ESTHER PEREL RUINED MY LIFE
WRITTEN By Mathilde Dratwa
Directed by Jeremy B. Cohen
A workshop Production
DECEMBER 6 - 15, 2025
About the Show
Esther Perel Ruined My Life is a biting, tender, and tragically modern play that strips away the glossy veneer of marriage, monogamy, and motherhood. When Andrea and Aaron decide to open their marriage—nudged by the provocative gospel of celebrity sex and intimacy expert Esther Perel—they hope to reignite desire. But what begins as an erotic experiment quickly spirals into a deeper and messier unraveling. Andrea, alienated from her own body after childbirth, and Aaron, chasing pleasure beyond their shared bed, find themselves reckoning with the widening gap between being loved and being desired. Enter Ty: charming, uninhibited, 27 years old. His arrival explodes the illusion of control, forcing the couple to confront trust, autonomy, and the stories we tell ourselves to feel whole. Fierce, funny, and sex-soaked, this dramedy dives into the complications of growing up, aging out, and turning on—in more ways than one. A sharp and tender look at what happens after "happily ever after."
Starring: Sarah Utterback* as Andrea, Adrián Javier* and Josh Bywater* as Aaron, and Trace Guzmán as Ty
Standbys: Brea Bee and Shiv Nadkarni
Production Team: Brandon Baruch (Lighting Design), Jordan Bass (Casting Director), Nikki DiLoreto (Associate Director), Rebecca Hsia-Palma (Production Stage Manager), Lindsay Jones (Sound Design), Carolyn Mazuca (Costume Design), Zachary Phaneuf (Technical Director), Scene Shift (Scenic Design), Celina Surniak (Intimacy Director), and Lanae Wilks (Assistant Stage Manager)
*IAMA Theatre Company Ensemble Member
PERFORMANCE DATES & Times
December 6 - 15, 2025 (all shows at 8pm)
ticket prices
Performances: $35 (fees included)
VENUE
Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Free parking is available in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater. Street parking is also available along Casitas Avenue. View venue details + directions.
WHAT IS A WORKSHOP PRODUCTION?
Workshop Productions live in the space between a Staged Reading and Opening Night of a world premiere production. With workshop productions, the focus is on process instead of product and YOU, as our audience, are a key part of that process.
Our playwrights will continue working on the play, making edits, and writing new pages until closing night, based in part on audience response. Meanwhile, our creative team will explore design ideas, focusing on one area of design especially and how it can aid in bringing the play to life. This new model of production allows the show to significantly change from opening to closing night, so we encourage you to come more than once to see how your feedback has helped it evolve.
