elsewhere. She’s Co-founder of both the LA LUPA Italian Cultural Arts Festival (LA LUPA FEST) and Mulberry Queens Films. It's through her NY based film production company, MQF, that she's been able to continue to provide support for women in the theatrical arts, by giving women creatives an opportunity to have their work performed worldwide. mulberryqueensfilms.com
THE BLISS OPTION is made possible by a generous grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.