Sticky was founded in 2000 by David Marcus and Libby Emmons, in Philadelphia. The story goes that a good friend of theirs was hitting on the bartender at Bar Noir, and invited her to the show the pair, producing under the name Blue Box, was presenting at Second Stage at The Adrienne, down the block on Sansom Street. But the bartender had a broken leg, and the theater was not accessible, so the friend said “they could do a show here!” So Dave and Libby went home, wrote up a proposal, and Sticky was born.

Sticky is short, immersive plays in bars, featuring music, drunkenness, and everything that you like. In 16 years we have presented over 300 plays, and you can wander through our Seasons page and photos for a glimpse.

David Marcus, artistic director of Blue Box, and co-founder of Sticky

David Marcus is a writer and theater artist based in Brooklyn, NY. He is a Senior Contributor to The Federalist, and his work has additionally appeared in National Review Online, City Journal, PJ Media, Narratively, and the New York Post. A Philadelphia native, David is co-founder and artistic director of Blue Box World, most notably known for its Sticky, small batch short play series. Since 2004, Sticky has presented over 300 original shorts in New York, from writers around the country and the globe. @blueboxdave

Libby Emmons, co-founder of Blue Box, and Sticky series

Libby Emmons is a playwright, author, and co-founder of performance project Puss&Puss, which recently presented her How to Sell Your Gang Rape Baby* *for Parts, The Kraine, NYC 2017. Published plays include “Animal/Animal” (Best Short Plays 2013, Smith & Krause), “Soft Little Song Like Doves” (Best Short Plays 2016, Smith & Krause), “The Worm Turns at the Fort Peck Hotel” (New York Theater Review 2009). Nonfiction includes: “The day I discovered I had a secret sister,” Narrative.ly, “How to reject the temptation to despair,” and “Ashraf Fayadh shouldn’t die for making beautiful art,” both TheFederalist.com. She’s been blogging the story of her life at li88yinc.com since 2013, and top posts include: “The Backpack,” “Weird Kid Gift Guide,” and “Playing Games.” Her latest play, Hippopotamus, is currently in development. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence, Columbia, and blogs the story of her life at li88yinc.com

Ali Ayala, co-producer and resident director of Sticky

Hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, Ali Ayala is a director and performer. She co-produced the Sticky short play series in New York from 2008 through 2016, prior to which she was the resident director of the series. While in residence at Bowery Poetry Club from 2007 through 2012, she directed dozens of plays for the series. She directed plays by Libby Emmons, Jesse Wann, Alex Beech, Michael Domitrovich, David Marcus, Adam Szymkowicz, Sheila Callaghan, Jon Kern, and commissioned plays from J. Michael Gray, including the wildly successful “Barflies” series, among others. She is co-founder of performance project Puss&Puss.