New Light New Voices Awarded to Ahsan Ali and Lisa Jill Anderson's FRIENDS WITH AMENITIES

New Light Theater Project has awarded its literary prize, New Light New Voices, to Ahsan Ali and Lisa Jill Anderson's FRIENDS WITH AMENITIES. According to the company, "the script shines with biting wit and vulnerable connectedness."

Ali has problems. So does Natalie. Ali speaks Urdu. Natalie speaks Kardashian. Surviving in New York City is never simple. These two NYC transplants dissect the relative chaos of their lives on a single night in an empty Brooklyn apartment. Misunderstandings of language, culture, and life experience threaten to spill over as Ali and Natalie interrogate and challenge each other's assumptions about their lives and try to stumble drunkenly toward common ground.

"I'm thrilled that New Light will have the opportunity to bring Ahsan and Lisa's play to life. This contemporary story focused on a relationship between friends is refreshing and an honest examination of what it means to be an immigrant and ally in this country" said Founding Artistic Director, Sarah Norris.

New Light will co-produce the world premiere of FRIENDS WITH AMENITIES in partnership with Pendragon Theatre at 59E59 Theaters later this summer. New Light New Voices is committed to uplifting NYC writers who have never had an NYC production. Using an ensemble-based approach to producing new work, the program strives to foster writers through an ensemble-driven practice of creating a brave space for open communication and development. Past winners include Ray Yamanouchi's THE AMERICAN TRADITION ("has a rambunctious punk-rock energy that's all too rare on our increasingly sanitized stages'' (The New Yorker), Dan Giles' BREEDERS (TimeOut NY Critics' Pick), Erin E. Adams' INK'DWELL, Andrew Rincón's I WANNA F*CK LIKE ROMEO AND JULIET, and Anne Adams' STRANGE COUNTRY.

Ahsan and Anderson shared "We are incredibly honored to be this year's co-recipients of the New Light New Voices Award. Having a fully realized production is a huge step for us as emerging writers, and we are so grateful to New Light Theater Project for giving us this invaluable opportunity to bring to life a story that means so much to both of us."

Ahsan Ali and Lisa Jill Anderson are a team of writers/actors based in NYC whose work explores cross-cultural dynamics with humor and heart. Ali is originally from Pakistan and Anderson is from California. They both found their way to New York to attend the BFA theater program at CUNY Brooklyn College and have since collaborated on several film, episodic, and theater projects. In 2022, their half-hour comedy pilot, "Legit Married", was a finalist for the ATX TV Festival Pitch Competition, and their self-produced web series of the same title (co-created with Stephen Brown and directed by Chelsea Gonzalez) won the Audience Choice Award for Best Web Pilot at Dances With Films LA, Best Episodic Pilot at Katra Film Series NYC, and Best Web Pilot at the LA Independent Women Film Awards, and was selected for 32 film festivals across the country.

New Light Theater Project is an ensemble-driven theater company that strives to support independent and emerging artists by providing and promoting growth opportunities through exposure to New York City audiences. Since 2013, New Light has mounted over 40 productions which have received critical praise including a Drama Desk nomination (According to the Chorus), Sold Out Run and 'Best of EdFringe 2019' (The Stage for H*tler's Tasters), Best of Theater 2014 (The L Magazine for Picture Ourselves in Latvia), TimeOut NY Critics' Pick (H*tler's Tasters, Everything is Super Great, The American Tradition, Breeders, and Bubba), resident company of 59E59 Theaters and past recipients of The Flea Theater's Anchor Program, Theatre Row Residency Program, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Residency Fellowship, Chicago Dramatists Grafting Project, and the Access Theater Residency Program. New Light is a 501(c)3 organization.