CHIP ON HER SHOULDER Makes NYC Debut in April

Off With Their Heads Productions will present Chip on her Shoulder performed by Victoria Nieves and written and directed by Jen McAuliffe. The production will be presented as part of the 2026 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at Chain Theatre (312 W 36th St. 4th floor, New York, NY 10018) with performances on Sun April 5 at 5:35pm, Mon April 6 at 6:15pm, Thu April 9 at 6:15pm, Fri April 10 at 6:15pm & Fri April 17 at 6:15pm.

The performance will run approximately 60 minutes. Performances will also be available to livestream. 

Fresh off a successful Melbourne Fringe Festival Australian run with rave reviews, Chip On Her Shoulder premieres in a new US reworking, making its New York and US debut this April at the Chain Theatre as part of the New York City Fringe Festival.

Written and directed by Jen McAuliffe, Chip On Her Shoulder is a fearless, funny, and painfully relatable one-woman play following Angela, a nurse who has uprooted her life and moved to New York City while chasing a Broadway dream. While everyone else is journaling their feelings and attending reformer pilates, Angela is just trying not to completely lose it… one salty snack at a time.

This US reiteration will star Victoria Nieves, a force in the Capital Region theatre scene, who brings her bold, emotionally grounded performance to Angela’s story of audition rooms, trauma shifts, dating disappointments and snack-fuelled self-reckonings. Angela isn’t bitter… she’s just a little bit salty.

Developed under the mentorship of Steve Leff (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Two and a Half Men), whom McAuliffe met while working in TV, the play struck a powerful chord with Australian audiences and critics alike.

Whether you’re more Ruffles than Kettle or Pringles than Doritos, Chip On Her Shoulder takes audiences on a sharp and intimate journey through ambition, heartbreak, and the rituals we use to cope. It’s a play for anyone who has cried in a work bathroom, eaten their feelings one chip at a time, or carried the emotional weight of a family-size bag on their shoulders.

“I wanted to write something for women who’ve held everything together while falling apart,” said McAuliffe. “Who cry in the car after a twelve-hour shift, fantasise about reinvention, and still believe in love. I wanted to make something funny and truthful and a little bit cathartic.”

“I’m really looking forward to tackling this one-woman show and telling this story through my perspective as a Latina,” said Victoria Nieves. “It has all the feels,  it’s raw, funny, exhausting, and deeply human. I can’t wait to bring Angela’s story to life on stage.”