Open Fist Theatre Company’s FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL to Present 4 New Plays and More

Open Fist Theatre Company will present its annual First Look Festival featuring staged readings of four new plays over the course of two weekends, plus a third “Fresh Look Weekend” offering new perspectives on two classics.

• Friday, Aug. 22 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 23 at 4 p.m.:

sistahs thr3e, written by Hutchins Foster and Michael A. Shepperd, directed by Michael A. Shepperd
This new adaptation of The Three Sisters views Chekhov’s iconic play through the lens of a Black American family. In 1960s Detroit, the Pettigrew sisters find themselves trapped in the same cycle of deferred dreams that befell their Russian counterparts. Can they break free and inhabit the lives they were meant to live? Featuring original music evocative of Motown.

• Saturday, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.:

Dead People’s Dishes, written by Jennie Webb, directed by Margaret Starbuck
Made up of stories which move through Los Angeles history to look at how we survive the trauma of fires, floods, earthquakes, riots, wars, health crises, environmental disasters and personal tragedies over and over again, Dead People’s Dishes explores what we hang onto, what we let go of, and the weight of our losses.

• Friday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 30 at 4 p.m.:

The Bear Republic, written by Tom Jacobson, directed by Michael Michetti
In 1846, California was declared an independent nation — spawning a ballad, a winery and a legend. In 1939, Hollywood tried to make this true story into a movie — but filmed a tragedy instead. Could it happen again? Should it? An epic with a ghost, a grizzly and lots of horses.

• Saturday, Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Aug 31 at 7 p.m.:

A Grain of Truth, written by Anne Kenney, directed by Lane Allison
When Rachel Osborn, the almost fiancée, and Tita Hernandez, the trusted long-term employee, find themselves sparring over who is the rightful lady of James Winslow's house, each comes face to face with how far she's willing to go to secure her future -- Lie? Cheat? Kill?

• Friday, Sept. 5 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 7 at 7 p.m.:

The Lion in Winter, written by James Goldman, directed by James Fowler
James Goldman’s razor-sharp exploration of power, legacy and family dysfunction may be set against the backdrop of medieval Europe — but its themes speak directly to the political maneuvering and personal ambition that shape our world today.

• Saturday, Sept. 6 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m.: