S. Asher Gelman
DIRECTOR | PLAYWRIGHT | CHOREOGRAPHER | PRODUCER
S. Asher Gelman — director, choreographer, playwright, producer, and Artistic Director of Midnight Theatricals. His first play, Afterglow, premiered Off-Broadway in 2017, ran for 14 months, and continues to see productions around the world. He has directed and choreographed all of Midnight Theatricals’ critically acclaimed productions of the show in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Australia. A 10th anniversary production is planned for 2027 at Midnight Theatricals’ new home in New York City.
Off-Broadway credits include the Lortel-nominated Scarlett Dreams (playwright/director), We Are the Tigers (producer), and safeword (playwright/director). Films include Bookends (producer), documentaries The American Question and Sabbath Queen (executive producer), and dance films The Greatest City in the World and in memoriam (director/choreographer).
Asher’s new play, The Zionists: A Family Storm, had its world premiere at Miami New Drama in April 2026, followed by a run at Barrington Stage in the Berkshires.
Originally from Chevy Chase, Maryland. B.A. in Dance and Theater, Bard College; M.F.A. in Dance, The George Washington University. Cofounder and founding Artistic Director, The Stage in Tel Aviv. Former Advisory Board member, the Fisher Center at Bard. Asher lives in New York City with his partner, Stefano, his husband, Mati, and their two cats, Grogu and Rambi.
Recent Work
Press
ABOUT ASHER’S WORK
THE AFTERGLOW OF AN OPEN RELATIONSHIP
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.
BARDIAN MAGAZINE
S. Asher Gelman ’06 assumed that his first play, Afterglow, which he wrote and directed, would be “a teeny tiny off-off-Broadway show that would run for eight weeks and quietly close with no one knowing about it.” He could not have predicted it would become, according to TheaterMania.com, the “sleeper hit of the Off-Broadway season.” Prior to his successful debut, he had never even tried playwriting.
GEORGETOWN DAYS
In 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.
INTERVIEWS WITH ASHER
MY WORDS ON SAFEWORD.
When 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.
THE AFTERGLOW OF ‘AFTERGLOW’
When 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.”
AFTERGLOW WRITER/DIR ASHER GELMAN TALKS ABOUT HIS OFF BROADWAY PLAY
Writer/Dir Asher Gelman talks openly about his provocative current play, AFTERGLOW which is playing at the Loft at the Davenport Theatre now through Sept. 16. Gelman shares insight into his own life that inspired the play that brings up issue relating to gay relationships, monogamy and open relationships.