ADAM DRIVER To Premiere At NYC Fringe

Adam Driver written and directed by Frances Smith and Co-directed by Francesca Bolam will be presented as part of the 2025 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at Chain Theatre (312 West 36th Street) with performances on (APRIL 5th,7th,13th & 19th). Tickets ($25 sliding scale) are available for advance purchase at www.frigid.nyc. The performance will run approximately 40 minutes.

Elizabeth, a young woman overwhelmed by the onset of an undiagnosed mental illness, finds herself in a psychiatric hospital for the first time. In this foreign and isolating environment, she crosses paths with a group of patients, each carrying their own burdens. Among them is a nurse who, with quiet empathy, offers a sense of stability that Elizabeth desperately needs. As she begins to open up and build connections with those around her, she discovers the power of vulnerability, friendship, and human connection in her own healing journey. Through these relationships, Elizabeth starts to realize that even in the most difficult moments, we have our community.

The cast will feature Jennifer Soraya Rose, (Serials The Tank, Rent Dominion Stage) John Gionis (Law and Order, New Amsterdam NBC) Shyla Idris (Run. Hide. Be Quiet, HERE Arts, 'The White Blacks', Theater For The New City) Jadzia Padilla (Butch Wicked, Brooklyn Comedy Collective) and Francesca Bolam (SBTI, VICE TV, Bloody Mary, Boston Center for The Arts, How To Brexit Gracefully, Thirdwing).

Frances Smith (Writer & Director) Frances Smith is a queer neurodivergent playwright, actor, director and makeup artist from the Rio Grande Valley. They studied at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving their B.A. in Theater and Dance in 2022. They went on to study acting under Michael Littig and Patrick Page at the Patrick Page Studio from December 2024 to February 2025. Their directing credits include Gloria (2022), and scenes from Usual Girls (2022), Love and Information (2021), and Far Away (2021). Their acting credits include Up Strung Down (2024) and Kin Song: An Ode to Disability Ancestors (2021). As a playwright, they've been working on this specific show since 2021, and first entered it in Take the Wheel Ten-Minute Play Festival, for which it was selected. Upon the festival's cancellation, they produced Adam Driver in their own festival, with help from their close friends. Since then, they've been expanding this work and are excited to have the opportunity to continue its development with the New York Fringe Festival.

Francesca Bolam (Co-Director) Francesca Bolam is a British-born, Brooklyn-based actor, writer, director and theatre maker. Some U.S. credits include SBTI (Vice TV), Bloody Mary, Boston Center for the Arts, How To Brexit Gracefully (Thirdwing) Dream Card (Court Square Theatre), Hoyt St (Theatre Row/Teatro LaTea), and Untitled Monologues: Chapter 2 (The Players Theatre). Francesca trained at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (NYC & LA) and earned a BFA in Theatre from The New School. She has collaborated with renowned organizations such as The Poetry Project and The Peace Poets. Before moving to the U.S. in 2012, she performed across the UK as part of a classical choir under the direction of Margaret Eglington MBE and appeared in numerous plays and musicals with various theatre companies. Drawn to storytelling that amplifies untold narratives and delves into the human condition, Francesca continues to create and perform work that aims to challenge, inspire, and resonate.

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