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The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
Human Resources
By Daniel Hirsch
Directed by Annie McVey
Featuring:
Christine Dunford, Luke Medina, John Lavelle
October 14, 15 & 16 @ 8pm
Kate is having a rough Monday. On top of the fact that she has a chatty, emotionally needy new coworker named Alan who won’t shut up, she’s realizing that her job in the User Systems QA team might be utterly devoid of meaning. Also, she’s probably going to die… As the Mondays accumulate, Kate’s small world is upended when Alan wrangles her into an unexpected friendship. However, neither can predict how the forces of late-stage techno-capitalism or one’s impending mortality might muck up their non-romantic workplace romance.
Kate is having a rough Monday. On top of the fact that she has a chatty, emotionally needy new coworker named Alan who won’t shut up, she’s realizing that her job in the User Systems QA team might be utterly devoid of meaning. Also, she’s probably going to die… As the Mondays accumulate, Kate’s small world is upended when Alan wrangles her into an unexpected friendship. However, neither can predict how the forces of late-stage, techno-capitalism or one’s impending mortality might muck up their non-romantic, workplace romance.
2022-23 LAB Season
Human Resources
by Daniel Hirsch
Kate is having a rough Monday. On top of the fact that she has a chatty, emotionally needy new coworker named Alan who won’t shut up, she’s realizing that her job in the User Systems QA team might be utterly devoid of meaning. Also, she’s probably going to die… As the Mondays accumulate, Kate’s small world is upended when Alan wrangles her into an unexpected friendship. However, neither can predict how the forces of late-stage, techno-capitalism or one’s impending mortality might muck up their non-romantic, workplace romance.
October 2022
Sister, Braid My Hair
by Sarahjeen François
Sister, Braid My Hair is about four sisters who exist as figures in a living tableaux but find reasons to escape the monotony of their frame… for a good time in the real-world. However, the sisters quickly discover that the real-world ain’t as pretty as their picture, and that their real-world Black and Brown counterparts are being over policed. .
November 2022
Two Stop
by David Johann Kim
On the verge of the ’92 LA Riots.
A Korean market.
A murder scene.
A store owner and a neighborhood teenaged girl face off.
When her wild card mother arrives, secrets from the past explode in this tiny store.
History and histories go head to head, as LA starts to burn.
Together they reach back decades and across the globe through war, strife, love and life, finding connection and even hope…but will it be enough?
January 2023
The Taste of Emeralds
by Amy Dellagiarino
Sisters Margot and Caitlin meet up at their mother’s small, decrepit apartment to go through her possessions after her recent death. As the day slowly turns into night, they begin to unpack the secrets of their past until the haunting influence of their mother throughout the years begins to look a lot like an actual haunting.
February 2023
O: A Rhapsody in Divorce
by Jami Brandli
The Odyssey reimagined as a rhapsodic dramedy.
O, a childless female neurobiologist in her 40s, is blindsided by her husband who wants a divorce, but he refuses to leave the house. With that, her life is upended and she’s thrown into an epic couch-hopping odyssey. As O hops from one couch to the next, we’ll not only learn about the science behind love and heartbreak, O discovers unconventional and magical ways to reassemble the blown-up pieces of her life while she struggles to find her way back toward a “new home.”
March 2023
Virtual Playwrights' Night
An evening of live cold readings of new plays over Zoom
September 21st @ 6pm
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.”
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
Waiting (4,380,000 Hours And Counting)
By Aja Houston
Directed by Susan Dalian
Featuring:
Carlis Shane Clark, Cherish Monique Duke, Mihara India, Rickey Junior, Geri-Nikole Love, Portland Thomas, Inger Tudor, E.E. Williams
May 17, 18, 24 & 25 @ 8pm
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.”
ATLA in association with LASA present
An Inkwell Theater Production of
Prefers Bright Indirect Light
By Veronica Tjioe
Directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert
Featuring:
Sutton Arabe, Shirley Jordan,
Emily Kuroda, Hailey McAfee
Friday, October 16th @ 7pm
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
Last from the Inkwell LAB
a new play by Maggie Lou Rader
Directed by Randee Trabitz
Featuring: Alexis Genya, Kaitlin Huwe, Portland Thomas, Kay Wilson
Live Original Music performed by Michael Fleming
Produced by Annie McVey & Daniel Shoenman
LET. HER. RIP. is the story of camaraderie, activism, and ferocity which lies within the crosshairs of the Match Women labour movement and the Ripper murders in White Chapel, 1888.
This Season From the LAB
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LET.HER.RIP.
a new play by Maggie Lou Rader
Directed by Randee Trabitz
Featuring: Alexis Genya, Kaitlin Huwe, Portland Thomas, Kay Wilson Live Original Music performed by Michael Fleming
LET. HER. RIP. is the story of camaraderie, activism, and ferocity which lies within the crosshairs of the Match Women labour movement and the Ripper murders in White Chapel, 1888
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here comes the night
a new play by Lisa Kenner Grissom
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
Featuring: Madelynn Fattibene, Erika Soto, Paige Taylor
When Olivia (mid-40s) invites her old friend, Maggie (mid-30s), to spend the weekend to provide support as Olivia goes through an at-home abortion, their opposing worldviews lead to unexpected insights and consequences for both of them. What happens when a woman’s right to choose becomes a litmus test for all of her life choices?
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Into The Sky
a new play by Matt Schutz
Directed by Kimberlea Kressal
Featuring: David J. Cork, Felipe Figueroa, Noelle Romano
Aboard the spacecraft Passage, Roderick and Johann tend to caterpillars while journeying towards a habitable planet. The long journey allows the two to simply drift through space – and towards each other.
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Poolside Glow
a new play by Luis Roberto Herrera
Directed by Claudia Duran
Featuring: Timothy Mark Davis, Zamara Jimenez, Julie Peralta Reyes
Afraid of her true desires, Serena searches for what she believes is love and whether she deserves it. Through a series of late-night swims, she explores how much she is willing to sacrifice and endure in the pursuit of it.
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Firewater
a new play by Samantha Marchant
Directed by Lauren Campedelli
Featuring: Sara Acevedo, Max Faugno, Alexandra Hellquist, Jully Lee, Sierra Santana, Miebaka Yohannes
A reimagining of the Prometheus myth told from the point of view of fire and her sister.
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A Witness
a new play by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
Directed by Hannah Wolf
Featuring: Robyn Cohen, Sol Marina Crespo, Jimmy Jo, Hailey McAfee, Susan Louise O’Connor, Geri-Nikole Love, Kacie Rogers
Billie, an end-of-life nurse, begins working with Chuck, a woman in the final stages of ALS, as the one-year anniversary of the death of Billie’s brother, Kosmo, approaches.
Last Season From the LAB
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Gertrude
a new play by John Lavelle
Directed by Randee Trabitz
Featuring: Keliher Walsh, Sandi McCree, Kacie Rogers, Deborah S. Craig, Parvesh Cheena, Tony Abatemarco
After the death of Hamlet, the Nordic invaders were hoping for a bloodless transition of power. What they got, was Gertrude.
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Long Division
a new play by Aja Houston
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
Featuring: Geri-Nikole Love, David J. Cork, Nardeep Khurmi, Alexandra Grossi, Cherish Monique Duke
Long division is hard. In Jo’s world dividing up years of marital memories with her ex-husband is even harder. When he sends someone to be his stand-in, Jo is forced to sift through intimate moments with a stranger, who challenges her to solve the problem of moving on.
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Gone
a new play by Lolly Ward
Directed by Hannah Wolf
Featuring: Cherish Monique Duke, Alexandra Hellquist, Peter James Smith, Mitchell Bisschop, Tyree Marshall, Shirley Jordan
A will provides peace of mind as four stepsiblings divide their anticipated inheritance with generosity…with suspicion…with greed. Gamble the night away, but whatever you do, don’t leave the house – your family is watching. “Gone” is a dramedy that tests whether blood is thicker than wine.
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The String's the Thing
a new play by Veronica Tjioe
Directed by Lisa Sanaye Dring
Featuring: Susan Lucas, Vico Ortiz, Alexandra Hellquist
The String’s the Thing uses the framework of the Minotaur myth to explore the complexities of being mixed-race, specifically half-asian. This play is for anyone who has ever felt lost and a profound sense of “in-betweenness” and would please like to know which way is out, thankyouverymuch. It is also good for lovers of cheap wine, close friends, and the merits of a nice ball of string.
(Originally written for the SF Olympians, a mythology adaptation festival of staged readings,) -
Teen Dad
a new play by Adrienne Dawes
Directed by Claudia Duran
Featuring: Krysta Gonzales, Brandon Curry, Elena Sancho, Kelvin Morales, Anna Maria, Tyler Rainer
Abby, a precocious emo-goth teenager, orchestrates a surprise reunion for her mother Tanya, and birth father, Tom, with the help of her mom’s fiancé/healer John. Hoping to provoke long-lasting reconciliation between her parents before her high school graduation, Abby’s plans completely derail when Tom arrives with his new girlfriend Alisha. Can this family confront their past traumas, “deal and heal?
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Day of Saturn
a new play by Leviticus Jelks
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
Featuring: Moe Irvin, Rickey Junior, Brandon Rachal, Geri-Nikole Love
For Achilles Jones, the reality of his son, Icarus’, attempted suicide still haunts him a year later as he works tirelessly to repair his run-down hardware store. His plans get more complicated, however, when he hires a charismatic young volunteer with a painful past of his own. Through Achilles’ recovered memories and Icarus’ journal entries, the secrets about his son and the truth about their relationship come to light. ‘Day of Saturn’ is a planetary collision of loss, humor, Black masculinity and the generational scars that follow us through life.
Season 8 (2019-20)
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Season 7 (2018-19)
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Season 6 (2017-18)
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Virtual Playwright's Night
An evening of live cold readings of new plays over Zoom
October 28th @ 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:
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.
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
Season 7 (2018-19)
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Season 6 (2017-18)
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