World Premiere of Mandy Rubeli's ARIZONA RAIN to Open at Studio/Stage This Month
Playwright Mandy Rubeli makes her Hollywood directorial debut with a deeply personal piece exploring relationships and independence…and the fear of living.
In her powerfully moving script, playwright Mandy Rubeli offers this note: "After I went through a terrifying near-death experience, I stayed up for 48 hours straight. I cycled through a hundred different feelings and energy levels. Fear, guilt and gratitude to name a few. I remember seeing a pile of dishes in the sink and feeling grateful I was still alive, so I could continue to do something I absolutely hated. I washed every single one of those dishes that night without complaint. I also had so many questions..."
This sets the stage for Rubeli's poignant, deeply personal and highly relatable drama Arizona Rain, making its premiere in a short run (three shows) Feb. 24-25 at studio/stage in Los Angeles.
In Arizona Rain, introspective yet indecisive Crissy drives thirteen hours after a near-death experience, showing up unannounced at the doorstep of her ex-girlfriend, the edgy and icy Marcy, looking for comfort and solutions to all her problems. Crissy rides an emotional roller coaster as she wonders how much would have been left unsaid if she had died. Marcy refuses to let Crissy stew in these emotions, so the pair take turns calling ghosts from their past to tie up loose ends as they work to understand their own complicated, love-filled relationship.
"Due to the circumstances of my own experience, I had to flee the state I was in to go back to my parent's home state. An important person in my life, with whom I've always shared a complicated relationship, lived close enough to my parents, so I wanted to stop by her house to tell her I was alive," said Rubeli, an Emerson grad new to the L.A. theatre scene. "Since the event happened right at the beginning of Covid, I couldn't go inside her house, so I briefly waved to her from afar. Months later, I thought about what would have happened if I had gone inside her house. What if I stayed over, instead of driving right to my parents? What would those 24 hours have looked like? The story took off from there."
Arizona Rain was initially presented as part of the 2021 Emerson Stage NewFest, but all the pieces were performed virtually, over Zoom. The L.A. premiere marks the first time it will get a live staging. To help bring her script to life, Rubeli has cast a number of other colleagues newer to the area, creating a bond as they explore this emotionally driven story together.
Rubeli said the show focuses heavily on the effects of long-term relationships in formative years, specifically in how it relates to one's concepts of independence and boundaries. More specifically, it digs into queer relationships and the extra questions and struggles that come with them, especially at such a young age. However, Rubeli stresses that the themes in her work are relatable to everyone.
"I hope this show causes the audience to look inward with a sense of urgency," Rubeli said. "I hope it leaves the audience asking their own big questions in regard to their own lives. What is stopping them from living authentically right now? I hope the show leaves the audience with the realization that the joy of living honestly outweighs any of the consequences that arise with it."
ARIZONA RAIN
Written and directed by Mandy Rubeli
SYNOPSIS:
In the world premiere drama Arizona Rain, introspective yet indecisive Crissy drives thirteen hours after a near-death experience, showing up unannounced at the doorstep of her ex-girlfriend, the edgy and icy Marcy, looking for comfort and solutions to all her problems. Crissy rides an emotional roller coaster as she wonders how much would have been left unsaid if she had died. Marcy refuses to let Crissy stew in these emotions, so the pair take turns calling ghosts from their past to tie up loose ends as they work to understand their own complicated, love-filled relationship.
DATES AND TIMES:
Friday, Feb. 24 - 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25 - 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 25 - 8 p.m.
LOCATION:
Studio/stage
520 N. Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
PRICING
$20
$15 for students
FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFORMATION:
arizona-rain.ticketleap.com/arizona-rain/
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