Two fiercely funny women, two compelling solo comedies about female identity. Written, performed and directed by members of Los Angeles’ acclaimed IAMA Theatre Company and filmed live at L.A.’s Pico Playhouse, Anyone But Me, written and performed by Sheila Carrasco, directed by Margaux Susi; and The Oxy Complex, written and performed by Anna LaMadrid, directed by Michelle Bossy, will premiere virtually on March 21 at www.iamatheatre.com, where each will continue streaming through April 18.
In Anyone But Me, Carrasco dissects the psyches of women who struggle with self-identity, exploring the personas we create in order to get by. From the local grocery clerk, to your neighbor's teenage daughter, to that lady from the cult — this show is about why Sheila, and women like her, might disguise their true feelings and cling to delusions. Can we eventually break free from the rules we think we have to follow?
“There’s a little of me in each of the characters,” Carrasco says. "I think most women, at some point in our lives, tend to wrap our identities around a single aspect — a relationship, our job or work ethic, our racial or maybe immigrant background, our perceptions of ourselves as artists. This play is an exploration of all my different alter egos and the insecurities I've had in my life, and about accepting the nuance of everything that makes me who I am. We don’t have to be just one thing or another.”
Originally from the South Side of Chicago and an alumna of NYU and Harvard, Carrasco’s most recent credits include IAMA's Found: A New Musical (“Carrasco stand[s] out especially” — Stage Raw) and the CBS pilot Ghosts, as “Flower,” a hippy ghost from the ’60s. On TV, she’s been seen in I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, The Good Place, Jane the Virgin, Outmatched, The Odd Couple, Life in Pieces, American Housewife and #VanLife for NBC/Universal. Other credits include JFL New Faces of Comedy, CBS Showcase (as both a performer and head writer), the Groundlings, UCB, American Repertory Theatre, Moscow Art Theatre, Steppenwolf Garage and Chicago’s Court Theatre. Half Chilean/Mapuche, Carrasco is a creator for Más Mejor, Broadway Video's premium comedy studio for Latinx voices. This is Sheila's first solo theater show, and her first time doing one sans wigs and costumes… so basically naked.
“Strong female voices have always been at the center of IAMA,” state co-artistic directors Stefanie Black and Katie Lowes. “We knew that supporting Sheila and Anna, two undeniably powerful storytellers who are both ensemble members, was a no-brainer from the jump. Each brings her own unique theatrical expression to our virtual stage, begging the audience to stay present and look within.”
Anyone But Me and The Oxy Complex are the third and fourth in IAMA Theatre Company’s 2020-21 season of new solo work exploring identity, isolation, race and connection. The season opened with Making Friends written and performed by Tom DeTrinis, also shot live at the Pico Playhouse. Hi, Are You Single?, written and performed by IAMA’s 2020 Rhimes Unsung Voices Playwriting commission recipient Ryan J. Haddad, is currently streaming through Feb. 28, presented by Washington D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in association with IAMA. Hi, Are You Single? was shot live at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre.
The creative team for Anyone But Me and The Oxy Complex includes scenic and props designer Justin Huen, lighting designer R. S. Buck, sound designer John Nobori and dialect coach Lauren Lovett-Cohen. Filming and post-production are by TAKE Creative. The stage manager is Camella Cooper and assistant stage manager is Rose Swaddling Krol. Tanny Jiraprapasuke is the COVID compliance officer. Lexi Sloan produces and Terry Li associate produces for IAMA Theatre Company.
