Love In The Age Of The Incel

The creative couple behind the critically acclaimed Initiative, writer Else Went and director Emma Rose Went, return with Degenerates, a dramatic and darkly comedic exploration of incel culture and the destructive toll of their ideology. Starring Juan Arturo in a dual role of Serge/Chad, Olivia Rose Barresi as Stacy, Zachary W. Desmond as Miller, Tyler Nowell Felix as Kemp, and Christopher Dylan White as Target, the creative team includes returning collaborators from Initiative, which won a spot on Vulture’s list of 2025’s Best Theater shows, including scenic designer Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams and costume designer Kindall Houston Almond. Lighting design is by Tony and Drama Desk-nominee Jiyoun Chang, and sound design by Angela Baughman.

What Is The Story?

Deep within the bleak online incel subculture, a group of young men bond over their shared conviction that society has systematically doomed them to fail. Bound by their nihilistic philosophy that genuine connection is impossible, they have resigned themselves to toxic despair. But when an unforeseen romance starts to disturb their perceived status quo, the effect of their desolate worldview is laid bare.