NYC Bound Solo Show – Shatterproof

Shatterproof-NYC Bound Solo Show

A fast moving, spell-binding tragic-comedy. A story about the life of a gifted artist and ingenious comedian who becomes schizophrenic and takes off hitchhiking across America in a futile effort to outrun his mental illness. 

Arrives at 2026 Philadelphia Fringe Festival , Limited Engagement, September 18-27, 2026

“As Director, I am so excited to bring this beautiful piece to the Philadelphia Fringe Festival” – Eric Tucker, Artistic Director, Bedlam Theatre Co, NYC

“It is a privilege to be let into her world. When this raw honesty is revealed, its gravity is gripping” – All About Solo, United Solo Festival

“Monologues explode like bombs in slow motion…Ms. Block’s performance was brilliant.” – Hi-Drama, William Cataldi

Philadelphia, PA: What if you thought the funniest and saddest thing you could ever write/act would be the story of your crazy brother taken directly from his own “manifesto” about his own illness?  In Shatterproof, a solo show written and performed by Dana Block, that’s exactly what is going down.  Dana Block draws on a world created by her brother in cartoons, rants and ravings, and tells the story of their artistic Jewish family in rural Missouri, bringing each character fully to life on stage, including the hallucinated ones!  In this boiling pot of mental illness and art, life is precariously balanced.  This beautifully imagined one-woman show, directed by award-winning Artistic Director of Bedlam Theatre Co, Eric Tucker, is headed to an Off-Broadway debut in November, 2026.  It is not to be missed. Shatterproof is a true story, given voice by a sibling who knows first hand, the heartbreak of trying to save someone who is irretrievably lost.  Shatterproof (formerly produced as “Monkey Man” ) has been called “hilarious and heart breaking.” The limited engagement will play Icebox Project Space Gallery (1400 N American St, Philadelphia, PA) from September 18-27, 2026. Tickets are available now via this link.

Shatterproof, Dana Block’s autobiographical dark comedy comes to Philadelphia for three performances on September 18, 26, and 27 before its anticipated NYC Showcase run. Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, the play tells the story of a sister’s quest to help her younger brother — a gifted artist and comedian (think Robyn Williams) – whose schizophrenia sends him on the road hitchhiking for decades. Inspired by Block’s own experiences growing up in a close-knit Jewish family, Shatterproof gives voice to the sibling experience of losing a cherished loved one to an illness whose only promise is, it cannot be cured.  

Shatterproof shares a wildly funny portrait of an artistic Jewish family from St. Joseph, Missouri, before unfolding the extraordinary story of Dana’s relationship with her brother. As a teenager, Marc’s schizophrenia leads him to hitchhike across America in an attempt to outrun his illness and find himself. Twenty years later, Dana begins a journey of her own—to try to bring back her brother. 

The original material for the show is drawn from Marc’s journals, drawings, and writings, and brings audiences inside both the brilliance and chaos of his mental illness. Through humor, honesty and compassion, the play invites audiences to laugh at Marc, laugh with Marc, and fall in love with Marc and his utterly mischievous personality.

The title Shatterproof reflects the role Dana found herself playing within her family: the person who could hold the center and the only person who had the guts to go out and to try to find him. Dana discovered that loving her brother did not mean having the power to make decisions for him — it meant learning to accept that regardless, he had possession of his own life and that it was his right to live it as he wanted.

At a time when conversations about mental health have never been more urgent, Shatterproof reminds us that behind every diagnosis is a family painfully navigating impossible choices—and that even in our darkest moments, laughter can become an act of survival. Catch Shatterproof before its Off-Broadway run and experience this extraordinary true story.

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Shatterproof

Written by Dana Block

Performed by Dana Block

Directed by Eric Tucker

Icebox Project Space Gallery (1400 N American St, Philadelphia, PA)

Performances September 18-27, 2026

Tickets at FringeArts.com

BIOS

Dana Block (Actor) is a classically trained actor and writer who has created and toured 4 original solo shows, and developed a full-length play under the tutelage of Edward Albee, acting Master Playwright at Road Less Traveled Theater in Buffalo, NY, 2010. Other credits include: lead in Richard Foreman film “Once Every Day, ” awarded Best of NY Independent Film; BroadwayWorld Best Supporting Actress, Silda “Other Desert Cities;” multiple regional theater productions; work with Michael Kahn in D.C., The Shakespeare Theater Co. (MFA); Lucille Ball Comedy Festival “My Favorite Husband, ” directed by Greg Oppenheimer, on SIRIS Radio; radio host for “We Are Vermont.”

Eric Tucker (Director) is a multi-award winning Director and Actor, and Artistic Director of Bedlam Theater Company, an Off Broadway Theater Co. in NYC. He is currently directing “Music City, ” (book by Peter Zinn and music and lyrics by songwriter JT Harding) which will open June 15 at Theater At St. Lukes. “Are the Bennet Girls OK?, ” a critically acclaimed, irreverent stage adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Emily Breeze, will open at The Public Theater in early 2027, also directed by Tucker.

Bob Stachel (NYC Showcase Producer) His career spans theatre, film, and technology. He has directed many professional productions in the Boston area; served on the Advisory Board of Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield, MA; collaborated with local playwrights and produced several festivals of new work as co-director of Shadow Boxing Theatre Workshop in Cambridge, MA. Most recently, he relocated to NYC and co-produced “Other, ” which ran at Greenwich House Theatre and is headed to Broadway, summer, 2026.