Well! I must admit I’m having a very “really?” moment in terms of this brand new squeaky play… I had some loose ideas in my head for a bit but decided to commit to writing it during the 2021 Playwrights Union New Play Challenge.
PU’s Annual “Write a Play in a Month” Challenge in February is always a great kick-in-the-ass. But this year, (not-so) strangely enough, I’m finding that I’m
moving
and writing
very
slowly…
So I allowed only gentle kicking.
I drafted a few scenes of “Dead People’s Dishes” by our weekend read-a-thon at the end of February.
And after that – the “Get the play in shape for a reading in June!” step – I inched forward with a “We’ll just read whatever I’ve got done and that will be okay!” attitude.
But then, I happened upon girl genius director Margaret Shigeko Starbuck. And we started to line up a truly kick-ass cast: Makeda Declet, Amir Levi, Michelle Gillette, Pia Shah, Tania Verafield, Charlotte Munson, Scott Keiji Takeda & Leah Cevoli.
So I figured I really should get to “end of play.”
A play about what we hang onto, what we let go of and the weight of our losses, “Dead People’s Dishes” is made up of stories which move through Los Angeles history to look at how we get through things, over and over again.
So grateful to the amazing artists I’m working with, as well as the Playwrights Union’s producer, Cece Tio, and playwrights Stephanie Allison Walker, Deb Hiett, Marlow Wyatt and Abbey Fenbert who also stepped up with incredible new work for our FIRST PEEK Reading Festival June 12 & 13.
I hope you can join us for a look at these first drafts, live on Zoom – would love to know you’re there even if we can’t see you in a box!
Click Here to Register for Readings & find more info at playwrightsunion.com.
