ABOUT BAILEY SWILLEY

Bailey Swilley is a writer, comedian and storyteller from Memphis, Tennessee. A Moth StorySLAM winner and a (twice) New York Times Recommended Pick, Bailey’s stories have been featured on Kevin Allison’s hit storytelling show RISK!, Story Collider, Love Hurts and more. In 2024 and 2025, she brought both DON'T TELL OUR BOSSES and GIMME A SIGN! to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to rave reviews. She is also a screenwriter, and her spec script for Better Things was a semifinalist in the Austin Film Festival. Since 2021, she’s hosted the monthly storytelling show We ❤️ a Theme at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn, NY.

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ABOUT A BABY FOR ME? NO THANK YOU, PLEASE!:

After a successful NYC Fringe run,

Bailey Swilley’s A Baby For Me? No Thank You, Please!

Back in NYC at Soho Playhouse, September 18 & 19

In LA at The Lyric Hyperion, October 18

And In Chicago at The Den Theatre, November 21​

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“Through research, reflection, and a pivotal visit to the gynecologist’s office, she confronts questions about identity, expectation, and autonomy, ultimately exploring what it means to trust one’s inner voice.” - Broadway World

 

“It feels as though every woman in the room is reliving a version of the story alongside her. The physical, mental, and emotional trauma she conveys is difficult to articulate unless you have lived it-and Swilley makes that truth impossible to ignore.” - Theatre Beyond Broadway

 

With a projector, lots of jokes and some special effects, AB4M?NTYP! is a theatrical and comedic story of one child-free woman's journey to self-discovery and acceptance.

 

  

WHO: New York based writer, comedian and storyteller Bailey Swilley is performing her hit show A Baby For Me? No Thank You, Please! in New York City at Soho Playhouse on September 18 & 19. Comedy meets body horror on AB4MNTYP, fresh off a 2026 New York Fringe run. Swilley explores the lifelong pressure from friends, family, and strangers to be a mother and how an IUD-related medical emergency made her reflect on the complexities of the choice to be (or not be) a mother.

 

WHERE:

SOHO PLAYHOUSE: 15 Vandam St, New York, NY 10013

THE LYRIC HYPERION: 2106 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027

THE DEN THEATRE: 1331 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

 

WHEN: September 18 & 19, 2026 @ 7 PM in NYC, October 18 @ 7:30 PM in LA, and November 21 @ 7 & 9 PM in Chicago

 

HOW:

NYC TICKETS: https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/see-a-show/a-baby-for-me-no-thank-you-please 

LA TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-baby-for-me-no-thank-you-please-tickets-1992981392996

CHICAGO TICKETS: https://tickets.thedentheatre.com/event/a-baby-for-me-no-thank-you-please-r8mf95

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ABOUT A BABY FOR ME? NO THANK YOU, PLEASE!:

A Baby For Me? No Thank You, Please! was born from the pressure storyteller and comedian Bailey Swilley felt to have a child right after getting married.

 

After a childhood of being told she’d grow up to be a great mother, the pressure only grew after her wedding even though she was well into adulthood and had always insisted she didn’t want that! To the most important people in her life, getting married meant that she'd come to her senses and would change her mind.

 

When her grandmother unleashes a motherhood campaign onto her, Bailey feels hopeless and like she's going to let people—and maybe even herself—down if she can’t figure this out.

Knowing she can’t be the only person who feels this onslaught of pressure, Bailey starts soul-searching by scrolling on TikTok, reading parenthood and childfree self-help books, pouring over think pieces and Reddit threads, listening to countless advice podcasts and talking with the women she respects the most. However, it's a very unusual gynecological situation that provides enlightenment, with a side of body horror.

 

“This show is deeply honest and vulnerable, and sometimes I worry that my audiences will judge me or think I’m a jerk because of this stance, but ultimately, it’s my truth,” says Swilley. “Also, the show is funny, so if people think badly of me, at least they'll be laughing!”

 

Along with a projector, lots of jokes and some special effects, A Baby For Me? takes you on one woman’s journey to self-discovery, acceptance, and a little humiliation.

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ABOUT DESMOND THORNE (Director):

Director Desmond Thorne founded the independent sketch comedy group Nerds on Fire in 2013, where he got his start writing, directing, and acting in sketch comedy. In 2014, he joined the one of first BoogieManja sketch teams, Allison Janney, as an actor. He later directed four BoogieManja teams, was a member of the Directing Fellowship at the Magnet Theater and taught an Acting for Sketch class at the Magnet as well. He is also a Film Programmer at Nitehawk Cinema and a filmmaker.

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ABOUT GIMME A SIGN!

After two Ed Fringe runs, and one NYC Fringe run:

Bailey Swilley’s Gimme A Sign! Back In NYC

SoHo Playhouse, September 17 & 20

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“Bailey Swilley’s Gimme A Sign! feels like stepping into the collective soul of 

a generation of women.” - Nerd Party, ★★★★

 

“A ghost tour of the personal and the profound, equal parts funny and fragile.”

- Theatre Village, ★★★★

 

“Whether you’re a believer or not, Swilley’s tales of teenage rebellion, menstrual mishaps, and ghostly grandmas are vividly painted and studded with fine gags.” - The Wee Review, ★★★★

 

Haunted tampons? Magical p*ss play? Soul-searching at Costco? According to Bailey Swilley (RISK!, Story Collider, The Moth) nothing is too “woo-woo” when it comes to dealing with death.

  

WHO: New York based writer, comedian and storyteller Bailey Swilley is performing her hit show Gimme A Sign! in New York City at the SoHo Playhouse on September 17 & 20. In 2024 and 2025, she took Gimme a Sign! to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving critical acclaim in both runs. Gimme a Sign! was an official selection in the United Solo Festival, The Gotham Storytelling Festival, The Days of the Dead Festival and The Unicycle Festival, where it won the Audience Choice Award.

 

WHERE: SOHO PLAYHOUSE: 15 Vandam St, New York, NY 10013 

 

WHEN: September 17 & 20, 2026 @ 7 PM

 

HOW:

TICKETS: https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/see-a-show/gimme-a-sign 

 

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ABOUT GIMME A SIGN!:

On Gimme A Sign!, Bailey talks about mourning, empathy, her relationship with her father, and her search for validation. The show flows between raw, lighthearted, gross, and fun, while guiding the audience through the kind of grief that cracks you open, and the winding road of piecing yourself back together. With the use of a slideshow, Bailey Swilley expertly presents her childhood and early adulthood as a love letter and a contemporary ghost story packed with signs from the great beyond and millennial references. Gimme A Sign! is about the tools we use and the things we choose to believe in to survive our grief.

 

ABOUT TIMOTHY DAKIN-DUNN (Director):

Director Timothy Dakin-Dunn is a multidisciplinary theatre artist, director, choreographer, writer, and performer with nearly three decades of experience spanning regional, Chicago, and New York City stages. He currently serves as Assistant Artistic Director at Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, NY, where he develops new works, directs mainstage productions, and oversees marketing and public relations.

Timothy spent over a decade as a performer, writer, director, and producer in UCB’s renowned comedy scene, where he also served as Senior Producer for UCB Comedy’s digital branch. There, he oversaw the creation and promotion of weekly original content, managing teams of writers, directors, and editors.

In addition to his stage work, Timothy has worked extensively in unscripted television, serving as a live host and writer for HQ Trivia, HQ Words, and One2Win Trivia, and appearing on FuseTV and Animal Planet.