Photos: …BUT YOU COULD HAVE HELD MY HAND at IAMA Theatre Company

IAMA Theatre Company concludes its 18th season with the workshop production of …but you could’ve held my hand. Check out photos of the production.

Written by JuCoby Johnson and directed by H. Adam Harris. …but you could’ve held my hand is a time-hopping portrait of four Black friends growing up, growing apart, and growing into themselves.

From a stolen slice of wedding cake at age 10 to the complexities of adulthood, …but you could’ve held my hand offers up a non-linear swirl of past and present, pulsing with 90s R&B, prom night confessions, awkward first kisses, and other touchstone moments. Through love, queerness, and friends-turned-family, the play showcases the beauty and heartbreak of relationships across a lifetime. 

The performance will feature Wade Allain-Marcus as Max, Paul James as Eddie, Courtney Sauls* as Marigold, and Krenée A. Tolson as Charlie. The standbys for this production are Nedra Snipes and JuCoby Johnson. (* denotes IAMA Theatre Company Ensemble Member)

The production team includes Jordan Bass (Casting Director), Elton Bradman (Sound Designer), Alexis Carrie (Costume Designer), Kassia Curl (Assistant Lighting Designer), H. Adam Harris (Director), Anise Hines (Intimacy Director/Choreographer), JuCoby Johnson (Playwright), Fred Kinney (Scenic and Props Designer), Max Kunke (Assistant Stage Manager), Nico Pang (Associate Director), Zachary Phaneuf (Technical Director), Avery Reagan (Lighting Designer), and Lanae Wilks (Production Stage Manager).

…but you could’ve held my hand was developed at the 2020 Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference with Tony-nominated director Lileana Blain-Cruz and has since been presented at the University of Texas at Austin for a student production in 2022 and at The Contemporary Theatre of Ohio (CATCO) in Columbus in 2023. Known for its commitment to developing new work, IAMA will now stage this workshop production as a vital step in the play's creative evolution. The workshop production will feature new scenes created by Johnson, with a focus on movement and character development, and will invite audience feedback to help shape its next phase.

This production will also mark the fifth collaboration between Johnson and Harris as they have previously worked on Johnson’s plays 5, Heritage, The Red Man, and How It’s Gon’ Be. Los Angeles audiences will be the first to experience their collaboration in Southern California before the upcoming world premiere of Three-headed Monster at South Coast Repertory in 2027.  

…but you could’ve held my hand will play June 4-15, 2026 at Atwater Village Theatre located at 3269 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles. Tickets will be $35, inclusive of fees and can be purchased at the IAMA Theatre Company website.