Artists at Play Presents Artists at Play Readings, 3/24

As part of Artists at Play's mission statement to present stories of underrepresented communities, they will be developing and showcasing two new works by L.A.-based playwrights to add to the growing support of new plays by L.A.'s theatre community.

"When Artists at Play first came together, we knew we wanted to develop writers whose works we believe have great potential," says founder Stefanie Wong Lau, "and this reading series serves as an opportunity to showcase these plays to the Los Angeles community."

"I'm really excited we're working with Alice Tuan," shares founder Marie-Reine Velez. "She's been one of L.A.'s most overlooked playwrights and we can't wait to give her work more exposure. Like many L.A. theatre companies, we believe L.A. audiences deserve L.A. writers and L.A. writers deserve an L.A. audience."

"Artists from Los Angeles have unique voices that celebrate all the complexities that our city and its people have to offer," says founder Julia Cho. "This is why we find these plays so dynamic, and we will feature work that intrigues and excites us."

"As a collective, we believe in empowering artists by giving them artistic opportunities," states founder Peter J. Kuo. "And as artists, we embrace these opportunities to develop our own talents. I'm glad Artists at Play has become a place I can develop my work and reveal my writing side."

The readings will be presented on Sunday, March 24, at the Woman's Club of South Pasadena. Iggy Woo will be presented at 3:30 p.m., and Three Steps Back will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Each reading will be followed by a talkback, and a dinner reception with hosted bar will be served between the two readings.

Iggy Woo by Alice Tuan
Directed by Rena Heinrich
Dramaturgy by TBA
Kiki loves Iggy. Iggy loves Julie the Cookie Girl. A play about unrequited love, quitting smoking and creating amidst consumption.

Three Steps Back by Peter J. Kuo
Directed by Skyler Gray
Dramaturgy by Kimberly Colburn
Richard attempts to leave his crazed wife with his lover and hyper-diabetic daughter, but fate has other plans. A three-part dark comedy from different perspectives.

Tickets may be purchased for admission to the reception and one reading for $13 or an all-day pass is available for $18.

Artist Bios

Alice Tuan (Playwright, Iggy Woo) is a playwright and teacher. She emerged in 2000 with recognition from the Richard E. Sherwood Award as well as the Colbert Award for Excellence.Ajax (por nobody) premiered at New York's Flea Theater, and performed at the Melbourne Fringe (2001) and was presented last August at Toronto's SummerWorks Festival. Other produced plays include Ikebana, Some Asians, The Roaring Girle and the Virtual Hypertext Theater play Coastline (Serious Play!, Edinburgh Fringe). Ms. Tuan holds an MFA from Brown University in Creative Writing. She has a commission from Yale Repertory Theater/Center for New Theater and is currently the Head of Writing for Performance at Cal Arts.

Rena Heinrich (Director, Iggy Woo) is a director and dramaturg who has been involved in theater in Los Angeles for over 20 years. In 2012, she directed the world premiere of Cynthia Santos-DeCure's Miss Quince at the Luckman Intimate Theatre and co-directed TeAda Productions' critically acclaimed Refugee Nation at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Additionally, Rena currently co-hosts "Hapa Happy Hour," a podcast dedicated to celebrating and exploring the mixed race experience. A Phi Kappa Phi, Rena holds a BA in Theatre Arts from Loyola Marymount University and a Master's in Theatre Arts and Dance from CaliforniaState University, Los Angeles.

Peter J. Kuo (Playwright, Three Steps Back) is a co-founder of Artists at Play, and an L.A. based theatre artist and administrator. His written plays, The Amazing Wedding Race andThree Steps Back, were developed in East West Players' David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. He wrote the book for The Antique Shop with composer Nathan Wang. Commonly known as a director, his directing credits include: Ching Chong Chinaman, Ordinary Days, Songs for a New World and Letters to a Student Revolutionary. As an arts administrator he's worked at South Coast Repertory, East West Players and LA Stage Alliance, among others.

Skyler Gray (Director, Three Steps Back) currently serves as the Literary Assistant for South Coast Repertory and the Education Associate for The Chance Theater. He graduated from UC Irvine with Honors in Directing. He served as the Artistic Director of Children's Musical Theaterworks from 2010-2012 where he directed the World-Premiere Workshop of Sam Wilmott and Marcus Steven's Yo, Vikings! Skyler recently served as the dramaturg for the L.A.-premiere of Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them with Artists at Play and Zen Shorts andSongs of Bilitis with Rogue Artists Ensemble.

Kimberly Colburn (Dramaturg, Three Steps Back) is currently the Associate Literary Director and Pacific Playwrights Festival Coordinator at South Coast Repertory. She works primarily as a dramaturg, but has worked in various capacities with companies including Los Angeles Opera, Sledgehammer Theatre, Lord Leebrick Theatre, Critical Mass Ensemble, the Chance Theatre, NEA/Arena Stage, Playwright's Center, and Native Voices at the Autry. She received her Bachelor's in Theatre from University of California, Riverside and her Master's in Performing Arts Management from University of Oregon.

About Artists at Play

Artists at Play, founded in 2011 by Julia Cho, Peter J. Kuo, Stefanie Wong Lau and Marie-Reine Velez, is a new collective of Asian American creative professionals who have come together to curate quality theatre in Los Angeles. They present theatrical productions missing from Los Angeles' local landscape that tell the stories of the communities underrepresented in theatre. Their inaugural production was the Los Angeles premiere of Lauren Yee's Ching Chong Chinaman which was a box-office hit. Their most recent production, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, received critical acclaim including an Ovation Recommendation and GLAAD Media Award nomination.

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