Caragh Donley to Premiere HE SAID, SHE SAYS at Wild Project in April
He Said, She Says will play April 5, 7, 15, and 19 at wild project as part of 2025 New York City Fringe.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Feb. 25, 2025
Writer, performer and four-time Emmy-winning TV producer and GLAAD Award Nominee, Caragh Donley will premiere He Said, She Says, a titillating true trans tale, in New York City in April. The deeply personal and boldly humorous production features original music by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Nancy Wilson, co-founder of the iconic band Heart. Directed by acclaimed Off-Broadway artist Robert Galinsky (The Bench: A Homeless Love Story) and produced by award-winning producers Gina Rugolo Judd and Galinsky, He Said, She Says will play April 5, 7, 15, and 19 at wild project as part of 2025 New York City Fringe.
At age 63, after a lifetime of secrecy, Caragh Donley came out as transgender, choosing to embrace her true self with courage and candor. In He Said, She Says, Donley takes audiences on a journey that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, exploring themes of identity, transformation, and the resilience of the human spirit through her extraordinary life story. Donley’s Spalding Gray-esque storytelling style, infused with humor and vulnerability, challenges societal perceptions of gender while offering a profound reminder: it is never too late to embrace who you truly are.
He Said, She Says stands as a testament to the transformative power of live theater, inviting viewers to engage with the world through a lens of empathy and understanding while bridging divides and fostering a deeper connection to a shared humanity.
Caragh shared her journey of coming out as transgender on the“The Kelly Clarkson Show” where she explained how a conversation with Sharon Stone about living authentically became the catalyst for her decision to transition. During the pandemic, with time to reflect on her life, Caragh was inspired by Stone's words to commit to her truth. The supportive environment fostered by Kelly Clarkson and the show gave Caragh the courage to finally step into her authentic self.
With more than 20 years of experience in journalism and television, Caragh has written for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, People, Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, Boston Globe, TV Guide, and Emmy Magazine. Her colorful career includes sharing bologna sandwiches with an O.J. Simpson juror's family, scaling a 250-foot Brazilian church tower, and drinking with Jon Bon Jovi on a Utah mountaintop—all in pursuit of great stories.
As a senior producer for “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Caragh has been recognized with four Emmy Awards. Her behind-the-scenes credits also include “VH1’s Behind the Music,” “The Queen Latifah Show,” “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn,” and “The Martin Short Show.” Along the way, she’s authored The Can’t-idates: Running for President When Nobody Knows Your Name and co-written, I’m Screaming As Fast As I Can: My Life in B-Movies with cult icon Linnea Quigley, and You Live, You Learn: The Alanis Morissette Story.
Now a proud New Yorker, Caragh spends her free time embarrassing her children with groan-worthy puns, '80s pop music, and tales of the time Queen Latifah taught her to dance.on.
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