BABY BIPOLAR HOLLYWOOD FRINGE

Baby Bipolar

PRESS RELEASE
Maria Mainelli presents:
Baby Bipolar
A story of grief, jello, and the worst therapists you’ve ever seen.

Hollywood Fringe 2026
WEST COAST PREMIER
Created and performed by Maria Mainelli
Directed by Fiona Campbell
The Hobgoblin Playhouse June 7-21, 2026
PRESS NIGHT: Sunday June 7, 8pm

“This is an immensely likeable performance from a talented, committed, and sincere performer…in a show that is by turns comic, confessional, and cathartic.” -The Reviews Hub (on Fly Trap, Mainelli’s debut show)

Created as a reclamation of her identity following a bipolar 1 diagnosis during the Covid-19 pandemic, Maria Mainelli’s Baby Bipolar is a solo show about grief, joy, community, and leaving a scathing review for a therapist. A mixture of manic moments, depressive episodes, and the horrors of CVS pharmacy, Maria’s journey towards acceptance and advocacy takes us through her first five years of being officially bipolar and the moments that led to that diagnosis. Equal parts comedy and tragedy, it leaves audiences ready to discover the levity in the heaviest parts of life.

“With Baby Bipolar, Maria gives us an honest, shameless, and wickedly funny telling of the search for radical self love. This show is the dose of hope and the hearty serving of belly laughs we’ve all been needing.” -Fiona Campbell, director of Baby Bipolar

Maria Mainelli is a comedian, writer, and creative based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. As an actor, she won The Helen Hayes Awards for Best Play and Best Ensemble for her work in Blood at the Root with Theater Alliance in Washington, D.C.. Mainelli began writing during the pandemic, getting pieces published online and in anthologies. She recently ended a tour of her debut solo show, Fly Trap, and has previously performed at Edinburgh Fringe, The Kennedy Center, Dad’s Garage, UCBNY, Camden Fringe, Pittsburgh Fringe, SoloCOM NYC, Atlanta Fringe, and the PIT NYC.

Running Time: 50 mins | Suitable for ages 18+

Company information
Creator and performer: Maria Mainelli
Directed by: Fiona Campbell

Show information
6/7 at 8pm, 6/15 at 7pm, 6/19 at 10pm, 6/21 at 1:30pm
The Hobgoblin Playhouse, 1516 N Gardner St, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Press Contact: Maria Mainelli, [email protected], (402) 417-8012
Instagram @mariamarinarasauce
TikTok @mariamarinarasauce
mariamainmo.com
#BabyBipolar