(NEW YORK, NY) -- Actor, writer, director, comedian and native of the Greater Philadelphia area, Katierose Donohue Enriquez brings her one woman show, Queen of Fishtown, to the United Solo Festival in New York City for two performances on November 15th and 19th at Theatre Row Studio.
The show comes to NYC following award winning runs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Hollywood Fringe Festival, in London at the King’s Head Theatre and in Philadelphia at Play’s and Players Theatre where Katierose performed her show in the city that inspired it. Queen of Fishtown received many accolades including Firework Award for Best Character Driven Solo show (Edinburgh Fringe), Best Solo Show - Female (Hollywood Fringe) from theTVolution publication, Winner Best of Broadwater Encore award, Winner Namba Performing Arts Encore Award, Platinum Medal from theTVolution publication, Nominee for Best Solo Show (Hollywood Fringe) and Nominee for SPLASH award Female Voices.
A character driven solo show set on a stoop in Philadelphia, where humor is a defense mechanism and self-care is a punchline. Kathleen Burke's not mad that her Fishtown neighborhood has gentrified around her, but when she gets the surprise of her life at her 40th birthday party it triggers a high stakes battle to maintain her authenticity while facing even more inevitable change. Profound and profane, Queen of Fishtown is a love letter to the historically overlooked and unappreciated city of brotherly love and working class women everywhere and it's all done in a thick, distinctive Philly dialect audiences cannot get enough of right now.
Written and performed by Katierose (Alumnus Groundlings Sunday Company, MFA Harvard, American Repertory Theater, Moscow Art Theatre), the one-woman show is directed by Corey Podell (Mr. Chonkers, Gutterplum).
"Writing and performing Queen of Fishtown has been a transcendent experience, says Katierose. “From Hollywood Fringe, to Philadelphia, to London Previews, Scotland for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and finally taking it to New York City's Theatre Row for United Solo, getting to do the show each time... I get choked up just thinking about it. Self-producing is a beast and an incredible masterclass. This journey continues to astound me. It's fun and it's heartbreaking, it's the hardest thing I have ever done and, the most rewarding. I feel so grateful to tell the story of Kathleen Burke and Fishtown, Philadelphia. Where they'll crack a joke or crack a beer, but they'll never crack."
"Queen of Fishtown combines the training I received in comedy and writing with my extensive theater background,” enthuses, Katierose. "My dramatic work has always been tinged with levity, and when I’m more focused on comedy, I bring a bit of gravity. I use entertainment to trick people into feeling deeply, because sometimes that’s what it takes. I love it when jokes have a purpose, and the story has a point. That in-between vulnerability is my sweet spot and that is where Queen resides. It is the creation of which I am most proud, and I want to share it with as many people as possible."
“In this one woman show, Katierose brings Kathleen to life with a fantastic narrative of a 40-year-old woman, dealing with change to the neighbourhood she has grown up with and the dramatic changes in her own life. She also brings to life all the other characters in the plot in this truly poignant and hilarious piece of work, a somewhat Irish stubborn humour made better with the fantastic Philly accent.” – The Artiscape
"We've given Queen of Fishtown 5 stars in addition to this award. The production pushed the boundaries of character comedy/drama and was a tour-de-force performance by Katierose Enriquez. Bold and full of artistic risks that most certainly paid off." - Fringe Firework Awards
"Katierose has created such a rich world, I didn't want to leave it at the end. The crowd was so on board the entire time -- it's hard to imagine something playing better!" - Brit McAdams (writer/director of upcoming film, Paint starring Owen Wilson, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Michaela Watkins)
"Yo, don’t walk but run to see Queen of Fishtown. Katierose Enriquez is brilliant, funny & heartbreaking. It’s a wonderful show about living in Philadelphia & what makes us special, misunderstood & of course, the best sports fans ever. Head over to her page & get tickets to her wonderful show! I was smiling the whole time. It’s absolutely fantastic!" - Writer/comedian Chris Haas
Katierose Donohue Enriquez (WRITER/STAR of Queen of Fishtown) is an actor, writer, and director living in Los Angeles. She is originally from the Philadelphia area. Katierose received her MFA in Acting from The American Repertory Theater's Institute at Harvard University and The Moscow Art Theatre. When Katierose moved to Los Angeles she began studying and performing at LA’s premiere sketch and improv theater, The Groundlings… where she quickly became friends and collaborators with Corey Podell (director).
Both women were invited into the Groundlings Sunday Company -- which writes and performs a brand-new show every week. Katierose and Corey even performed in a sketch together that featured a version of the character that, more than a decade later, became the Queen of Fishtown. Her TV credits include: 2 Broke Girls (CBS), How I Met your Mother (CBS), The Comeback (HBO), Future Man (HULU), American Crime (ABC), Astronomy Club (NETFLIX) and more than a dozen national commercials.
Corey Podell (Director of Queen of Fishtown) is a Florida raised, LA based, director and performer. In addition to Queen of Fishtown, Corey directed Mr. Chonkers in 2022 and co-devised the one-woman clown show, Gutterplum -- both shows received five stars while playing to sold out houses at Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She is also an alumna of the Groundlings School and Theater where she now teaches, performs and regularly directs the show Bad Company. Corey studied Commedia Dell'arte and clown with Phil Burgers, John Gilkey of The Idiot Workshop, and Deanna Fleysher and is part of the LA clown troupe Clown Zoo who perform at Griffith Park and The Elysian Theater on a regular basis. Her TV credits include: Transparent, 2 Broke Girls, The Comeback, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Queen of Fishtown will be performed November 15 at 8:30pm and November 19 at 7:00pm at Theatre Row Studio (410 West 42nd Street, New York City, NY). Tickets can be purchased here.
