est. 2011
YOLO! Productions delivers bold, high-impact work with the vision and execution of a far larger institution. Dedicated to amplifying women’s voices and underrepresented stories, YOLO! debuted with Theresa Rebeck’s Sunday on the Rocks, earning critical acclaim for its fearless performances and all-female cast.
The company followed with a striking revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the Nuyorican Poets Café, praised for its raw intensity and standout performance by founder Nairoby Otero. Next, in collaboration with The Great Griffon, YOLO! reimagined Rajiv Joseph’s Animals Out of Paper in a transformed Upper West Side church, featuring origami design by Talo Kawasaki. The production was so impactful it was cited in reviews of other works for its artistic excellence.
YOLO!’s site-specific revival of A Kid Like Jake by Daniel Pearle transformed a raw downtown space into a fully realized domestic world, exploring identity and acceptance under the direction of Michael D’Angora. The company’s first original work, ‘Til Sunday—written and performed by Otero—traced the strength of a Cuban-American family and earned invitations to the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, GableStage, and Southern Rep Theatre.
Transitioning to film, YOLO!’s debut short A Second Embrace, directed by Jess Costa, premiered internationally and screened at Oscar®, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Award-qualifying festivals. Its next short, More Than Words, is currently in development.
YOLO! continues to expand its theatrical roster with bold new works and fresh interpretations.
YOLO! PRESS
"My own page has been folded as I fell in love with these characters and I feel all the richer for having been welcomed into the world of YOLO! Productions’" TheatreScene for Animals Out of Paper
"YOLO! Productions and The Great Griffon have crafted a fantastic addition to the growing number of productions of Animals Out Of Paper. They have held dear raw talent, grassroots theatremaking, and simple, site-specific set design – all of the things that make this reviewer fall in love with the theatre time and again." The Public Reviews for Animals Out of Paper
" ...The circumstances in YOLO! Productions and The Great Griffon's production of the play feel entirely genuine." Broadwayworld for Animals Out of Paper
"This short play is now being simply and splendidly revived by YOLO! Productions at the Nuyorican Poets Café. It contains all of the trademarks of Shanley’s idiosyncratic worldview for which he has been celebrated.....With its vividly ingratiating performances this production sharply realizes John Patrick Shanley’s insightful, optimistic, and timeless work."
Theatre Scene for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
"A site-specific play, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is cleverly showing at the Nuyorican Poets Café; a bar setting inside an actual bar. The simple set and lighting design (Jerad Schomer) reflects the bleakness and coldness of these characters’ lives."
Stage Buddy for Danny and the Deep Blue Sea
"YOLO! Productions’ inaugural production of this well written, quick paced dark comedy by Theresa Rebeck soars mainly due to the stellar work of the female ensemble."
The Examiner for Sunday on the Rocks
"Sunday on the Rocks, the new dramedy by YOLO! Productions, goes down as smoothly as a single malt scotch. And hits just as hard."
Women Around Town for Sunday on the Rocks.