The Town Hall (Melay Araya, Artistic Director) is thrilled to present John F. O’Donnell: I’m On Lithium, with special guest Dina Hashem.
The event will take place on Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 7pm in The Town Hall’s Dr. Charlotte Frank Patron Lounge (123 West 43rd Street). Limited tickets are available now at TheTownHall.org.
In his uproariously hilarious and deeply meaningful solo show, John F. O’Donnell recounts a wild, full-blown manic episode he experienced in 2008. This amazing whirlwind of a true story finds John running through the streets of Dublin, Ireland 100% convinced that the CIA and descendants of the Nazis are trying to assassinate him. Have no fear, though! John’s not alone. The delusion also entails that he’s being protected by the Irish Republican Army and Bono from U2!
This truly unique show uses humor and vulnerability to provide real insight into the thought-process of the manic mind. John is proud to present this redemptive work as the next chapter in his longtime continued efforts to pushback against the mental illness epidemic in America.
In addition to begin an accomplished, national headlining comedian, John is an award-winning mental health advocate. He is a NAMI-NYC (National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City) ‘In Our Own Voice’ presenter where he goes to psychiatric hospitals and outpatient programs and gives a presentation about his story of mental health recovery in order to be helpful to folks who are struggling. John is very open about his diagnosis of bipolar 1 disorder and the struggles he’s endured and overcome. He prides himself on using lived experience, comedy and storytelling to destigmatize mental illness.
“John describes a euphoric manic episode with incredible detail and insight, pulling the listener into his globetrotting quest and the characters he meets along the way. You will root for him, you will laugh (often to the point of tears) and you will come away with a new understanding of bipolar disorder and appreciation for the human condition.” – Dr. Kat Nordgren, Psychiatrist, Bellevue Hospital.
“The audience effortlessly laughed along with O’Donnell, and his expert comedic timing almost obscured the fact that it takes tremendous vulnerability to speak about such a stigmatized illness publicly.”- Paste Magazine.
John F. O’Donnell is an NYC-based, national headlining comedian with over 20 years of experience. He was a correspondent on the radical comedy news TV show, ‘Redacted Tonight,’ for 5 years. His one hour stand up special, ‘The Manic-Depressive Chocolate Fountain Operator,’ was directed by Brendan Canty of Fugazi and released on the 800 Pound Gorilla Media label. According to the Comedy Central Insider, “John F. O’Donnell is one of the more explosive comics in New York City. On stage, he’s like a tightly capped liter of soda filled with lit fireworks.”
John has been featured in The New York Times and The LA Times, as well as being one of Comedy Central’s Fresh Faces of Comedy. He has performed at a number of comedy festivals around the country and beyond, including San Francisco Sketch Festival, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, New York Comedy Festival, Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival, and Limestone Comedy Festival. He’s been a favorite guest on the popular podcasts, ‘You Made It Weird w/ Pete Holmes’ and ‘RISK! w/ Kevin Allison.’
John is the co-creator and NYC host of the 20-city hit show, ‘50 First Jokes.’ He also co-hosts the podcast, ‘Episodic,’ that uses comedy to destigmatize mental health issues. He has a critically-acclaimed solo show entitled, ‘I’M ON LITHIUM: A Comedic Journey About Bipolar Disorder,’ which he performs in residency in NYC and beyond. John’s new album ‘Live at The Cobra Club,’ released on the Burn This Records label, debuted at #1 on the iTunes Comedy Charts.
Dina Hashem is a NYC-based comedian known to deliver dark observations about life and her Islamic upbringing. She was named one of TBS’s “Comics to Watch” and has since performed at Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, Melbourne Comedy Festival, and Moontower. Her TV credits include CONAN, Comedy Central’s Roast Battle, Danny’s House on Viceland, Comedy Central’s This Week at the Comedy Cellar, and her special Dark Little Whispers on Amazon Prime. When she isn’t headlining, she opens for comics including Sam Morril, Todd Barry, and Anthony Jeselnik. She previously wrote for BJ Novak’s “The Premise,” “Sex Lives of College Girls,” “The Daily Show,” and she voices Lamby in the Ramy Youssef Amazon series “#1 Happy Family USA.”
