Photos: First Look at the World Premiere of SMILE at IAMA Theatre Company

Two women form an unexpected bond in a new play developed at IAMA Theatre Company by playwright Melissa Jane Osborne and director Michelle Bossy, both IAMA ensemble members. The world premiere of Smile opens IAMA's 15th anniversary season on November 12 at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances continue through December 5.

See photos below!

With IAMA's 2022-23 "Jubilee" season dedicated to telling stories that give voice to women, people of color, LBGTQA artists and artists of varied physical and cognitive abilities, Smile is fittingly set in 1992, the year a record number of women were elected to the U.S. Senate that was dubbed "Year of the Woman" by the media.

But things haven't changed much for 17-year-old Rachel Olivera, played by Isabella Feliciana (Killer Grades on Lifetime). A kid from the inner city whose mother moved her in order to attend a White, affluent public school in Philadelphia's Main Line, Rachel is a young girl still dreaming of her first kiss; she's ill-equipped to navigate a world which defines her solely by gender, race and class. When an "incident" at school lands Rachel in the guidance counselor's office, her situation sparks the young mother's own questions and insecurities. Soon, Rachel and Helen (IAMA ensemble member Andria Kozica, recently seen in Celestial Events) find themselves developing a complicated relationship.

Also in the cast are IAMA ensemble member John Lavelle (Drama Desk Award for The Royale at Lincoln Center, Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate on Broadway, playwriting credits including Sinners Laundry and Celestial Events for IAMA) as Helen's husband, Matt, and Ronit Kathuria as neighborhood boy Joey.

"This play is a great ride, a cathartic story about two very different women who come to lean on each other," says Bossy. "They have each reached a tipping point. They want to be the authors of their own stories, to not have their identities defined for them. Neither wants to be a victim. 1992 was supposed to the 'Year of the Woman,' yet here we find ourselves 30 years later, and nothing has really changed."

Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039. Free parking is available in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

For reservations and information, Call 323-380-8843 or go to iamatheatre.com.

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