THE LUCKY ONES By Lia Romeo Set For The Blank Theatre's Living Room Series, January 10

The Blank Theatre's Living Room Series has announced a reading of The Lucky Ones by Lia Romeo on Monday, January 10, at 8pm. Directed by Christopher James Raymond, the cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Robyn Cohen, Lizzie Peet, and Adam J. Smith.

Vanessa and Janie are best friends. A devastating diagnosis forces them to consider what that friendship means and how much it matters. Vanessa is sick, and she's getting sicker, while Janie is embarking on a new love affair. As Janie tries to balance her role as a caretaker with her dreams for her own future, the cracks in the friendship begin to emerge. An exploration of the value and complexity of female friendship in a patriarchal society.

Lia Romeo is a playwriting fellow at the Juilliard School. Her play The Forest was developed at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference and was scheduled to receive a National New Play Network rolling world premiere last season but was postponed due to the pandemic. Her play Sitting and Talking, starring Dan Lauria and Wendie Malick, premiered at Mile Square Theatre and has subsequently been presented by Laguna Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, and Seven Devils New Play Foundry, among others. Her plays have been produced off-Broadway at 59E59 and in regional theatres around the country. Four of her plays have been recognized by the Kilroys List. She was the winner of City Theatre's National Short Playwriting Award and has been a nominee or finalist for the Heideman Award, L. Arnold Weissberger Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Kesselring Prize, and the Steinberg Award. She is associate artistic director with Project Y Theatre Company and founder/coordinator of the Project Y Playwrights Group. She teaches playwriting at Primary Stages/ESPA and in the M.A. program in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

The Living Room Series (LRS) is a new play development program that embodies The Blank's commitment to developing new work by diverse voices from both established and emerging writers. Submissions by women, playwrights of color, and other under-represented voices are strongly encouraged. The Blank is firmly committed to supporting gender parity and diversity. In non-covid times, the LRS readings take place on Monday evenings at the 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood between Labor Day and Memorial Day. LRS offers a week-long rehearsal process for the playwright, director, and actors to explore and refine the play before presenting it to an audience. The performances are minimally staged, with actors carrying scripts, and are a wonderful opportunity for the playwright to get a sense of the play's full potential.

Other readings scheduled for the remainder of the current LRS season are Les Fréres by Sandra Daley-Sharif, directed by Will Steinberger (February 21); Kill Shelter by Ashley Rose Wellman, directed by Christopher James Raymond (March 7); Something Else by Maria Brandt (March 21); Thoughts and Prayers by Barbara Blumenthal-Ehrlich (April 4); and Story Avenue by Mel Nieves (May 9).

All readings will be presented digitally. A free watch code will be provided upon registration at theblank.com/livingroomseries. (Suggested donation is $15.)

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