Where did NYC's indie theatre go? Backyards, basements and rooftops.

Plus: NYPD to ramp up subway bag checks [View this email in a browser.]( Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( [Where did NYC’s indie theater scene go? Backyards, basements and rooftops.]( [first image]( [Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay]( Weather: ☔ [More rain]( highs in the lower 50s. It's Wednesday in New York City, where the "living-room" theater scene is booming. Here's why so many productions are being staged in people's homes — and why the artists behind them [would prefer you not call this "Off-Off-Broadway."]( And here's what else is happening: - The NYPD is planning to ramp up subway bag checks, and Gov. Kathy Hochul says [she'll send state employees to help](. - While three fatal shootings have taken place in the transit system since the start of the year, MTA Chair Janno Lieber has emphasized that [subway crime is still rare](. - For all of Gothamist's transit coverage, [subscribe to our On The Way newsletter](. - The city is allowing migrant families whose children have medical or mental health conditions, such as PTSD, to [remain in their shelters past the 60-day limit](. - The Adams administration said it's on track to [trim projected spending]( on migrants by $1.7 billion through next June — a change it attributes, in part, to time limits on shelter stays. - Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in Lower Manhattan, which plans to close later this year, said it's [shutting down services for stroke and cardiac patients this month](. - Federal prosecutors have indicted six New Yorkers for [allegedly helping to smuggle and sell animal intestines]( from China and masking them in shipments of pet grooming tools and packaged rattlesnakes. - Death, taxes and nonstop honking [on your New York City block]( because a double-parked car is blocking an Amazon truck and three other people. - The Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic has subpoenaed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo for [questioning over his handling of nursing home deaths]( during the height of COVID. - NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell is running an online store selling merch — including sweatshirts, holiday ornaments and commemorative "challenge coins" — [to ostensibly fund his office's snack pantry](. - THE CITY looked into some [odd donations to Eric Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign]( that came from workers at Queens' New World Mall — some of whom said they didn't make the contributions attached to their name. - Nikki Haley has dropped out of the Republican presidential primary, but not before [winning Vermont](. - "The story was taken down because I felt it was the wrong story for our publication," said the editor in chief of Road & Track magazine regarding a well-respected journalist's [5,000-word article about power and wealth in Formula 1]( that was briefly published online. - The Voyager 1 space probe, which launched in 1977 and is now floating about 15 billion miles away, is [sending messages back to Earth that don't make any sense]( and NASA is concerned. - Correction: Tuesday’s Early Addition newsletter mischaracterized [the turmoil within Roosevelt Island’s leadership structure](. Two presidents and a general counsel — not board members — have been fired or placed on leave in recent years. - Have some time for a game? [Play]( our mini local news crossword. - Sign up for reminders when we publish new games [here](. [“We sat down, and I was like, this is the most New York thing ever.”]( - Theatregoer Ellen Hamilton on the experience of [WATCHING A PLAY IN A TINY BUSHWICK APARTMENT BASEMENT]( More from Gothamist [second image]( [He lost his child in a mass shooting. Now he’s telling his story in a solo show at NYC theater festival.]( Manuel Oliver — whose son Joaquin, nicknamed “Guac,” was killed in a 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida — considers himself an activist, not an actor. [Manhattan’s 2nd Avenue would get 24/7 bus lane, wider bike lane under proposed redesign]( Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said the redesign "would make commutes faster and more reliable for 57,000 daily bus riders, better protect the increasing number of cyclists, and improve safety for all road users." [We Rely On Your Support]( [Queens scammers swindled as much as $80K in single shakedown, councilmember says]( City Councilmember Bob Holden said men posing as friendly contractors with Irish brogues are knocking on seniors' doors and scamming them out of five-figure sums. [Adams administration asks Albany for more red-light cameras]( The mayor is advocating for legislation that would extend the city’s existing red-light camera program and expand it to 10% of the city’s intersections. 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