Announcing the 2024-25 Inkwell LAB Season!
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
Adirondack Chair Circle
By Stephanie Walker
Directed by Randee Trabitz
Featuring:
Kathe Mazur, Porter Kelly, Paloma Nozicka, Max Faugno, Desiree Mee Jung, Rebecca Larsen
Banna is a suburban mom who makes a killer charcuterie board, takes pride in her perfect house, and finds meaning in leading a group of like-minded moms fighting the school district’s indoctrination of children. But behind the impressive facade, the cracks in Banna’s carefully curated world are starting to show. Her marriage is in trouble, her relationship with her teenager is strained, and she is being tormented by an ever-present crow defiling her backyard. As Banna’s group gains notoriety and some sinister allies, she is faced with a choice: to open up and evolve or to double down and become isolated.
Banna is a suburban mom who makes a killer charcuterie board, takes pride in her perfect house, and finds meaning in leading a group of like-minded moms fighting the school district’s indoctrination of children. But behind the impressive facade, the cracks in Banna’s carefully curated world are starting to show. Her marriage is in trouble, her relationship with her teenager is strained, and she is being tormented by an ever-present crow defiling her backyard. As Banna’s group gains notoriety and some sinister allies, she is faced with a choice: to open up and evolve or to double down and become isolated.
Virtual Playwrights' Night Is Back!
An evening of live cold readings of new plays over Zoom
September 18th @ 6pm
here comes the night
By Lisa Kenner Grissom
Directed by Hailey McAfee
Featuring:
Madelynn Fattibene and Erika Soto
Olivia, a musician’s wife and climate science advocate, invites her old friend Maggie, a social media influencer, to spend the weekend while Olivia has an at-home medical abortion. She doesn’t realize that Maggie, although well-intended, is about to throw Olivia off course, and these women of different generations are about to alter each other’s lives in ways they had never expected, or imagined. What happens when a woman’s right to choose becomes a litmus test for all of her life choices?
Olivia, a musician’s wife and climate science advocate, invites her old friend Maggie, a social media influencer, to spend the weekend while Olivia has an at-home medical abortion. She doesn’t realize that Maggie, although well-intended, is about to throw Olivia off course, and these women of different generations are about to alter each other’s lives in ways they had never expected, or imagined. What happens when a woman’s right to choose becomes a litmus test for all of her life choices?
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
JUGGERNAUT
By Ciara Ní Chuirc
Directed by Allison Bibicoff
Featuring:
Jacqueline Misaye, Denise Yolén, Stephanie Chloé Hepner, Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Isaiah Dodo-Williams, Geri-Nikole Love
Jay “Juggernaut” Hayes thinks that she has been called by God to be an MMA fighter. She is single-minded and focused on what she sees as her purpose: she is going to fight ex-champion fighter Maria Rodriguez. Maria is reluctant to return to the octagon after a year off but her manager Lena convinces her otherwise. As the fight looms, Jay becomes more and more resolved while Maria starts to feel doubtful – does she really want to fight the so-called “Daughter of God”?
Jay “Juggernaut” Hayes thinks that she has been called by God to be an MMA fighter. She is single-minded and focused on what she sees as her purpose: she is going to fight ex-champion fighter Maria Rodriguez. Maria is reluctant to return to the octagon after a year off but her manager Lena convinces her otherwise. As the fight looms, Jay becomes more and more resolved while Maria starts to feel doubtful – does she really want to fight the so-called “Daughter of God”?
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
Six Men Dressed Like Joseph Stalin
By Dianne Nora
Directed by Hailey McAfee
Featuring:
Meg Cashel, Tyler Bremer, Veronica Tjioe
When Soso is left for dead on the Eastern Front, he’s taken in by the Kremlin due to his shocking resemblance to a certain someone. Koba is tasked with training him to perform the role of a lifetime: Stalin’s body double. While Soso is a performer—trained to dance, juggle, and tour the countryside entertaining peasants, Koba is an Actor’s Actor, a student of Stanislavski himself (maybe you’ve heard of his System?), committed to the pursuit of perezhivanie, or experiencing a character’s reality. Based roughly on the life of Felix Dadaev, one of Stalin’s known doubles, the play draws on the historical events of Stalin’s life, the acting methods of the 1940s, and the demise of Yakov Dhugasvilli (Stalin’s real son, who died in a Nazi prison as his father refused to negotiate for his release), as the doubles prepare for the Conference at Tehran, when three so-called Great Men (or were they merely players?) decided the fate of the 20th century.
When Soso is left for dead on the Eastern Front, he’s taken in by the Kremlin due to his shocking resemblance to a certain someone. Koba is tasked with training him to perform the role of a lifetime: Stalin’s body double. While Soso is a performer—trained to dance, juggle, and tour the countryside entertaining peasants, Koba is an Actor’s Actor, a student of Stanislavski himself (maybe you’ve heard of his System?), committed to the pursuit of perezhivanie, or experiencing a character’s reality. Based roughly on the life of Felix Dadaev, one of Stalin’s known doubles, the play draws on the historical events of Stalin’s life, the acting methods of the 1940s, and the demise of Yakov Dhugasvilli (Stalin’s real son, who died in a Nazi prison as his father refused to negotiate for his release), as the doubles prepare for the Conference at Tehran, when three so-called Great Men (or were they merely players?) decided the fate of the 20th century.
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
The Brothers Matafouk
A Matafouk Comedy in Two Matafouk Acts
By Andy Wasif
Directed by Allison Bibicoff
Featuring:
Ari Agbabian, Tayeb Jasoor, Alan Aymie, Sapna Kumar, Gigette Reyes, Mueen Jahan, Simran Budhwani
February 29, March 1 & 2 @ 8PM
When Samir, the eldest Matafouk brother, looks out of his construction trailer across the barren Emirati desert, he sees a world of potential and legacy. But when his daughter visits with a request, old Matafouk habits and mistakes threaten to derail everything he’s built forcing him to recognize what is truly important before it’s too late.
When Samir, the eldest Matafouk brother, looks out of his construction trailer across the barren Emirati desert, he sees a world of potential and legacy. But when his daughter visits with a request, old Matafouk habits and mistakes threaten to derail everything he’s built forcing him to recognize what is truly important before it’s too late.
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
The Very Best People
By John Lavelle
Directed by Randee Trabitz
Featuring:
Johnathan Tchaikovsky, Daniel Franzese, Andria Kozica, Adrian Gonzalez, Margaux Susi, Peter O’Connor
November 6th, 7th & 8th @ 8PM
Alternative truth theories, hot wings, and justified hyper-violence are the weapons of choice to fight the liberal blue cheese wave of fact based misinformation.
Remember, to be the very best person, you must give over to you’re inner animal and stuff.
There is a plot against America, and the epicenter of the resistance is at Angelina’s Irish Pub on the South Shore of Staten Island.
Alternative truth theories, hot wings, and justified hyper-violence are the weapons of choice to fight the liberal blue cheese wave of fact based misinformation.
Remember, to be the very best person, you must give over to you’re inner animal and stuff.
The Inkwell Theater presents a workshop reading of
The Second Best School Shooting
By Alice Stanley Jr.
Directed by Carly DW Bones
Featuring:
Jordan Villegas, Zoe Yale, Alyssa Jirrels
October 3rd, 4th & 5th @ 8PM
Two best friends struggle to recover from a school shooting that is completely overshadowed by a much worse school shooting on the exact same day.
2022-23 LAB Season
Human Resources
by Daniel Hirsch
Directed by Annie McVey
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
Two Stop
by David Johann Kim
Directed by Alberto Isaac
The Taste of Emeralds
by Amy Dellagiarino
Directed by Carly DW Bones
O: A Rhapsody in Divorce
by Jami Brandli
Directed by Jessica Hanna
Sister, Braid My Hair
by Sarahjeen François
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
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 Dianne Nora
Directed by Hailey McAfee
Featuring: Meg Cashel, Tyler Bremer, Veronica Tjioe
Produced by Annie McVey & Daniel Shoenman
Last Season From the LAB
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Sister, Braid My Hair
a new play by Sarahjeen François
Directed by Melissa Coleman-Reed
Featuring: Eboni Alexander, Tamara McMillian, Tyree Marshall, Dionne Robinson, Naïma Hebrail Kidjo Djembefola - Mizan Willis
"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.
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O: A Rhapsody in Divorce
a new play by Jami Brandli
Directed by Jessica Hanna
Featuring: Amielynn Abellera, Ann Noble, Alexis Genya, Jacqueline Misaye, Andrew Brian Carter, Shirley Jordan
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.” -
The Taste of Emeralds
a new play by Amy Dellagiarino
Directed by Carly DW Bones
Featuring: Kathleen Leary, Dana DeRuyck, Zachary Bones, Veronica Tjioe
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.
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Two Stop
a new play by David Johann Kim
Directed by Alberto Isaac
Featuring: Suzen Baraka, Tristina Lee, Albert Park, Shirley Jordan
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? -
Human Resources
a new play by Daniel Hirsch
Directed by Annie McVey
Featuring: Christine Dunford, Luke Medina, John Lavelle, Sharon Freedman
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.
Previously From the LAB
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WAITING (4.380,000 HOURS AND COUNTING)
a new play 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
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.”
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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.
Season 10 (2021-22)
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Season 9 (2020-21)
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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
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