Virtual Playwright's Night

An evening of live cold readings of new plays over Zoom

August 26th @ 6pm

Please consider a donation to one of these groups today:

Black Lives Matter: The national umbrella of the Black Lives Matter movement, donations to BLM go toward programs and actions across the country, focused on ending white supremacy and state-sanctioned violence.

The Bail Project: With locations in Compton, Van Nuys, and San Diego, as well as offices or partnerships in cities from coast to coast, the Bail Project is one of the largest and most established bail funds.

Peoples City Council Freedom Fund: The L.A. activist group Peoples City Council stages protest actions on a variety of issues around social and economic justice. Recently, the local group has been lobbying for a city budget that reduces the share of public funds used to pay for the LAPD.

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment: This grassroots organization aims to register voters and empower Californians to advocate and vote for economic, racial, and social justice.

Please consider a donation to one of these groups today:

Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment: This grassroots organization aims to register voters and empower Californians to advocate and vote for economic, racial, and social justice.

To our Patrons, Artists, and Friends:

In light of the recommendations by Mayor Eric Garcetti, Governor Gavin Newsom, and the most recent California Department of Health guidance regarding public gatherings, The Inkwell Theater will be temporarily closing our doors as of today.
Out of an abundance of caution, we have canceled all performances of Waiting, as well as the remaining readings in this season’s Development LAB series. We will also be moving our monthly Playwright’s Nights online.

We are exceedingly proud of the commitment and exceptional creative work that the playwrights, directors, actors, and staff put into our season. However, the health and well-being of our audience, artists, and community must come first. We so much appreciate everyone who has attended events during our 2019-20 season, and we greatly value your support and loyalty.
We are working to reschedule the canceled events for a later date, and we will continue to give you updates in the future. All ticket holders with online purchases will automatically be refunded for the cost of the ticket and all fees associated.

Thank you again for your support and your loyalty. We will keep you updated through this dynamic situation and look forward to welcoming you back to Inkwell. In the meantime, please continue to take care of yourself and your loved ones.

Sincerely,
Daniel Shoenman

Artistic Director
The Inkwell Theater

March 12, 2020

The Inkwell Theater Development LAB

A unique program in Los Angeles, The Lab aims to bring the writer out of their office, or coffee shop, and into the rehearsal room. We believe that nothing benefits works-in-progress more than artistic collaboration, and are focused on developing new plays through a collaborative workshop process. We believe that by working in a rehearsal setting with a director and actors, a playwright can best further their play. During a one to six-week intensive process, writers will not only see and hear their original draft, but will see their re-writes, changes, and inspired ideas come to life. After all that work is accomplished, the play will be presented as a reading for leaders in the theatre community as well as our fellow artists and dedicated supporters.

Our watchwords are the lessons of Max K. Lerner, the namesake of our Fellowship:
Don’t focus on the negative.
Go forward, not backward.
Keep your sense of humor.
Be a mentor.

More Information about
The Inkwell Development LAB

More Information about
The Max K. Lerner Playwrighting Fellowship

Submission and Application Guidelines

Last from the Inkwell LAB

a new play by Aja Houston

Directed by Susan Dalian

Featuring: Alexandra Churchwell, Mihara India, David McClain Jr., Kari Nicolle, Brandon Rachal, Carlis Shane Clark, Inger Tudor

Produced by Annie McVey

When Proctor passes into the afterlife, she finds herself a captive of “The Middle” — a place where Black souls killed for the sin of being “Spooks” are held until they earn their redemption. Proctor pushes back against the other members and the omnipresent system that governs them so she may be released into the promised paradise of “The Away.”

This Season From the LAB

Waiting

a new play by Aja Houston

Directed by Susan Dalian

When Proctor passes into the afterlife, she finds herself a captive of “The Middle” — a place where Black souls killed for the sin of being “Spooks” are held until they earn their redemption. Proctor pushes back against the other members and the omnipresent system that governs them so she may be released into the promised paradise of “The Away.”
Original Tenants

a new play by Carole Braverman

Directed by Randee Trabitz

A middle-aged woman returns to the Brooklyn neighborhood where she grew up to care for her ailing mother, and encounters some formidable ghosts from the past: an old friend with the seemingly perfect life, a candy store owner who was once her teenage boyfriend, and the shocking power of old grievances, the kind that can explode on you like long-buried minefields. "You've always been a joker, Nina" her old friend tells her, but mortality is no joke. Or is it?
The Sister House

a new play by Stephanie Alison Walker

Directed by Randee Trabitz

When Ramona decides to rent out her deceased husband’s office to a mysterious stranger, her daughter Ryan rebels. Three women and one imaginary vampire collide in a historic Victorian home with a past of its own, in this play about immortal love, mothers and daughters, and redemption.
Abigail

a new play by Sarah Tuft

Directed by Jessica Hanna

A masterpiece of the American Theater, “The Crucible” would be the perfect comeback for blacklisted film director Ben Meyers after allegations of sexual harassment nearly derailed his career. So perfect, that Ben’s wife – the renowned stage actress Savannah Wainscott – arranges for him to helm the Broadway production in which she stars as Goody Proctor. But when Ben casts YouTube star Ashley Hart as Abigail Williams, Ashley’s objections to the play’s portrayal of women bring everything to a grinding halt. ABIGAIL looks at our post-#MeToo culture and asks: Has anything really changed?
Space Available

a new play by Jennie Webb

Directed by Judith Moreland

This is the story of Jane, a woman who’s managed to survive an absurd litany of profound misfortunes, but ends up taking a closer look at her own life choices – and what it means to have options – when faced with a surreal future no woman should have to live with. ‘Space Available’ is a play about a woman’s place and what (& who) we let define us.
Geneis

a new play by Leenie Baker

Directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert

In a time-bending journey from the Garden of Eden to modern-day, we follow God, envisioned as a young woman, in her quest to discover herself. ‘Genesis’ explores issues of faith, love, and power as God develops personal relationships with her creations. ‘Genesis’ asks, what does it mean to succeed—or fail–as a creator?
Broken

a new play by Aaron Braxton

Directed by Susan Dalian

A witty two-act dramatic play centered on the traumatic experiences of a woman rejecting psychological help while suffering hallucinations, pathological guilt, and addiction, “Broken” centers around the stigma of mental illness in an African American family.