Joanna Pickering Showcases Lara's Journey In The 59th Annual Festival Off-Avignon At Theatre De L'Ange

As part of the official program for the Off-Avignon festival, Joanna Pickering will perform her one act play Lara's Journey on July 17th at 11.30 a.m. at Theatre Avignon de l'Ange.

Lara's Journey will be presented as part of the 59th edition of the Off-Avignon 2025 Theater festival in France.

The showcase will be presented by Masterwork Theater Company in co-collaboration with Theatre Avignon de l'Ange. This very special date includes an in-house author reading and performance by Joanna Pickering. It is directed by critically acclaimed director Karen Carpenter (smash-hit by Delia and Nora Ephron, Love, Loss, and What I Wore).

This showcase will also mark Pickering's debut attendance at Off-Avignon Theater Festival and is in anticipation of her collection of plays 'Displaced' premiering next year. Off-Avignon is one of the world's largest theater festivals.

Lara's Journey is a powerful one-woman work touching upon themes of immigration, isolation, and displacement in the aftermath of losing a home in wartime. It follows the story of a young woman, Lara. displaced in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. When Lara is rescued into a new home by the kindness of strangers, she resolves to salvage her future, but unexpected challenges arise.

The play has caused a sensation in New York City and Ukraine communities as it tackles issues of the Ukrainian war and refugees.

Lara's Journey was first performed at a sold out show at The Spark Festival, in a developmental staged reading, with Pickering performing. This success led to Lara's Journey being included by Ukrainian internet star and TV psychologist Natalia Kholodenko, in her campaign for Ukraine, alongside artists Gloria Gaynor and Kathy Sledge and their mega anthems "I Will Survive" and "I Am Family." Kholodenko presented Lara's Journey at Theater 555 during her sold-out seminar for displaced Ukrainian women. The evening streamed live to over one million people.

Lara's Journey was then performed by Yeva Sevriukova, at The Center at West Park in New York City, for World Refugee Day, as part of their program of celebrity benefit readings. It was moderated with support from Oscar-nominated and Emmy winning filmmaker and activist Josh Fox and with sponsorship from Nova Ukraine.

This showcase at Avignon will also raise money for Nova Ukraine, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to the people of Ukraine and raising awareness about Ukraine in the United States and throughout the world. There will be opportunity to speak with the playwright, Joanna Pickering, in-person after the performance about the work.

Avignon Off-festival is one of the world's largest performing arts festivals, featuring over 1,500 shows and attracting thousands of artists from around the globe and is the premier market for theatre shows in the world with more than 3500 programmers, producers, journalists attending.

Playing July 17th 11.30 a.m at Theatre Avignon De L'Ange, 15 Rue des Teinturiers, 84000 Avignon, France. Free ticket with a donation of 5 Euro to 50 Euro with profits for refugees worldwide

Joanna Pickering

(Playwright, Actress) is a multi-award-winning British writer and actress whose plays have sold out in New York City, London, and Paris. Her work is stocked at The Drama Book Shop and Books Are Magic. Her solo play Cease and Desist opens at Theater 555 this fall, after development at The Tank. Lara’s Journey streamed to over 1 million viewers when presented by internet star Natalia Kholodenko at Theater 555, alongside collaborations with Gloria Gaynor and Kathy Sledge. In 2023, Don’t Harm the Animals premiered at Chain Theater as her debut one-woman show. In 2022/23, Bad Victims sold out two London runs, co-starring Pickering Richard Emerson (West End’s Chess) directed by Erica Gould (Neil Labute, Theresa Rebeck). Other credits include Cat and Mouse (Drama Book Shop, with Dan Lauria of the Wonder Years), The Endgame (New Perspectives, then Big Funk Theater, Paris), Truth, Lies and Deceptions (Le Pavé d'Orsay, Paris). Sylvie and Sly was read by Caroline Aaron (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel), directed by Lorca Peress (Multi-Stages) for The League of Professional Theater Women. In 2025, she was commissioned by The Ukrainian Institute of America, NY, Ensemble Studio Theater, and Town Square Productions to interview Ukrainian residents for her play Till Death Do Us Part. As an actress, she’s won Best Actress six times, including at the NY International Women Festival, The Actors Awards, L.A. Film Awards, as well as received Outstanding Performance awards for Diva (2023). As an activist, she collaborated with U.N. campaigns and gender rights initiatives. She holds a BSc in pure mathematics and is a member of The Actors Studio PDU, The Actors Gym, The International Center of Women Playwrights, League of Professional Theater Women and SAG. Represented by 3 Arts Entertainment, MAA Agency, and Talented in Paris. www.joannapickering.com

Karen Carpenter

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