New American Theatre Festival

A month of plays and panels at The Sofia, Home of B Street Theatre!

The NATF focuses on embracing intersectional new works as the default for the American Theatre canon by inspiring change, demanding proactive action in pursuit of justice, and welcoming a new renaissance. Join us for an exciting three weeks in October 2021 as we present both in-person and virtual readings of new works as well as industry panels and celebrations!

Virtual Pass – FREE with a suggested donation of $30. This pass gets you access to the entire New American Theatre Festival via Vimeo!

Live Pass – $40. This pass gets you access to all the live and virtual events associated with the New American Theatre Festival. If you purchase this option, you’ll receive general admission tickets to all three live performances and four watch parties as well as links to the festival’s virtual activities. Upon purchase, you will receive a confirmation email and a B Street Box Office Associate will reach out to secure your tickets for the individual events.

LA DEMANDA October 9th at 8pm. VIRTUAL & LIVE watch party. October 10th at 7pm. VIRTUAL only.
Playwright: Margarita A. Cacho & Réal Vargas Alanis

When a group of factory working women of color are fed up with the daily cruel treatment from the higher ups, they hone in on their collective power to bring change through unity and community. This piece illustrates the life threatening working conditions of food processing plants while following the lives of the workers navigating to defend themselves, one another, and implementing their workers’ rights.

EXHAUSTION: DANCIN’ TREES IN THE RAVINE – A psychedelic comedy October 1st at 7pm & October 3rd at 1pm. LIVE performance & VIRTUAL
Playwright: Fran A.

Three friends escape into the Santa Cruz mountains in search of a place to swim and BBQ. They packed for the beach without realizing they had a treacherous hike down a ravine. Once at a waterhole the consumption of some shrooms sets the stage for a heartfelt adventure between friends too tired to know how to rest.

JUANA Y CARMEN October 5th at 7pm. VIRTUAL only. October 11 at 7pm VIRTUAL & LIVE watch party.
Playwright: Meme Garcia

On the border between Arizona and Mexico, deep in the Sonoran Desert, something stirs en la noche oscura. Juana can’t remember how long they’ve been wandering or where they’re going until a mysterious stranger appears who seems to have all the answers to Juana’s questions except one: who are you? Can Juana piece together the mystery before the desert swallows both of them whole? Or will they both be cursed to wander the land as ghosts for the rest of eternity?

EDESSA OF BAGHDAD October 14th at 7pm. VIRTUAL & LIVE watch party. October 16th at 8pm. VIRTUAL only.
Playwright: Dalia Ashurina
Composer: Avi Amon

1958 Baghdad, Iraq. The sun is shining and opportunity is in the air as this “new” country forms an identity of its own. A young girl, Edessa, gets her first chance in the spotlight and can’t look back. Her mother, who runs the busiest shop in the bazaar, has other plans. With a score infused with Middle-Eastern sounds and a pop sensibility, EDESSA OF BAGHDAD follows one family’s journey as society changes all around them. They must look to the past but keep an eye on the future to find out who they really are – and who they want to be.

CABIN 12 October 2nd at 8pm VIRTUAL & LIVE watch party. October 7th at 7pm. VIRTUAL only.
Playwright: Leo Grierson

Summer is winding down at Camp Snowflake and the girls of Cabin 12 are hosting the end of camp Jubilee. They can’t wait to share a fun night of s’mores, skits and songs with you – their fellow campers. But with trouble and strife brewing between this tight-knit group of friends, will they make it through the night without falling apart?

THIS BITCH: ESTA SANGRE QUIERO October 15th @7pm VIRTUAL only. October 17th at 3pm. VIRTUAL & LIVE watch party.
Playwright: Adrienne Dawes
Music by: Eric Johnson
Lyrics by: Adrienne Dawes, khattieq & Lope de Vega

When Diana, a ruthless and power-hungry Pilates influencer, learns her social media manager Teodoro is hooking up with her makeup artist Madeinusa, it sparks bitter jealousy. Even though it would be social suicide for her to date someone with zero followers, Diana finds herself falling madly in love but if she can’t have Teodoro . . . no one can! THIS BITCH: ESTA SANGRE QUIERO is a big, bawdy, bilingual Gen Z comedy inspired by Lope de Vega’s Golden Age epic “El perro del hortelano” and set in Tulum, México.

IS SEX October 22nd at 7pm VIRTUAL only.
Playwright: Jean Carlo Yunén Aróstegui

IS SEX is a queer coming of sex play that follows Cristiano, a PhD candidate, through a sex trip through Europe after his tumultuous relationship with his on and off boyfriend ends in a train station in Rome. Encouraged by his friend Alma, Cristiano follows cheap thrills and excitement until he falls into the arms of Enzo, an Italian physicist that forces Cristiano to go deep within himself and take action within his own relationships.

SINCERELY, GORDA October 8th at 7pm LIVE performance & VIRTUAL.
Playwright: Angelina Moles

Living in a fat body all of their life, Gorda has a couple questions for…well, everyone. Oh, and yes, please call her FAT, not curvy or thick or chunky or big or plus size or obese, please don’t call them OBESE. Call them by her name, Gorda. Follow along with a journey of questions and movements that invite you to play with fat.

COMFORT October 13th at 7pm VIRTUAL only.
Playwright: Joyce Torres

A clothesline is a news forecast to neighbors passing by, displaying both good times and bad, and Lola Rosa is airing out her truth for the very first time. In this story, we examine the life of a comfort woman, whose story is anything but. Comfort is a one-woman show based on the true story of Maria “Rosa” Henson, who at the age of 16 was taken by the Japanese forces in the Philippines during the height of World War II. Comfort resonates with the power that can only come from sharing a deeply personal story, breaking the silence that has been quietly sitting for years.

23ANDME October 23rd at 8pm Live performance & VIRTUAL
Playwright: Gabriela Ortega

Camila, a Dominican immigrant aching for her own spotlight, decides to celebrate her ten year anniversary in Los Angeles by staging a one-woman show around her 23andme results. However, an unexpected guest and a deep secret turn this search for laughs into a search for meaning.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY PANEL October 11th at 7pm VIRTUAL only
Title – NATIVE WOMEN LEADING

Description – In this panel we invite you to a curated conversation hosted by ITM’s Executive Director Amber Ball (Dakubetede, Shasta, Modoc, Klamath) focusing on highlighting and uplifting the leadership of Murielle Borst-Tarrant (Kuna, Rappahannock), Delanna Studi (Cherokee) and Jeanette Harrison (Onondaga Descent) – companies, leadership models and theatre practice.

Panelists – Murielle Borst-Tarrant (Artistic Director Safe Harbors) ; Delanna Studi (Artistic Director Native Voices); Jeanette Harrison (Artistic Director AlterTheatre)

PARTNER COMPANIES PANEL October 20th at 6pm VIRTUAL only.
Title – POWER IN THEATRE COALITION BUILDING: Wednesday October 20, 2021

Description – Power in Theatre Coalition Building focuses on the strength of theatres, art organizations, individuals and artists alike sharing resources, responsibility, goals, decisions, and leadership to work toward a common goal. In this discussion we will listen from partners of In the Margin on strategies of coalition building moving forward in American Theatre.

Panelists – Real Alanis, Lyndsay Burch, CJ Ochoco, Leo Grierson, Jaz Hall & Moderated by Whitney Reed

PLAYWRIGHTS PANEL October 21st at 6pm VIRTUAL only.
Title – ADAPTATION & NEW CREATION

Description – In this panel invited playwrights featured a part of the New American Theatre Festival discuss their process of creation and adaptation. Playwrights include Meme García, Lauren Gunderson, Adrienne Dawes and Fran Astorga. The conversation will be moderated by Amrita Ramanan. We will discuss with each writer leaning into the power of joy and decentering the tropes of trauma.

Panelists – Meme Garcia, Lauren Gunderson, Adrienne Dawes, Fran Astorga. Moderated by Amrita Ramanan