Photo Flash: IAMA Theatre Company Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Two World Premieres in Repertory

Two new plays offer radically different takes on the search for redemption whenIAMA Theatre Company opens its 10th Anniversary Seasonwith two company member-written world premieres. John Lavelle's fast-paced, edgy sci-fi comedy Sinner's Laundry,directed by Becca Wolff, opens for press on Friday, Oct. 20.Christian Durso's haunting and provocative Redline, directed by Eli Gonda, opens on Saturday, Oct. 21. Both plays continue in repertory through Nov. 19 at the Lounge Theatrein Hollywood.

In Sinner's Laundry the residents of Newport Women's Correctional Facility have all mysteriously vanished. Courtney Sauls (Dear White People) and Christine Woods (Hello Ladies) star as Jess and Sam, the only two inmates who remain - and they are locked in Rec Room No. 4 with nothing but some crappy board games and their imaginations. Waiting for Godot meets Orange is the New Black meets The Book of Revelations as they navigate their way towards salvation in this unique, funny and poignant exploration of the power of redemption and the divinity within us all.

In Redline, engines and heart rates explode on a journey towards redemption in a profoundly intimate theater-going experience. James Eckhouse (All the Way on Broadway, Beverly Hills 90210) stars as Raymond, whose moment of road rage along a frigid eastern Sierra highway shattered his relationship with his family forever. The impact of this event ripples through the years until his estranged son (Graham Sibley - Jane the Virgin, Sully) returns to test the limits of forgiveness.

Both plays are sharp, intelligent and unflinching in their view of the cruelty of the world, yet grounded in optimism.

"John [Lavelle] has a singular voice," says Wolff of Sinner's Laundry. "The world he's created is absurdist, fantastical, whimsical and very funny. He has such a wonderful grasp of human nature. Here you have two characters in a desperate situation - spoiler alert: no one's getting out alive. But the play is about how they find the light in each other. They discover humor, heart and forgiveness. And who among us wouldn't like to find that before it's all over?"

"Even in the most dire of situations, we strive to find hope," agrees Gonda. "The fingerprints we leave on our children are incredibly profound; they can suffocate and they can liberate. Redline is about how much we allow these fingerprints to define us. Christian is an emotionally fearless playwright with a beautiful capacity for storytelling. Our hope is that, through this story, audiences leave the theater compelled to be even more compassionate, present, better versions of themselves."

Set design for Sinner's Laundry and Redline is by Rachel Myers, lighting design is by Josh Epstein, original music and sound design is by Peter Bayne, costume design is by Melissa Trn, and props are by Michael O'Hara. Jen Hoguet and Tom Detrinis produce for IAMA Theatre Company.

IAMA Theatre Company is a Los Angeles-based ensemble of artists committed to invigorating live performance for a streaming generation. Through cutting-edge, cool and hyper-modern stories, IAMA is invested in the immediacy of production and strives to bring audiences out of their personal space and into a shared experience. Founded in 2007, this dynamic theater company is making its mark. Plays generated at IAMA have traveled to off-Broadway, Second Stage and the Roundabout Underground, and have been performed regionally and internationally. IAMA members have been featured in numerous critically acclaimed TV shows and films as well as in a vast array of theater and live performances all over the country. In 2014, IAMA earned the Ovation Award for Outstanding Play in an Intimate Theatre for its Los Angeles premiere of The Recommendation. In 2017, TV producer and creator Shonda Rhimes announced that she would become IAMA's first-ever "Patron of the Arts" with a generous endowment from the Rhimes Family Foundation. IAMA is breaking the mold by getting the "cord-cutter generation" to come back out to the theater again - you can't DVR theater!

Sinner's Laundry opens for press on Friday, Oct. 20, and Redline opens on Saturday, Oct. 21. Both plays continue through Nov. 19. Performances take place Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. To find a schedule of which play performs when, scroll down or visit www.IamaTheatre.com. Single tickets are $30, or see both plays for $50. The Lounge Theatre is located at 6201 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood CA 90038. To purchase tickets, call (323) 380-8843 or go to www.iamatheatre.com.

Photo Credit: Dean Cechvala

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