Over the course of the pandemic, I have been writing short pieces about the experience. I suspect that strung together, these might be the makings of my one person show! Riverside Theater in Iowa City, IA, commissioned this one as part of their “Walking the Wire” series. Someday when the plague has passed, I suspect that we will look back on all the art that was created in this time as a guide for what to do better in the future. I’m grateful to be part of the conversation and maybe even a little part of history.
A New Production Online
My latest play “Analyze Zoom” will stream at Mile Square Theater this weekend. Starring Lipica Shah, Rita Wolf, and Sheilagh Weymouth, this short play examines the ways we cope with our new reality and how those coping mechanisms can reveal more about ourselves. I am excited to have this opportunity to explore the new medium of Zoom for theatrical work, and hope that streaming productions will offer artists a bridge to when we can return to live performance.
I’m very happy with how the play turned out. Melissa Firlit was our fearless director who brought movement and humor to the somewhat limited focus of Zoom. We had fun exploring how relationships can develop across screens, and I hope this fun will infect our audience.
Tickets are available here until midnight, Sunday, September 27th. “Analyze Zoom” will begin streaming on Friday, September 25th. Once you have purchased your ticket, you can watch when you wish, though your link will expire 48 hours after you first activate it. My play is 20 minutes long and is paired with another play by EST Youngblood member, Cary Gitter. Run time is 30 minutes.
Buy your ticket now!
An Obie and the Kilroys List!
Since the pandemic shut all the theaters down, it has been hard to know what to expect or even hope for in the American theater. Without knowing when we can gather again and under what circumstances, it is hard to imagine continuing a career in theater. But yesterday, on Bastille Day, I seemed to hit a theatrical jackpot unexpectedly by having “Rage Play” named to the Kilroys List 2020 and winning a Special Citation from the Obie Awards with the Asian American Performers Action Coalition for our advocacy work. Both are tremendous honors that I hardly thought possible and certainly not during a global pandemic!
The Kilroys decided to honor all plays written by female, trans, and non-binary playwrights whose first or second productions were cancelled by the virus. Thus “Rage Play” made the list. It is bittersweet to be recognized for being cancelled, but the honor gives me hope that the play will have a life after the virus subsides.
At a time of racial upheavals in most industries including ours, the Obie Awards honored the work of AAPAC which has been documenting the hiring practices of Broadway and Off-Broadway for close to 10 years. The work of compiling these statistics as well as putting together forums to address racial inequities has been grueling at times, and this recognition has really lifted that work up.
I’m so grateful for both of these honors and take them as signs not to give up on the theater just yet. There are so many artists who are just getting going, myself included, and none of us want to stop.
End of an Era
By now, it must be obvious that my play was cancelled. Sadly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Flux Theatre Ensemble’s production of Rage Play was cancelled. We were halfway through the rehearsal period, and while the decision to shut down the show for health and safety concerns was easy, it was also quite painful.
It’s taken me a long time to update my website because it’s taken me a long time to accept that a play that I had worked for more than two years did not quite make it to the stage. While I have plenty of unproduced plays, I have never had one go all the way through the process only to stop just before production. It has taken me some time to process this loss along with the radical change in my lifestyle to stay inside almost all the time.
I was really proud of this play. It was a departure from my usual romantic fare, and while I think it was funny, it was also very dark. It was scary to think of putting this play out into the world, to allow my darkness to show, and in that scariness, it was also thrilling.
Thanks to the wonderful folks behind the TheaterWithoutTheater handle on Instagram, a small piece of my play has made it onto the internet. It’s just a taste, but I’m grateful to have some of the work documented . A special shout out to Alexandra Curran who took the time to tape the monologue and to Dina Vovsi who made the link happen! I’m grateful to the amazing circle of artists who continue to support each other in this crazy time.
I hope to be able to share more of Rage Play with you online soon. But until then, be well.
"Rage Play" at the Abrons Center
It’s official! Flux Theatre Ensemble is producing my latest play, “Rage Play” at the Abrons Arts Center this spring. I’m thrilled that this play is coming to life after a year of development with Flux. Directed by Flux Creative Partner, Lori Parquet, the play will feature Leila Ben-Abdallah, Alexandra Curran, Yeauxlanda Kay, and Chris Wight, with a set by Flux Creative Partner, Will Lowry, lights by Flux Creative Partner, Kia Rogers, sound by Rena Anakwe, costumes by Karen Boyer, and fights by Rocio Mendez.
We recently completed a two week workshop of the play, and I am really excited to have the play fully up on its feet. This play has really pushed me as a writer to break out of my comfort zone. After all, I think of myself as a writer of rom-coms - I never thought I would be writing a play about rage! And yet it’s 2020 and here we are.
Shows start on March 28th and run through April 11th. Flux uses a Living Ticket system of ticketing which allows audiences to reserve a seat without the exchange of money. Flux publishes the budgets of their shows to encourage audiences to give according to what the work costs rather than an arbitrary number assigned. Ticket buyers are encouraged to give what they can to support the production. For more information about the show or to buy tickets, please click here.
See you next month!
In Rehearsal for "Sense & Sensibility" at VA Stage
Rehearsals are well underway for “Sense & Sensibility” at Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk, VA. As a longtime Janeite, I am delighted to play Lucy Steele and others in one of Miss Austen’s most beloved works as well as perfecting my 18th century British accent, wearing period costumes, and rolling around on set pieces, all of which have been put on wheels! Jessica Holt directs this madcap adaptation with joy and vigor.
We begin previews on January 22nd and open on January 25th. For more information and tickets, please click here.
Starting rehearsals for "House of Joy"
One of the joys of my career has been working on World Premiers of new plays. It is truly gratifying to be part of the process of birthing a new play and bringing it to life for an audience. This year I am lucky enough to work on two such productions as an actor which is a first for me.
I am currently rehearsing the World Premier of my friend and colleague, Madhuri Shekar’s, new play “House of Joy” at Cal Shakes. Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian, the play shares life in the harem of a Mughal Emperor sometime in the 17th century and follows the evolution of a young female bodyguard who learns that life inside a sequestered paradise may not offer all that it promises. I play the head bodyguard of the harem, Gulal, who manages her elite force of female fighters with a combination of discipline and compassion. It’s a thrill to play such an unapologetically powerful woman, and I look forward to introducing this play to Bay area audiences.
The cast includes Lipica Shah, Rotimi Agbabiaka, Rinabeth Apostol, Raji Ahsan, Sango Tajima, and Emma Van Lare. Leslie M. Radin stage manages.
“House of Joy” begins performances on August 14th. Tickets can be purchased here.
Baby Camp Reading
I’m thrilled to announce that my new play “Baby Camp” is getting a workshop through Leviathan Lab. Written through the auspices of the Brooklyn Generator last year, “Baby Camp” explores the world of women’s empowerment retreats in the not too distant future. I wrote this play as a response to my increasing concern about the dissolution of women’s rights in our current political landscape, and the play has only become more relevant in the 10 months since I wrote it. I’m so grateful to Leviathan for providing the time and space to return to this play.
“Baby Camp” will have a public reading on Tuesday, July 9th at 7pm at ART/NY’s Bruce Mitchell Room in 520 Eighth Avenue. Directed by Bonnie Gabel, the play will feature Antoinette LaVecchia, Tina Chilip, Rocky Vega, Lipica Shah, and myself. Admission is free, but reservations are encouraged!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/baby-camp-tickets-63647529474
Hope to see you on Tuesday!
Tiny Houses, Take 2!
I’m thrilled to be in Cincinnati doing the second leg of the World Premier Co-production of Chelsea Marcantel’s “Tiny Houses.” This play has been a joy from the start, and it is wonderful to bring the play to another audience. I’m so happy!
Besides enjoying having a second chance at the play, it’s been a real privilege to have time to deepen into the character. I’m grateful for this opportunity to work on a new play for this long.
“Tiny Houses” runs at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park until June 2nd. Tickets can be purchased here.
Commission with Working Theater
Last December, Mark Plesent of the Working Theater contacted me to see if I was available to write a short play about organized labor for high school students as part of a partnership with the United Federation of Teachers. I was! Over the past three months, I have been working on a 20 minute play about how the labor movement effects our current economy. The process has been both nostalgic as I recalled when I first joined the Actors Equity Association, the first of three professional unions that I have joined in my career, and educational as I researched the labor movement in America and some of the current obstacles to unionization. My play, “A Labor Story,” uses the structure of Dickens’ classic “Christmas Carol” to share the history, current state of, and possible future of organized labor in the US.
This week the cast and director, Kel Haney, rehearsed the play in order to present the piece to 500 high school students at the Unionized Career Fair. And today is the day of the show!
Though I am in Cleveland for “Tiny Houses,” I’ve been continuing to tweak the play through Skype rehearsals and conferences with Kel. I’m really excited to share this piece with the students since it is my first play for a younger audience. I hope that the play will have some impact on how they think of themselves in the context of a larger movement. I am so grateful for this opportunity to write for teenagers, the most honest audience a playwright can ever write for!
Acting in a World Premier
Greetings from chilly Cleveland! I’m happy to report that I am currently in rehearsals for the World Premier of a new play called “Tiny Houses” written by Chelsea Marcantel. This delightful rom-com tells the story of a couple who moves from New York to Oregon to build and tiny house and live off the grid in hopes of finding a better life and themselves. Whether they succeed and whether success looks like what they think are two primary questions of the play.
I play “Jevne,” an ASMR artist who once dated the leading man and has remained in Oregon. I love playing this role, primarily because Jevne is so different from myself and also because I have a soft spot in my heart for kooky characters. I’m joined on stage by a wonderful cast which includes Kate Eastman, Peter Hargrave, Michael Doherty, and James Holloway. Over the course of 90 minutes, we build a tiny house on stage which is not a bad trick for 5 actors who had no prior construction experience!
The play is a co-production between Cleveland Play House and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. CPH’s Artistic Director, Laura Kepley, directs this ensemble piece. For tickets to the first half of the run, please go to the CPH website.
It’s been a joy to create another role in a delightful new comedy!
Workshop of Rage
My play in progress, “Rage Play,” will receive a workshop through Flux Theatre Ensemble’s Food:Soul program which pairs a reading of a new work with food and discussion as a way to develop a play in a community. Flux has been an amazing support for my work, and I am so pleased to be working on the play with their remarkable company of artists.
We are in the midst of rehearsals and re-writes now, and we will present the first half of the play on Wednesday, December 5th at 7:30pm at Torn Page, 435 West 22nd Street. Doors will open at 7:30 for a welcoming repast and the reading should begin by 8:15.
“Rage Play” examines the ways in which women are complicit in their own oppression and what might push us over the edge. This play is a departure for me in that it does not follow a linear narrative structure, and I am so excited to share the work and learn from the audience.
For more information, click here.
Truth and Reconciliation
A few months ago, Tony Award-winner Tonya Pinkins reached out to me about a project that she was creating. She wanted to assemble a group of female playwrights to write short pieces addressing the theme “Truth and Reconciliation of Women.” I was so honored to be asked to join this group of wise women, and I am looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor on November 13th at the illustrious Deepak Chopra Home Base at ABC Home and Carpet.
The lovely Kimiye Corwin will star in my piece, “Truth and Consequences.” Other writers include Kristine Reyes, Glory Kadigan, and Tonya Pinkins herself.
Tickets can be purchased here. Use the code TRUTH for $15 tickets.
A New Play is Born!
Yesterday marked the birth of a new play in the world: my latest written-in-a-month full-length play "Baby Camp" written under the auspices of the Brooklyn Generator. Featuring the wonderful acting talents of Geneva Carr, Tina Chillip, and Maria-Isabella Rojas and led by our fearless director, Bonnie Gabel, this play started its journey at the Tank yesterday in a reading for a full house.
This is my second time working with the Brooklyn Generator, a playwriting group that selects 6 playwrights to write the first draft of a new play in one month, and although the initial process of writing is always very painful to me, I am so filled with gratitude to Bixby Elliot and Erin Mallon for inviting me back and forcing me to write a play. And in retrospect, the painful part of playwriting winds up getting compacted into one month instead of dragging out for many which has definitely been the case for a few of my other works. In any case, I am ruled by deadlines, and this deadline certainly whipped me into shape!
"Baby Camp" spends a week at a feminine empowerment retreat with four progressive women (the fourth was played by me!) who find themselves being encouraged to reproduce in a most unsettling manner. The play touched on a lot of women's issues that have been on my mind since the election, and it was a joy to put all my existential dread into a comedy.
Previews Begin Tonight!
Three weeks have zipped by, and I can't believe that we begin previews for Adam Szymkowicz's "Mercy" tonight! It has been a joy to work with this cast on such an intimate play. "Mercy" tells the story of Orville, a man who has lost his wife to a drunk driver and is having difficulty coping and connecting to his infant daughter. When he runs into the man who killed his wife, his world goes even more off-kilter. Will he succumb to his demons or be persuaded by his dad or his boss to return to the land of the living?
I play the boss, Brenda, who has some interesting ideas about persuasion. The role has been a ton of fun and allowed me to explore many aspects of my own persuasive nature. I've also been lucky in my scene partner, Jacob Ware, who is wonderful as Orville.
"Mercy" runs at New Jersey Repertory Company until July 15th. Tickets can be purchased here. Did I mention that the theater is blocks from the beach? Come for a day of sun and drama!
Nice Notices from 7th Inning Stretch
My short play "American As..." was included in the Mile Square Theatre Annual Fundraiser "7th Inning Stretch" this year, and I was pleased to see that the play received some notice from the local press.
In NJ.com...
And in H Magazine!
Mile Square Theatre is a lovely theater located in Hoboken, NJ that beautifully produced my friend and colleague, Erin Mallon's, play "The Net Will Appear" last season, and it was my absolute pleasure to help them raise funds for the next season of plays. The benefit also allowed me to work with some of my favorite collaborators, Peter J. Kuo and Karen Johal.
I'll be working with Karen again this month for a reading of a new short play called "Mary's Uncle Abraham" for Project Y's Hrosthwitha Project in their Women in Theater Festival on June 17th at 8pm and June 23rd at 5pm. For more information, click here.
Cast in a New Play!
I'm happy to announce that I have recently been cast in the World Premier of Adam Szymkowicz's new play, "Mercy," produced by the New Jersey Repertory Company. Adam wrote "Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood" in which I played the slutty Lady Shirley last year with Flux Theatre Ensemble, and I am delighted to be working with him again.
In "Mercy" I play Brenda, the fast-talking, emotionally hungry, and somewhat inappropriate supervisor of the main character, Orville. I'm especially excited to play this role as the ethnicity of the character was not specified. It's rare for me to be seen for non-specific roles and rarer still for me to book them. So I am thrilled to originate this role!
Shows begin June 14th and run until July 15th. If you're in the mood for a show on the Jersey shore, come by and say hello!
One Minute Play Festival!
This weekend I will be participating in the 4th Annual Indie Theater One Minute Play Festival with two new one minute plays meant to address the moment we are living. One tough additional assignment for this particular festival is a "No Trump" rule which is hard because if you have to write a play that lasts for exactly one minute, Trump seems like an easy topic. But this is indie theater - it's got to be hard!
So in that vein, I decided to address the Patriarchy in two short but sweet plays in Series B on January 26th and 27th at the New Ohio Theater. The 1MPF is always a fun time and I encourage you to come out if you can! Click here for tickets!
#1MPF
I'm a Creative Fellow!
Happy New Year! Greetings from Seattle!
At the end of 2017, I was informed that I had won a Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-funded Creative Research Fellowship at the University of Washington School of Drama through a partnership with the Ma-Yi Writers' Lab, my creative writing home. So now I'm starting the new year with a writing residency which has so far been fabulous!
University of Washington has an amazing campus that reminds me in many ways of my alma mater. The Suzzallo has a Graduate Reading Room that reminds me so much of the Reference Room in Sterling Memorial Library where I used to study during my undergraduate days at Yale! In any case, in addition to providing me with fodder for nostalgia, this fellowship has also provided me a with students and professional actors from the community to present a staged reading of my play "Esspy" next week, several events to introduce me to the theatrical community in Seattle, and of course, time to work on writing and writing alone. It's been a delight and an honor.
My play "Esspy" will be read at 6pm, next Thursday, January 18th at Hutchinson Hall. For more details and tickets, please click here.
SATISFACTION Goes into Production Nov. 9-12
I've been remiss in updating my website, partially because I have been so busy with my next production! My play, "Satisfaction," has gone through a rigorous development process this fall through the "Main Stage Live!" program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Under the direction of Adam Fitzgerald, this program at AADA seeks to provide an opportunity for alumni to work with New York playwrights on the development of their plays. For me, it has been a boon to have an opportunity to work on the script up on its feet, and I'm thrilled with the results.
When I wrote this play last summer, I thought I was writing a light and bright play about women and how they look at sexual satisfaction. But working so intensively on the text this fall has revealed to me how radical it is to portray women speaking unabashedly about their desires. There are few plays that feature even one woman having an honest conversation about her own desires, much less four. I'm happy that this play is being presented at this particular moment in our history and hope that along with the laughs, perhaps this play will give some a different perspective on what some modern women care about.
Directed by Adam, the play features Siho Ellsmore, Karen, Johal, Kendall Segovia- Gallo, Ava McCoy, and Vince Ryne, all talented AADA alums. Performances are at 7pm from Thursday to Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Please click here for reservations.