Off-Off-Broadway Holiday Play 'Come Upstate for Christmas' Begins Casting for December 2026 Run at Gene Frankel Theatre

Casting is now underway for Come Upstate for Christmas, a new 10-minute holiday play set to perform at the Gene Frankel Theatre in Manhattan as part of a Short Play Festival beginning December 3, 2026. Written and directed by AP Hello, the piece is a compact but warmhearted blend of holiday comedy, drama, and musical theater, giving actors the opportunity to originate roles in an original Off-Off-Broadway production with a live New York City audience. For actors, casting directors, and theater professionals actively building their winter 2026 schedules, this is one to get on your radar now while the production is in early pre-production and the casting conversation is just getting started.

The play centers on Jace, a former New York City transplant who has settled into quiet Catskills cabin life and finds himself staring down Christmas alone. A visit from his neighbor Odin, who arrives with a misdirected postcard from Jace's long-lost friend Guillermo, sets the story in motion. Rather than send a quick text or make a phone call, Jace responds to the moment by writing an original Christmas carol, the song that shares the play's title, as his invitation for Guillermo to come spend the holiday with him. It is a premise that leans into whimsy and warmth, with the musical theater element giving the piece a distinct performance opportunity that goes beyond straight dramatic work.

AP Hello serves as both writer and director, making this a tightly unified creative vision. Anthony Hello is attached as casting director, which means actors and their representatives have a direct point of contact as the production moves through its casting phase. Producer Thomas Gordon rounds out the core team. While the creative team's broader credits are not detailed in the current production listing, the structure here is a focused, writer-director-led short-form piece, the kind of project that often reflects a strong singular artistic voice and a collaborative, intimate set culture. For emerging actors in particular, short play festivals at established Off-Off-Broadway venues like the Gene Frankel are historically welcoming environments for character-driven, dialogue-forward work.

The Gene Frankel Theatre, located in the TriBeCa neighborhood of Lower Manhattan on Bond Street, is one of New York City's most respected Off-Off-Broadway spaces. Founded in honor of the influential acting teacher and director Gene Frankel, the theater has long served as an incubator for new works and a home for short play festivals that bring together multiple productions under one roof. Performing as part of a Short Play Festival there means this production will share a bill with other short works, giving audiences and industry attendees a curated evening of new theater. For cast and crew, it means a real New York stage, a real audience, and a real credit in one of the country's most competitive theater markets.

The production window runs December 3 through December 18, 2026, placing the run squarely in the heart of the New York holiday season. Three named characters, Jace, Odin, and Guillermo, are central to the piece, and given the 10-minute format, the cast will almost certainly be small, likely three actors at most. That makes every role meaningful and the competition for each part worth taking seriously early. The holiday and musical theater genre combination suggests that casting will be looking for performers with strong comedic instincts, natural warmth, and at minimum the ability to hold their own in a song. Anyone with a background in musical theater or holiday-themed stage work should take particular note.

For full casting details, production contacts, and updates as this production moves closer to its December opening, the complete listing for Come Upstate for Christmas is available now on ProductionList.com. Given the small cast size and the specificity of the roles, early outreach to casting director Anthony Hello is advisable for actors who fit the character descriptions. Bookmark the listing and check back regularly as the team fills out its roster and production details are confirmed in the months ahead.

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