LAb Works 2013

It’s a theatrical feast! Skylight Theatre Company presents twelve powerful and provocative new works from PlayLab, their professional playwriting program. LAb Works runs November 1 – December 18, 2013 at the Skylight Theatre Complex. LAb Works 2013 is the perfect choice to sate your cultural hunger!

“The aim was to develop entirely original works from the ground up.  The precondition for participation was that the writers selected start with something they hadn’t already been working on, and be willing to discuss their ideas in front of the group prior to setting pen to page,” says Shem Bitterman.

“This diverse collection of work is the result of a one-year commitment from local writers. From last year’s plays, several works went on to have successful runs in regional venues,” adds Gary Grossman; Producing Artistic Director.

LAb Works 2013 includes stage readings and workshop presentations of first-to-be-seen new plays from LA playwrights. These are Bloodletting by Boni B. Alvarez and directed by Ellen Sandler (an exploration of the bond siblings share set against the mystical, yet grounded belief Filipinos have in aswangs; witches), Body & Blood by William Nedved and directed by Tony Abatemarco (when Dan announces he's becoming a priest, his girlfriend prays it's a phase, his sister loses her religion, and his brother-in-law vows to stop the insanity), Bridge by Ron Burch and directed by Jennifer Chang (Ava finds her ex-husband homeless on the street and feels compelled to bring him back to her place where she lives with her new husband), Catchers by Z.N. Lupetin (will there be a time when we hunt each other for dinner?), Desert Fugue by Kit Williamson and directed by Michael Kearns (What is the space between who a person is and who they are becoming?), Fantasy by Mayank Keshaviah (the world of Fantasy football intrudes on the lives of two fans and two teammates. Will it bring them together or drive them apart?), Frilly by Sigrid Gilmer and directed by Kila Kitu (a comedy on the verge of hysteria about the soul-sucking suck of growing old, growing up and the birth of the ice cream sundae), Quarantine by Tom Lavagnino and directed by Gary Grossman (in the aftermath of a toxic spill, a commercial chemical lab is quarantined...and its six employees forbidden to leave, which inspires a desperation-fueled “Hail Mary” antidote), Quitter by Larry Pontius and directed by Doug Oliphant (a comedy about Doug, who thinks he throws the parties you’ll remember. When no one shows up at his block party - his finest yet - dreams unravel and he makes the ultimate decision), Sip by Doug Cooney (a small, funny, boozy gay rights protest in 1966, years before Stonewall - a curious prism to consider those tricky dynamics of social change and activism), Sudden Urge To Jump by Chelsea Sutton and directed by Susan Morgenstern (after her sister's funeral, Laney tries to help her bumbling brother Witt revive his dying video store. Witt's former business partner lends a hand but brings more to the mix than Laney has bargained for), and Swimmer’s Ear by Tony Foster and directed by Mark Bringelson (A man hooks up with someone much younger than himself in order to avoid the pain of a previous relationship). 

LAb Works runs November 1 – December 18, 2013. The Skylight Theatre Complex is located at 1816 1/2 N. Vermont, LA, 90027.  Tickets are ($15 and up). Reservations: (213) 761-7061 or online at SkylightTix.com.