{"id":348304,"date":"2026-09-16T13:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/348304\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T13:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T13:34:12","slug":"this-weekend-please-dont-flush-municipal-comedy-floods-city-for-climate-week-nyc-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/348304\/","title":{"rendered":"This weekend: \u2018Please Don\u2019t Flush!\u2019 municipal comedy floods city for Climate Week NYC \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

The original production will be performed at public spaces in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island from Sept. 19-27. It will be free to the public.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease Don\u2019t Flush!\u201d follows a community board scheduled to vote on a mysterious waterfront development that neighbors, seagulls and plumbers are worried will increase inland flooding. However, the board members are derailed and instead begin planning their bi-annual gala, celebrating their second-vice-chair\u2019s half birthday and locking the \u201canti-anti-anti-anti-development\u201d coalition in the bathroom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The production plans to bring music, laughs and resources, promising to leave audiences with bellies full of chai and, most importantly, with a call to action about flood resiliency. It is part of the Flood Sensor Aunty<\/a> \u201cextended universe,\u201d which recently toured 20 public spaces across New York City and beyond.<\/p>\n

Performances will be staged on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. at Staten Island Urban Center in Stapleton, Staten Island; Sunday, Sept. 20 at 5 p.m. at Baisley Pond Park in Jamaica<\/a>, Queens; Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at Van Alen in Gowanus, Brooklyn; and Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m. at Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing<\/a>, Queens.<\/p>\n

More information can be found at PleaseDontFlush.com<\/a>.
\n\"\"Performers make audiences laugh at last year\u2019s touring production, Flood Sensor Aunty.Photos courtesy Rainy Day Plays\n<\/p>\n

\u201cFlooding is a dangerous hazard, but preparedness messaging doesn\u2019t always have to be serious for effectiveness,\u201d said Christina Farrell, commissioner of NYC Emergency Management. \u201c\u2018Please Don\u2019t Flush!\u2019 uses humor to start important conversations about flood risk and resilience, helping New Yorkers learn how to prepare before the next storm. We\u2019re proud to partner with Flood Sensor Aunty to bring this unique production to communities across the city and connect residents with the resources they need to stay safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWaterfront Alliance is proud to support the production of \u2018Please Don\u2019t Flush!\u2019, which uses the power of storytelling to make flood preparedness personal, relatable and actionable,\u201d added Julie Raskin, president and CEO of the Waterfront Alliance. \u201cAs climate impacts become more frequent and visible, we need new ways to engage communities in preparedness and resilience. By centering lived experiences and local voices, this production helps audiences connect with the importance of flood preparedness while reminding us that resilience is built together.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sabina Sethi Unni wrote and directed the production, which will feature a cast of 10 actors including Ray Jordan Achan, Fahad Ahmad, Amr Kotb, Amar Baines, Kshithij Hegde, Jess Balgobin, Jill Cornell, Maribelle Flint, Josabeth Simisterra and Tom Lee, who also serves as musical director.<\/p>\n

The cast is joined by costume designer Zen Tunsaringkran, sound engineer Maxi Glenn, the Tea Stand founder Miles Kirsch, illustrator Abbie Preston, videographer Max Czerski, photographer Jesse Herndon and prop fabricator Caitlin Eder.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease Don\u2019t Flush!\u201d marks the fourth iteration of Rainy Day Plays\u2019 public events, following Flood Sensor Aunty\u2019s public performances in 2024 and 2025 that toured across 12 locations in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island, as well as one performance at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

Past and current partners offering resources, information, funding, stewardship and support include NYC Emergency Management, NYC Health Department, Waterfront Alliance, Asian Women\u2019s Giving Fund, Queens Memory Project at Queens Public Library, Staten Island Urban Center, Nonprofit Staten Island, Staten Island Community Partnership, 149th South Ozone Park Civic Association, Center for Urban Pedagogy, Van Alen, Fifth Avenue Committee, Chhaya CDC, Center for NYC Neighborhoods, South Queens Women\u2019s March, Rebuild by Design and more.<\/p>\n

\"\"Photos courtesy Rainy Day Plays<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The original production will be performed at public spaces in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island from Sept. 19-27.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348305,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,56,63,65,64],"class_list":["post-348304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}