On Sept. 15, 2026, producer Cary Hoffman staged a workshop and rehearsal of the avant pop opera “I’m Killin’ ‘Em: A Comic’s Opera” at the AMT Theater in New York.

The new opera is currently in search of a director to lead a limited Off Broadway run. The work is composed and written by Hoffman and was inspired by the composer’s friendship with comedian Bernie Travis and a statistic citing that a child is sexually abused somewhere every nine minutes. The work explores a comedian character grappling with unresolved trauma from childhood abuse.

Per an invite for the event, financing for the Off Broadway production was already in place at the time of the workshop and an excerpt of the opera’s orchestrated score had also been made available for listening prior to the workshop.

Hoffman wrote and composed the album “What’s a Nice Country Like You Doing in a State Like This?” as well as  songs written for film and television projects at Columbia Pictures, NBC, and ABC. He has served as executive producer of the Peabody Award winning television series “Men of a Certain Age” and was previously the owner of the Stand Up NY comedy club. He also managed and produced comedian and actor Zach Galifianakis.