Maplewood resident Doreen Oliver’s one-woman show EVERYTHING IS FINE UNTIL IT’S NOT makes its world premiere as part of the 20th Annual New York International Fringe Festival. The hour-long show opened on SUN 8/14 at 2:45pm, and also runs FRI 8/19 at 6:15p, MON 8/22 at 8:45p, THU 8/25 at 3p, and FRI 8/26 at 7p, with a FringeFAVE show recently added on SUN 8/28 at 12:30p.
The show holds the record for the fastest sell-out in FringeNYC’s 20-year-history, after selling out all initial five performances in five days.
EVERYTHING IS FINE UNTIL IT’S NOT is a heartfelt comedy about Doreen, a workaholic film producer whose life goes off-script after her son is diagnosed with autism. As she tries everything the experts advise to help her young son become more “normal,” she seeks strength from her mother and aunts, a funny, irrepressible crew of old-school African-American matriarchs born and raised in Newark, NJ. Under the loving yet scrutinizing eye of her mother – who insists she could be a better housewife by ironing her husband’s clothes – Doreen feels like she’s failing her child in the one job that matters most.
EVERYTHING IS FINE UNTIL IT’S NOT is written and produced by Doreen Oliver, who also stars in this one-woman show. It is directed by Janeece Freeman Clark and is a universal story about accepting those you love, even if they’re not who you expected them to be. Doreen worked with a number of fellow local moms on the production, utilizing their skills in graphic design, photography and advertising.
As a producer and head of development for Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels (Empire, The Butler), Doreen helped bring to the screen such films as the Oscar-winning Precious and Shadowboxer. Her essays have appeared in such publications as The New York Times and The Washington Post Sunday Magazine. She has performed her pieces at the Yale Repertory Theatre, Symphony Space and the South Orange Performing Arts Center, and participated twice in the national storytelling showcase, Listen to Your Mother. A member of Mocha Moms in NJ, Doreen is a graduate of Yale University and Stanford Business School. More information at www.doreenoliver.com.
Director Janeece Freeman Clark is an Artist-in-Residence at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Co-Founding Artistic Director of Vanguard Theater Company. Her directing credits include the critically-acclaimed world premiere of A Night in New Orleans (currently in pre-production for a national tour), Hairspray, A Portrait of Ray (Writer/Director), West Side Story and Into The Woods. She has also directed/produced alongside Ray Chew (American Idol) and Musical Director Seth Rudetsky. As an actress, Janeece appeared regionally in productions in the U.S. and abroad, including Urinetown The Musical in New York. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan.
For tickets to the show:
Tickets: $18 – visit www.FringeNYC.org
