A LETTER FROM OUR ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

X

Stefanie Black
IAMA Artistic Director

...i've no regrets

Written by Nicholas Pilapil

Directed by Rodney To

Lydia Gaston

Alexander Fox

Giselle Tongi

long

Written by Charlie Oh

Directed by Jully Lee

hindi

Written by Nandita Shenoy

Directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III

Broken English

Written by Nina Ki

Directed by Gavin Trinidad

For Us All

Written by Jeanne Sakata

Directed by Jennifer Chang

calm

Written by Adam Gwon

Directed by X

Performed by Deborah S. Craig

transfusion

Written by Kit Yan

Directed by Kat Yen

Performed by Futaba Shioda

dishwasher dreams

Written by Alaudin Ullah

Directed by Chay Yew

Performed by Alaudin Ullah

hawaiian

Written by Po'ai Lincon

Directed by Po'ai Lincon

Performed by Po'ai Lincon

x

Written by Noa Gardner

Directed by Noa Gardner

Performed by Noa Gardner

Resources

A portion of the proceeds from the Pass the Mic Festival will be donated to the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, dedicated to advancing representation for Asian American and Pacific Islander creators and executives in Hollywood. Through industry-renowned programs such as the CAPE New Writers Fellowship, CAPE Leaders Fellowship, consulting and talent referral services, the CAPE Database and #GoldOpen, CAPE is breaking barriers to representation from the writers’ room to the boardroom to the living room. Learn more at www.capeusa.org and follow us @CAPEUSA on Instagram and Twitter.

Check out our LaResource Guide learn more about people, places, and moments referenced in Pass the Mic Festival.

Creative team

Adam Gwon (Writer of “Calm”) is a composer and lyricist whose musicals have been produced on six continents, in more than half-a-dozen languages. Off-Broadway: Scotland, PA (Roundabout Theatre - Drama Desk nomination, NYT Critic’s Pick), Ordinary Days (Roundabout Theatre, Keen Company revival - Drama League Award nomination), Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre, NYT Critic’s Pick); Regional: String (Village Theatre), Cake Off (Signature Theatre - Helen Hayes Award nomination, Bucks County Playhouse), Cloudlands (South Coast Rep), The Boy Detective Fails (Signature Theatre), Bernice Bobs Her Hair (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); West End: Ordinary Days (Trafalgar Studios). His songs have been heard at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and more, performed by such luminaries as Audra McDonald, Kelli O’Hara, and Brian d’Arcy James. Honors include the Kleban, Ebb, Loewe, and Richard Rodgers Awards, Second Stage Theatre's Donna Perret Rosen Award, Weston Playhouse New Musical Award, ASCAP Harold Adamson Award, and MAC John Wallowitch Award. Recordings include: Ordinary Days (Ghostlight Records), Audra McDonald's Go Back Home (Nonesuch), The Essential Liz Callaway (Working Girl Records), Artists in Residence (Broadway Records), Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Album (Entertainment One). Adam has been a fellow at MacDowell, Hermitage Artist Retreat, the O’Neill Music Theater Conference, and the Dramatists Guild.

Alaudin Ullah (Writer of “Dishwasher Dreams”) has been trailblazing the world for the past two decades as one of the first Southasian comedians to be featured on networks such as Comedy Central, HBO, MTV, BET, and PBS. He will be premiering his Solo Play "Dishwasher Dreams" directed by Chay Yew at Writers Theater and Hartford Stage this upcoming year. Film Credits: the voice of Hanuman in the award-winning animated film Sita Sings the Blues. Prof. Gautam in American Desi. Television: Uncle Morty's Dub Shack (IATV). Due to the abundant stereotypes of South Asians in the industry, Aladdin turned to write to counter the "new Minstrel show," of terrorists and cab drivers. He was a member of the Public Theater's Inaugural Emerging Writers Group where he worked on his trilogy of plays based on Harlem and Bangladesh. His plays have been workshopped and produced at Public Theater, New York Theater Workshop, Labyrinth, Silk Road, Victory Gardens (Chicago). A book inspired by his plays is called Bengali Harlem. Alaudin will be co-directing a documentary of the same name which will be out next year on PBS. He is a current MFA candidate in Playwrighting at Columbia University where he is working on a trilogy of plays and films about the Bengali Harlem lost history.

Cast

Stefanie Black* (Co-Director) is a founding member and Co-Artistic Director of the Award Winning, IAMA Theatre Company. An actor, writer, and director originally from Allentown, PA, she is a graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Playwrights Horizons Theater School, an alumna of The Williamstown Theater Festival and American Conservatory Theater (ACT). Recent stage directing credits include: workshop of new musical, "The Evergreen" as well as the premiere of "Penelope" by IAMA member, Louise Munson. Her feature directing debut, “Adult Interference,” which she co-wrote and co-directed, was distributed by Gravitas Ventures in 2019 and can be viewed on Amazon Prime, iTunes and SVOD. She also directed the 2017 ABC Discovers Talent Showcase in Los Angeles. Stefanie is a proud member of Film Fatales. As an actor, she has recurred on such shows as SCANDAL (ABC) and HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (CBS); as well as appeared on THIS IS US(NBC), CASUAL (HULU), AHS:1984 (FX), GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC), and many others. Thank you to Brandon for allowing me to be a part of your storytelling. Much love to Alex, always my heart.

Devere Rogers* (Co-Director) Devere Rogers is an actor, playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA and a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As a director, he directed the world premiere of Hammer for the LA Fringe Festival. As an actor, he has performed in plays, musicals, and workshops on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regionally, as well as having roles on such TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and Will & Grace. Most recently, he starred in the NBC pilot Friends-In-Law, is recurring on IFC’s Sherman’s Showcase, and co-starred in the action comedy My Spy with Dave Bautista and Ken Jeong and indie comedy Tankhouse with Christopher Lloyd and Richard Kind. As a writer, he wrote the critically acclaimed short film Ying & Yang as well as having an Off-Broadway workshop production of his play Excuse Me Ladies and Gentlemen. He is currently developing a TV show with Paul Feig’s PowderKeg and Fox21 and filming a new show with HBO Max starring Patti Lupone.

Donna Simone Johnson (Producer) Donna Simone Johnson is an actor, Community Organizer, choreographer, and the Co-Artistic Director of Watts Village Theatre Company. LA-based, she has enjoyed a vibrant career working in commercials, voiceovers, screens, and stages and is currently a series regular on Y'all Family, premiering this fall and a Company Member at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. TV credits include The Inspectors, 9-1-1, Agent X, Amazon's Dreamland, and NETFLIX's animated series Super Drags (recurring). On stage, she has worked at The Pantages, Portland Center Stage, Virginia Stage, Playwrights Arena, and Off-Broadway, winning an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Broken Fences." She is currently working with Howlround to craft a revised theater canon, with attention to BIPOC and LGBTQ2A+, stories to revitalize American storytelling in this new era. She holds a BA from Vanguard University, MA in Somatic Education from NYU Steinhardt, and an MFA in Acting from CalArts. @dsimonejo for side eyes and joyrides.

Ché Landon (Producer) Ché Landon is a LA based producer and executive. Originally from NYC, Ché began their creative pursuits in theater, and soon expanded into film and television. Che worked at NBC Universal on array of projects including Birdman, Neighbors, The Mindy Project, Madmen and several other pilot projects. As an actor they have appeared on Grey's Anatomy, Hulu's Work in Progress and most recently the detective series Frank James. A life long artists' advocate, Ché's most drawn to work that challenges the status quo and is currently producing and collaborating bicoastly on multiple film and television productions. website: chelandon.co , imdb: imdb.me/chelandon

Shiku Thuo (Stage Manager) Shiku Thuo is a Stage Manager, Actor and Director who is so excited to be working on her 1st IAMA production. Her most recent works include The Shipment (CSUN), Lorca in a Green Dress (CSUN), Dear Andrey, and The Tempest (CSUN). Shiku is honored to be apart of facilitating a powerful storytelling of the black experience, a story that holds more weight than ever.

Cherrye J. Davis (Production Dramaturg) Cherrye J. Davis is an actor, filmmaker, playwright, MC, and teaching artist from the Bronx, NYC. Cherrye has worked in theater performance and education for over 15 years, merging history, storytelling, and social justice into performance. She has been seen performing on stage with The Public Theater, New Ohio Theater, LaMaMa, Rough Draft Festival, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, National Black Theater, and The National Black Theater Festival. Cherrye has been seen in TV/films circulating festivals (Scribbles: The Webseries, For Flow (HBO). Most recently, her self-directed short film Covered (A Certain Something Productions) has screened at a number of festivals, including Toronto Black Film Festival, Blackbird Film Fest, and Seattle Black Film Fest. As seen in Covered and her solo show How to Mourn an American (2019), Cherrye’s work as writer and director embraces her grounding in poetry, hip hop, and New York city cultures. Follow her moves at www.CherryeJDavis.com.

R.S. Buck (Production Manager) R.S. Buck is an LA-based international designer and manager for performances and experiences. They are thrilled to be stepping into a managerial role with IAMA, having previously designed 4 productions. For IAMA: Canyon, Anyone But Me, The OXY Complex, Mama Metal. International: Brecht (BE Moving, Tel Aviv); Antigone (Yin Mei Dance, China), ¡Anarchist! (Little Green Pig Theatrical Concern, Mexico). LA: Cages (Woolf and the Wondershow). Buck is production manager and production designer for the In[heir]itance project. They hold their MFA from California Institute of the Arts.

Song Yi Park (Production & Costume Designer) Song Yi has experience in theatrical scenic and production design in theatre and film with an extensive background in architecture, interior, and display design. Her scenic designs include The Unseen Hand / Killer's Head (2020) by Sam Shepard and directed by Darrell Larson at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble (Los Angeles, CA), Driving Wilde (2019) by Jacqueline Wright and directed by Bart DeLorenzo at Theatre of Note (Los Angeles, CA), Through the Leaves (2018) and The Seagull (2017) at CalArts. Song Yi was an assistant scenic designer on CNP production Fore! (2017) and an assistant art director for K-Pop music video, SISTAR's SHAKE IT (2015), and commercials in Korea. Song Yi received a Master’s in Design and Production from California Institute of the Arts in 2019 and an Undergraduate Degree in Industrial Design, specifically Space Design from Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea.

Josh Epstein (Lighting Designer) The Latrell Show will mark Josh’s sixth show with IAMA where he is proud to be an ensemble member. Josh has designed lighting at many of the top regional theaters in the country. Recent productions include: Little Shop of Horrors (Pasadena Playhouse) The Legend of Georgia McBride (Geffen Playhouse) Indecent (Arena Stage) and Romeo and Juliet (Guthrie Theater). His work has also been seen at the Mark Taper Forum, Goodman Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Baltimore Center Stage, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Trinity Repertory Company, Kansas City Rep, Long Wharf Theater, Alliance Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Paper Mill Playhouse. In addition, Josh is on faculty at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Josh is an LA Ovation and Knight of Illumination Winner and a Helen Hayes Nominee. He was a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers and currently serves on the O'Neill Playwrights Conference Artistic Council. Josh received his MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three daughters. www.joshepsteindesign.com

Marc Antonio Pritchett (Sound Designer) Marc Antonio Pritchett is an Actor, Director, Fight Coordinator and Session Singer. He is also one of the Artistic Directors at Sacred Fools Theatre Company. Recent directing credits include The Mousetrap at Theatre Palisades. At the time of the shutdown he was in rehearsals for A Live Mixtape at 2cents Theatre and preparing to direct The Music Man at the Morgan-Wixson. He is represented by Nucleus Talent Management. For additional info visit: www.marcantoniopritchett.com

Helton Najera (Technical Director) has been with The Pico since February 2018. Since then he has overseen the lights and tech of all of the Creating Art Shows, I am Sophie, Under the Jello Mold and Three Black Girls. He has designed the lights for the following shows: Time Alone, Improv for the People, Coolbeans, Agatha Christie Unscripted and Peter Faber’s production of Hope and Gravity as well as many dance and camp shows.

Tanny Jiraprapasuke (COVID-19 Compliance Officer) Tanny is a writer, an activist for the AAPI community, and a certified COVID compliance officer. She brings flexibility, creativity and balance to her work. Her passion is to help embolden the voices of BIPOC people in the arts.

Long Haul Films (Post Production Company) Long Haul Films is an LA-based, but globe-trotting, production company, founded in 2010 by Director Melissa Dowler and Director of Photography Tom Dowler, partners in life and in filmmaking. We create engaging short, medium, and long-form video content to help mission-driven companies, entrepreneurs, and creative visionaries tell their stories. We love to make films with people from diverse backgrounds who are creating positive change in the world. We value innovation, integrity, and impact. Our work has been featured on television, in movie theaters, across digital platforms, and at major events around the world. Our collaborators include technology brands, fashion designers, authors, artists, musicians and inventors. What they have in common is that they are independent thinkers, passionate about what they're doing in life with something powerful to say. Learn more about us and say hello at longhaulfilms.com and instagram.com/longhaulfilms.

IAMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Katie Lowes, Chair 
Tyler Ennis, President 
David Yanni, Secretary 
Victoria Lerner, Treasurer 

Jana Bezdek 
Gracye Cheng
Tyler Ennis 
Mike Jackson 
Victoria Lerner 
Katie Lowes 
Melissa Romain
Graham Sibley 
David Yanni

IAMA STAFF

Artistic Director: Stefanie Black 
Managing Director: Lara Myrene 
Producing Director: Cymbre Walk Sklar 
Co-Associate Artistic Director: Margaux Susi 
Co-Associate Artistic Director: Rodney To
Director of the Ensemble: Tom DeTrinis
Basecamp Director: Christian Durso
Director of Special Programming: Anna LaMadrid
Social Media Manager and Marketing Associate: Justin Sullivan
Grant Writer: Laila Ayad
Literary Manager: Celia Mandela Rivera

IAMA ENSEMBLE

Anisha Adusumilli, Alexander Alcheh, Tom Amandes, Laila Ayad, Deanna Barillari, Stefanie Black, Michelle Bossy, R. S. Buck, Jon Caren, Sheila Carrasco, Dean Cechvala, Parvesh Cheena, Deborah S. Craig, Desi Dennis-Dylan, Tom DeTrinis, Christian Durso, James Eckhouse, Josh Epstein, Ryan Garcia, Chris Gardner, Jeff Gardner, Eli Gonda, Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Heine, Laura Holloway, Anna Rose Hopkins, Tina Huang, Bailey Humiston, Alexis Jacknow, Andria Kozica, Colleen Labella, Anna LaMadrid, John Lavelle, Sharon Lawrence, Katie Lowes, Laura Mann, Burl Moseley, Karla Mosley, Louise Munson, Lara Myrene, Melissa Jane Osborne, Brian Otano, Tim Peper, Geoff Rivas, Tim Rock, Devere Rogers, Kacie Rogers, Amy Rosoff, Emily Rowan, Adriana Santos, Mark Saul, Courtney Sauls, Micah Schraft, Brandon Scott, Sonal Shah, Adam Shapiro, Graham Sibley, Cymbre Walk Sklar, Lexi Sloan, Melissa Stephens, Margaux Susi, Rodney To, Sarah Utterback, Keliher Walsh, Jamie Wollrab, Christine Woods

IAMA THEATRE COMPANY IS A LOS ANGELES-BASED ENSEMBLE OF ARTISTS COMMITTED TO INVIGORATING LIVE PERFORMANCE FOR A STREAMING GENERATION. THROUGH CUTTING-EDGE, COOL AND HYPER-MODERN STORIES, IAMA IS INVESTED IN THE IMMEDIACY OF PRODUCTION AND STRIVES TO BRING AUDIENCES OUT OF THEIR PERSONAL SPACE AND INTO A SHARED EXPERIENCE.

Designated by Playbill as “one of 20 regional houses every theatre lover must know,” IAMA is an ensemble of artists committed to invigorating live performance for a streaming generation. Through cutting-edge, cool and hyper-modern stories, IAMA is invested in the immediacy of production and strives to bring audiences out of their personal space and into a shared experience. IAMA was built on ambition and determination while ensuring a steadfast commitment to equity and inclusion on and off stage. Los Angeles is one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in the world and our work reflects the new voices and changing attitudes that continue to shape our city, state, country and world. The award-winning company has seen many plays generated at IAMA travel to Off-Broadway, Second Stage and the Roundabout Underground, then go on to be performed regionally and internationally. IAMA members have been featured in numerous critically acclaimed TV shows and films as well as in a vast array of theatre and live performances all over the country, including Off-Broadway and Broadway. IAMA has been dedicated to developing new plays and musicals by emerging and established playwrights since 2007. IAMA is based in Los Angeles on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Gabrielino-Tongva people.

IAMA THANKS OUR 2021-2022 SPONSORS:

Shonda Rhimes & the Rhimes Family Foundation

DAVID LEE FOUNDATION

fourthwall theatrical

THE SHARI AND LES BILLER FAMILY FOUNDATION

VANGUARD CHARITABLE AND THE BEZDEK FAMILY CHARITABLE FUND

THANK YOU TO OUR IAMA DONORs

Adam Haracz

Adam Howard

Adrienne Gomez

Amy Evans

Andrew Davis

Andrew Deffenbaugh

Anna Telfer

Anne Woodward

Asher Grodman

Belinda Glijansky

Bennett Sloan

Braxton Crewell

Bruno Oliver

Bud Coffey

Camille Scales

Cathryn Wilson

Charles Curtiss

Christine Sobolewski

Conrad Woolfe

Courtney Ritchie

Daniele Gaither

David Burrough

David Hutchins

Devon Larson

Diane Sanfilippo

Evelyn Iocolano

Frances Cobain

Frances Mciver

Fulton Management

Glo Atanmo

Graciela Aravena

Hallie O'Gorman

Jeff Bratton

Jessica Hanna

Jasmin Cruz

Jen Scherr

Jennifer Adler

Jessa G

JoAnne Yarrow

Joel Morin

John Paul Karliak

John Pick

Jonathan Deering

Joyce Carrasco

June Raphael

Katie Free

Kayley Bryson

Kelsey Flynn

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO

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