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Review: Laughs Find a Way: "Hold on to Your Butts" is Comic Craft for All

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Hold on to Your Butts Created by Recent Cutbacks Directed by Kristin McCarthy Parker Performed by Nick Abeel , Kerry Ipema , and Natalie Rich (cast performing in rotation) Foley by Blair Busbee and Kelly Robinson Presented at  SoHo Playhouse as part of the International Fringe Encore Series 15 Vandam Street, Manhattan, NYC February 7–March 15, 2026 Natalie Rich and Nick Abeel. Photo by JT Anderson. Few contemporary films (or film franchises) are as synonymous with spectacle as 1993’s Jurassic Park , the legacy of which (perhaps ironically) rests on the promise that maximum technology, budget, and scale are how we fill cinemas, VOD streaming queues, and a couple of strategically-located theme parks. This is how we entertain the masses. Hold on to Your Butts , now playing at SoHo Playhouse, takes that premise and promise seriously, only to invert it. What emerges is not a simple skewering of bloated budget blockbuster culture, but something warmer and more revealing, a reminder th...
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News: Solo Show "A Baby For Me? No Thank You, Please!" to Play 2026 NYC Fringe

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A Baby For Me? No Thank You, Please! , written and performed by Bailey Swilley and directed by Desmond Thorne, will be presented as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at The Rat NYC (68-117 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201) with performances on Fri April 3 at 8:10pm, Mon April 6 at 6:30pm, Tue April 14 at 9:50pm & Thu April 16 at 9:50pm.  When everyone in her life pressured Bailey to have a baby, she spent a lot of time questioning, researching, and agonizing over what was wrong with her—until she found the answer, inside her guts—at the gyno’s office. This solo comedy explores what it means to sift through the gunk and finally trust your inner voice! Swilley is a writer and comedian based in Brooklyn, whose stories have been featured on RISK! , Story Collider , Love Hurts ,   and more. She is a Moth StorySLAM winner and her solo shows, Gimme a Sign! and Don’t Tell Our Bosses , were both critically acclaimed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Swil...
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News: Justin Avery Smith to Perform "Revenge of the Soy Boy" at 2026 NYC Fringe

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Revenge of the Soy Boy , written and performed by Justin Avery Smith and directed by Jacob Musgrove, will be presented as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at UNDER St. Marks (94 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009) with performances on Sat April 4 at 2pm, Mon April 6 at 6:30pm, Sun April 12 at 7pm, Mon April 13 at 9:50pm & Sun April 19 at 5:20pm. After being heavily mocked online by Star Wars fans in 2025, Justin now uses Star Wars as an intersection for personal comedic stories that also provide personal and social commentary about the galaxy far, far away, our own world, and discovering what his place is in all that. Nerds, LGBTQ+, neurodiverse, film buffs/cinephiles (especially Star Wars fans), anyone who can appreciate pop culture, and anyone who has struggled in the past ten years with their place in the world amid both political and digital unrest will enjoy this show. Justin Avery Smith (he/him) is a writer, comedian and performer based in Ce...
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News: The Antigone Project to Debut Devised Play "Thoughts & Prayers" at 2026 NYC Fringe

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The Antigone Project will present Thoughts & Prayers , written by Ibsen Santos, Aaron Michael Zook, Maddy Kelly, Prather Rehnquist, Ioanna Katsarou, Jon-Mykul Bowen, Cato Crumbley, Paige Hapeman, Ruth Łchav'aya K'isen Miller, Barbara Moreno, and Dustin Bussman, and directed by Ibsen Santos, as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at the Chain Theatre Mainstage (312 W 36th St, FL 3 & 4, New York, NY 10018) with performances on Thu April 2 at 6pm, Mon April 6 at 6pm, Mon April 13 at 6pm & Sat April 18 at 7pm.  In a society benumbed by senseless tragedy, survivors of an act of mass violence struggle with the ritualized return to normalcy. Thoughts & Prayers , developed and written collaboratively by The Antigone Project, is a theatrical experience that confronts teen isolation, sexual abuse, and gun violence wrapped in a red, white, and blue veneer. The cast will feature Clarita De Gennaro, Maddy Kelly, Aaron Michael Zook, Ioanna Kats...
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News: Mary Corigliano 's "Apoloholics" to Play 2026 NYC Fringe

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Apoloholics , written by Mary Corigliano and directed by Nora Alexander, will be presented as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at the Chain Theatre Mainstage (312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018) with performances on Wed April 1 at 6pm, Wed April 8 at 7:40pm, Sat April 11 at 10:20pm & Mon April 13 at 7:40pm.  Apoloholics is a heartfelt and humorous exploration of people who have spent their lives apologizing for simply existing. What happens when they try to reclaim their voices? Through a series of witty, poignant, and relatable stories inspired by real-life experiences, the play confronts the hidden cost of self-doubt while celebrating the journey toward self-acceptance. Perfect for anyone who's ever said "I'm sorry" a few too many times. Written by life-long apoloholic, Mary Corigliano. The cast will feature Mary Corigliano, Marguerite A. Boone, Gabby Franco Ferro, Blair Tate, and Zack Watson. The creative team inclu...
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News: South Asian SNL Reimagining "Desi SNL" to Play 2026 NYC Fringe

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Azhar-Bande Ali, a New York–based comedian whose work has been compared to Hasan Minhaj and Mike Birbiglia by critics, will present Desi SNL , written, directed, and produced by Azhar Bande-Ali in partnership with Shreya Thakur and media host and storyteller Sandalina Sattar as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at wild project (195 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009) with performances on Fri April 3 at 6pm, Mon April 6 at 7:40pm, Mon April 13 at 6pm & Sat April 18 at 8:40pm.  Desi SNL  is an ensemble cast-driven sketch comedy show reimagining the SNL format with monologues, the Weekend Update segment, and original skits rooted in South Asian culture— delivering sharp satire, bold performances, and unapologetically relatable takes on identity and diaspora life with an ensemble cast of TBA South Asian talent. Lead writer, director, and co-producer Bande-Ali has won multiple Moth StorySLAMs and earned Best Comedy awards for his specials Curr...
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News: Solo Show "The Third Choice" to Play 2026 NYC Fringe

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 Chaturbox Productions will present The Third Choice written, directed and performedby Tahir “Tai” Chatur as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at The Rat NYC (68-117 Jay St, Brooklyn, NY 11201), with performances on Thu April 2 at 6:30pm, Fri April 3 at 6:30pm, Mon April 13 at 8:10pm & Sat April 18 at 10:20pm. The Third Choice chronicles therapist-comedian Tahir “Tai” Chatur’s journey through identity and belonging, shaped by a lifelong reluctance to choose. From rural Kenya to even more rural Canada, this solo show blends stand-up, storytelling, and therapy, walking with you through culture, faith, and the exhausting life of a chronic yes-man. The Third Choice is a show that lets you be your complicated and multiple identity selves. From Muslims that celebrate Christmas to the New Yorkers that listen to country music this family-friendly show is a welcome home. From viral therapy-sketch storyteller to the Fringe stage, Tahir “Tai” Chatur mak...
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News: Rachel Lin ("Law & Order: Organized Crime") Debuts Solo Show "Dear John" at HERE Arts Center March 6-19

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Rachel Lin in Dear John at Brick Aux, 2023. Directed by Nana Dakin. Photo by Marcus Middleton. Dear John , written by and starring Rachel Lin ( Law & Order: Organized Crime , NYTW 2050 Fellow) will run March 6–19, 2026 in the Dorothy B. Williams Theater at HERE Arts Center. Dear John is directed by Tara Elliott, produced by Emily Kleypas and Kelly Letourneau, and co-produced by Ben Natan and AJ Liu with Small Boat Productions. It’s 2011, and a recent college graduate is trying to move out of her mom’s house (with little hope and no prospects) when she receives a message from a mysterious stranger named John on Facebook. Dear John is a solo show based on a true story about what happens when a long-absent father finds his not-quite-adult daughter through a social networking website. Weaving together Facebook DMs, recorded interviews, and anecdotes of growing up undocumented in New York’s Chinatown, Dear John is a coming-of-age story delightfully told by writer and performer Rachel ...
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