FANATICAL OPTIMISM to Play New York City Fringe Festival Next Month

"Fanatical Optimism"-written and performed by Adam LeBow-will play for four performances as part of the annual New York City Fringe Festival at Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place, NYC, from April 7 through April 19 at various times. This compelling solo show is a comic rant, a heartfelt lament, and an earnest confession rolled into one, in which Adam looks at the state of the world and asks, 'how did my generation allow it to get this way?' Confronting our current "polycrisis" can feel overwhelming; Adam processes it all in a way that is as entertaining as it is insightful.

"Fanatical Optimism" began in renowned casting director Cathy Reinking's "Create Your Own Content" class for actors in Atlanta, GA and had its first incarnation in Reinking's ongoing personal storytelling showcase, In My Shoes. It has since been performed at other Atlanta venues including The Red Light Cafe; and then-upon bringing it to New York and teaming up with veteran producer/director Spider Duncan Christopher-it has played at The Mark O'Donnell Theatre at the Entertainment Community Arts Center and The Red Room at the KGB Bar. Excerpts have been performed by invitation from two different comedy impresarios: Bob Sumner-creator of HBO's Def Comedy Jam-and beloved Atlanta icon Jerry Farber.

"Fanatical Optimism"

Written and performed by Adam LeBow
Produced and directed by Spider Duncan Christopher
Developed in collaboration with Cathy Reinking

Dates:
2:00 p.m. Sunday, April 7
6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11
9:50 p.m. Monday, April 15
9:50 p.m. Friday, April 19

Location: Under St. Marks Theater, 94 St. Marks Pl., New York, NY 10009

HOW MUCH: In-person-$25 or pay-what-you-can
Livestream-$10 or pay-what-you-can

RUNNING TIME: 55 minutes

Adam LeBow is an actor/writer whose work has appeared on stages and screens across the country and around the world. Credits include film festival award-winning short "Defense Contract" which he wrote and appeared in; co-creator (book, music and lyrics) of Greenwood, a musical that premiered in the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF); he wrote the text for his portrayal of controversial director Elia Kazan in the anthology production Inside Private Lives that ran in Los Angeles, New York, and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; and has contributed sketches to various sketch comedy shows. His spoken-word creations have appeared on three of superproducer Davion Botts's albums as well as the single "Lost in Love" by recording artist Brendalynn McKinney. Born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, Adam attended Yale College, misspent his adulthood in many different places, and now resides in Westchester County with his wife-producer Lisa Reich and two dogs.

Spider Duncan Christopher is a multi-hyphenate creative who has been recognized by Marquis Who's Who for his achievements in the performing arts. An accomplished actor, singer, dancer, director, choreographer and producer, his work has been seen on numerous stages across the country and abroad. In his roles as master teacher, coach and mentor, he has had an impact on many others who have gone on to successful careers in theater, film and television. Spider has taught acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse and co-founded the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, with renowned master teacher William Esper. He was the choreographer and assistant director on the original production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at The Actors Studio; and was the co-founder, original artistic director, and choreographer of Infinity Dance Theater Company. He formed Spidercorp-which he calls "an eight-legged organization"-in order to expand his contributions in all his areas of expertise.

Cathy Reinking has been working as a casting director since the early '90s, working on Frasier, Arrested Development, and many other shows and pilots on NBC, CBS, ABC, The CW, and Fox. She also served as NBC's Manager of Casting, overseeing many pilots including The Office, and holds a degree in theatre arts from UCLA, where she graduated magna cum laude. Recent credits include Insatiable, New Amsterdam, Manifest, and The Village. Cathy is also an award-winning content creator and urges actors to do the same. Projects she has written and produced include the brand-new play Hardball recently produced in Atlanta, where she now lives. She is also the author of three books: How To Book Acting Jobs 3.0; A True Hollywood Cancer Story; and Little Lucky Girl: Secrets of Superman. Cathy has led workshops all around the world, including recent stints in Australia and London. Her passion is helping actors create their own content in order to showcase great talent and new stories.

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