The City Speaks: A One-Man Show About How New Yawkahs Tawk (Nov. '26)
Set at Henry Street Settlement, this interactive performance of words and accents stars Nic Reale in character as “The City” on his journey across the Lower East Side to discover not only what New Yorkers say, but how and why.
Born out of a walking tour, The City Speaks explores New York language and slang. Set in the historically linguistic melting pot of the Lower East Side, this exploration of words and accents is led by a man in many costumes that represent the characters and archetypes of this linguistically diverse city. Together everyone explores more than the origin of local slang or the mechanics of the New York accent, we also communicate across the city’s diverse cultures to see how they form a new one. This event is great if you love group participation, funny voices, costumes, linguistics, sociology, immigration, LES, making new friends, music, slang, scavenger hunts
Organizer
Studio DériveVenue
Henry Street Settlement Headquarters
Category
Performance ArtTag
ComedyStart date
November 12th, 2026
End date
November 12th, 2026
Audience Role
All audience members are encouraged to participate, the scale for which ranges from mild (group call-and-response), to moderate (speaking one-on-one with strangers, solving a card puzzle), to more intimate (certain members are asked to come on stage and act out scenes guided by Nic). To set expectations, audience members willing to volunteer more intimately are given tickets before the show starts so they may be identified by Nic.
Ages: 13 +
Content Advisories
Interaction Advisories
Mobility Advisories
The theater is located in a room that is up a flight of stairs from the main lobby, which is itself located a flight of steps down from the street. There are enough seats for all audience members, but the audience is asked to move around and stand for a portion of the show.
3
Events
1
Years on EI
About Studio Dérive
Pronounced “day-rEEv”* [de.ʁiv], is a creative performance and art studio that uses maps as a means to discover, experience, and reorient our perspectives. Dérive explores our life geography—defined as our personal narratives and how we relate to both community and the physical world. The project aims to reimagine how we use public and natural spaces so that we can better understand our place in the world. The studio is centered on two main projects, a series of street performances, realized as walking tours, as well as a bundle of one-on-one collaborative projects known as Life Maps.