APOLOHOLICS to Premiere at New York Fringe Festival This April
Mary Corigliano's new play explores the world of chronic apologizers at The Chain Theatre during the New York Fringe Festival
Playwright and performer Mary Corigliano will premiere her new play Apoloholics: Based on True Stories of People Who Apologize Too Much this April as part of the New York Fringe Festival at The Chain Theatre's Main Stage.
Blending humor and emotional honesty, Apoloholics is a dramatic comedy inspired by more than twenty real-life stories from people who struggle with chronic over-apologizing. The play unfolds within an AA-style support group for people who apologize too much, where characters begin to question why they have spent so much of their lives saying "sorry."
Corigliano, who comes from the world of sketch comedy, has spent the past decade headlining sketch comedy festivals across the country. The concept for Apoloholics first began years ago as a sketch in one of her comedy shows. The sketch, centered on a support group for chronic apologizers, quickly became a crowd favorite with audiences.
Over time, Corigliano began to realize the idea held deeper emotional resonance beyond the original comedic premise.
Many people, she discovered, spend their lives apologizing for things they should never have to apologize for: taking up space, asking for what they need, or simply being themselves.
To develop the play, Corigliano began collecting stories from chronic apologizers in her own life, conducting conversations to better understand their experiences and the emotional journeys behind their habits. She also invited strangers to submit their own stories of apologizing online, many of which were incorporated into the script.
The result is a show shaped by many voices and lived experiences.
Structured as a series of monologues interwoven with scenes from the support group, each story explores a different kind of chronic apologizer and the moment when they begin to question their lifelong instinct to say "sorry."
The production features four female actors - Mary Corigliano, Marguerite A. Boone, Gabby Franco Ferro, Blair Tate, and voiceover artist Terri Corigliano as the Counselor - alongside resident male actor Zack Watson, who portrays all of the male roles. Together, the cast brings these stories to life through humor, vulnerability, and a wide range of characters. The creative team includes Mary Corigliano (writer), Nora Alexander (director), and Caitlin Malczon (stage manager).
At its core, Apoloholics explores the hidden cost of over-apologizing while celebrating the journey toward self-acceptance. Through moments that are both funny and deeply relatable, the play invites audiences to reflect on their own relationship with apology, identity, and self-worth.
Apoloholics: Based on True Stories of People Who Apologize Too Much will run April 1, 8, 11, and 13 at The Chain Theatre's Main Stage as part of the New York Fringe Festival.
Tickets are $20 in person and $10 for livestream and are available at www.apoloholics.org.
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