Gay Baseball Musical Comedy STRIKING OUT to Play FringeNYC

The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) a production of The Present Company presents Striking Out, a gay baseball musical comedy with book and lyrics by Adam Levin and Ryan Ford and music by Ryan Ford. Adam Levin and Ryan Ford direct a cast of 14, including Tina Arfaee, Parker Callahan, Ryan Cashman, Ben Cummings, Marcus Haugen, Hannah Ingle, Jesse Kendall, Ryan Livingston, Shelby Quinn, Rence, Kyle Ryan, Lauren Summers, Jordan Wilson, and Alex Young. Striking Out is being staged at FringeHUB, 685 Washington Street (corner of Charles Street) in NYC's West Village for five performances from October 16-21, 2018.

Baseball: It's America's pastime, a time-honored tradition, and, of course, it's gay as hell. Part Damn Yankees, part Hairspray, this musical comedy tells the story of the first straight baseball player in a world dominated exclusively by gay athletes.

Striking Out was created by two comedians (Adam Levin and Ryan Ford) who moved to Chicago to study at the city's legendary improv theaters. Like all great artists they took day jobs as bartenders in a corporate sports bar. Being forced to watch hours upon hours of ESPN, they noticed a theme of hypocrisy in professionals Sports ripe for satire. After two successful runs at The Annoyance Theatre, Striking Out was recently accepted into the NYC Fringe Festival.

Striking Out plays for five performances on the following schedule: Tuesday, October 16 @ 8:00; Thursday, October 18 @ 9:15 p.m.; Friday, October 19 @ 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, October 20 @ 9:15 p.m.; and Sunday, October 21 @ 2:30 p.m.

Tickets are $22 and can be purchased online at FringeNYC.org. For more information, please visit FringeNYC.org.

The runtime for Striking Out is two hours and fifteen minutes, which includes one intermission.

ACR: Adam Levin; Technical Director: Jacob Eugene Horn; Public Relations: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

Adam Levin (book, lyrics & co-director) is a writer/performer originally from the great state of Washington D.C. He learned how to properly wrap an extension cord at an overpriced film school in Philadelphia and spent some time in Tel Aviv before moving to Chicago to chase desperate comedy dreams. He performs all over the windy city and is a proud member of The Annoyance Theatre. He's done a bunch of festivals and shows across the country, but like feels weird bragging about it ya know? A musical he co-wrote and directed called Striking Out, is headed to NYC Fringe Festival this fall.

Ryan Ford (book, music, lyrics & co-director) is a writer, musician, and comedian living in Chicago, IL. He studied music at Berklee College of Music and Pennsylvania State University and comedy at The Second City Conservatory, CSz Theater Chicago, iO Theater, CiC Theater, and The Annoyance Theater. Ryan is an ensemble member and instructor for ComedySportz Chicago and can be seen in various theaters around the city performing improv, sketch, and music. He is the co-writer, and composer for the musical Striking Out, making its NYC debut at the 2018 New York International Fringe Festival.