Erica Schmidt’s New Comedy The Disappear Sets Its Off-Broadway Premiere for January 2026
The upcoming world-premiere comedy The Disappear is officially set to debut off Broadway at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theatre from January 8 to February 15, 2026, with an opening night on January 15. Written and directed by Erica Schmidt, a BAFTA Award nominee, this marks her second world-premiere collaboration with Audible Theater following her 2023 production Lucy. You can find more about the venue on the Minetta Lane Theatre’s page here.
This new comedy takes a straightforward yet sharply humorous look at the unraveling of a seemingly perfect couple. Schmidt’s script follows Benjamin Braxton and Mira Blair, a polished power duo whose carefully crafted lives spiral completely out of control. As the chaos unfolds, their friends, extramarital entanglements, and even their daughter get pulled into the mess. The show leans into themes of ambition, public image, personal reinvention, and the amusing absurdity of trying to hold everything together when it’s clearly falling apart.
Casting for The Disappear has not yet been announced, and no character breakdowns have been officially released. However, early production listings confirm that rehearsals will begin December 1, with technical rehearsals scheduled from January 3 to January 7. The run is set through February 15, though some listings mention a possible extension to February 22.
Schmidt, already known for her adaptation of Cyrano—which she not only directed for the stage but also adapted into the 2021 movie musical starring Peter Dinklage—continues her creative momentum with this new project. Her past work includes original plays and acclaimed reinterpretations, adding notable credibility to this upcoming comedy.
The creative team for The Disappear brings together a strong lineup of theater artists:
- Brett J. Banakis, set designer
- Jennifer Moeller and Miriam Kelleher, costume designers
- Cha See, lighting designer
- Palmer Hefferan, sound designer
These names have appeared frequently across respected New York theater productions, signaling a polished and thoughtful visual and auditory experience.
As with every live production under the Audible Theater banner, The Disappear will also be recorded and later released as an audio drama. This means audiences who can’t attend the live run will still have a chance to experience the full production in audio form. Anyone curious about Audible’s approach to stage-to-audio adaptations can check out their catalog here.
The venue itself, the Minetta Lane Theatre, is a well-known off-Broadway house located in Greenwich Village. Operated in partnership with Audible, the theater seats roughly 391 people and has become a home for productions that blend traditional performance with high-quality audio recording. You can explore more about the theater’s history and location via the venue overview here.
With its defined run, reputable creative team, and the growing popularity of Audible’s hybrid theater-audio model, The Disappear is shaping up to be a notable entry in the 2026 off-Broadway season. All that’s left now is casting news—which should arrive in the coming months—along with ticket details, which will be available soon on major NYC theater listings and Audible’s site.
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