Joanna Pickering's One-Woman Show LAUGHING IN THE DARK and New Play Secure Development Deal and Stage Run With Broadway Producers

Joanna Pickering's brand-new plays have found development success and plans for staged runs commencing in fall 2024 to 2025.

Tony nominated Broadway and Off-Broadway Producer Eric Krebs (Electra) is on board with Pickering's team of leading producers for their first showcase of Pickering's commissioned new material at Theater 555 in New York City.

Krebs will be involved in developing Pickering's 90-minute solo show Laughing in the Dark beginning in June 2024. A second full play has also begun development, but its title remains under wraps. The plays will run on stage from fall 2024 through 2025, starting their first public development readings at Theater 555 in June 2024, with full details to follow.

This success culminates after Pickering's one-woman show Don't Harm the Animals had its world premiere at The Chain Theatre One Act Festival in summer 2023. This play is a powerful look at secondary re-victimization when coming forward to peers about sexual assault. Don't Harm the Animals followed on from the success of Bad Victims, which sold out in London on two runs, with highly acclaimed audience reviews, and tackles issues of profiling victims. Prior to this, Pickering's stand-out play The Endgame sold out in Paris and New York City, and tackles acquaintance rape by shattering myths in previously unseen ways—all common themes in Pickering's work.

Krebs first saw Pickering perform in Don't Harm the Animals in New York City, which he described as a gem of a one-act with a sea of rich images. The Chain Theatre described the show, which starred Pickering, as a power house of a performance. This production led to the full 90-minute commission for Pickering's Laughing in the Dark. Krebs describes Pickering's talent, not only as a playwright, but as a first class monologist, citing her as a more exciting Spalding Gray. He said, "I saw her with a single chair on stage, nothing else, and she holds attention with animated, rich and visual story-telling, which is perfect for a one-woman show."

While writing at the start of the year, Pickering called her team to inform she had a brand-new play alongside the commission. It secured immediate interest for a full-length play, novel, and screenplay. Pickering said, "It was incredible, no one could believe what I was pitching to them." She wrote the first draft in one week, then arrived in New York and began to put scenes to stage for development. She said, "In a way, the new work stole the show. We were ahead of ourselves." Pickering signed on a two-deal commission, firstly, for stage.

Describing the new works, Pickering says, "My latest play is in keeping with my themes on relationships that are exploitative, abusive, and rarely addressed. It is another fast-paced thriller." Not much else is given away, as Pickering adds, "Audiences are supposed to be surprised or shocked by my work. As with all my plays, if you know my themes, you know it's going somewhere you don't expect." It's true that Pickering's work makes audiences uneasy—a common review is a gut punch. Pickering says, "That's okay. That's the moment we reflect on the myths and complexity of behavior when abuse is involved."

As for her show Laughing in the Dark, Pickering assures, "I am always laughing in the dark. I find so much humor the more absurd something is. I am brave enough to expose and laugh at myself, which is vital in a solo show." Laughing in the Dark draws on Pickering's collective material from her works so far— "In Don't Harm the Animals I extrapolated the character from The Endgame and explored her life six months later. That device serves my new 90-minute show to provide a full journey and impact."

These new works will be developed and head for full world premieres on bigger stages. Pickering said, "It's amazing to have a two year plan and forego the freelance uncertainty. That's the reward for a lot of hard work. I am grateful to every cast member, director, producer, and audience member who brought my work to appreciative but modest stages worldwide, exploring controversial issues."

Listed premieres aside, many of Pickering's past shows were development productions, where press were not allowed to review the work and her producers kept the work carefully under wraps. This led to strong industry and audience reviews that cited the work as brave and fearless, and marked Pickering as a stand-out talent, while attracting bigger theaters who wanted the premieres of Pickering's work.

Pickering's plays gained support from leading activists who bring awareness to the same agenda. Pickering agrees there is an overlap with activism, "Theatre is the safe space where we speak for every victim, male and female, we rise and conquer, we tell stories that can never be silenced. In doing so, our audiences feel less alienated or more aware in understanding trauma and how it really works."

Pickering has participated with the United Nations in highlighting the collective power of storytelling to help change such issues. She says, "I am a storyteller over a social justice writer, but there is a powerful overlap with brave storytelling. Tell the story you're never meant to speak about and it can change the status quo. It can rip open and expose the problems and misconceptions. We can break down the system that protects abusers and stop them blaming victims."

Author, Kirsty Allison, who moderated talk-backs for Bad Victims, affirms Pickering's work is uncomfortable and brilliant—"It's as impactful as when The Vagina Monologues first came to the West End in expanding the conversation as culture must." Pickering has been reviewed as a blast of Kane and an echo of Tarantino, and as a playwright, like an anarchist tossing bombs into the audience to unsettle what you're supposed to be thinking. One thing is apparent, Pickering's plays are not for the fainthearted and are an entertainment must-see on big issues.

Full press releases will announce dates and ticket information in June. Full details of all shows on www.joannapickering.com

Pickering develops her plays, alongside directors and producers, with The Actors Gym in New York City at AMT Theatre. Pickering said, "Academy Award-winning Bobby Moresco, co-director and writer Amanda Moresco, and the professional gym members are the voice every writer needs and respects in bringing new work to stage." Pickering is a member of the Playwright and Directing Unit at The Actors Studio in New York City.

Joanna Pickering is a multi award-winning British playwright, actress and screenwriter. Her plays have sold out in New York City, Paris and London. They are available at The Drama Book Shop in New York. In 2023, she performed her debut one-woman show Don't Harm the Animals at The Chain Theatre New York City. In 2022/23, Bad Victims sold out at The Courtyard Theatre in London, starring Pickering and Richard Emerson (West End Chess, ENO Coliseum), directed by Erica Gould (Neil LaBute/Theresa Rebeck), who described the work as "Sarah Kane meets Noel Coward with the devious of Phoebe-Waller Bridges to flip a scene." Cat and Mouse was read at The Drama Book store with Broadway TV star Dan Lauria. In 2022, The Endgame premiered in development off-Broadway at New Perspectives Theatre Company, directed by Illana Stein (award winning best director) before moving to Paris at The Big Funk Company. In 2021, Truth, Lies and Deceptions played to sold out audiences at Le Pave D'Orsay Theatre in Paris, with Joanna performing a lead role and receiving national press. Sylvie and Sly was read at Julia's reading room at The League of Professional Theatre Women (LPTW) by Caroline Aaron (Marvelous Mrs Maisel). In 2023, Joanna won Best Actress six times including at New York International Women Festival, 7th Annual Los Angeles Film Awards, Austin Film Festival, and The Actors Awards, as well as Outstanding Performance awards for her film work on Diva. She is a member of The Actor's Studio Playwright Directors Unit, Theatre 68, The Actors Gym, The International Centre Of Women Playwrights, The League of Professional Female Playwrights, NPTC's Women's Work LAB, and The Parity Database. Joanna is represented by 3 Arts Entertainment, Metropolis Agency, Talented in Paris and SAG. www.joannapickering.com @joannapickering

Eric Krebs, theatrical career spans more than 50 years. On Broadway he produced: Bill Maher: Victory Begins At Home (Tony nomination for Best Special Theatrical Event), Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party, It Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues (nominated for 4 Tony Awards including Best Musical) and Electra (nominated for 3 Tony Awards). Current, recent Off-Broadway productions include: Romeo and Bernadette a musical of Verona and Brooklyn (NY Times Critics Pick), Laughing Liberally's Indictment Excitement, Judge Andrew Napolitano in Why Is The Government in My Soup? and the world premiere of William Mastrosimone's Rules of Desire. Other off-Broadway productions included: I Spy A spy, a declassified musical, The Bullpen, Sing: A South African Celebration, A Class Act, Greed: A Musical for Our Times, Laughing Liberally...Make America Laugh Again!, The Castle- 4 voices, 70 years in prison, For Lovers Only, Will Durst: The All-American Sport of Bipartisan Bashing, Toxic Audio (2004 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience), Rounding Third, Langston Hughes’s Little Ham, Golf:The Musical, Tallulah Hallelujah starring Tovah Feldshuh, A Pure Gospel America, The Big Bang, the world premiere of Bash written by Neil LaBute, Serenade The World: The Music and Words of Oscar Brown, Jr., and This Is Our Youth by Kenneth Lonergan. Other New York producing credits include: Capitol Steps, Fyvush Finkel From Second Avenue To Broadway, The Passion Of Dracula, Fool For Love, King Of Schnorrers, The Rise Of David Levinsky, By And For Havel and Paul Robeson (starring Avery Brooks). Mr. Krebs produced Geoffrey Ewing’s Ali, the biography of Muhammed Ali, a theatrical production featured at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, as well as at the Mermaid Theater in London. He created That Physics Show (Drama Desk Award- over 500 performances) and added That Chemistry Show (over 300 performances). In 2020 he founded the not for profit Science Theater Company that seeks to join science, theater and education in a "library" of science shows. In 1974 he founded the George Street Playhouse regional theater in New Brunswick, New Jersey, now in its 49th year. He built and operated Off-Broadway’s John Houseman  Theater Center and Douglas Fairbanks Theater for over 20 years. Most recently he renovated and became the operator of a 160 seat off-Broadway Theater, reopening it as Theater555, 555 West 42 Street in New York City. In addition to founding the George Street Playhouse in 1974, for 25 years, he was the chairman of Amas Musical Theatre, a not-for-profit theater founded by Rosetta LeNoire and dedicated to the training of “city kids” in the performing arts and the creation of new musicals for multi-ethnic casts. He was awarded the Robert Whitehead Award for excellence in producing.

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