Banana

Overview

Is he man? Or is he banana? The Cavendish banana is stuck in a shipping box, with only his sexy, more flavorful cousin Gros Michel to help him escape. But does the Cavendish even want to leave? Stand-up, physical comedy, magic, striptease and more in this OffFest-nominated “comedic tour de force” (The Interrobang), a solo absurdist clown show exploring themes of isolation, denial, and human connection, using comedy as a tool to process painful realizations and truths. BANANA arrives at Philly Fringe fresh off an award-winning run at PortFringe (Achievement in Performance, Patron’s Pick) and a successful run at Edinburgh, listed on the Interrobang’s “Top Comedy Picks of 2023” and The List’s “Clowns to Watch Out For.”

“Comic timing is superb… innovative, inappropriate, absurd.”
– EdFringe Review

“Must-see spectacle… a comedic tour de force”
– The Interrobang

“Galligan proves that he is truly unafraid to go anywhere in his comedy.”
ThreeWeeks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Interrobang
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Wee Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ThreeWeeks
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Corr Blimey
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Broadway Baby
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ EdFringe Review

Cannonball, produced by Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, is the first and largest independent festival hub of the Philadelphia Fringe that presents risk-taking independent artists in back-to-back performances next to delicious lounge spaces, fostering creative collisions and community conversation.

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About the Artist

Michael Galligan is a producer, performer, and teaching artist based in Brooklyn. Michael has produced or co-produced new work at the Irondale Center, The Deep End, 59E59 Theater, the Upper Jay Art Center, ChaShaMa, The Tank, Cincy Fringe, FringePVD, PortFringe, and ZOO at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Michael produced, wrote, and performed Solarplexus, a sci-fi comedy powered by a bicycle generator, garnering strong audiences and receiving several four-star reviews, including one from The List. Michael produces a number of variety shows, including PUNCHCLOCK, a timed variety show that pushes performers to their limits under strict time constraints, and Clown Flex, Clown Gym’s flagship variety show. With a keen interest in exploring vulnerability, physicality, and the natural world, Michael is interested in creating work that explores vulnerability, physicality, and ecology.

Bailey Nassetta (director, she/her) is a queer, Brooklyn-based artist at the intersection of theatre, research and education. The projects she works on are informed by the unique fabric of the ensemble, the questions they ask and how they make meaning. Bailey creates interactive resources and facilitates collaborative workshops that build dialogue around what goes into creating a critically conscious and socially sustainable theatre practice. Bailey is a teaching artist for Queens Theatre and Irondale Ensemble Project. Bailey also teaches STEM to STEAM residencies at the American Natural History Museum and RISE. Bailey’s work has been presented at the Kennedy Center, Theatre Row, Playwrights Horizon’s Downtown, The Kraine Theatre, Stonestreet Studios, The Upper Jay Art Center and at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her work has been recognized by the Puffin Foundation and her 2016 production of Tubular at the SheNYC Festival received an award for Best Ensemble. Her work has been in residency at Irondale Ensemble Project and CA+MP at

Credits