S. Asher Gelman is a director, choreographer, actor, dancer, playwright, and producer. Through his production company, Midnight Theatricals, he produced and directed his first original play, Afterglow, which ran for 14 months Off-Broadway at the Davenport Theater. In 2019, Gelman’s second play, safeword., opened Off-Broadway in April, and he also produced the Off-Broadway musical, We Are The Tigers by Preston Max Allen. Most recently, Gelman directed, choreographed, and produced the short dance for film The Greatest City in the World.
Originally from Chevy Chase, MD, Asher received his Bachelors Degree in Dance and Theater from Bard College in New York in 2006 and his Masters in Fine Arts in Dance from The George Washington University in Washington DC in 2012. From 2006 to 2016, Asher lived in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he became one of the founders of The Stage, Tel Aviv’s premier English language performing arts organization, serving as its first Artistic Director from 2013 to 2016. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. Asher lives in New York City with his husband, Mati.
Interweaving between between choreographic fantasy and harsh reality, this short dance film follows two dreamers who share a passion for dance; a passion neither of them is able to pursue due to the choices each has had to make to be able to survive in New York City.
An exploration of power dynamics through BDSM and food, reveals how the people closest to us often have the most to hide. An unlikely meeting between New York City neighbors fosters a new friendship among two couples, laden with secrets. After an incident in which everything is revealed, they must all come to grips with the pieces of themselves they keep most hidden.
S. Asher Gelman and Midnight Theatricals produced the killer cheerleader slasher-musical and its original Off-Broadway Cast Album.
“We Are The Tigers will have you cheering & dancing in your seats!”
The Examiner
“A fresh, often hilarious, and sometimes moving tale of trying to survive high school.”Cast Album
The Advocate
Asher's first play, Afterglow, became a runaway Off-Broadway Hit and the longest running play in the Davenport Theatre's history. Productions around the world are currently in development
“Hit of the Off-Broadway Season”
TheatreMania
“Penetrates the psyche in a way that many gay men will find relatable. A gritty tale of commitment on the cusp of questioning its boundaries, the incredible acting and intense writing propels the audience’s minds and hearts into their emotional plights.”Visit Website
Advocate
Afterglow, by S. Asher Gelman gives us the story of Josh and Alex, a married couple in an open relationship, who invite Darius to share their bed for one night. When a new intimate connection begins to form, all three men must come head-to-head with one another’s notions of love, intimacy, and commitment.
Read MoreWhen I first set out to write safeword., my husband warned me that I may be pigeonholing myself as the playwright/director who only makes work about sex. The truth is, safeword. isn’t about BDSM, just as Afterglow wasn’t about polyamory. Both plays discuss those topics, but they are ultimately plays about relationships.
Read MoreS. Asher Gelman ’06 assumed that his first play, Afterglow, which he wrote anddirected, would be “a teeny tiny off-off-Broadway show that would run for eightweeks and quietly close with no one knowing about it.” He could not have pre-dicted it would become, according to TheaterMania.com, the “sleeper hit of theOff-Broadway season.” Prior to his successful debut, he had never even triedplaywriting.
Read MoreIn his off-Broadway playwright/directorial debut in 2017, S.Asher Gelman sought to begin a courageous conversation with his audience that would last long after curtain calls.Afterglow explored universal human struggles with love and loyalty––communication and commitment––through the story of three men in a love triangle. The play transcended identity, while both powerfully representing experiences inLGBTQ communities and shattering preconceived notions about relationships in the gay community.
Read MoreWhen I told my husband I was writing my first play about the extramarital relationship I’d had a couple of years prior, he said, “On the one hand, I hope this play finds stunning success. On the other hand, I hope it never sees the light of day.”
Read MorePlaywright S. Asher Gelman writes about the time he and his husband discovered the merits of an open relationship, and how it affected his ground-breaking play, Afterglow.
Read MoreThree years ago, I fell in love; it nearly destroyed my marriage. Last year, that experience, which caused me and my husband a great deal of pain, inspired me to write my first play, Afterglow, which opened off-Broadway at the beginning of summer.
Read MoreIn the great minefield of difficult conversations to have with your partner, this one is probably right up there. How do you even start to talk to the person you love about possibly … maybe … I don’t know … sharing your bed with other people?
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