Naked Empire Bouffon Company Presents HOW TO CATCH A KAREN at The San Francisco Fringe

Two-time Best of Fringe Winners, Naked Empire Bouffon Company, return with their latest production, HOW TO CATCH A KAREN. This original and irreverent one-person comedy satirizes white fragility among progressives. HOW TO CATCH A KAREN performs at the San Francisco Fringe Festival from September 10th through the 17th.

HOW TO CATCH A KAREN begins in the EXIT Theatre where the immortal trickster witch, Baba Yaga, seems to have been expecting you. With equal parts cheeky sass and ominous ritual, she leads the audience through a fast-paced and interactive exorcism of "Karens". But she's not just looking for any generic Karen; Baba Yaga's specialty is finding the most insidious, in-denial Karens of all: the progressive Karen. She whisks spectators to familiar worlds where progressive Karens thrive unchecked, like instagram feeds, kinky parties, immigrant households, college campuses, tech conferences, fringe theatre festivals, and even tear ducts themselves. HOW TO CATCH A KAREN is a tour de force of shapeshifting, charm, and savagery as Baba Yaga makes it clear that catching progressive Karens is dangerous, wildly fun, and crucial for a more just future.

This premiere is an adaptation of a live streaming production Naked Empire presented in 2021 with the same title. With several new scenes and audience interactions, this production offers a significantly different experience while preserving the original central character and social commentary that made the streaming version a hit.

Co-creator and performer, Sabrina Wenske says, "I am excited to complicate the popular stereotypes of a 'Karen'. We've all seen the entitled tantrums, that iconic wedge haircut, and the weaponization of whiteness. Most of us believe we'd never behave like that. This show challenges that belief and looks at the potential for Karen-like tendencies inside all of us."