Bughouse tickets
About Bughouse
Set an alert for when Bughouse tickets go on sale on TodayTix to see this extraordinary new play about the life of Henry Darger, a real-life janitor whose immense body of work was only discovered after his death. Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart) wrote the script to Bughouse, which derives from Darger's own writings, and Obie Award-winning performance artist John Kelly portrays Darger in this premiere at the Vineyard Theatre. A special look at a marvel of an artist, Bughouse explores one human's distinct ability to create — and create and create — when no one is watching.
Visionary director Martha Clarke stages Bughouse in New York. Bughouse off Broadway brings audiences inside the mind of one of the 20th century’s most startling outsider artists, and whether you knew of Henry Darger or not, this show is sure to reveal the specific and universal within one creative's relentless work.
Venue
Categories
Start date
February 18th, 2026
End date
March 29th, 2026
Bughouse cast and creative team
By: Beth Henley, adapted from the writings of Henry Darger
Director: Martha Clarke
Cast list: John Kelly (as Henry Darger)
Costumes: Donna Zakowska
Lighting: Christopher Akerlind
Sound: Arthur Solari
Other info: Production design by Neil Patel, projection design by John Narun, set decoration and props by Faye Armon-Troncoso, cinematography by Fred Murphy, animation by Ruth Lingford
Venue
More information about Bughouse
Henry Darger's life may not have seemed that significant: he was a janitor and hospital worker with a challenging upbringing. His disabled father raised him in Chicago, and he was institutionalized as a child as doctors thought of him as a deviant. He served in the United States army in World War I but then spent much of his adulthood as a recluse in his Chicago apartment, but what was going on within those walls would soon cast a spell on the literary and artistic worlds.
Darger created an immense body of work: paintings, collages, and novels with deeply intricate worlds. Now, audiences will experience those works in a theatrical new way as Beth Henley adapts Darger's own words for the stage. Martha Clarke, who received a MacArthur Award, known as a Genius Grant, directs this premiere performed by John Kelly, who has won two Bessie (New York Dance and Performance) Awards and two Obie Awards.
What to watch for
- John Kelly has also won the American Choreographer Award and a Guggenheim Fellowship.
- Director Martha Clarke is known for her multidisciplinary approach to theatre.
- Beth Henley's screenplay for Crimes of the Heart was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
- Henry Darger wrote a 15,145-page novel In The Realms of the Unreal, centered on a rebellion of child slaves on a fantastical planet.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bughouse about?
Bughouse is a singular new play about the life of Henry Darger, a recluse and artist of unparalleled potential.
Which theatre is Bughouse at?
Bughouse is at New York's Vineyard Theatre, which is located at 108 East 15th Street (between Union Square East and Irving Place), New York, 10003.
How do you get tickets for Bughouse?
Check the top of this page for current availability on Bughouse tickets on TodayTix.
