Interview: Brian Leonard of THERAPIST ZERO at The Hudson Guild Theater @ Hollywood Fringe Festival

I am writing for Broadway World Los Angeles to reintroduce you to BRIAN LEONARD and his critically acclaimed solo performance, THERAPIST ZERO, at the jewel of the crown location for the Hollywood Fringe Festival as a main event during June 8-14th 2026.

Brian is an award-winning writer and performer known for his intelligent, darkly funny style. His diverse career includes over a decade of national stand-up touring and writing for A-list talent such as JASON SUDEIKUS, Mindy Kaling, and Ellen Degeneres. He has also optioned series to Universal Television and served as a story consultant for Pixar. Brian took ten minutes out of his hectic touring schedule to answer ten questions in ten minutes for this Broadway World Los Angeles' writer, Gavin Glynn:

Where has been the longest place you have hung your famous hat?

I’ve lived in Northern California for 40 years now, which I believe means I’m legally allowed to call myself a native. My wife, daughter, and I have been in Oakland for 21 years, making it the longest I’ve ever stayed at one address. Before that, my wife and I spent nine years in San Francisco, but eventually we felt we weren’t getting enough street crime. So we moved to Oakland and solved that problem.  When I first came west from Chicago, I landed in East Palo Alto, which in the 1980s carried the unfortunate distinction of being the murder capital of the United States. From there I moved to Atherton, which was - and still is - the wealthiest ZIP codes in America. I didn’t really belong in either place. In fact, I may be the only person who ever moved from East Palo Alto to Atherton without the phrase “alleged cartel member” appearing somewhere in the story. Looking back, it was excellent preparation for a show about trying to figure out where you belong. I've spent most of my life feeling slightly out of place everywhere.

Is there a difference between NY, SF, Oak, Brighton and La LA Land?  Has your piece cut thru the carbon prints and elicited similar responses?

I just finished a festival in Brighton, England, and it reminded me how dangerous it is to judge a show by the number of laughs. I used to do stand-up there, so I thought I understood British audiences. My first performance of Therapist Zero was so quiet I could practically hear people processing their childhoods. I think I got four laughs all night. Five if I’m being generous.It completely rattled me. But afterward people stayed to talk. And after my 2nd performance I got several very nice reviews. One reviewer seemed to understand the story better than I did. He pointed out themes and connections I hadn't consciously recognized but that felt absolutely right.  What I've found in New York, San Francisco, and now Brighton is that audiences express themselves differently, but they respond to the same things: honesty, vulnerability, and stories that reflect something back to them. Some audiences laugh more, some sit in silence, some want to talk afterward. The reaction may look different, but the connection feels remarkably similar.

It breaks new ground as a pragmatic approach to an abstract problem...is this a result of growing up in sensible Midwest but blossoming on the progressive West Coast?

Probably. I grew up in a blue-collar family in the Midwest. My dad was an electrician, and the prevailing philosophy was: if something is broken, fix it. If it can't be fixed, stop complaining about it and get back to work.  Then I moved to California, where people are perfectly comfortable spending an hour discussing their relationship with a houseplant.So I seem to have landed somewhere in the middle. I'm interested in feelings, but I also want to know what to do with them. That's one of the ideas behind Therapist Zero. A lot of conversations about mental health stay very abstract. I'm less interested in endlessly analyzing a problem than figuring out how to live with it, navigate it, or occasionally laugh at it.  And as much as it pains me to admit it, I've always been a sensitive guy. There, I said it. Forty years in California and apparently that's what finally happened to me.

What has been the immediate reaction of your wife, siblings but most importantly the focus of your subject matter, your daughter?

My wife has been incredibly supportive. My siblings have mostly reacted the way siblings do: "Wait, you're telling that story?"  The person I worried about most was my daughter, because she's at the center of much of the show. She's also an intensely private person. When I first told her I was thinking about creating Therapist Zero, I asked for her honest thoughts and approval before I wrote a word. To my surprise, she cautiously agreed.  Later, when I had a working draft, I handed her a copy of the script and a red Sharpie. I told her I would perform the show for her privately. If there was a word, a sentence, a page - anything at all - that made her uncomfortable, she should mark it up. No explanations needed. It would be cut.  So I performed the show in our living room.  Some of the stories are difficult. By the end, there were tears in her eyes. Frankly, there were tears in mine, too. Then she handed the script back to me.  Not a single mark.  She said, "I wouldn't change a word."  As a writer, that was gratifying. As her father, it meant everything.

It seems the multi-camera comedy is dead but the single camera comedy is thriving on streaming...how would THERAPIST ZERO work as a single camera comedy...by breaking the fourth wall in a mockumentary series as ABBOTT ELEMENTARY or  even with voice over guidance of SEX AND THE CITY?

I've always loved that technique. George Burns was doing it decades ago (in reruns, I should add—I’m old, but not that old). Then there was The Garry Shandling Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Fleabag, and so many others. When it works, it creates this wonderful conspiracy between the character and the audience.In a way, Therapist Zero already operates like that. It's a theatrical piece, but I'm constantly speaking directly to the audience, letting them into my thought process, questioning my own decisions, occasionally admitting that I may be the least qualified person to be telling this story.If it were adapted for television, I suspect it would lean more toward Fleabag than Abbott Elementary. Less mockumentary, more direct confession. The humor comes from someone trying very hard to make sense of events while simultaneously demonstrating that he may not have the faintest idea what he's doing.  Which, now that I think about it, is also a pretty accurate description of parenthood.

Broadway hit productions SIX, EVERY BRILLIANT THING, THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, and BEYOND THE FRINGE made transformative leaves from fringe festivals to Broadway...is this end game for THERAPIST ZERO?

I’d love that. A residency would be ideal - somewhere I could really develop the piece further and let it live in a room for a while instead of just moving it from venue to venue.There’s been a sniff of interest from a theatre company in New York, and a couple of Bay Area theatres have a strong history of supporting solo work, so there are conversations happening. Nothing I’d call a Broadway trajectory yet, but I’ve also learned never to rule anything out completely.  What those shows you mentioned have in common is that they didn’t start as “end games.” They started as people in small rooms trying to figure out what they were making. Therapist Zero still feels like that kind of piece to me. If it grows into something larger, great. If it doesn’t, I’m still interested in seeing how far it can be pushed in its current form.

If one adds an exclamation mark to THERAPIST ZERO! it would make an excellent libretto for a fringe festival musical...do you know a composer because you already have the lyrics?

Is that a reference to the movie Blue Moon? --  “Oklahoma!” ? (Showboat!)

No, there’s no composer in the mix. I appreciate the assumption that I’ve secretly been writing a libretto all along. That feels generous, if slightly alarming.  I was actually cast in two different musicals in San Francisco, which I mention only because both had the same arc: I rehearsed my number for weeks, got reasonably comfortable pretending I was a musical theater performer, and then at some point the director would come over and say, “Ummm… Brian, we’re running a little long. We’re going to have to cut your number.”So I suppose in a way, I’ve already had my Broadway experience. It just happened off-Broadway, off-off   Broadway, and ultimately… off the show entirely.

 Today's U.S. society is struggling terribly with gentle parenting, some even made it a  hot point for the presidential election by promising to close off the borders to stop their kids from recreational drugs but you are suggesting a daring and innovative approach to parenting which worked for you...were you nervous about taking it public? is is it family exploitation for good material or raising awareness about a not talked about approach in modern parenting.

I was definitely aware of the tension around parenting styles. Anytime you write about family - especially your child - you’re walking a line between honesty and overexposure.For me, the guiding principle was consent and care. My daughter had full visibility into the material and the ability to cut anything she was uncomfortable with. That mattered more than anything else.  I’m not trying to make a case for a “new approach” to parenting so much as reflect on what happens in real families when things are complicated, imperfect, and still ultimately grounded in love. If there’s anything worth sharing publicly, it’s that complexity—not a system or a model.

Why have your some of your shows sold out and standing room only? Is the writing this relatable? (Ellen Degeneres Netflix special fell flat because it was unrelatable).

Not all the shows have sold out, but I am proud of the writing and the response it’s gotten. It’s a deeply personal story, but I do think it has a fairly universal entry point.  I try not to be too grand about it, but most parents recognize some version of these experiences: raising a child, trying to do it well, and carrying whatever unfinished business you bring from your own childhood into that process. My daughter once said to me, “Dad, I hate these stories about your childhood. They never end well,” which I think is a pretty fair review of my early life.  More broadly, I think the show resonates with parents of neurodiverse children, or kids dealing with mental health challenges, or really anyone who’s ever felt like a square peg in a world that prefers round holes. At its core, it’s about trying to understand each other across those gaps.

What is your ask with this production?  A Netfix comedy special, TED Talk, feature film, or a parenting podcast?  

It’s funny you mention a podcast. I was thinking the other day that what the world really needs is one more podcast. I think we’re running out.   But I would just do one episode. It would essentially be an audio recording of the show itself. So it would be a podcast with a very strict auto-cancellation policy.

Brian Leonard's current show, Therapist Zero, is directed by Ken Sonkin, in a raw and deeply human production that recently completed a limited Off-Broadway run and was named a San Francisco Chronicle “Critic’s Pick.” The performance traces Brian’s two-decade journey parenting an emotionally volatile daughter through a confounding mental health system, while reflecting on his own unconventional Southside Chicago childhood.

Brian's writing  has received high praise from parents, mental health professionals, and critics alike:
  - TheaterMania: “…unflinching honesty, warmth, and wit.”
  - SFFringe: “…an absolute gem of a show! Leonard takes the audience on an unforgettable journey.”

Hollywood Fringe Festival Details:

Runs
Mon, Jun 08 – Sun, Jun 14
Mon June 8 -- 6:30pm
Thu June 11 -- 6:30pm
Fri June 12 -- 8:30pm
Sat June 13 -- 5:15pm
Sun June 14 -- 3:00pm

Special Show Info:
Running time: 60 minutes.

Tix $25

Press: Sandra Kuker PR

sjkukerpr@gmail.com

IP Development: Brian Leonard 

https://www.therapistzero.com/

Hudson Guild Theatre:
6539 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA  90038
Valet Parking
Area Map

Special Theatre Info:
Wheelchair Access
The theatre has concessions.

Dining:

Eat This Cafe! (inside lobby)

Hudson Theater Coffee Shop  (Next Door)

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Off-Broadway Play - Top 3

1. A Christmas Carol (Thorne Adaptation) - PAC NYC

7.5% of votes

2. Prince F****t - Playwrights Horizons

5.9% of votes

3. Andre De Shields is Tartuffe - House of the Redeemer

4.8% of votes

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