When Julia Atkin loses her big toenail, she gains an unlikely spiritual advisor: her Ukrainian podiatrist. In this preposterous dark comedy, Julia revisits the worst three years of her life - medical mishaps, identity crises, and giggling through grief. Crying At My Podiatrist blends absurd body horror with a reluctant search for meaning in the world’s least spiritual office. Existential dread and unexpected tenderness collide in this EdFringe debut.
WHERE:
The Rat NYC
68-117 Jay St, Floor 1, Brooklyn, NY 11201
WHEN:
Monday, July 27
Tuesday, July 28
Wednesday, July 29
Thursday, July 30
All performances at 7:30pm ET
HOW:
July 27: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-27-19-30
July 28: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-28-19-30
July 29: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-29-19-30
July 30: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-23-19-30
July 27: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-27-19-30
July 28: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-28-19-30
July 29: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-29-19-30
July 30: https://www.theratnyc.com/event-details/crying-at-my-podiatrist-2026-07-23-19-30
MORE ABOUT CRYING AT MY PODIATRIST:
Crying At My Podiatrist is about how Julia Atkin was guided through the worst three years of her life by, believe it or not, her Ukrainian podiatrist. The show is a dark comedy exploring the duality between wanting to live and wanting to die, and having a body through it all. Yes, it’s about toenails, but it’s also about unexpected relationships that make a big impact on our lives. The show explores despair, grief, queer and religious identity, and legacy. It also shows a lot of photos of Atkin’s toe, which became severely infected requiring removal of the nail, which also brought her podiatrist into her life!
Atkin has been working on CAMP since 2022 when her toenail was removed - but the seeds had been planted years earlier. Originally, this was never meant to be a solo show. Atkin was obsessed with a German chemist and the story of his career and family: “I told everyone I knew about him, and they all asked the same question: why are you, Julia, so interested in this guy? What is it about his story that connects with yours?“
Taking that feedback, Atkin started writing about her own life, trying to untangle threads of her experience that had felt knotted up for years. Digging deep into these knots proved more traumatic than anticipated. Atkin reports: “I don't necessarily recommend it—it made me feel hopeless. But my despair was interrupted when I got my toenail removed, and met my podiatrist.” Over time she realized those conversations with him, juxtaposed with the struggles she faced, became the most potent story to tell. Writing about it helped her to frame the experiences with humor and perspective: “Luckily, the play gave me meaning in my daily life, and I hope that meaning transfers to our audiences”.
The result is Crying At My Podiatrist, a dark comedy that explores mental health, family bonds and toenail trauma. It is where absurdist body horror meets chicken soup for the soul, or grief with giggles!
