Sarah Rose Reynolds Makes Fringe Debut With SQUIRREL!

When artist Sarah Rose Reynolds started writing a show about her experience, she realized three poignant things about her life: 1) Her ADHD made it extremely hard for her to stick with anything; 2) She's never been comfortable with her gender and feels more like a 12-year-old boy who'd rather make fart jokes than take responsibility; and 3) She's spent way too much money on psychics to plan her future, hoping the answers would magically appear for her...without having to do any work.

This introspection and more are part of her highly acclaimed solo show SQUIRREL!!! playing this June at the Lounge Theatre as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

SQUIRREL!!! follows a quirky, nutty girl as she fearlessly confronts her battles with ADHD, while facing the unbearable challenges of adulthood. Through amusing and moving stories, artist Sarah Rose Reynolds takes the audience on a humorous (and sometimes painful) journey as she grapples with her sexuality, career decisions, and the difficult task of learning to think before she speaks.

"It's been an unconventional life," Reynolds said. "In the last few years, I've become very aware of how little I've accomplished in my life because of this disorder, as I look at my peers who had steady careers, relationships and families, owned homes, traveled, etc. This has been a chronic issue for me my whole life and looking at all these things actually motivated me to fight the disorder and put this show up."

Directed by solo show pro Jessica Lynn Johnson, SQUIRREL!!! features Reynolds playing a number of characters with a wide age and gender range. A long time musician, she brings her singing and guitar skills to the stage, as well as an original (quite comical) rap. Reynolds is rather new to the stage and her energy, enthusiasm, and infectious rookie charm made the world premiere ofSQUIRREL!!! widely acclaimed at SoloFest earlier this year. Because of the show's success, Reynolds decided to try her luck at Fringe.

She also wanted to reach a wider audience to help spread a very important message.

"I wrote the show for therapeutic reasons, and to show people that I wasn't a loser, but rather that I have a neurological disorder that has made life extremely challenging for me," she said. "But also, beyond laughing and being entertained, I'm also hoping people leave my show with more of an understanding about people with ADHD. I hope those with ADHD can find comfort I knowing they're not alone and those that know someone with ADHD will learn compassion for those that might seem to be unmotivated, unfocused, undisciplined and impulsive.