Caroline Dunn to Bring PRUDENCE PLAY to the Flea Theater
Prudence Play (or Sister Prudence is Not Gay!), directed by Frances Rippy, stars a young Catholic nun having a gay-as-hell identity crisis.
After an Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut with multiple sold out shows, writer and performer Caroline Dunn is bringing her one-woman-show Prudence Play to New York City for its official U.S. and New York premiere at The Flea Theater from January 7-11, 2026.
Prudence Play (or Sister Prudence is Not Gay!), directed by Frances Rippy, stars a young Catholic nun having a gay-as-hell identity crisis. From her fever dreams of tap dancing, or her hot and heavy thoughts during the Lenten fish fry, she's having a moment. She's waking up to feelings for a fellow sister, wrestling with her every belief, and confessing a lot. As memories from her past resurface and her dreams get more sinful, Prudence begins to question the voice in her head and is forced to confront her (horny) (gay) demons.
"I needed a way beyond stand up and storytelling to explore my specific experience and catholic upbringing as I embraced my queerness," says Dunn. "Then one day a very gay, very repressed memory came out in a freewrite. Prudence Play was born!"
She emphasized that this project has allowed her to creatively explore two of her favorite themes: lesbian stuff and Catholic trauma. "It's personal, of course, but also very universal for anyone who's been denied the right to just exist as who they are, by their communities or by their own selves. I know just how well this resonates with audiences, making them laugh and making them feel seen, and I can't wait to share Prudence," she said.
Caroline Dunn is a Brooklyn-based writer, performer, and comedian. She's known for her live and often sold-out comedy shows Late Night Variety Tonight: LIVE! (Littlefield, Club Cumming) and Gay Ass Storytelling Show (at The Bell House) and stand up, improv, and sketch performances across the city. Her writing has received many workshops and readings in the U.S., including at New York's The Tank and Workshop Theatre's residency. Her play Holy Sh*t won the 2021 E.W. Miller Award for Drama. Prudence Play had its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025. Dunn plans to tour the show across multiple cities in the U.S. and U.K., and eventually adapt Prudence Play into a feature or episodic mini-series.
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