[NoHo Arts District, CA] – All New People presents Lauren Gunderson’s dark comedy Exit, Pursued by a Bear, directed by Danielle Swanson and playing Thursdays only, September 17 through October 15, 2026, at The Sherry Theatre in North Hollywood.
Revenge. Friendship. Healing. And, possibly, a bear.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear Synopsis
Nan Carter has had enough. Ready to leave her abusive marriage, she tapes her husband, Kyle, to a chair and, with the help of her fiercely loyal best friend Simon Beaufort and the unforgettable Sweetheart, stages an increasingly outrageous night of reenactments, reckoning, and revenge. Their ultimate plan? Catharsis – with a side of meat, honey, and a bear.
Wild, wicked, and surprisingly tender, Exit, Pursued by a Bear turns a dark subject into a fierce, hilarious story of female empowerment, found family, and healing. Along the way, it takes sharp aim at toxic masculinity and explores the complicated ways we try to reclaim ourselves from the people who hurt us.
Because sometimes you need your friends to help you find your voice.
And sometimes you need a bear.
That said, “You shouldn’t need bears to be nice.”
The production stars Corinne Shor as Nan Carter, PJ King as Kyle Carter, Russell Kohlmann as Simon Beaufort, and Jessica Lea Risco as Sweetheart. Shor previously wrote and performed the critically acclaimed solo play I Am Sophie on stages across Los Angeles; King is the longtime voice narrator of Bar Rescue; Kohlmann was recently seen in a recurring role on Hacks; and Risco recently appeared in JUNKIE, which had its world premiere at AFI FEST.
First produced in 2012, Exit, Pursued by a Bear takes its title from the famously abrupt stage direction in Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale. Gunderson has described the play as growing from both the irresistible absurdity of that line and her concern about domestic violence. Rather than approach the subject as a conventional drama, she turned to comedy—using humor, theatricality, and an outrageous revenge plot to invite audiences closer to difficult material.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear has been performed across the United States since its creation and is the first play in Gunderson’s Shakespeare Cycle.
The Cast
Nan Carter: Corinne Shor
Kyle Carter: PJ King
Simon Beaufort: Russell Kohlmann
The Team
Written by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Danielle Swanson
Produced by All New People