Found in New York Productions was founded as a touring company in 1998 by native New Yorker Carol Lee Sirugo. Its maiden voyage began on the Canadian International Fringe Theater Festival Circuit with the comedy Nice Guy! written by Pete Ernst, about the ups and downs of a relationship gone wrong. This play was directed by Barbara Meyer and performed by Carol Lee Sirugo & Bert Steinmanus. The production was co-produced by the Toronto company, Lost Theatre. This Town received a five-star review in the Winnipeg Free Press during its debut. It also received acclaim at the Saskatoon and Edmonton Fringe Festivals, as well as in its off-the fringe run at the Capitol Theater in Nelson, BC and in New York City at The Producers Club.
In 1999, Found in New York Productions produced Girls On Top, co-written by Carol Lee Sirugo and Chris Cunningham, and performed with Pam Levin Winn. The witty satire of three back-stabbing social climbers was performed in 6 cities on the Canadian Fringe Festival Circuit: Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Victoria, Vancouver and Cowichan.
In 2002, Found in New York Productions teamed up with Tattimuck Productions to produce This Town, an ode to Thornton Wilder’s play Our Town, and Akira Kurosawa’s film Rashomon. This dark comedy was written by Carol Lee Sirugo and performed with Mary Ashton (Molly’s Game, Carter, Dan for Mayor, CBC TV series) on the Canadian Fringe Festival Circuit. It received significant accolades at the Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Fringes including WINNER - BEST PLAY - MEDIA CHOICE AWARD - Saskatoon Fringe.
In 2004, Found in New York Productions produced Carry’s Nation, a dark comedy based on the life of the controversial prohibitionist Carry A. Nation. After touring the Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton Fringe Festivals, this dark comedy received a production at the Estrogenius Solo Voce Festival in New York.
In 2010, Found in New York Productions developed the comedic movement piece Misery in B Flat, about the accidental re-encounter of two ex-lovers who re-ignite a spark for a brief moment in time. Co-created and performed by Dreagn Foltz and Carol Lee Sirugo, this piece was directed by Peter Daniel Straus and performed at the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Variety Night (Galapagos Art Space) and the Downtown Clown Revue (Kraine Theater). It was also performed with Jonathan Kaplan and Carol Lee Sirugo at the MOVE IT! Festival (HERE Arts Center) and the Comedy in Dance Festival (Triskelion Arts).
In 2011, Found in New York Productions produced the dark, physical comedy The Hysteric, written by Carol Lee Sirugo, directed by Brian Foley and performed with Jonathan Kaplan. This loose parody of the film Gaslight, followed the journey of an innocent young wife who, at hands of her devious husband, was committed to an insane asylum at “...the very first sign of trouble!” This production was performed at the Winnipeg, Clear Lake, Edmonton and Victoria Fringe Festivals, winning BEST OF FEST at the Winnipeg Fringe.
In 2012, Found in New York Productions mounted an updated version of Carol Lee Sirugo’s 2002 fringe hit This Town for its 10th anniversary, directed by Ryan Ames. In this fast-paced physical comedy, Carol Lee Sirugo and Jonathan Kaplan played 12 colorful characters ruminating over the mysterious death of their beloved pie-baker. This production was performed at the Winnipeg and Edmonton Fringes. Upon returning to NYC, a short version of the show was performed at the Brick Theater in Brooklyn as part of the cabaret for New York International Clown Festival.
For the summer of 2017, Found in New York Productions brought Carol Lee Sirugo’s new show Fear Forest, directed by Jay Dunn, to the Winnipeg Fringe. After a harrowing encounter in Yellowstone Park with a 9 foot grizzly bear right behind her, Carol was inspired to write this new dark physical comedy. A solo version was presented first at the Peoples Improv Theater SOLOCOM Festival in NYC and at Bindlestiff’s Variety Night at Dixon place in the fall of 2016, followed by a the full two-person production with Jonathan Kaplan at the PIT’s Loft Theater in the spring of 2017.
In 2018, Found in New York Productions developed the physical comedy/clown piece Martha Madsaver, which was presented at the PIT’s SOLOCOM Festival.
Currently in development is the dark physical comedy clown production of The Honest Fraud, written and directed by Carol Lee Sirugo and will be performed by the newest ensemble members: Beth Leonard, Sarah Daigle, Kevin Mejia and Shreyans Shay.
