QUEER CANCER SURVIVOR COMEDY BABY EYEBALLS PREMIERES AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL DURING PRIDE MONTH

Baby Eyeballs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Philicia Saunders, Producer
Baby Eyeballs by Anwar Ali

Queer Cancer Survivor Comedy BABY EYEBALLS Premieres at Hollywood Fringe Festival During Pride Month

Directed by Roger Q. Mason, this bold new solo show blends dark comedy, chemo-induced satire, and radical healing.
LOS ANGELES, CA (May 2026) — Baby Eyeballs, a daring new solo performance written and performed by Anwar Ali, premieres this June at the Hollywood Fringe Festival for a strictly limited engagement at Hudson Theatre. Directed by acclaimed playwright and director Roger Q. Mason (Lavender Men), Baby Eyeballs is a chaotic, satirical, and deeply moving descent into the mind of a queer cancer survivor navigating chemo-induced dreaming, memory, and survival through the lens of child-like imagination and pop culture fantasy. The production will run for five shows only:
Friday, June 5 & 12 at 6:30 PM
Saturday, June 6 & 13 at 5:30 PM
Saturday, June 12 at 7:15 PM
Featuring original sound design by David Gonzalez, the production is produced by Philicia Saunders and Oscar Gutierrez. At the center of the story is Luce, a fictionalized recent cancer survivor desperately trying to outrun the painful memories of the past. Instead, they find themselves trapped inside a surreal internal world populated by movies, fantasies, and fractured reflections of selfhood. Equal parts raunchy comedy, fever dream, and emotional excavation, Baby Eyeballs invites audiences to confront discomfort, grief, illness, and healing through radical acceptance and outrageous humor.
“Baby Eyeballs was born from a journey through illness, survival, memory, and finding humor in places I never expected,” says Ali. “This show is about what happens when your body betrays you, your mind fractures, and imagination becomes the only way forward.” Timed for Pride Month, the production arrives amid growing conversations surrounding queer health, chronic illness, mental health, and the transformative power of storytelling. Audiences attending the show will also be encouraged to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital through an on-site donation campaign benefiting children and families facing cancer diagnoses.
About Anwar Ali
Anwar Ali is a Los Angeles-based actor and writer working across theatre, television, and film. His stage credits include collaborations with Williamstown Theatre Festival, Trinity Repertory Company, and Pride Plays in partnership with Rattlestick Theater. He received the Best Dramatic Writing Short award at the Micheaux Film Festival and recently appeared in Genius: MLK/X on Disney+ and P-Valley on STARZ. Ali holds an MFA in Acting from Brown University.

Instagram & TikTok: @theanwarali
About Roger Q. Mason (DIRECTOR)
Roger Q. Mason is proud to return to directing for this special engagement of BABY EYEBALLS. Known for their genre-busting historical revisionist playwriting, Mason’s plays have been seen on Broadway (Circle in the Square Reading Series; 24 Hour Plays at Town Hall), Off-Broadway, and regionally. As a champion of new play development, Mason has worked as a director and dramaturg for Leviathan Lab, National Queer Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, Padua Playwrights, A Noise Within, USC School of Theatre, Princeton University, Middlebury College, Northwestern University, and Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Diva Simply Singing. Mason holds degrees from Princeton University, Middlebury College, and Northwestern University. Roger Q. Mason is currently on the faculty at CalArts. Instagram: @rogerq.mason
PRESS MATERIALS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST: Interviews, rehearsal photography, promotional assets, and press comps available for members of the media.