5 Mike Birbiglia Plays Join Concord Theatricals Catalogue

Concord Theatricals has acquired five Mike Birbiglia titles for its Samuel French imprint, each of which will be published and made available for worldwide licensing. The works, each a solo monologue originally performed by Birbiglia, include Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Thank God for Jokes, The New One, and The Old Man and the Pool. All works are currently available for new productions.

"Occasionally people have performed some of my solo shows at high schools and at theatres around the world," Birbiglia says in a statement. "It's a surreal experience to have someone else perform something that is entirely personal to you. There's that great James Joyce quote: 'In the particular lies the universal,' which applies here because I've written five solo plays about my experiences in Dublin. No, they're actually just about life and death and mortality and finding humor in the most unlikely of places. I can't wait to see people perform them. I'm hoping they do it better than I do, and I'm honored that Samuel French has included me in their legendary collection."

Sleepwalk With Me, My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Thank God For Jokes, and The New One all made premieres Off-Broadway, in 2008, 2011, 2016, and 2018, respectively. The New One and The Old Man and the Pool both played Broadway runs, in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Sleepwalk With Me got an expanded film adaptation in 2012, written and directed by Birbiglia and co-starring Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane, Cristin Milioti, and James Rebhorn. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, Thank God For Jokes, The New One, and The Old Man and the Pool were all filmed on stage and later streamed on Netflix.

"The team at Concord is honored to have Mike and his brilliant work join the Samuel French family of exceptional dramatists," adds Concord VP of Acquisitions and Artistic Development Amy Rose Marsh. “A masterful storyteller for this generation, his writing displays a humor and humanity that evokes the tradition of great artists like Spalding Grey, Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner, and Claudia Shear, among others. We can’t wait to see performers and producers put their own stamp on these stories and really make them their own."

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