After winning Best Series at its world premiere in New York City, the indie web series Forked returns to Pittsburgh where it was created for a special full-season hometown screening at the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival. All six episodes of Season 1 will screen together on this coming Saturday, June 21.
Forked creator and star Sarah Goeke (Image by ESP Media Relations)
Created by and starring Sarah Goeke, Forked is a darkly funny and emotionally resonant dramedy about sobriety, desire, and self-discovery—told through the unlikely lens of a woman secretly narrating dragon erotica from her childhood bedroom.
The screening marks a return for the cast and crew, as the entire series was filmed in Pittsburgh over just six days, with a locally rooted cast and crew. Among the cast are two of Pittsburgh’s respected stage veterans: Laurie Klatscher and Gregory Lehane, who star as the protagonist’s mother and father.
Klatscher has been a staple of Pittsburgh’s theater scene for years, performing with Pittsburgh Public Theater, City Theatre Company, Quantum Theatre, the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and more. Lehane is a renowned director and performer who has worked in New York, Egypt, Canada, and Russia and has directed programming for PBS, TBS, Nickelodeon, Disney, and many others. He has served as Professor of Drama and Music at Carnegie Mellon University for more than 20 years, where he’s helped shape the next generation of stage and screen artists.
Adding a delightful layer to the family affair, Laurie and Gregory’s son, Nick Lehane, also makes an unforgettable appearance in the series—in the form of a dragon puppet. What exactly that means (and where it fits into the story) is something audiences will have to see for themselves.
“There’s something really magical about bringing this project back to Pittsburgh, especially with so many local ties,” says Goeke. “To have this brilliant family—Laurie, Gregory, and Nick—all part of Forked made the story that much richer, and that much weirder in the best way.”
Goeke herself is no stranger to Pittsburgh stages. In 2020, she starred in Cry It Out with City Theatre. She returned in 2023 for their production of The Wanderers, where she first worked with castmates Nick Lehane, Moira Quigley, and Julianne Avolio, all of whom also appear in Forked.
The series follows a newly sober woman who returns home to care for her ill father, only to find herself unraveling old wounds, religious conditioning, and a secret side gig that would make her hometown blush: narrating dragon fantasy erotica audiobooks. It’s a tender and absurdly funny exploration of what it means to reclaim your voice—and your pleasure—after years of repressing both.
Forked premiered in April at New York CineFest, where it was met with enthusiastic response and honored with the Best Series award. It has also screened at the Big Apple Film Festival and Lighthouse International Film Festival. Before production, the project drew early acclaim for Goeke’s writing, winning Best Script at the Tokyo International Short Film Festival and the Toronto Indie Filmmaker Festival and ranking #7 Web Series Comedy of the Year on Coverfly’s 2024 list.
With its blend of humor, heartbreak, and unapologetic honesty, Forked speaks to anyone who’s ever been caught between the person they were taught to be and the one they’re still becoming.
Audiences in Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to see the whole first season on the big screen—and meet Goeke in person during a live Q&A following the screening.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Forked – Full Series Screening part of the Pittsburgh Independent Film Festival at the Parkway Theater & Film Lounge on Saturday, June 21, 2025 @ 2:25 pm. Tickets & Info: http://www.pghindie.com/Tickets.html Follow @ForkedWebSeries on Instagram.
Categories: Arts and Ideas
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