For the L.A.-based IAMA THEATRE COMPANY's first season under the leadership of Artistic Director Becca Wolff and Managing Director Mira Greene, IAMA brings works by young playwrights Dan LeFranc, Louise Munson and Christian Durso to Los Angeles audiences for the first time. World premieres of Durso's SHINER – named to The Tracking Board's YOUNG AND HUNGRY LIST 2012 – and Munson's DO LIKE THE KIDS DO, mark the maturation of two fresh voices in American theater. LeFranc's 60 MILES TO SILVERLAKE, winner of the 2010 New York Times award for Outstanding Play is an overdue homecoming for this SoCal native and his first L.A. production. With this season, IAMA continues its quest to shift the nerve center of young American theatre to L.A.
The Season
SHINER by Christian Durso. Opens September 15 at the Working Stage Theatre
A wry and nostalgic portrait of teenage love and loss in the 1990s. Inspired by the music of Nirvana, director Neil Patrick Stewart's production is shot through with the spirit of Kurt Cobain. Featuring IAMA members Graham Sibley and Laila Ayad.
DO LIKE THE KIDS DO by Louise Munson. Opens November 9 at the Working Stage Theatre
In the tradition of the American family drama comes DO LIKE THE KIDS DO. This profound and funny play tells the story of a brother and sister struggling to connect in the face of events neither can control. The production is helmed by veteran L.A. actor and director Keliher Walsh and features IAMA members Amy Rosoff and Dean Chekvala.
60 MILES TO SILVERLAKE by Dan LeFranc. Coming in early 2013. Opening date TBA
Directed by Becca Wolff, this play about a father driving his son to soccer practice bends time and space, making this ordinary episode an extraordinary reflection of what it means to grow up. Cast TBA.
IAMA was conceived in 2007 by a group of young actors eager to create a new theatre movement in L.A. The company members' talents and commitment to the theatrical form have earned them a devoted local following: "In this industry town, where theater is often the byproduct of actors waiting to be plucked for film and TV, IAMA's devotion to the stage is fully grounded in its counter-intuitiveness (MetromixLA)".
IAMA is building on the success it enjoyed with the first six installments of Leslye Headland's critically acclaimed SEVEN DEADLY PLAYS. Headland joined IAMA as Artist-in-Residence in 2007, and her first two collaborations with the company, BACHELORETTE and ASSISTANCE, received Off-Broadway productions at Second Stage and Playwrights Horizons respectively.
Artistic Director Becca Wolff says, "I joined IAMA for the same reason that audiences are drawn to them. It's a dream to find a group that makes significant work with such joy." Wolff earned her MFA in directing at Yale School of Drama and is co-founder of Tilted Field Productions. She brings a decade of experience at theaters including New York's Public Theater, The O'Neill Playwrights Conference, and LA's own Son of Semele Ensemble.
To Managing Director Mira Greene, IAMA represents "a perfect storm of passion and talent. It's thrilling to join them at this point in their growth." Greene received her BA in Theatre from Smith College and will graduate from California State University Long Beach in 2013 with a dual MBA/MFA in Theatre Management.
Videos