IAMA Presents the World Premiere of Unbound
The Ovation Award-winning IAMA THEATRE COMPANY is thrilled to present the World Premiere of UNBOUND, written by D.G. Watson and directed by Jennifer Chambers. UNBOUND will preview on Sunday, October 23 at 7pm & Saturday, October 29 at 3pm and will open onSaturday, October 29 at 8pm and run through Sunday, November 27 at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.
It is the fall of 2011. A popular but divisive Tea Party senator wants to be the next President of the United States. A former Black Panther, after 36 years in prison, hopes to rebuild his fallen organization. And two young Occupy activists - Michael and Kate - wake up together in a hotel room, unable to remember how they got there. While piecing together clues from the previous night, they discover a controversial video recording that, if released to the public, could determine the outcome of the 2012 presidential election.
But as these four characters chase down their individual dreams of revolution, they unwittingly open a Pandora's box of hidden motives and desires that, once unleashed, threaten to destroy everything they've set out to accomplish. Unbound examines the intersection of race, sex, and power by posing the following question: "How far are we willing to go in our quest for a more perfect Union?"
ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST
Jennifer Chambers (Director) is a Los Angeles based director and actor. She is the co-associate artistic director of the Echo Theater Company in Atwater Village. She has directed the world premier of Sheila Callaghan's Bed, the world premier of Jessica Goldberg's Better, the world premiere of Stephen Belber's The Muscles in Our Toes, The Pain and The Itch by Bruce Norris, Playdates by Sam Wolfson, The Land of the Blacks by Michael Shaw Fischer, and the world premiere of Complete by Andrea Kuchlewska. Regionally, she has directed for Collaboractions's Peacebok Festival in Chicago. She is the artistic director of the Echo Theater Company's playwright's lab. She has assisted Jonathan Moscone on Shaw's Man and Superman at Cal Shakespeare and Liz Diamond on Crooked by Catherine Trieschmann. As an actor, she has worked with The National Actor's Theater, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, Rattlestick Playwright's Theatre, Pandora Productions, Santa Monica Rep, The Echo Theater Company and Theatre of Note. She has a BS in Theatre from Northwestern University and an MA in Counseling Psychology/Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is a member of SAG/AFTRA, AEA, and an associate member of SDC.
DARYL WATSON (Playwright) is a playwright and graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. His plays include The Blueberry Hill Accord (Stella Adler Studios), Snap (2005 NYC Battle of the Bards Winner), Prime Time (Real TheatreWorks and PSNBC, Abingdon Theater), and the collaborative piece Game On (Actors Theater of Louisville). D.G. was a co-creator and writer for the Emmy-nominated Disney series "Johnny and the Sprites." His short-lived peace walk across the United States was featured on an episode of NPR's "This American Life."
The Cast of UNBOUND features: Gates McFadden (EST/LA, "Star Trek: The Next Generation), Laila Ayad ("Scandal," Gruesome Playground Injuries), Chris Gardner ("Oz," "Law & Order") and Ellis E. Williams (Broadway: Once on This Island, South Coast Rep/Pasadena Playhouse; August Wilson's Jitney, receiving the 2013 LA Drama Critics Award).
UNBOUND features an award-winning design team. The Set Design is by Se Oh. The Lighting Design is by Ginerva Lombardo. The Sound Design is by Dalmar Montgomery. The Costume Design is by Suzie Ford. The Fight Choreography is by Ahmed Best. Properties Design is by Courtney Sauls. The Stage Manager is Lara Myrene.
“It takes talent to juggle political activism, sexual tension, and a highly suspenseful thriller plot, but playwright D.G. Watson has done it. His compelling drama hits an almost astonishing number of dynamic points with a deceptive ease that belies nuances of philosophy and morality. Unbound charts how idealism quickly rots into corruption–and how cynicism can easily morph into something more darkly cruel.”
