IAMA Joins Forces With Queens Theatre, Savannah Rep For INVISIBLE

IAMA Theatre Company is partnering with Queens Theatre and Savannah Repertory Theatre to present the virtual premiere of Invisible by Douglas Lyons, the first play to be developed as part of Queens Theatre's "The Fly on the Wall" series.

Created to inspire community engagement amidst the Coronavirus shutdown, this new series will afford patrons of all three theaters the opportunity to watch the Queens Theatre-commissioned play, Invisible by Douglas Lyons, develop from blank page to first draft.

The commission of Lyons' latest play follows the recent success of the playwright's Chicken and Biscuits, which Queens Theatre opened just prior to the pandemic. Invisible tells the story of lifelong best friends, Eemani and Jade, who decompress one afternoon over a good blunt. Unbeknownst to them, the blunt is laced with much more than weed - spiraling the duo into a wild hallucination that allows them to confront the oppressors of the past, dead on.

As part of the new series, each of the three theaters will host a virtual reading of the play-in-process featuring actors from their respective communities, culminating in a first draft read with actors from all three companies.

The first two public events will include "Meet the Playwright," hosted by Queens Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST; and "The First 20 Pages," hosted by IAMA Theatre Company on Saturday, March 13 at 5 p.m. PST / 8 p.m. EST.

According to Lyons, "Coronavirus has redefined theater as we know it, Though our stages may be shut down, our new stories can continue development. From my room, with the support of these three incredible institutions, I look forward to writing my most adventurous play yet. This is a rare opportunity, and I'm ready for the ride."

Douglas Lyons is an actor, writer, director, composer and playwright. His most notable writing credits include Fraggle Rock (Apple TV), Polkadots (Atlantic Theater Company), Chicken and Biscuits (Queens Theatre), Beau (Adirondack Theatre Company) and Five Points, directed by Hamilton's Andy Blankenbuehler. As an actor, Lyons appeared on Broadway in the original casts of Beautiful and The Book of Mormon.

For more information about "The Fly on the Wall" series, visit QueensTheatre.org.

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