RDA PRODUCING To Stream World Premiere Reading Of Abraham Johnson's AND WE WILL EAT YOUR GRIEF

Ryan Duncan-Ayala's RDA Producing, in collaboration with A STAR IS BORED PODCAST, is announcing the cast of and we will eat your grief by Abraham Johnson directed by Annika Perez-Krikorian, Assistant Directed and Dramaturged by Anna Zabel. The cast includes 24 Hour Plays: Nationals alumni Ekemini Ekpo, Alex Michell, and Jessica Natalie Smith.

Lane and June are thirteen. Lane and June are grieving their [REDACTED]. Lane and June can't stop pulling Zebra Cakes out of... well, everywhere. and we will eat your grief follows the story of two sisters trying to twist, reinvent, and cling to each other as the waters start to rise.

"Grief feels gross. And ugly. And artificial. When I started writing this play, I was in some pretty intense grief (feeling very gross/ugly/artificial) and happened to sign up for a playwriting class with Charly Evon Simpson. One of the first exercises led me to an image that felt like a direct reflection of my brain: a kid sitting on a bed pulling fully-wrapped Little Debbie cakes out of their throat. There was a pain there, and artificiality, but also some sort of release. That sent me into the world of this play. I met these two sisters trying to balance grieving, growing up, and finding some sort of joy in all of that mess. And they couldn't stop pulling Zebra Cakes out of their bodies. In some way, I think this play feels like pulling a Zebra Cake out of myself." -Abraham Johnson

Tickets are available in Pay What You Will tiers that range from $2-25. Space is limited. Tickets available now at www.rdaproducing.org/shop.

RDA Producing is committed to creating spaces and access for underserved communities, programming entertainment that provokes discussion, and fostering new work development. Founded in 2020 by Ryan Duncan-Ayala, RDA is currently producing exclusively in a digital format but hopes to change that soon pandemic-permitting. Above everything we are dedicated to opening the door for emerging voices that tell diverse (..actually diverse) and bold stories. @rdaproducing

This production of and we will eat your grief was made possible by RDA Producing's Frontera Playwrights Initiative. Pronounced: Fron-teh -ra, the initiative is set on assisting in the development of the next great frontier of American Playwrights. The Frontera hopes to cultivate emerging voices and give them the opportunity to hone their craft at no cost to the writer.

Abraham Johnson (All Pronouns) is an Atlanta-based playwright who writes Big Messy Queer plays centering around audience experience. Abe has been named a two-time Lambda Literary Playwriting Fellow, a resident artist at the Sundress Academy, and a finalist for the 2020 National Young Playwrights Residency. In 2021 Abe will be a 4x finalist for the Greenhouse Residency at SPACE on Ryder Farms, as well as a playwriting scholar at the Sewanee Writers' Conference. Production or development credits include the New Georgia Group, the Horizon Theater, Process Theater, Out of Box Theater, Essential Theater, Synchronicity Theater, Out Front Theater, Langhorne Players, the Classic City Fringe Festival, the Lionheart Theater Company, the Workshop Theater, and the intern/apprentice companies at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. @theabejohnson

Ryan Duncan-Ayala (He/him), Executive Director/Lead Producer, is a Latine early career arts administrator and Producer from Laredo, Texas. He was the recipient of the KCACTF Region VI 'Excellence in Arts Administration' Award which allowed him to be a part of the 2019 National LORT ASIRE Arts Leadership program that took place at The Kennedy Center. While at the Kennedy Center, Ryan was offered an internship in Company Management at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. After the O'Neill, he moved to Syracuse to be Syracuse Stage's next Development Assistant. Most recently, he was one of six chosen to be a Producer for the 24 Hour Plays: Nationals. @ryan_d99

Annika Perez-Krikorian (she/her) is a Latine theater artist currently based in Seattle. Her work is focused on the intersections of tenderness and trauma, specifically the ways in which people try to sustain their humanity after acts of physical, emotional, or psychological violence. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University and an alumnus of the National Theater Institute's Advanced Directing program, where she was a Miranda Fellow. Most recently she was the Directing/Casting Intern for the Seattle Repertory Theater's 2019/20 season.

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