Staged readings of six new plays currently in development by IAMA Theatre Company will be presented over the course of one weekend, November 11 through 14, as part of the company’s annual New Works Festival.
The series kicks off on Thursday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. with Lifeline by Robert Axelrod, winner of the 2020 IAMA Theatre Company/ScreenCraft Stage Play Writing Competition. After the death of a loved one, a mother begins working through her grief by volunteering at a suicide hotline. Keith Powell directs.
Friday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. will see a reading of Eddie's Love by Larry Powell, commissioned by IAMA as part of the company’s 2021 Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting Commission. Eddie Seales is on an adventure to find new love, but may have to leave his life's work behind at a time when his community needs him most in order to find it. Roger Q. Mason directs Powell’s play about the urgent need for mentorship in our communities. Should carrying out this honorable service come before our very human desires?
In Gusher! by Jan Rosenberg, set for Saturday, Nov. 13 at 3 p.m., Davie and her girlfriend Jules are trying to enjoy their vacation — but Davie can't stop bleeding. A storm is brewing, and when some unexpected visitors show up, things get more than a little freaky... and messy. Directed by Hannah Wolf.
Saturday, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. brings us The Very Best People, written by IAMA ensemble member John Lavelle and directed by Okieriete Onaodowan. 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. Conspiracy theories, hot wings, and hyper-violence are the weapons of choice to wage battle against the liberal blue cheese wave of misinformation.
Scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. is The Play My Family Can't Know Exists, written by IAMA ensemble member Melissa Jane Osborne and directed by ensemble member Michelle Bossy. Two “adult” children have to confront their present when they are summoned by their mother to purge their childhood home. This play is about the roles we play, faith and how we can hate/love our family so whole heartedly because we are nothing like them — and because we are them.
Closing out the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m., Invisible by Douglas Lyons was commissioned by New York City’s Queens Theatre and developed in association with IAMA Theatre Company and Savannah Rep as part of Queens Theatre’s inaugural The Fly On The Wall series. Lifelong best friends Eemani and Jade decompress one afternoon over a good blunt. Unbeknownst to them, the blunt is laced with much more than weed, spiraling the duo into a wild hallucination where slavery and superpowers collide. Directed by Bryan Keith.
All readings will take place at the Broadwater Second Stage, 6320 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038. Tickets are free, but reservations are recommended. Proof of full vaccination, or a negative PCR COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours, and valid ID are required for admission. Patrons must remain fully masked throughout the performances