Beyond Broadway: Buffalo Herd, New Inwood Center, and Duncan Sheik's Passing
This week's theater roundup covers events outside Broadway, including 40 buffaloes roaming Brooklyn and a new theater and cultural center in Inwood. It also notes the death of Duncan Sheik, composer of Spring Awakening, on September 17, 2026. The article includes reviews of several off-Broadway shows and notes that most of the upcoming Broadway season consists of revivals and transfers.
The article's centerpiece is "Return of the Buffalo," a site-specific work where forty live buffaloes moved through Brooklyn streets, pausing at historically resonant locations for performances blending American history and politics. It also covers the opening of The People's Theater: Centro Cultural Inmigrante, a $40 million, 19,000-square-foot facility on 206th Street in Inwood, featuring two performance spaces, four rehearsal studios, and gallery space.
The piece notes that most of the 25 shows scheduled for the 2026-2027 Broadway season are revivals, transfers, or imports, with only two of the 13 most-produced shows nationally originating outside Broadway. It also reports Duncan Sheik's death on September 17, 2026, at age 56, and reviews several off-Broadway productions, including Sarah Jones's solo show "America, Who Hurt You?" and the domestic-violence drama "Pre-Existing Condition."
This roundup could signal a growing appetite for theater beyond the commercial Broadway corridor, as site-specific works and community-centered venues like the Inwood cultural center may draw new audiences who feel underserved by traditional productions. The prevalence of revivals on Broadway could push adventurous theatergoers toward off-Broadway and experimental work, potentially reshaping how new plays find their audiences. Sheik's passing may also prompt renewed appreciation for musical theater's recent history and its evolving legacy.