I am so excited to be catching up with Writer, Director & Producer Caytha Jentis who continues to defy gravity with her innovative & provocative stage plays.

Caytha is getting ready to premiere her new show, Freedom for a Night: The Untold Stories of The Real Housewives of Greek Mythology, featuring some of NYC’s best aerialists, neo-burlesque performers and actors.

In this NEW interview, Caytha once again answered my call, but this time around she shares:

• How this play will empower audiences
• Why she wanted to write a play about the dangerous women of Greek Mythology
• What made her incorporate multiple kinds of performance art in the show
• When there was a time she felt exiled from society
• So much more

Connect with Caytha: Website, Instagram, Facebook

Freedom For A Night - The Untold Story of the Real Housewives of Ancient Greece  is about the iconic bad-ass women of Greek Mythology who reclaim their narrative & power in this feministically fun circus stage play.

Written by Caytha Jentis with Choreography by Maia Ramnath, Freedom For A Night features (in order of Appearance) Troy Lingelbach (Dionysus), Kendall Rileigh (Artemis), Caytha Jentis (Agave), Maia Ramnath (Medea), Caitlyn Borek (Thelxiepeia), Elena Delgado (Circe), Amara (Medusa) & Summer Lacy (Hecate).

Freedom For A Night will play at Theater for the New City in NYC's East Village for 4 performances ONLY, from February 19-22, 2026. Click Here for tickets! 

1. This February your new play, Freedom for a Night: The Untold Stories of The Real Housewives of Greek Mythology will be playing at Theater for the New City. What made you want to write a play about the dangerous women of Greek Mythology? I created an act at a workshop about my inner “wild woman” - a metaphorical maenad - who possessed me after seeing The Bacchae with Jonathan Groff at Shakespeare in the Park!

The act led me to contemplate other Greek mythological women who were perceived as villainous. Itching to create a new show, I began researching the icons and discovered quite a bit written through a feminist lens that reframed their stories. I thought it would make a rich, fun, timeless stage play and aerial circus show.

2. What makes this show stand out is that it features some of NYC’s best aerialists, neo-burlesque performers and actors. How do you feel incorporating all these different styles of performance art tell this story in a different way than if it were staged solely by actors? I was excited and giddy to open my scriptwriting app to tell a story similarly, yet differently! The definition of performance art is non-traditional storytelling - which is a type of storytelling I have been dabbling in and is common in the neo-burlesque circus world.

Many of the performance art shows I’ve attended have leaned into expressionistic modern dance. I am way too literal, and have zero dance background, but I didn’t let that intimidate me.

Even though I’m in my sixties, I still enjoy pushing the envelope and trying new things. I challenged myself to find a way to create a performance art piece that leaned into my style of storytelling and then ideally collaborate with someone who has performance art expertise. I was delighted when I found that partner.

BTW – along with the high-level aerial and neo-burlesque performers in the show, this is an AEA showcase production since we are fortunate that two of the actors are working Equity members.

We have four shows 2/19-22 Th/F/S at 8pm and Sunday 3pm.

Caytha Jentis Aerial Arts at Nimble Arts at Tinmouth Pond
Photo Credit Elsie Smith

3. In addition to writing Freedom for a Night, you are also starring in it. How do you let go of the writer in you & allow the director or in this case, the choreographer to take over and direct you? A writer must be able to let go in film/tv and theatre! Maia Ramnath, who is my collaborator and partner, has tons of experience as a show producer and modern dance professional. As someone relatively new in this world, I welcome and respect their input and expertise and see Maia as a mentor.

That said, each artist – including Maia and me - will have control over our performances, wardrobe and song choice with input of course. It’s very common in performance art to incorporate “devised” theatre.

4. What did you learn about these Greek Mythological women from writing this show that you feel relates to modern times? Artemis, who is the host, shares the wisdom from a Sophist who said, “Whoever controls the narrative, controls the story.” That quote resonated with me and is incredibly relevant today. Also, that Medusa was victim blamed.

5. How do you feel this play will empower audiences? I hope that it empowers people to consider that truth is not empirical and that women must own their stories. I also hope that it brings people together and that the show is a ‘night of freedom.’

Caytha Jentis 
Body & Pole Student Showcase
Photo Credit: Edge NY

6. You are playing the Greek Mythological character of Agave, who tragically killed her own son thinking he was a wild beast. What do you relate to most about her story? Haha. As the mother of two, I don’t relate to that part of the story. Dionysus takes full responsibility for the tragedy. Agave, however, is there to tell the story that a night of freedom can have consequences.

7. As a result of Agave's actions, she was exiled from Thebes. When has there been a time in your life when you felt like you have been exiled from society? That’s a great question that inspires me to create another piece specifically about Agave. I’m not typically an agitator, but my stage play It’s All About the Kids that became the film Bad Parents which was a dark comedic indictment of hyper-competitive suburban sports culture was the closest thing.

The opening night of the play production I said to myself… “What were you thinking? The audiences are the people I’m writing about; they will run you out of town!” But ultimately, while some took offense, many embraced it, and were the ones who funded the film version!

Caytha Jentis at Tinmouth Pond

8. Playing off of the show's title, Freedom for a Night, if you could allow yourself one night to let go of all your inhibitions, what is something you would do that you have not allowed yourself to do? Oh…. That’s a dangerous question 😂 especially since I don’t have many inhibitions! I nude art modeled in my early fifties since my call to action is “do it for the story.” I will answer that question off the record – hahaha.

But that said, the essay I wrote that inspired the maenad act was about my annual ritual of getting dressed up in a theme inspired age-inappropriate outfit and colorful wig with my BFF to go to the House of Yes in Bushwick to lose ourselves through dancing and the EDM music.

9. In our last interview together, you mentioned that you were working on a companion documentary to Cirque du Gold Standard, about the history of the neo-burlesque scene in New York City. Can you give us an update on where things are at with this documentary? Unfortunately, no real updates on a larger documentary, but a short film my team made showcasing a handful of older aerialists was a selection in the Circus International Film Festival.

10. Additionally, your 2023 stage play, Sex Work Sex Play is being developed into a feature film. What updates can you tell us about this project as well? Sadly, not much.  Movies are harder than ever to get off the ground.

More Caytha Jentis Interviews:

2025 (Read Here): Flying into Cirque du Gold Standard, a Circus for performers over 50-Years-Old
2021 (Read Here): Pooling To Paradise
2011 (Read Here): Finding The One

Caytha Jentis
Photo Credit: Gene Reed

More on Caytha Jentis:

Caytha is the writer, director and producer of films, plays, and short series such as And Then Came Love, The Other F Word, Bad Parents, and Pooling to Paradise. Her stories challenge the old tropes of motherhood with pathos and heightened reality humor. Her films have screened on platforms such as HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Apple TV and Amazon.

Her stage play Sex Work, Sex Play had a successful Off Broadway run in the Fall of 2023.

Caytha ran away to join the circus two years ago when she started taking aerial classes that led to her performing at venues such as The Slipper Room & House of Yes for Bushwick's Got Talent. She has produced two sold-out shows - Cirque du Gold Standard & A Little UnWell.

Caytha has produced storytelling for The Covey Club and Next Tribe. She recently co-chaired the Gold Standard Arts Festival, a week-long festival that celebrates film, theatre, and comedy emerging and established artists who are a minimum of fifty years old.

She has guest lectured at Syracuse University, NYU, Emerson College, Wheaton College to name a few.  She has also been on panels at festivals such as The Big Apple Film Festival and LAFemme Film Festival.

She began her career as a literary agent in New York. She has an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA and a BS in tv/film from Syracuse University.

Caytha was profiled by the Writers Guild as well as Screenwriter Magazine.