Mike Daisey To Headline FRIGID New York's 14th Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival

FRIGID New York will present the 14th Annual Gotham Storytelling Festival, featuring a wide array of storytellers, November 4-16 at UNDER St. Marks and wild project. Some performances will also be available to livestream from home.

Now in its 14th year, the Gotham Storytelling Festival brings together a variety of storytellers with a variety of storytelling styles to do what they do best. Whether you're looking to escape into someone else's story, revisit a familiar tale, cry a little or just laugh out loud because It's always the best medicine, Gotham has something for you. Join legendary hitters and new friends for an event that's sure to alleviate some of the year's aches, or at least help to distract, transform, transport or give you some sense of hope, if only for just an hour.

Gabe Mollica: Horse Lawyer

Written & Performed by Gabe Mollica

While looking at photo albums with his mom, Comedian Gabe Mollica (This American Life, "Solo") has a panic attack about the direction of life. With no wife, kids, or house, he realizes he's behind in a big way. In fact, he hasn't been on a third date in 5 years. Perhaps some answers lie in the memories he's holding.

Tue Nov 4 at 8pm, Fri Nov 7 at 7pm & Sun Nov 16 at 6pm (wild project) 60 min

Food For Thought

Hosted by Ronna Levy

Food is so meaningful in our lives. Food is love; food is culture; food is family; food is comfort. We celebrate with food, and we mourn with food. We go to great lengths to find, buy, and create the very best food experiences for ourselves and our loved ones. And food brings us so many stories. Joins us as some of NYC's best storytellers weave seamlessly through their fantastic tales of food.

Wed Nov 5 at 8:30pm (USM) 60 min

Awkward Teenage Years

Hosted by Grant Bowen & Will Clegg

True stories about the most gloriously awkward times in our lives - our teenage years! Awkward Teenage Years brings you the best storytellers in NYC to relive their joys and traumas for your entertainment - let's laugh and reminisce together! Enjoy tales of first loves gone wrong, failing the big test, finding your tribe, learning hard lessons, and most importantly - coming of age.

Wed Nov 5 at 7pm (USM)

Paris Syndrome

Written & Performed by Brad Lawrence

After the pandemic, Brad and his wife decide to venture out into the world with a trip to Paris. This is a gift to themselves for the 13th wedding anniversary and (in Brad's mind) for how well they handled the global catastrophe of Covid-19. The only problem being that when Brad is forced to confront the actual definition of global and he has a total melt down in the most beautiful city in the world. Turns out, he's not the only one to do that. They have a name for the phenomenon, it's called Paris Syndrome.

Wed Nov 5 at 8pm (wild project) 60 min

Front Row Seats

Hosted by Tracey Starin

There's nothing like experiencing music live. Attending a concert is exhausting, enchanting, and exciting. Each show is a moment in time that cannot be captured again. Some of NYC's best Storytellers will delight you with stories about their first concerts, their best concerts, and their worst concerts.

Thu Nov 6 at 7pm (USM) 60 min

Resistance

Created & Performed by Mike Daisey

"The master storyteller" (New York Times) returns with a story that must be told. As he did a decade ago in The Trump Card, which predicted the world we live in now, Daisey tells a searing story of resistance: political, personal, and spiritual. With dark humor he digs deeply into who we are becoming, in both fear and hope, within this unbearable moment. What price will we pay to survive, and what will it mean to live through this if we do?

Thu Nov 6, Sat Nov 8, Mon Nov 10, Wed Nov 12 & Fri Nov 14 at 7pm (wild project) 90 min

Culture is an Infinite Receptacle with No Border

Written & Performed by Ivan Dalia

Ivan Dalia, pianist and entertainer, sets the stage on alight with his show "Culture is an infinite receptacle with no borders". An ironic ethno-historical journey through Italian melody. Humans need to express themselves, through tradition, ritual and art. The artist weaves a colorful tapestry of Italian music through anecdotes and stories.

Thu Nov 6 at 9pm & Sun Nov 9 at 7pm (USM) 80 min

Book Spines Broken By My Purring Cat (Working Title)

Written & Performed by Vermillion

An evening of inventive monologues, some soulful, some naughty, under the Working Title Book Spines Broken By My Purring Cat.

Thu Nov 6 at 9pm & Sat Nov 15 at 5pm (wild project) 60 min

Michele and Rhonda Power Hour!

Written & Performed by Michele Carlo and Rhoda Hansome

Michele Carlo and Rhonda Hansome take you on an hour-long ride telling truths, exposing lies, and sharing scenes from well-lived lives. Plus, it's funny!

Fri Nov 7 at 7pm, Sat Nov 15 at 7pm & Sun Nov 16 at 7pm (USM) 60 min

Sportsball

Written & Performed by David Lawson

David Lawson's one-man show about corporate welfare, "sportswashing," eminent domain, racist team names, and all the other things that get in the way of a community-oriented, cheer-filled, barrier-breaking good night out at the game.

Fri Nov 7 at 8:30pm (USM) 60 min

The Infinite Wrench

Presented by New York Neo-Futurists

The Infinite Wrench is a barrage of 30 short plays the cast attempts to perform within a single hour. Each play offers something different, be it funny, profound, elegant, disgusting, topical, irrelevant, terrifying, or a song. All are truthful and tackle the here-and-now, inspired by the lived experiences of the performers. With new plays every week, The Infinite Wrench is the Neo-Futurists' ongoing and ever-changing attempt to shift the conventions of live performance and speak to audiences, including those unreached or unmoved by traditional theater.

Fri Nov 7 at 9:30pm, Sat Nov 8 at 9:30pm, Fri Nov 14 at 9:30pm & Sat Nov 15 at 9:30pm (wild project)

EMOJI: The Hieroglyphs Of Our Time, or how I learned to stop worrying and send the risky text ¯_(?)_/¯ ??‍??

Written & Performed by Aarushi Agni

EMOJI sold out its run at the NYC Fringe Festival this April. Part love letter, part stand-up set, and part iPhone commercial (jk), EMOJI takes us on a road trip through space and time to explore whether emoji are a uniquely universal form of communication-or a crutch in a fractured society clinging to digital crumbs of human connection. It'll have you like ??? but also like ???! In this hilarious, ADHD-friendly, and deeply moving show, Aarushi Agni-comedian and artist known for her work across comedy, storytelling, and music-blends her passions to share a philosophical and emotional understanding of the world, love, friendship, community, and the supermoon through a chaotic TED Talk/cabaret format.

Sat Nov 8 at 5pm, Sun Nov 9 at 8pm & Sun Nov 16 at 4pm (wild project) 60 min

Conquering the Canon

Written & Performed by Michael Hagins

Michael Hagins may be the only African-American artist to ever take part in every play of William Shakespeare's complete Canon. He tells the story of his work, going through the plays and the people that changed his life and guided him to this amazing feat; but as he recounts it all, he learns that with every great achievement and life changing moment, comes a great loss. Come and listen as Michael proceeds to tell his story... Shakespeare style!

Sun Nov 9 at 6pm & Thu Nov 13 at 8:30pm (wild project) 75 min

Odd Salon NYC

Odd Salon curates cocktail hour lectures highlighting strange-but-true stories from history, science, art, and adventure, live on stage, over cocktails. We bring experts and enthusiastic amateurs together to explore history's overlooked and under-told stories, from legends of lost cities to masters of art forgery, engineering failures to murderous sideshow performers, daring heists, questionable taxidermy, and tales of epic revenge. Sometimes with stick figures.

Mon Nov 10 at 7pm at Parkside Lounge (317 E Houston St, New York, NY 10002)

Ballet Flats for Dinner

Written & Performed by Bridget McGuire

Fresh off its sold out debut at The Second City in Chicago, Ballet Flats for Dinner is an autobiographical solo comedy show written and performed by Bridget McGuire. A mix of stand-up and storytelling, Ballet Flats tells the story of McGuire's life growing up with intrusive thoughts with harm, a form of OCD. From thinking she was pregnant at age 11, to wondering if she killed her friend's boyfriend at 25, to finally getting help at the ripe old age of 38, Ballet Flats will have you laughing the entire time and perhaps you'll walk away wondering, "Do I have OCD too?" (Don't worry, you probably don't.)

Tue Nov 11 at 7pm (USM) 60 min

Pearl Necklace: A Gay Sexcapade

Written & Performed by Jamie Brickhouse

On the eve of marriage-an institution Jamie resisted for 30 years-he replays his sex life, which gives new meaning to the term parks and recreation. "Pearl Necklace is funny, sharp, and a hysterical romp" through Jamie's amorous adventures in bathrooms, beaches, bookstores, and appallingly decorated apartments "delivered with a bawdy panache and a naughty sense of the comic." Called "a natural raconteur" by the Washington Post, this 6-time Moth champion's darkly comic stories of his sybaritic journey reveal his struggle to shed shame and guilt and reach self-acceptance before finally tying the knot.

Tue Nov 11 at 8pm & Sat Nov 15 at 7pm (wild project) 60 min

On Cats and Dogs and Other Family Revelations

Written & Performed by Ella Veres

On Cats and Dogs and Other Family Revelations wraps big ideas in focused stories about Ella's pets, offering glimpses of her human family and life in her place of birth, Transylvania, Romania. With her dark humor and heart, Ella takes audiences from her childhood under communist rule, to her present quirky experiences in East Harlem, using her dog and cat as reference points.

The cast will feature Ella Veres and her companion dog, Pandele, who said she's in it not for fame, but to pay her vet bills. Rosamunda, her cat, was asked to perform but declined. She'd rather lounge under the sofa than be in the limelight.

Wed Nov 12 at 7pm (USM)

Leaking: The wolves are everywhere

Written & Performed by Vianna Isbister

How do we write an ending to a story that isn't finished? Through fractured fairy tales and crafted personal stories, Vianna Isbister's show, Leaking, explores how trauma leaks into our interactions, perceptions, and futures. Topics in this solo show include generational trauma, sexual assault (non-graphic), and things your therapist might say that you shouldn't listen to.

This show is 18+ Thu Nov 13 at 7pm & Sat Nov 15 at 5pm (USM) 60 min

Penis Envy

Written & Performed by Becky Bondurant

In this critically acclaimed solo-show, monologist, writer, and English teacher Becky Bondurant threads her coming-of-age narrative through a Freudian needle, weaving from eating disorders and female org*sms to circumcision and breastfeeding against a backdrop of political crisis. Penis Envy is the culmination of more than three years of study under New York City's master monologist Mike Daisey who has described Becky as "a cross between Sylvia Plath and Mary Katherine Gallagher." Informed by her experiences as a parent, a teacher, a queer, a student of literature, and a former Catholic, Becky's stories unravel extemporaneously to undress taboo topics like sex, age, weight, othering, power, ritual, and death in a style that is raunchy, irreverent, and sharply philosophical. The 46 paintings that appear as the backdrop of Penis Envy were created in a collaboration between Becky and her two children, ages 7 and 9, over the course of three weeks leading up to the show's premiere at the Capital Fringe Festival 2024 in Washington, D.C. The show was named "Best of Fringe" by DC Theater Arts in 2024 and praised by critics such as Chris Klimek who wrote in The Washington Post, "I loved 'Penis Envy,'" and described the show as "vulnerable and true to her, funny and inviting." Penis Envy ran as part of the 2024 Philadelphia Fringe Festival and was described in The Broad Street Review as "the best kind of monologue show: finely crafted and intimately inhabited... funny, bold, poignant, sad, and transformative."

Thu Nov 13 at 7pm (wild project) 60 min

GIMME A SIGN!

Written & Performed by Bailey Swilley

GIMME A SIGN! is an autobiographical comedy written and performed by Bailey Swilley, based on a family tragedy and the strange but funny antics that ensued after. The solo show combines standup and storytelling and explores the stages of grief and the search for signs from above. Come for the ghost tour with anecdotes about haunted tampons and annoying boyfriends, stay for the life lessons on self-acceptance and growing up.

Thu Nov 13 at 8:30pm & Sun Nov 16 at 5pm (USM) 55 min

I've Grown Plenty, Thanks!

Written & Performed by Maria Bartolotta

Ever wanted to sit-in on someone's therapy session? This unafraid one-woman musical starts as a hilarious, all-too-relatable plunge into the horrors of modern dating. But when our protagonist finally dares to ask, "What's wrong with me?!" she's forced to navigate messy situationships, brutal screenshots, and unfiltered vulnerability-with the audience as her therapist and raw laughter as her lifeline.

Fri Nov 14 at 7pm (USM) 80 min

TALE: NYC's Finest Storytelling

Hosted by Harmon Leon

No hokey gimmicks. No dumb themes - For the past 12 years, TALE brings you the best in NYC's storytelling! Past storytellers include Roy Wood Jr (Daily Show), Jena Friedman (Borat), and Anthony Haden-Guest (Vanity Fair), as well as writers/performers for Conan, The Daily Show, HBO, Last Week Tonight - and beyond! Hosted by Harmon Leon (This American Life, 99 % Invisible, Edinburgh Festival).

Fri Nov 14 at 9pm (USM)

Unravelling the Storyteller in You with Pedro Carmo

A 3-Hour Storytelling Masterclass

Your life is a story. How do you want to tell it? Storytelling is both ritual and play - an art as old as humanity itself. In this three-hour Master Class, actor and theatre artist Pedro Carmo leads a creative journey to awaken imagination and explore the rhythms, gestures, and images that shape your unique way of telling a story. This is not about chasing perfection. It's about opening a space to tell your story, your way - and rediscovering storytelling as a living, communal ritual. Sat Nov 15 at 10am (wild project)

CHEAT

Written & Performed by Chloe Radcliffe

After a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Chloe Radcliffe brings her gutsy, divisive solo show to NYC for one night only. The show is about Chloe's history of cheating, the guilty secret that most would keep forever. (FYI: Coming to the show doesn't make you a cheater... actually, avoiding it seems way more suspicious...). Chloe has written on and starred in Command Z from Steven Soderbergh, has been seen on Comedy Central, and was a writer for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Sat Nov 15 at 8:30pm (USM) 60 min

The Roast of Gram Parsons

Written & Directed by Harmon Leon

Featuring Tim Hassler as Gram Parsons

A twisted storytelling musical dark comedy featuring the music of Gram Parsons - the godfather of alt-rock country - and one of the most gloriously messed-up, debauched rock 'n roll stories of all-time. A stolen corpse, cosmic country music, and one seriously botched cremation. In 1973, Gram Parsons made a pact with his tour manager, Phil Kaufman- whoever dies first, the other would cremate their body at Joshua Tree. Gram died first. Phil stole his body. It all didn't turn out as planned...