“An ADHD-friendly chaotic TED Talk.. [a] sharp and funny mix of music, comedy, and multimedia.” — Time Out New York
EMOJI:The Hieroglyphs Of Our Time…or how I learned to stop worrying and send the risky text 🤷🏽♀️ explores whether emoji are a uniquely universal shorthand or digital crumbs of connection in a fractured society. It will have you like 🤣, but also like 🥺
In this hilarious, moving, and ADHD-friendly solo show, Aarushi Agni — known for her work across comedy, storytelling, and music — blends her passions into a chaotic deep dive into emoji, their role in our globalized world, and the risky texts that keep us connected.
EMOJI sold out its debut at ProjectorFest 2024 and won the ‘Total Sell Out’ award at NYC Fringe 2025.
“Aarushi is a brilliant talent that shines as bright as the supermoon she sings about… she lends us the courage to know that it’s not only okay to send a risky text, it’s absolutely necessary.”
— Raquel Palmas, musician & improviser, Baby Wants Candy!
“Aarushi moves effortlessly between humor and heartbreak. Somehow weaving in a multimedia presentation, musical numbers, the moon, and even a near-death experience. The result feels part performance, part confessional, part cosmic therapy session.”
— Cecilia Cannick, Hey, Wanna Hang?
“Absolutely dazzled… I expected to laugh, but not to be so deeply moved.”
—Kirthana Ramisetti, author of the The Other Lata and Advika and The Hollywood Wives
But Aarushi what are you even talking about? Such a fair question! Click these tabs to see more!
What is EMOJI? 🤷🏽♀️
EMOJI: The Hieroglyphs of Our Time, or how I learned to stop worrying and send the risky text 🤷🏽♀️ is…
a hilarious 😁 poetic 📝 love letter 💌 concert 🎙 lecture 👩🏽🏫 solo 1️⃣ show 🎪
….you know, just another one of those!
And why should I care? 🧐
This show is:
✅ Funny AF 😌
✅ Has 5.5 original songs. And I actually have what is medically termed “the voice of an angel” 🎙🪽
✅ Full of tangents that give language to things you kinda always thought 💁🏽♀️
✅ Nerdy in a fun way, NOT in a “um, actually” kinda way 🤓
✅ Featuring videos, slides, and MUSIC (you know the the thing that the hills are alive with the sound of…?) I channeled from the collective consciousness 🎶🔮
If you’ve ever…
☺️ Craved community
💬 Wondered why some text a novel — & others send a single heartxclamation point❣️
🤔 Felt the crushing weight of an awkward miscommunication
📱 Sent “no worries if not” when you actually meant “I’ll do it this time I SWEAR”
🍆 Wondered the true meaning of the eggplant emoji (Guys, I think it’s just an eggplant?)
👀 Loved a show that makes you laugh, feel, & bond for life with the person sitting next to you…
… then you should ABSOLUTELY come see this show. 🪄
COMPLETE WITH…
original songs 🎶, a sexy glimpse into the my receipts archive 🧾, jokes about emoji!, art criticism!, and a LOT of big feelings 🤣😫💀🥰💩🫣🫦🌝 about relationships 👯♀️, texting 💌, language 💬, power 🔋, connection 🫂, and the SUPERMOON 🌕
I feel so alive.
Give me more buttons to press!
It’s a love letter. It’s a stand-up set. It’s a concert. It’s an iPhone commercial (JK OMG 😭).
— nivedita sharma, feminist icon & poet
“There’s layers to how amazing the show is, because Aarushi literally sings and she also does a Powerpoint and comedy… It’s multifaceted. With history and trivia, and it’s political….It proves [Aarushi] both funny and hot.”
“Aarushi is so creative…The music was catchy, laughter awaits, and I guarantee you will learn something new…”
— Meeks, Sunday side quest
“This was great.”
—My friend’s new lover that she brought who clearly has good taste 💁🏽♀️
EMOJI Returns to the East Village After Selling Out NYC Fringe
The Maximalist Solo Show with ‘Amazing Music and music from the west e sowe Graphics’ Comes to The Wild Project for Gotham Storytelling Festival | November 8, 9 & 16, 2025
New York, NY —Following its sold-out NYC Fringe run and a feature on a Times Square billboard, EMOJI: The Hieroglyphs of Our Time, or how I learned to stop worrying and send the risky text 🤷🏽♀️ continues to expand its orbit — returning this fall for the Gotham Storytelling Festival at The Wild Project, where Aarushi Agni’s singular blend of humor, music, and heart finds a new stage.
Part love letter, part stand-up set, part concert, and part iPhone commercial (jk), EMOJI takes audiences on a lyrical, witty and soul-informed exploration of modern communication. Using a ‘Brechtian’ but also very-online multimedia presentation, Agni shares text receipts, humorous sketches, original songs, an almost professorial fervor, and more jokes than you can count — to take her audience through an investigation: Are emoji in fact a universal language—or a crutch in a fractured society clinging to digital crumbs of human connection? And what, if anything, does the Moon have to say about this?
“This show is a culmination of years of work — as a writer, musician, comedian, and teacher…but I never could’ve done it without the lovely community of genius artists and diligent theatre-goers that has embraced me, and the show, even while in-progress,” said Agni, a musician, comedian and educator.
“When I moved to NYC in 2017, I had literally zero friends. Watching my audiences laugh along to my raw, unfiltered musings and form new community with each other [during the NYC Fringe run] made the last eight years make sense. Every bathroom freakout, awkward pause, acoustic cover of “Creep,” and risky text led me to this exact moment.”
Audiences have responded enthusiastically, calling EMOJI “absolutely brilliant” and “stunning,” praising Agni’s performance as “smart, funny, heartfelt, nuanced, and pointed,” highlighting the show’s “amazing original music and graphics,” and describing it as “a meaningful call to action.”
Kirthana Ramisetti, author of The Other Lata and Advika and The Hollywood Wives, said,
“Absolutely dazzled… I expected to laugh, but not to be so deeply moved.”
Raquel Palmas of Baby Wants Candy adds:
“Aarushi is a brilliant talent that shines as bright as the supermoon she sings about. [Aarushi]…invites us to engage with the hard questions…she lends us the courage to know that it’s not only okay to send a risky text, it’s absolutely necessary.”
Together, these responses underscore EMOJI as a dazzling, immersive solo performance that captivates, challenges, and delights audiences.
Aarushi Agni, known for her work across comedy, storytelling, and music, continues to build on her creative momentum after her sold-out festival debut. She’s also performing EMOJI at Newburgh Fringe on October 25th and 26th, and will present a private performance at Pratt Institute, where she serves as an Alum-at-Large in the MFA in Writing program.
Presented by FRIGID New York, the annual Gotham Storytelling Festival runs November 3–16, 2025, with EMOJI featured at The Wild Project (195 E 3rd St). The festival showcases a wide range of storytelling styles—from stand-up and solo shows to experimental multimedia—spotlighting diverse voices across New York’s indie theater scene.
📸 More photos of EMOJI are here.
📩 Click here to download/share this release.
EMOJI 🤷🏽♀️ SOLD OUT ITS RUN at NYC FRINGE!!
This has been a raucously fun labor of pure love & community, and we couldn’t have done it without you.
💛Aarushi & the EMOJI Team (more on them here)
Our Indiegogo campaign was fully funded!
Read the Press Release for NYC Fringe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jess Ducey, Sam Lochs, & Annie Moretto
PRESENT
EMOJI: The Hieroglyphs of Our Time, or how I learned to stop worrying and send the risky text 🤷🏽♀️
Written & Performed by Aarushi Agni
Directed by Dominique Nisperos
Presented as part of the 2025 New York City Fringe Festival
April 2-20 at Under St Mark’s Theatre
A collective comprising Jess Ducey, Sam Lochs, and Annie Moretto will present EMOJI: The Hieroglyphs of Our Time, or how I learned to stop worrying and send the risky text 🤷🏽♀️ written and performed by Aarushi Agni, and directed by Dominique Nisperos. The production will be presented as part of the 2025 New York City Fringe Festival with FRIGID New York at Under St Mark’s Theatre (94 St Marks Place) with performances on April 5 at 10:20pm, April 10 at 8:10pm, April 18 at 6:30pm, and April 19 at 5:20pm. Tickets ($25, or pay what you want) are available for advance purchase at www.frigid.nyc. The performance will run approximately 60 minutes.
Following a sold out premiere at Projectorfest at Caveat in May 2025, EMOJI is part love letter, part-stand-up set, and part iPhone commercial (jk). It starts with 🏄🏽♀️ and ends with 🎈. Aarushi takes us on a road trip through space and time as she explores whether emoji are a uniquely universal form of communication or a crutch in a fractured society that has us clinging to digital crumbs of human connection. It will have you like, 🤣🤣🤣 but also like, 🥺🥺🥺!
In this hilarious, punchy, and definitely ADHD-friendly show, Aarushi Agni — a comedian and artist known for her work across comedy, storytelling, and music — takes us on a nerdy deep dive into emoji and their fascinating role in our modern world. From the linguistic quirks of emoji to the risky texts they inspire, Aarushi explores how these symbols help us navigate both the absurd and unsettling sides of our digit- and image-driven world — and how they reveal the full spectrum of human experience, from fleeting moments of connection to urgent global crises.
“This show is an exploration of emoji — those weird little guys that are part picture, part word, part soul!” said Agni. “All of my work kind of comments on the funny little fractals of humanity peppered throughout our mundane lives. Emojis are funny and dumb, but they’re also political and crucial!”
Meet the NYC Fringe Creative Team
Aarushi Agni
Aarushi Agni (she/they, @aarushifire) is a queer South Asian writer, poet, comedian, musician, artist, educator, activist and person. Her writing and storytelling has been featured widely, notably in Apartment Therapy, Nerdist, McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern and Belladonna Comedy. Agni got her MFA in Writing from Pratt Institute, where she took a lot of neat pictures, and compiled an oral history archive of older Brooklyn residents, called As Told. She’s been part of New York Poetry Festival, New York Queer Comedy Festival, Asian Comedy Festival, and performed at iconic venues like Joe’s Pub and Littlefield. She hosts a monthly love-and-sci-fi-themed improv comedy show, Shoulda Coulda Woulda, at Brooklyn Comedy Collective, and performs on the Boogiemanja sketch team Attainable Crush, which she also named. She is the Lead Teacher for Octavia Project, a summer program for girls and non-binary youth that uses sci-fi as a lens to imagine new futures. Her band Tin Can Diamonds is streaming everywhere. www.aarushiagni.com.
Dominique Nisperos
Dominique Nisperos (they/them, @domloveslife) is a comedy writer, actor, director, and producer who performs with Betty Character Night’s WIG! and Maude Night sketch team VILLAIN! at the Upright Citizens’ Brigade Theatre New York where they also teach sketch, standup, and character.
Their honors include a Yes And Laughter Lab Fellowship and a Ford Foundation Fellowship with credits on ABC, Funny or Die, Blue Man Group, TVLand, ABS-CBN Global, Edinburgh Fringe, SF Sketchfest, and WorldStar among others.
Their comedic sensibilities are that of a disgusting pubescent boy who got really into Audre Lorde: low brow humor merged with high-brow social theory from their doctoral training in sociology. They’re a proud Chicanx and Filipino American kid hailing from Stockton, CA.
Jess Ducey
Jess Ducey (they/them, @thejduce) is an independent producer, writer, fundraiser, and occasional clown. They are co-chair of the board of National Queer Theater, operations manager for Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre, producer of Edu Díaz Productions’ multi-awarded solo show A Drag is Born, and co-producer of Down to Clown, a monthly home for new work development. They have previously worked with Moxie Arts NYC and produced two new musicals in rep at Edinburgh Fringe 2023. Jess spent nine years in Aotearoa New Zealand, where they advised campaigns for NZ’s first crowdfunding platform, co-founded and produced Queer AF, Wellington’s first festival of queer art, and created Unfinished Business, an immersive work in which artists shared works in progress over a dinner party in their flat. Their writing has appeared in Radio NZ, Landfall, and off-Broadway in Primary Stages’ Echoes emerging playwrights residency. www./linktr.ee/thejduce
Samantha Lochs
Samantha Lochs (she/they, @sam.lochs) prides herself on being a multidisciplinary artist, performer, and filmmaker with a strong passion for TV and comedy. She thrives on crafting hilarious and captivating stories with a deeply relatable core. She has been fully immersed in NYC’s improv and stand-up communities since 2017, all while simultaneously working at Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, A+E Networks, The Food Network, Discovery, Condé Nast, and personal film projects. Sam encapsulates the balance between taking her comedy goals seriously while maintaining a fresh, lighthearted, and silly energy. Her work as a director, producer, and writer has been recognized by several accredited film festivals. Most recently, she’s won Best Comedy, Best Pilot, and Best Director for her original series proof of concept: Get a Real Job. www.samanthalochs.com
Annie Moretto
Annie Moretto (she/they, @anniemoretto) is an improviser, sketch comedian and comedy producer based in Brooklyn, NY. Originally from Boston, she’s been performing since 2021 and was previously an Ensemble Member at the People’s Improv Theater. She produces the comedy competition show LaughMasters and is one-half of the twoprov team Some Pulp Fiction.
New York City Fringe Festival is an open lottery-based theatre festival presented by FRIGID New York, which gives artists an opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination. In true support of the Indie Theater Community, 100% of box office proceeds go directly to the artists whose work is being presented. FRIGID New York is here to chill out the New York independent theatre scene’s ideas of what a theatre festival can be! www.frigid.nyc
Aarushi Agni 