BIG BEAR Will Make World Premiere at Elysian Theater
The performance is Thursday, October 9, 2025.
Big Bear, written and directed by writer/performer Patrick McDonald is "a visceral farce about a millennial friend group falling apart in real-time on the last day of a big group AirBnB." This marks an exciting theatrical debut for McDonald and a huge win for independent theatre, who successfully crowdfunded for to support the production with a budget of $80,000 based on the enthusiasm and excitement of over 1,000 individual backers to see original work and a cast full of Broadway actors and performers from wildly popular digital comedy performers from SMOSH, Starkid, and Dropout.
"Everybody under 40 has gone on a group trip to an AirBnB that almost ended in disaster," said McDonald. "BIG BEAR is a chance to find catharsis in all of the frustrations of modern friend groups-from constantly-active text groups to mandatory fun, I wanted to build a show that gives us a chance to laugh at the absurdities of what's required of friendship nowadays, and maybe even a chance to cry at the frustrations of feeling held back by the same people who helped you grow. We're also thrilled to be able to offer a digital ticket for this production, so new works can be accessible for all who want to see it."
Along with McDonald, the play stars Kimia Behpoornia (Dropout, Abbot Elementary), Angela Giarratana (SMOSH), Sydney Heller (Syd & Olivia Talk Shit), Lauren Lopez (Starkid), Jon Matteson (Starkid), Oscar Montoya (Dropout), Chris Renfro (Oh, Mary!), Joey Richter (Starkid), and Emily Skeggs (Tony-nominee, Fun Home).
SYNOPSIS: BIG BEAR follows nine friends from college on the final day of a weekend trip during the hour-and-a-half between wake-up and checkout-can they clean the rental and air out their dirty laundry before 11am, or is their friend group as trashed as the living room?
Producers are Cara Christian, and Laser Webber and Alexandra Dennis for Laservision. Production Design by KC McGeorge.
In-person and digital tickets are on sale now.
Patrick McDonald (writer, director, Lou) - Patrick McDonald is a queer director, writer, actor, comedian, and host from Mansfield, Texas. From 2022-2023, Patrick was the Creative Director for the popular YouTube sketch channel SMOSH, single-handedly producing, writing and directing over 55 videos in his time there that accrued over 50 million views. Patrick has also written multiple branded digital web series for companies like Modern Animal and Imprompt, as well as writing on ad campaigns for United Airlines, Chase Bank, Nike, Solidcore, and Innovation Refunds. Patrick has done digital comedy consulting for companies like Stone Kite and DPN, and teaches a college course in digital comedy creation at Emerson College (his alma mater) as part of their Comedic Conservatory program. Last year, Patrick's short film I Live In Your House-which he wrote, directed, and starred in-was released to viral acclaim, garnering over 650,000 views on YouTube and over 1,000 reviews on Letterboxd. He is also the co-host of the successful improvised Hollywood roundtable podcast "Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists" which has been featured in Vulture and The Guardian. Other credits include Melon's House Party (Wondery), The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS), and various videos for FunnyOrDie and CollegeHumor/Dropout. As an actor, Patrick has been in Justice League: The Snyder Cut, Army of the Dead, and AM I OK?. In his spare time, Patrick is a radio DJ on Sirius XM for Jimmy Buffett's Radio Margaritaville (Channel 24), and has been the co-host of "Friday Nights with Patrick and Ryan" since 2021. He is represented by Rachel Heffler and Jonathan Rakower at Framework Entertainment.
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