After two acclaimed runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a New York City Fringe appearance, Bailey Swilley is bringing her one-woman storytelling show “Gimme A Sign!” back to New York.
The show will take the stage at SoHo Playhouse on September 17 and 20 at 7 p.m., offering audiences an unusual mix of comedy, personal storytelling and reflections on death, grief and the supernatural.
Swilley, a New York-based writer, comedian and storyteller known for appearances with “RISK!,” “The Story Collider,” and “The Moth,” approaches the subject of death through stories that are as strange as they are relatable. Her material explores the ways people search for meaning and connection while navigating loss, family history and life’s more unexpected moments.
And there is plenty of humor along the way.
Gimme A Sign! tackles everything from haunted tampons and teenage rebellion to menstrual mishaps, ghostly grandmothers and an unexpected soul-searching trip to Costco. Swilley’s storytelling embraces the unconventional, asking audiences to consider whether seemingly bizarre experiences might offer insight into the way people process mortality and the people they leave behind.
The show has earned strong reviews during its previous festival appearances. Nerd Party called Gimme A Sign! a show that feels like “stepping into the collective soul of a generation of women,” while Theatre Village described it as a “ghost tour of the personal and the profound.”
The Wee Review praised Swilley’s ability to combine stories about teenage experiences, family and the supernatural with humor, noting that her tales are vividly presented and filled with gags.
The production has also been selected for several festivals, including the United Solo Festival, Gotham Storytelling Festival, Days of the Dead Festival and the Unicycle Festival, where it received the Audience Choice Award.
For Swilley, the show’s appeal comes from its willingness to explore subjects that people often avoid discussing. Death can be uncomfortable, but Gimme A Sign! uses comedy and storytelling to make conversations about mortality, grief and the search for signs feel more approachable.
The result is a performance that doesn’t require audiences to be believers in ghosts or the paranormal. Instead, the show uses the supernatural as a way to examine very human questions about love, loss, memory and what people do when they are searching for answers.
“Gimme A Sign!” will be performed at SoHo Playhouse, located at 15 Vandam Street in Manhattan, on September 17 and 20 at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available through the theater’s website, making the upcoming performances an opportunity for New York audiences to experience Swilley’s unusual blend of humor, vulnerability and supernatural storytelling.