The following is an interview with Suzette Ferretti regarding the production, Failure to Thrive, at the 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Ferretti about the genesis behind the production, what she hopes that audiences may take away from the show’s themes, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Your solo production, Failure to Thrive, will be appearing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival this summer. What can you tell us about the genesis behind the production, and how would you describe its premise?
Suzette Ferretti: I had been doing stand-up and writing comedy on and off over the past almost nine years of living in Los Angeles, and feeling like I was getting nowhere. I felt that as I entered my 30s, I was running out of time. But it only took a day of sitting down and asking myself, “What have I accomplished since I moved here?” before I realized that my life up until then was a treasure trove of glorified pratfalls that I could mine for a laugh – in true Hollywood fashion. This stand-up special takes that series of experiences – the hilarity, personal tragedy, and the pitfalls of show business – and serves as a genesis for a new beginning. It is literally a funeral for that part of my life and simultaneously ushers in a version of myself that laughs in the face of misfortune and finds beauty in life’s absurdity. It also invites viewers to do the same for their failures and the version of themselves that took it all too seriously.
BD: What can you share with us about your creative process in bringing your personal journey to life on the stage?
SF: For most of my performing career up until now, I’d taken five-minute or ten-minute spots on stage at small shows, but I had accumulated a lot of jokes or half-baked ideas that I’d never had the opportunity to showcase, and I thought it was time I took agency over my career and put together a comedy special instead of waiting for someone to give me permission.
So, I took my spreadsheet of jokes (Yes, it’s real and you should try it.) and tetris’d them on a blank page until I could craft a narrative through-line. I printed it out and tried to fill in the blanks by hand, like writing in a diary, and refined and refined until Failure to Thrive was born. Fun fact: It was first called A Series of False Starts. Unfortunately, I could not keep it. To quote a random gay man making a comment about my flyer design, “It was a little on the nose.”
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that your story may connect with audiences, and what, if any, conversations do you hope that it may inspire?
SF: I think it will really resonate with anyone who’s ever felt like the moment to do something they love has slipped through their fingers, or that there’s a sadistic cosmic power putting obstacle after obstacle in their way, almost as if to give you a sign that you should just quit while you can still get a nose job and get yourself a sugar daddy to fund your law degree. That analogy wasn’t about me. I like my nose. I’d much rather get double-chin liposuction.
Many people feel, and I’ve certainly been one of them, that if something is meant to be, your path will be met with no resistance, that success and abundance will be free-flowing into their life. But resistance, not to be cliché, makes you stronger. I hope the special shows everyone that you don’t have to look back in twenty years and wish you had brushed off losing out on a job you’re almost certain you would’ve hated anyway, or on the flip side, succeeding at something that didn’t turn out to be as sweet a victory as you’d hoped. What you can control in life is how you react to things. Harness the power of your failures now and let them propel you toward greatness, dear friends.
BD: What makes the Hollywood Fringe Festival the best venue for Failure to Thrive?
SF: For me, it’s the community and the sense of low stakes. The festival is rife with experimentation, risk-taking, and baby clowns – as in people who are new to clowning. Most of the audience is your friends, family, and peers – people who understand that this undertaking is deeply vulnerable and there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain in terms of artistic fulfillment. It is a place where you’re truly in control of your own story.
BD: The show will be appearing at The Madnani Theater from June 6-21, 2026. Are there any future plans to perform the show at other venues?
SF: I would love to if given the opportunity! For now, the plan is to release it on YouTube as a self-produced special. So, if you don’t get a chance to see it in person, stay tuned for the video!
BD: Lastly, what would you like to tell readers who want to learn more about and purchase tickets for Failure to Thrive?
SF: Please visit the project page on the Hollywood Fringe website and reserve your spot! My next shows are:
- June 13th at 9 pm
- June 21st at 4:30 pm (perfect for anyone with daddy issues)
