The Censorship of Dreams
2026, New York
General Manager
In a world after the mysterious Restart, people awaken without memories, living with strangers they are told are their families. Civilization has been rebuilt around safety, surveillance, and brain-computer technologies that shape what can be remembered, spoken, and believed. Dreams become the last remnants of the past, and therefore the most dangerous evidence of what came before.
Nora Sørena Casey’s The Censorship of Dreams imagines a near future where censorship does not only control public speech, but reaches into language, intimacy, memory, and the body. As the Man and the Woman try to survive inside a system that promises protection in exchange for compliance, their relationship becomes a test of what remains human when privacy disappears and even inner life becomes monitored.
Directed by Arthur Makaryan, the production brought together theater, technology, and political inquiry in a visually striking world of control and resistance. The play asks urgent contemporary questions: What does it mean to think for yourself when language is being managed for you? What happens to love when memory can no longer be trusted? And how much of ourselves are we willing to surrender in order to feel safe?
Production photos by Christopher Annas-Lee.
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club Presents
This Production Played At The Ellen Stewart Theatre From May 1–17, 2026.
An Arte Makar Production
Written By Nora Sørena Casey
Directed By Arthur Makaryan
General Manager: XYZ Theatricals (Zihe Tian & Xiaoyan Zhu)
Scenic & Lighting Design: Christopher Annas-Lee
Costume Design: Emily White
Sound Design: Audrey Chou
Stage Manager: Olivia Martin
Press Representative: Off Off PR / Paul Siebold
Producer: Arthur Makaryan
Cast: Jes Dugger, Chris Jaymes, Kat Warnusz-Steckel & Bryce Michael Wood