Banjo & Bongo Productions to Present THE LAST AUDITION at NYC Fringe Festival

Banjo & Bongo Productions will present The Last Audition, written and performed by Paul Shearman and directed by David St John, as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York.

The production will take place at Chain Theatre Mainstage (312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018) with performances on Wed April 1 at 7:40pm, Sun April 5 at 12:20pm, Thu April 9 at 6pm, Wed April 15 at 6pm & The Fri April 17 at 7:40pm. Tickets ($25) are available for advance purchase here. The performance will run approximately 55 minutes. Performances will also be available to livestream.

Under the glow of a single ghost light, a once-renowned Shakespearean actor rehearses for a final audition for King Lear. As memory falters and reality intrudes, the stage becomes both refuge and reckoning. The Last Audition is a darkly funny, deeply human solo play about identity, legacy, and the quiet, complicated love between those who perform and those who care for them. The creative team includes Voice Director Maile Cannon.

Paul Shearman (Writer/Performer) is an established playwright whose work spans award-winning short films, stage plays, and 48-hour film festival projects. His writing is known for its strong character focus, emotional honesty, and exploration of memory, identity, and human resilience. With The Last Audition, Shearman tackles his most ambitious project to date: a 60-minute solo play that deepens his interest in intimate storytelling and theatrical truth. He also performs the role, bringing a lived-in understanding of language and character to the work.

David St John (Director) is an award winning writer/director of short play competitions, as well as a multiple award winner in the 48 Hour Film Project in China and South Korea. He has been a director or assistant director of projects ranging from Pinter’s “The Dumb Waiter” to full cast productions of “The Wiz” and "Little Shop of Horrors". He lives in Beijing, China, where he has been the stage manager and technical director for several shows presented by Middle Kingdom Creatives. In 2024, David adapted "A Christmas Carol" into a hilariously anachronistic retelling of the Charles Dickens classic. He is also a past president of the Gwangju Performance Project, one of South Korea's largest and longest running theatre groups.

Banjo & Bongo Productions is an independent theatre and screen production company dedicated to developing original, character-driven work. The company focuses on intimate storytelling with emotional depth, minimal staging, and strong narrative craft, creating projects designed for festivals and touring.