Writers in Residence
About the Program
Writers In Residence is a Theatre West program that began in 2014 and selects four original plays, written by our playwright members, workshopped over time in our Writers Workshop, and given a fully realized, main stage production.
The plays will run back-to-back over several months. Since its inception, ten new plays have been introduced to theatre audiences in Los Angeles from our stable of writers.
Theatre West Writers In Residence Presents
CASSATT
By Arden Teresa Lewis
On the grounds of her French country estate Mary Cassatt burns her early paintings. What led this celebrated American impressionist to destroy such an important part of her legacy?
In an age when men dominated the art world, Mary Cassatt made her mark in the salons of Paris, alongside great masters like Degas and Renoir. An example of a 19th “New Woman”, her paintings celebrated the dignity and deeper meaning of women's inner lives.
Developed in our writer’s workshop, Cassatt is a multi-media play that explores the life and art of this innovative and inspirational genius of La Belle Époque. Written and Directed by Emmy Award–winning filmmaker Arden Teresa Lewis.
Theatre West Writers In Residence Presents
INCITATION TO THE DANCE
By Michael Van Duzer
It takes two to tango. What happens when a third cuts in?
Incitation to the Dance is a highly stylized dark comedy. The play is as much a battlefield as the landscape of three minds. The characters break the fourth wall, Malcolm’s class explores an overwrought movie star threesome, and the dances build in intensity and violence.
Malcolm and Asher are a long-term couple dealing with Asher’s depression after losing his job. Malcolm’s delight in teaching his class, The Extra Man, Homoerotic Coding in Film Noir, exacerbates Asher’s hopelessness. Finn, younger and a real head-turner, forcefully inserts himself into their lives, upending their world with his irresistible blend of candid sexuality and menace.
And they do dance.
Theatre West Writers In Residence Presents
Pointy Scissors
By Clara Rodriguez
A play about love and small motor skills. When a barber with low self-esteem has a mishap with a new pair of scissors, his sister and a new friend come to his rescue.