[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Maria Fagan Hassani’s solo show, Atypical Grace, directed by Heather Dowling and produced by Jessica Lynn Johnson, heads to the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025.
About Atypical Grace
Marilynn runs a weekly support group for parents of children struggling with learning disabilities. These parents are as diverse as their children’s needs, but Marilynn continually seeks to meet them where they are with empathy. As expected, Marilynn explores her own journey as she struggles to forgive herself and break generational patterns.
From Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) to trouble with math or reading comprehension, each parent shares their child’s ups and downs with learning and their own individual challenges supporting their kiddos. As all parents know, parenting doesn’t stop at the classroom door, it’s a never-ending job that’s best done Add Form
with a healthy dose of forgiveness. Watch as a group of parents come together to face some of the trials, tribulations, and joys of raising children with so many needs.
This show is not autobiographical, but rather an amalgamation of the many years spent in private practice working with children who struggle with the learning process, as well as supporting their families.
There will be a brief talkback after the preview performance on Sunday, June 7th.
About Maria Fagan Hassani
Maria has performed comedic and dramatic roles on stages and screens from Chicago to Los Angeles, including Sex Sent Me to the ER, America’s Court, and You Can’t Take It With You. Her extensive training includes studying at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Meisner and Cold Reading techniques, and improv at iOWest. This is Maria’s second one-woman show.
As a dually credentialed teacher and educational therapist, education is Maria’s life’s work, so this show is definitely a labor of love.
The Atypical Grace Team
Jessica Lynn Johnson
Jessica Lynn Johnson is the winner of BEST NATIONAL SOLO ARTIST, board member and submission screening panelist of the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, director and instructor at Whitefire Theatre, and founder and CEO of solo theatre company SOARING SOLO LLC. Jessica has toured internationally performing and teaching with her solo shows for over a decade. Her first solo show, Oblivious to Everyon,e was published in The Book of Estrogenius 2008 and her second solo show ZE, has toured festivals and schools nationwide. Jessica’s work has been seen in the LA Women’s Theatre Festival, the NYC Samuel French Playwright Festival, the Kansas City Fringe Festival, the NYC International Fringe Festival, the Sola Voce Festival, the Monodrama Thespis Festival in Germany, the Black Magic Women’s Theatre Festival in Amsterdam and enjoyed an extended run at NYC’s prestigious Theatre Row on 42nd Street. Johnson currently teaches a weekly FREE one-person show development class in LA and does small group & private coaching through her company Soaring Solo LLC. As a director and developer, Johnson has co-created over 75 solo shows and has proudly taken home TOP OF FRINGE, multiple ENCORE PRODUCER AWARDS, and several other accolades over the years. She is exceedingly excited to keep the tradition alive and direct multiple solo shows in this year’s Hollywood Fringe festival. For more on this artist, please visit: www.JessicaLynnJohnson.com and email her directly at SoaringSoloArtist@gmail.com.
Heather Dowling
Heather Dowling is the winner of two PRODUCERS’ ENCORE AWARDS for her one-person shows Unemployed, Finally. and Fertile. Both shows were:
- nominated for BEST SOLO PERFORMANCE at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (15 and 19)
- selected for the L.A WOMEN’S THEATRE FESTIVAL
- and invited to SOLOFEST, the largest solo theatre festival on the West Coast.
Learn more about her adventures as an award-winning writer, actor and director at https://www.heatherdowling.com/
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