My NYC’s Secrets & Lies storytelling show is heading back to the South Street Seaport Museum on Sunday, March 29th at 3pm. Our first-ever afternoon show and first-ever weekend show. I would love to see you there and I’ve got a special deal available for you!
Buy your tickets at https://southstreetseaportmuseum.org/sports-secrets-lies/. Enter the code SECRETS20 after you put in your billing info and you’ll get the tickets for $12, which includes the show, museum entry, snacks, drinks, and the chance to win a sail on the museum’s 1885 Schooner Pioneer. Did you already buy your tix? Just let me know when you arrive and I’ll give you an extra set of lottery tickets for the prize drawing.
About this show’s theme and cast:
Keep the competitive spirit high with an afternoon of New York City’s most incredible secret sports history stories. We’re excited to dive into the grit and glory of the city’s athletic past, from legendary boxing gyms to behind-the-scenes at the NBA.
We’ve got two special guests for this show (also a first for us!) and they are two elite sports history experts: renowned photojournalist Arlene Schulman, who spent years documenting the raw world of NYC boxing, and Gina Antoniello, Academic Director at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Global Sport and a pioneer in professional sports communications. They will share unbelievable, firsthand accounts of how they broke barriers in NYC sports alongside other rising stars.
Then, the game is on! Public historian Alexa Rast and I will face off in a high-stakes battle, trading increasingly wild mini-stories from NYC’s sports history. All are true—except for one. Can you spot the masterful lie to win an exclusive prize – a sail on the Seaport Museum’s 1885 Schooner Pioneer?
We’ll have plenty of light bites and drinks on hand, included in your ticket. After all, what’s a sporting event without a snack?
I hope you’ll join us on Sunday at 3pm!
Tag: theater
Uncovering the secret stories of Prohibition at NYC’s Secrets & Lies
What a night! Last night, we gathered in a hidden speakeasy in the heart of the city for a sold-out edition of NYC’s Secrets & Lies: Prohibition.
There is nothing quite like the energy of a room full of New Yorkers leaning in to hear the hidden histories of their city. I am so proud of the community we are building with this show. 
A massive shoutout to our storytellers Melissa, Bethany, Margo, and Taylor who were phenomenal! 
And as always I have unending gratitude for our amazing audience, and my friends Ashley, Vicki, and Erin who care so deeply about this show 
and always provide me with such excellent advice, input, and counsel. 
If you missed this one, don’t worry! We have two shows coming up in March and April, both back at the South Street Seaport Museum 
– the history of NYC sports 
and the history of women who defined the NYC waterfront! 
Your $15 ticket includes our storytelling show, the museum exhibit, drinks, & snacks. Links to buy tickets:
March 29th – NYC Sports History:
seaportmuseum.org/sports-secrets-lies
April 30th – Women of the NYC Waterfront:
seaportmuseum.org/waterfront-secrets-lies
Check out some of the photos from our Prohibition show below! Which one is your favorite? 
NYC’s Secrets & Lies: The Power of Partnership and Resilience in Live Events
I’m proud to share that the NYC’s Secrets & Lies holiday show this week about secret NYC maritime history at the South Street Seaport Museum was a huge success! I’m still GLOWING from all the good cheer. 
This show is a dream passion project for me, and I feel so lucky to do this work. The phenomenal storytellers, the engaged and joyful audience, and the perfect museum partner team and venue made for such a special holiday celebration. I’m beyond grateful to everyone who came out to the show.
We had a packed house that enjoyed a special evening of history and stories, complete with snack table filled with historically accurate treats that all had a backstory! This event was our first location-based event; all the stories were thematically linked to the space where we performed creating an immersive environment where the audience didn’t just hear the stories but could feel them.
It was also a powerful case study in the critical value of collaboration. Working with the Seaport Museum team was seamless, proving that when partners share a clear vision, we can create an immersive meaningful experience for our audience that stays with them long after the show ends.
Live events are a masterclass in crisis management. As the creator and producer, successfully navigating the unexpected is part of the job description. Though it might sound crazy to some, this is what I love about producing: problem-solving, thinking on my feet, and taking care of everyone involved in making the show possible. The ultimate reward is delivering a high-quality experience for the audience and seeing the talented storytellers shine.
A little behind-the-scenes secret – I was more nervous about this show than any show we’ve ever done. Between my back injury, the cookie baking, a brand new venue with a brand new partner, this being our first location-based show, and a last minute emergency I didn’t expect, my natural stage fright was flying high. But through collaboration and partnership and joy, it all worked out. Once I focused solely on the storytellers, our audience, and our museum partner, the nerves finally faded. We are always stronger and better together.
And good news (a la Buddy the Elf!): I saw a dachshund outside the museum as I arrived and another dachshund outside the museum on my way home. My Phinny is always with me!
Thank you again to the phenomenal team, the storytellers, and everyone who came out to support live storytelling and New York history. This is proof that focused passion and strong partnerships can achieve anything!
Below are some photos from the show. Happy Holidays!
Be one of our storytellers for NYC’s Secrets & Lies
I’m so excited to share this update: NYC’s Secrets & Lies, my storytelling show about secret NYC history, is officially looking for new storytellers for our 2026 season!
This show is a dream come true for me and incorporates everything I love – NYC, history, research, game shows, storytelling, and collaboration. We’re thrilled to be back on stage and growing.
Read the full Playbill listing, including the link to submit at http://bit.ly/46UcuAz.
Please feel free to share this with anyone whom you think would be interested.
Here is the full text of the listing:
NYC’s SECRETS & LIES: Storytellers Wanted
PRODUCTION DESCRIPTION:
NYC’s Secrets & Lies is a critically acclaimed, dynamic live storytelling show that blends deep historical research with high-energy theatrical performance. We bring little-known NYC stories to life, pairing each storyteller’s script with synchronized, original visual presentations (slides/images). Each performer acts as a historian, researcher, and entertainer.
SEEKING DIVERSE STORYTELLERS (18+)
We seek diverse, charismatic performers who are passionate about historical research and engaging presentation.
Storytellers: Individuals comfortable conducting independent historical research, writing a compelling script (typically 8–12 minutes in length), and delivering it with theatrical flair.
Key Skills:
- Ability to translate complex historical facts into an accessible, entertaining narrative.
- Familiarity with creating simple visual aids (slides/Keynote) is helpful, but not required.
Experience: Prior experience in educational performing, tour guiding, or narrative podcasting is a plus, but not a requirement. The only true requirement is a passion for NYC history and a desire to share it with an audience in a fun way.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: VIDEO FIRST OPEN CALL
We are accepting self-tape video submissions for the first round. (A phone video is perfectly fine; please minimize the file size.)
Required Materials:
- Headshot and Resume/CV: Highlight any experience in research, writing, public speaking, performance, or tour guiding.
- Short Video (Self-Tape): A 2-minute excerpt of a historical story or topic you are passionate about. Focus on captivating delivery and clarity—imagine you are telling a fantastic secret tidbit to a good friend. No visuals needed.
- Cover Letter: Please include the following:
- Relevant experience (research, performance, etc.)
- Your interest in the show and NYC history.
- If you’ve seen NYC’s Secrets & Lies (or plan to attend in October or December.)
- Social media handles (if applicable.)
Please submit all materials via email at nycsecretsandlies@gmail.com. Email us if you have any questions.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: LEARN ABOUT OUR SHOW
To understand the unique blend of entertainment, historical research, and performance, we highly encourage you to attend one of our upcoming live shows:
October Show: “Ghost Stories”
- Date: Tuesday, October 28th, 2025
- Location: The Hidden Jewel Box Theater – a secret theater hidden inside Port Authority Bus Terminal!
- Time: Doors 7:30pm; Show 8:00pm
- Link for Tickets/Info: http://lies.eventbrite.com
December Show: “Holiday Maritime History” (includes a holiday party!)
- Date: Thursday, December 11th, 2025
- Location: South Street Seaport Museum (Our Partner)
- Link to tickets will be available soon and will be emailed to all who submit.
Salary: $50.00 – $200.00 per show
The Day I Faced My Biggest Fear and the Night I Tell Stories
Five years ago today, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I didn’t know what my future held. My friend, Meg, sat in my surgeon’s office with me and held my hand. A plan came together with my surgeon to not only help me survive, but thrive. I didn’t know what that looked like then, but I know now.
Today, I stand here, stronger and more committed than ever to sharing the stories that matter—the secrets we keep because sometimes they are too frightening to say out loud and the lies we tell ourselves to fake it until we make it so we can survive.
I’m channeling that strength into a story I’ll tell on stage, and I hope you’ll join me for the next chapter on October 28th for NYC’s Secrets & Lies – Ghost Stories!
That October 28th show date is also a very momentous personal anniversary for me: that will mark five years since my bilateral mastectomy—the day I faced my worst fear head-on and the last day there was any sign of cancer in my body. We’re going to celebrate!
Link to tickets and information: http://lies.eventbrite.com
Hadestown is effective climate storytelling at its finest
I finally went to see Hadestown on Broadway. I know, I know. What took me so long?! After seeing it, I truly have no idea because it’s a transformative theater experience. A huge thank you to my dear friend, Dan Fortune, for taking me.
This was a very special performance because all 5 of the leads are brand new to the show. Music legend Kurt Elling, Jack Wolfe, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Morgan Dudley, and Paulo Szot knocked it out of the park, and the audience literally shouted with delight.
Yes, it’s all the things you’ve heard. It’s beautiful in every way, heart-filled, and filled with fascinating twists and turns woven between mythology and present day.
It’s also an incredibly effective climate story – the call to protect nature to reverse the harmful impacts of climate change on the food supply, mental and physical health, politics, and the economy.
It’s an immigration story, a migration story, a working class story about the power of generosity, community, and our own voices to lead change, to create a world where all beings are happy, healthy, and free. It’s a story of hope found in difficult, dark times and turning that hope into empowerment that leads to action. And art, specifically music, as a lever for all of that change.
Reminiscent of the call and response of spirituals with the essence of New Orleans, it’s a show that is of-the-moment even though it’s been on Broadway since 2019. Go see it. Cheer, clap, sing, get swept up in the beauty. And then carry all of it out into our world that is crying out for change. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
A Banner Year for Broadway
It’s been a record year for Broadway theater. 4.85 million viewers watched the Tony Awards on CBS on Sunday, the largest broadcast audience since 2019 and a 38% increase over 2024. It set a new record for streaming with a 208% year-over-year increase. This is on the heels of Broadway’s highest grossing year ever – $2 billion in revenue from 14.7 million tickets sold.
Working in the performing arts in many different capacities for a good portion of my career, including Broadway theater, regional theater, touring, and now for Carnegie Hall, it’s inspiring and gratifying to see so many people choosing to spend their time and money to experience live performances. Most of my work is now in the digital media space, and I’m especially excited to see digital and live melding together as is the case for the current Broadway incarnations of Sunset Boulevard and The Picture of Dorian Grey
We often hear platitudes that theater is an escape from our everyday lives. We sit together in a dark theater with total strangers for 2+ hours as a way to get away from our worries and cares, to forget the outside world for a little while, to find some kind of reprieve.
I’ve always seen live performance as a way to come home to myself, to my deepest dreams, to the core of who I am. It helps me to reimagine what I might create, what I might aspire to do next. That’s why I keep going back. I think that may be why in these troubling, dangerous times so many people are gathering together in theaters – to affirm their belief that our best and brightest days are still ahead of us.
How climate change is impacting theater in Italy and around the globe
Here is a fascinating, and incredibly sad, fallout from climate change that I had not previously considered. I manage the streaming movie channel for a world-class arts organization based in New York. We curate the finest concerts, dance, opera, and music-based documentaries from around the globe, and provide them to subscribers in 63 countries.
Recently, we had to pull a performance of Rigoletto from our future lineup because the performance we were planning to record this summer cannot be staged in Italy. Climate change has made it too hot, and it would be unsafe health-wise for the performers, technicians, and audience. Further proof that climate change is having broad reaching impacts on every industry, everywhere.
Over time, this will only grow unless we halt emissions. Even the art we love and look forward to experiencing, and the economic and cultural benefit the arts bring to so many communities around the world, is at risk of disappearing.
Remembering Todd Haimes, President / CEO of New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company
“I didn’t know if you’d seen this. I remember your reverence for him.”
My friend Trevin Cooper, himself a talented theater professional, wrote me this note when he sent me the news that Todd Haimes, President / CEO of New York’s Roundabout Theatre Company, where I got my first job in New York after college, passed away. I put my head down and let two big tears roll down my face.
When I first started at the Roundabout, Todd showed me what was possible when you bet on yourself. Fresh out of college and not sure where my life or career was going, his example gave me hope, and a roadmap.
Todd went to the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad, as did I. He got an MBA, which I would get 7 years later following his example. He knew his career was not on stage (he acted in only one play), but on the administrative side. The same was true for me as well. He often described himself as an orchestrator with a talent for getting the right people around the table and removing any roadblocks so they could create something incredible together. I think of myself that way, too.
Todd was the first person who helped me realize not only could I love business and the arts equally, but that the two benefit one another. It’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten in all the years since I worked at the Roundabout and it’s been the basis for my entire career and life—to use rock solid business principles to support creative endeavors.
When I found out Todd got cancer in his 40s, I was devastated. Then I was inspired because he kept going in spite of it — for 20 years! — and his star rose higher than ever. I also got cancer in my 40s during the pandemic, and again Todd’s example showed me what’s possible, even in the face of a difficult diagnosis. (I am thankfully now cancer-free.)
Though Todd physically left this world last week after his long battle with cancer, the energy, enthusiasm, and talent he wielded to completely transform Broadway theatre lives on in our beautiful city of New York, artistic communities all over the world, and the many people whom he inspired. Me included, of course.
They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, wrote Weil and Mann. I say they shine brighter because Todd Haimes dedicated his life to making them so.
Joy today: I’m writing a theater piece about Prohibition in NYC
Today I’m putting in a funding application for a piece of writing that combines my love for secret New York City history and immersive theater. Would you go to a show based on historical events and figures set in one of New York City’s only remaining original speakeasies during prohibition?
Christa Avampato 