NEW COMEDY JOKE HOLD SATIRIZES IMPROV TROUPE DYNAMICS AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE 2026

Joke Hold

HOLLYWOOD —JOKE HOLD, the edgy new comedy by Los Angeles playwright Paul Frellick, premieres as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival for five performances in June. Directed by veteran L.A. actor and director William Charlton, the tense play churns with clashing egos and political maneuvering as members of an improv comedy troupe prepare for the performance of their lives.

JOKE HOLD follows an eclectic group of Chicago actors rehearsing for an out-of-town, high-stakes comedy festival. Their collaboration is disrupted by the group’s newest member, a headstrong performer who immediately takes an assertive role. As tensions rise and tempers flare, the group struggles to determine whether the new guy is not what he seems, or exactly that.

The cast includes Trevor J. Davis, Alexander Rinaldi, Allie Sahargun, Teresa Valenza, Armand Vasquez, and Christopher T. Wood.

“True to its setting, the play is a wacky and unpredictable ride, with a disparate ensemble of quirky characters, and this cast is infusing it with a crackling comic energy,” noted Frellick. “It’s funny, it’s theatrical, and it speaks to this moment, so I’m really looking forward to seeing it with an audience.” This will be Frellick’s first L.A. production, having worked in theaters across the country and founded the Deep Dish Theater Company in Chapel Hill, NC.

Director Charlton is an accomplished director, a prolific actor of stage and screen, and a member of Ensemble Studio Theater/LA. Writer Frellick is producing for his own Joke Hold Productions with Kyle Therral Wilson, playwright, Hollywood Fringe veteran, and Co-Creative Director of Naked Angels Tuesdays@9 Los Angeles.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Venue: Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038
Runtime: 70 minutes, no intermission
Performances:
Saturday, June 6 — 4:00 PM
Thursday, June 11 — 8:30 PM (Opening Night)
Wednesday, June 17 — 10:00 PM
Sunday, June 21 — 1:00 PM
Saturday, June 27 — 11:00 AM (Closing)
Tickets: $20 — on sale now at hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13633

Theater Contact | Paul Frellick | (919) 225-2574 | [email protected]