Furniture Boys began where much great art begins: a college poetry slam. In 2014, I wrote and performed what I then called ‘the couch poem’ for an audience of fellow college students—and it was a hit. That might have been the end, but I kept coming back to the couch poem, and I didn’t quite know why. I kept writing, about what furniture has to do with impermanence and relationships and art-making, across many different projects. I started collecting tiny chairs. My favorite chair broke and I couldn't throw it away: I started taking pictures of it, and it became an artistic project. A decade later, what was once "the couch poem" has grown into a full-length multidisciplinary play—and, as of last month, one that is New York Times recommended and sold-out at Off-Broadway's SoHo Playhouse. 

The past two years in particular have been a thrilling time for Furniture Boys. But putting on this show, while a dream come true, has also been expensive. I’ve been self-producing and self-funding this scrappy operation ever since the show’s first performance in 2024 in the Lighthouse Series, a festival for new writing at SoHo Playhouse. That early iteration of the show was selected as a festival finalist by the theater, and in the two years since, the excitement and acclaim have only continued. Along with director Kate Doyle, I brought a version of the show to last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest performing arts festival. Neither of us knew if anyone would even come see the show, so we were beyond thrilled to receive a four-star review in The Guardian. (“Keeps revealing hidden depths… a very well made play,” they wrote! I loved this review!) Last month, we brought the show back to SoHo Playhouse in New York and sold out our run, picking up a New York Times recommendation along the way and adding a few wonderful new collaborators to our team, including co-director Jacob Combs. Most excitingly, we were invited back to Edinburgh Fringe this year for an encore run in a larger theater at the selective, legendary venue Underbelly (where Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Fleabag got their start!) 

Of the thousands of shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Furniture Boys was just included in The Guardian's list of 10 Terrific Shows they've reviewed that are must-sees for this year's festival!

This reprise run of Furniture Boys is an honor, an opportunity, and a significant expense. To succeed at the Fringe this year, at a larger venue and with a larger team, our budget has to grow (a lot!). So for the first time in the show’s history, I’m fundraising. Your contributions to Furniture Boys will support the high production, marketing, and publicity costs of making theater at Edinburgh Fringe. As we return to the Fringe, with sold-out performances and critical acclaim bolstering us, Furniture Boys is poised for what I hope will be its breakout moment at a festival that has the potential to transform creative careers. To that end, my goal is to professionalize and substantially grow our scrappy operation:  I’ve brought on producers (who are currently scouring the thrift shops of Edinburgh for a fresh couch for our set, and inviting agents and programmers from around the world!) and a PR team (who have been landing me all kinds of cool interviews over in the UK!). The artistic team has also expanded – I’ve brought on some wonderful, experienced artists and believe in paying them for their work. My goals for Furniture Boys are bigger than ever, but so are the costs of producing the show. 

By investing in Furniture Boys, your support gives us the best chance of bringing in high-profile reviewers, selling out shows to wonderful audiences, and networking at Fringe with producers and pitching them our hopes for the show’s future: like a full Off-Broadway run in New York, a run in London, an international tour of Furniture Boys, or filming it as a TV comedy special. It’s scary (and exciting!) to put these big dreams out there like this—but our team sees so much potential in the future of Furniture Boys, and we would be honored to have your support at this crucial moment. By supporting us on our journey to Fringe, you’re giving our show the best possible chance of finding its widest, most enthusiastic audience, not just in Edinburgh but far beyond. We believe this is still just the beginning of our story—and the story of ‘the couch poem’! 

People have so often, and so kindly, asked me how they can support the show these past years. Everyone’s warmth and enthusiasm has always been more than enough, and I’ve never wanted to ask for financial support – the truth is, that ask feels fraught in this disastrous world. But I also believe that art matters now more than ever, and that this is a moment when your support would make a huge difference for the future of this show. If you’re able to contribute, I would be so appreciative.  Thank you so much for supporting the show in any way you can—I’m so grateful.