Join Broadway stars for this unique and intimate live sonic supernatural storytelling experience.
April 7–12, 2026 at East Village Basement
AKS Immersive presents THE LISTENING, a live, sonic, supernatural storytelling experience inspired by the critically acclaimed, five-star audio fiction series DRAMA: An Aural Experience™ (Anthology). This strictly limited engagement runs April 7–12, 2026, at East Village Basement in Manhattan.
Created for just 30 guests per performance, THE LISTENING invites audiences into an intimate, bespoke environment where live performance, cinematic music, haunted lighting, and immersive audio design converge. Guests don headphones and experience original supernatural stories unfolding all around them, blurring the line between theater, soundscape, and immersive storytelling.
Written by New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey James Keyes (Killer Chef with James Patterson) and directed and conceived by Aaron Salazar, Producing Artistic Director of AKS Immersive, THE LISTENING expands the world of DRAMA into a fully live, communal experience. Salazar’s work has been featured in The New York Times and named among the Best NYC Immersive Experiences by Time Out New York. THE LISTENING features powerhouse performances starring Broadway’s Jason Veasey (Broadway: A Strange Loop, The Lion King, TV: Best Medicine, Fox; Only Murders in the Building, Hulu), Morgan Siobhan Green (Hadestown, Be More Chill), and rising talent David Israeli, featuring narration by Tony Award® nominee L Morgan Lee (A Strange Loop) who lends her voiceover to the production. Together, the cast leads audiences through a theatrical universe where every sound, word, and breath surrounds them.
Salazar states, “As immersive experiences become more tech-focused, it is my passion & goal as a producing artistic director to focus on human-centered narrative experiences that marry with tech, such as the audio component of our upcoming production, to create bespoke performing arts experiences for our audiences.”
THE LISTENING is a strictly limited engagement. AKS Immersive plans to tour the production around the US & UK in 2026 & 2027.
PRODUCTION DETAILS:
Dates: April 7–12, 2026 (6 Days, 20 Performances)
Venue: East Village Basement at 321 E 9th St, New York, NY 10003.
Schedule:
• Tuesday April 7th - 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM
• Wednesday, April 8th - 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM
• Thursday, April 9th - 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM
• Friday, April 10th - 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM
• Saturday, April 11th - 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM
• Sunday, April 12th - 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM
Tickets and full details: The-Listening.com
CREATIVE TEAM:
Executive Producer: AKS Immersive & Aaron Salazar
Directed & Conceived by: Aaron Salazar
Based on the AKS Immersive fiction podcast series DRAMA: An Aural Experience™ Season One: Anthology
Book: Jeffrey James Keyes and Aaron Salazar
Original Score by: Manuel Pelayo & Giancarlo Bonfanti
Creative Producers: Matthew Solomon, Kate McLeod
Producer & Production Lead: Tony Mayes
Lighting Design: Sam Doty
Costume Design: Matthew Solomon
Marketing: Madeline Corcoran, AKS Immersive
Casting: AKS Immersive and Aaron Salazar
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Aaron Salazar (Director & Executive Producer), a Mexican/Indigenous-American theatre director and producer based in NYC, is the Founder & Producing Artistic Director of AKS IMMERSIVE. His 25-year career spans theatre, immersive experiences, dance, choreography, audio fiction, education, luxury brand activations, and event management. Up next with AKS Immersive, he is directing & producing THE LISTENING, a sonic live storytelling experience (April 7-12th, NYC), based on his 5-star-rated scripted immersive audio drama series, DRAMA: An Aural Experience™ (Season 1 "Anthology"), written by New York Times Best-Selling Author Jeffrey James Keyes. He is also developing a new musical experience about Joan of Arc, and Season 2 of “DRAMA” is scheduled for summer 2026. All will be featuring casts from Broadway and beyond. Salazar's acclaimed works include the interactive live cinema event X The Experience, which ran for 8 months worldwide, starring Kim Exum and Cheech Manohar, and written by Jason Veasey. Other notable directed productions include BitterSweet and The Cooping Theory 1969: Who Killed Edgar Allan Poe (receiving coverage in the NY Times, NY Daily News, Wall Street Journal, and Timeout New York - Best Immersive Experiences). He has also produced sold-out runs of Antigone and The Cooping Theory (Williamsburg, Brooklyn). Salazar has collaborated with luxury brands on activations, managed talent, and served as a consulting director for institutions such as Carnegie Hall and The Juilliard School of Dance. He also advised Upturn Funds on immersive programming. Since 2017, he has developed a framework for site-specific immersive performing arts in NYC, which has influenced many national and international productions. He now focuses on creating and developing original IP for live arts, including theatre, audio fiction, and immersive experiences, with AKS IMMERSIVE. IG: @directorsalazar | aaron-salazar.com
Jeffrey James Keyes (Playwright) (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling author and playwright, and the co-author of Killer Chef with James Patterson. He earned his MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University and is the recipient of the inaugural PEN America L’Engle/Rahman Prize for Mentorship. His work has been produced at SoHo Playhouse, 59E59, and the Old Vic in London, and his plays have been featured three times in the Samuel French OOB Festival. Jeffrey was the story producer for Out in GayCities with Lexus and a producer on Sundance’s Revealing and MTV’s True Life. His short films, Uniform and 181, screened at over 30 festivals, and his virtual reality project, Digital Arrest, won top honors at NYC Media Lab. His recent play, Holiday: An Immersive Crafting Experience, played a sold-out run at Judson Memorial Church in NYC. IG: @jjkeyes | jeffreyjameskeyes.com
Jason Veasey is a NYC-based actor and singer. Jason created the role of “Thought 5” in the Broadway production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A STRANGE LOOP. That performance garnered him an OBIE award. Veasey is recognized for his multi-season arc as “Jonathan” on the hit Hulu series ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, which garnered him a 2024 SAG Award nomination. TV: LITTLE VOICE (Apple), CHICAGO FIRE (NBC), HIGH MAINTENANCE (HBO Max), FLATBUSH MISDEMEANORS (Showtime), BETTY (HBO), DASH & LILLY (Netflix), and the Hulu pilot OLGA DIES DREAMING, and currently plays the recurring role of George Brady on BEST MEDICINE (FOX/Hulu). Film: I’M NOT HIM, HOME FREE, FRIENDSHIP (alongside Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson). In addition to performing, he continues to work with young people in the arts from elementary school through the university level! This also marks his second project with AKS! His first was as a writer on the interactive cross-media experience “X”. Following him on socials: @Veaseyville
Morgan Siobhan Green is a multi-hyphenated artist. She is presently penning two pieces for the stage and one for the screen. She plays multiple instruments, and on occasion, you can convince her to sing:) Some of her acting credits include: Broadway: Be More Chill, National Tours: Hadestown (Original Company, Eurydice), Regional and Off-Broadway: Ceremonies In Dark Old Men (Negro Ensemble Company/ Peccadillo Theater Co), Fish (Keen Company/Working Theater) White Girl In Danger (Secondstage, Caroline), Moby Dick (American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge), Between The Lines (Kansas City Repertory Theatre), Folk Wandering (ART NY) Avalanches (Because I'm Me) Dick Johnson Is Dead (Billie Holiday) TV: “The Bold Type”(Zuri), Morgan will be playing the title role of Antigone in AKS Immerisve’s Season 2 of Drama: An Aural Experience™ coming this summer ‘26. @morgansiobhang / morgansiobhan.com
David Israeli is an actor hailing from Queens, New York. He has performed with the NYC-based Commedia dell’Arte troupe, The Department of Fools. Recent credits: The Truth About Transylvania (A.R.T./New York Theatre Spaces), She’s Dead!! (A Masked Comedy) (The PIT), DRAMA: An Aural Experience™ (AKS Immersive, Apple Podcasts), Hand to God (Nutley Little Theatre), The Oresteia (Gallery Players), Picasso at the Lapin Agile (CityGate Productions). David is a member of Actors’ Equity and is represented by Kreativ Media Partners. IG: @israelisraelisraelisraeli / www.davidisraeli.com
L Morgan Lee is an award-winning actress and director. She received a Tony Award® nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her work in the Pulitzer Prize–winning A STRANGE LOOP, making history as the first openly transgender actor ever nominated. The production won the Tony Award® for Best Musical, and Lee’s performance also earned her an Obie Award, as well as Lucille Lortel and Drama League nominations. Beyond the stage, she starred as Zelda in AKS Immersive’s audio series DRAMA: AN AURAL EXPERIENCE and as Ornate Williams in Osiris Media’s SUGAR MAPLE, alongside Fred Savage, Michele Hurst, and Jacob Ming-Trent. TV: Marvel's DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN (Disney+). FILM: WAYSTATION IN THE STARS. A recipient of the Mark O’Donnell Prize and a 2024 Visibility Award from the Human Rights Campaign, Lee continues to create and develop new work as both an artist and director. In October 2025, she directed a star-studded benefit concert of THE DROWSY CHAPERONE at Carnegie Hall, recently announced to receive Special Recognition Honors at the GLAAD Media Awards this spring. For more: @lmorganlee
AKS Immersive is a boutique performing arts production house based in New York City that specializes in creating, developing, casting, and managing original works and adaptations in immersive storytelling, audio fiction, and theatre. We are a community of seasoned, like-minded artists dedicated to creating an inspiring environment where creativity can flourish. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Aaron Salazar, the company continues to push boundaries and create innovative storytelling experiences, with human performances at the heart of our work.
East Village Basement is a multipurpose theatre/ arts space located in the heart of the East Village, one of New York City’s most vibrant artistic neighborhoods. The space is designed like a cozy living room, offering an intimate, creative atmosphere for small-scale shows, readings, rehearsals, events, and more. We focus on fostering artistic exploration and pushing the boundaries of theater and art.