{"id":452837,"date":"2026-02-04T07:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/452837\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T07:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T07:34:10","slug":"actors-train-at-legendary-ny-gym-for-syracuse-world-premiere-of-boxing-play-relentless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/452837\/","title":{"rendered":"Actors train at legendary NY gym for Syracuse world premiere of boxing play \u2018Relentless\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a recent Saturday morning in Dumbo, Brooklyn, the city was off to a quiet start. Neighbors sipped coffee and walked dogs while the brunch set nibbled croissants inside cafes with tasteful decor. On Washington Street, couples snapped selfies as the Manhattan Bridge elegantly photobombed each perfect shot. <\/p>\n

Picture gentrification in your mind\u2019s eye, and it\u2019s likely to look like Dumbo: Luxury apartments, art galleries, restaurants and all manner of boutiques have turned abandoned buildings into desperately sought after real estate, transforming an enclave once defined by blue collar industry into Brooklyn\u2019s fourth most expensive neighborhood. It\u2019s no wonder Equinox Fitness, a $300 a month beacon for moneyed metropolitans, has staked a coveted second floor perch on Front street. <\/p>\n

But just a stone\u2019s throw north, at the corner of Adams and Water, is a very different type of gym: Gleason\u2019s<\/a>, the self-anointed \u201ctemple of boxing\u201d and a gritty holdout in a rapidly changing New York. <\/p>\n

Anyone who walked through the front door of Gleason\u2019s that quiet Saturday morning was met with a defiant symphony of waps, thwaps, pows and thwomps. Fighters shadowboxed, sparred and practiced combinations in a half dozen rings. <\/p>\n

Men, women and children attacked heavy bags swinging from chains while others pummeled speed bags, rode air bikes and squeezed out hundreds of crunches as their trainers yelled a mixture of reprimands and encouragements.<\/p>\n

In the middle of the chaos, as comfortable as any contender, Rae Binstock\u2014the playwright behind Syracuse Stage\u2019s upcoming world premiere \u201cRelentless\u201d<\/a> opening February 4\u2014 held up her hands and discussed the finer points of pad work with actors Rebecca S\u2019Manga Frank and Jeorge Bennett Watson.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s not get too academic about it,\u201d Binstock told them as an electronic bell rang throughout the crowded space. <\/p>\n

Director Melissa Crespo watched each tiny drama unfold and smiled. She brought her actors to Gleason\u2019s to work on the scenes of training and sparring essential to Binstock\u2019s play, which tells the story of an old-school boxing oasis entrenched in a neighborhood hellbent on change. <\/p>\n

\"RebeccaRebecca S’manga Frank and Shatic Mitchell train at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, N.Y. on January 10, 2026.Brenna Merritt<\/p>\n

Across the gym, in a bustling corner, David Harrison Pralgo and Stephen Michael Spencer jumped rope in preparation for their work with fight choreographer Teniece Divya Johnson and boxing coach Shatic Mitchell while Sean Patrick Reilly and Caylie Filipa closely examined a contraption which, from a glance, looked equal parts punching bag and torture device.<\/p>\n

Much of what happens at Bailey\u2019s, the fictional gym at the heart of \u201cRelentless,\u201d was inspired by Binstock\u2019s time working the front desk at Gleason\u2019s, America\u2019s oldest boxing gym, where she quickly fell in love with the sport and its colorful community.<\/p>\n

Binstock has called \u201cRelentless\u201d a family drama, one where the family happens to be united not by blood but by their devotion to a singular pursuit. Conflict arises when retired boxer Monique, played by Frank, considers selling Bailey\u2019s, the gym she co-owns with Johnny, her former trainer, played by Watson. Their competing interests\u2014Monique knows the gym needs to modernize and expand in order to survive; Johnny is a stubborn purist with an \u201cain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it\u201d attitude\u2014play out like an urban renewal debate in miniature: How much change can one place endure before it forgets itself completely and becomes something entirely new?<\/p>\n

Anyone wondering if the real Gleason\u2019s has staying power need only look out the window onto Water Street: a sign proudly announces the thoroughfare as \u201cGleason\u2019s Gym Way,\u201d an honor bestowed by the city of New York in 2024. It\u2019s still a marquee name in the world of boxing, an institution that has trained countless champions like Mike Tyson, George Foreman, Muhammad Ali, even the actress Hilary Swank. <\/p>\n

Originally opened in 1937 in the Bronx, Gleason\u2019s moved to Manhattan before landing in Brooklyn in 1985. Its continued success can partly be traced to its unstuffy and democratic approach to training: Gleason\u2019s was among the first gyms to allow \u201cwhite collar\u201d boxers (those with no aspiration to fight in a match) and women to work alongside their amateurs and pros. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a place like no other,\u201d Crespo said. \u201cI think of it kind of like a library, where everyone is welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gleason\u2019s openness and acceptance is what sets it apart, according to Binstock, who describes the gym as one of the last \u201ctruly New York places, a waystation where people of every age, gender, color and background cross paths without a moment of hesitation.\u201d <\/p>\n

That was on display as the cast moved their rehearsal into the ring, marking punches and stopping to discuss each moment, while all around them boxers trained for their own upcoming matches\u2014if there was any real difference between actors and fighters, no one seemed to notice. For Crespo, that was the true value of the team\u2019s time at Gleason\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want them to understand what it means to be here all day,\u201d she said. \u201cThe culture, the people, the sounds. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to capture on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

After running through their choreography, the cast, tired but energized by the work, layered on their winter gear and headed back outside. It was raining, but the streets were alive with the weekend dinner crowd. Binstock hung behind, helping the staff\u2014her former coworkers\u2014set up folding chairs in front of a ring. A sandwich board screamed \u201cBoxing in Brooklyn\u201d in all capital letters, and displayed the card, 15 fights deep. It was Saturday night at Gleason\u2019s. Business as usual. <\/p>\n

Show details<\/p>\n

What: \u201cRelentless\u201d by Rae Binstock<\/p>\n

Where: Syracuse Stage, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse<\/p>\n

When: February 4-22, 2026. Tickets at SyracuseStage.org\/Relentless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On a recent Saturday morning in Dumbo, Brooklyn, the city was off to a quiet start. Neighbors sipped…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452838,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-452837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452837"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452837\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}