Los Angeles' acclaimed IAMA Theatre Company presents the New York premieres of 2 plays in rep.
December 5 - 15 at Theatre Row
“An exceptional series of premieres.” -- The Hollywood Reporter
Los Angeles' acclaimed IAMA Theatre Company will present the premiere of two new plays in repertory: DO LIKE THE KIDS DO & SHINER. Performances begin December 5 at The Studio NYC at Theatre Row.
In DO LIKE THE KIDS DO, Claire returns home for Christmas determined to reconnect with her big brother Patrick. Her plans for a sentimental journey are complicated by the arrival of their Harvard-bound stepbrother and Patrick's "Maybe Girlfriend" Yoshiko. A seriocomic journey investigating family, love, time and the futile attempt to reclaim a home that never was. Written by Louise Munson and directed by Keliher Walsh.
SHINER (pictured above) takes place in the spring of 1994 as two outcast teens make a pact to die happy: see Nirvana at the Hollywood Bowl then jump off the 101 overpass together. But a first kiss, a restraining order and Kurt Cobain's declining health threaten their plan. Written by Christian Durso and directed by Neil Patrick Stewart (Volleygirls).
About the bicoastal season, IAMA Artistic Director Becca Wolff says “When people in NYC think of LA theater, we want them to think of us: young, independent artists doing great new plays.” The majority of IAMA’s members trained and worked in NYC before moving to LA, and past IAMA world premieres have gone on to success here, including Bachelorette at Second Stage and Assistance at Playwrights Horizons. “We’re off to a pretty good start,” says Wolff, “And after the outstanding reception both Shiner and Kids received in LA, we knew it was time for a homecoming.”
DO LIKE THE KIDS DO & SHINER stars Amy Rosoff (Assistance at Playwrights Horizons, ABC’s “FlashForward"), Mark Saul (ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy”), Dean Chekvala, Graham Sibley and Laila Ayad (Bachelorette). The production team includes Kaitlyn Pietras (projection/set design), Ji-Youn Chang (lighting), Eric Saez (sound), and Adrianna Iantorno & Louise Munson (costumes).
LOUISE MUNSON (playwright, DO LIKE THE KIDS DO) grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. Her full-length plays include Luigi, a play (Inkwell Theatre Company, recipient of the Max K. Lerner Playwriting Fellowship), and The Dance Party. She is a recipient of the Walter E. Dakin Playwriting Fellowship from the 2013 Sewanee Writers' Conference. MFA, Bennington College, Liam Rector Scholar.
CHRISTIAN DURSO's (playwright, SHINER) plays have been performed in Los Angeles and have enjoyed workshops and readings at The Roundabout Underground, The Flea, The Old Globe and EST/LA. He is currently writing a six-part miniseries for HBO Asia and adapting a young adult novel into a screenplay.
NEIL PATRICK STEWART (director, SHINER) is the director and one of the creators behind the musical Volleygirls, which premiered at the Signature Theatre this summer as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Neil’s production of The Elephant Man for Mechanicals Theatre Group in Los Angeles earned four Ovation Award nominations, including Best Direction. Neil is currently a visiting professor at Texas State University. He is the former creative director of New York’s Back House Productions, where he helped develop and co-directed In the Heights.
KELIHER WALSH (director, DO LIKE THE KIDS DO) has worked at the Guthrie Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, Vineyard and other on and off Broadway theaters. She is a member of Ensemble Studio Theater N.Y. and L.A. Her own play Year of the Rabbit won the Kentucky Women’s Writing Conference 2011, and was produced by EST LA in 2012.
Under Artistic Director Becca Wolff and Producing Director Cymbre Walk, IAMA Theatre Company was founded in 2007 by a group of young actors to create a new theatre movement in Los Angeles. The Company endeavors to produce vibrant, voyeuristic work. Past premieres include both Bachleorette and Assistance by Leslye Headland, The Callback by Neil LaBute and Dan LeFranc's Sixty Miles to Silverlake. IAMA is a project of Pasadena Arts Council’s EMERGE fiscal sponsorship program. For more info visit www.iamatheatre.com.
DO LIKE THE KIDS DO & SHINER runs December 5 - 15. Schedule varies. The Studio NYC is located at Theatre Row Theaters, 410 West 42nd Street at 9th Avenue. Tickets are $18 at 212-239-6200 or www.TeleCharge.com.