Playwrights' Arena to Present World Premiere of @thespeedofJake, Thru 12/7

Los Angeles, CA - 11/12/15 - A father unable to let go, a mother with nine months to move on - these characters are at the heart of a provocative new play by award-winning playwright Jennifer Maisel. A meditation on love, connection and disconnection in this increasingly distant time, @thespeedofJake uses the backdrop of our rapidly evolving technological world to contemplate the universal desire to cheat death and the human need to find hope in life.

The acclaimed Southern California theater company, Playwrights' Arena, continues its tradition of producing daring new works by premiering @thespeedofJake. Playwrights' Arena's artistic director, Jon Lawrence Rivera, is directing this production. Rivera, Stage Raw's 2015 Career Achievement award honoree, was drawn to the play's thought-provoking exploration how timeless human emotions get tangled in today's hi-tech world. His multi-media approach smartly complements the themes Maisel examines in her play.

@thespeedofJake looks at a couple whose lives have been undone over the lost of their ten-year- old son Jake. Emily, a neuroscience professor, seeks to move onward, while successful app designer Clark yearns to find answers the only way he knows how - through computers. The play, an honorable mention on the esteemed Kilroys 2015 list of exceptional new plays by female or trans playwrights, ponders the timely question of whether technology can let the living contact with the dead.

Ryun Yu and Elizabeth Pan spark as Clark and Emily, the couple struggling with their past, present and future. The play also stars Celeste Den, David Carey Foster and Renee Threatte, and the cast's diversity reflects how the play's themes are ones that touch everyone.

Maisel previously collaborated with Playwrights' Arena, with her Comings and Goings being part of the company's historic Flash Theater L.A. project. Her work has premiered in Chicago, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and Off-Broadway. The L.A.-based playwright has been honored with the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays Award, the Charlotte Woolard, Roger L. Stevens Awards and the Stanley Award for Drama as well as winning South Coast Rep.'s California Playwrights Competition.

@thespeedofJake runs from November 14 through December 7 at the Atwater Village Theater, 3269 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles. Showtimes are Saturday @8 pm, Sunday @3 pm and Monday @7 pm. Tickets are $25 (Students/Seniors $15) and are available online: http://jake.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006.

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/596088870529227/

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