Projects

GHOST VARIATIONS

Produced by Denver Center as part of the Colorado New Play Summit

By Vauhini Vara
Directed by Laurie Woolery

Vauhini is a writer. She’s used to being able to describe human experiences in ways that help readers make sense of their world. This is what she does. But she can’t write about her sister’s death – not in a way that captures what she’s really feeling anyway.

Sparked by a bit of guilty curiosity, she begins what feels like an illicit experiment with an artificial intelligence program to see what – if anything – she and the algorithm can learn about the very human experience of grief. Part false memory, part uncanny truth, what follows is a series of vignettes that feel at once poetic, bizarrely comical, and vulnerable, all held together by lots of rewrites and a quest for healing.

Adapted from Vauhini Vara’s acclaimed essay “Ghosts” (The Believer, This American Life, Best American Essays 2022), Ghost Variations is a wholly unique, theatrical meditation on how we grieve in a technological world.

A NICE INDIAN BOY

Produced by Olney Theatre

By Madhuri Shekar
Directed by Zi Alikhan

A meet-cute at the local temple brings Naveen Gavaskar face-to-face with the man of his dreams: a fellow Marathi-speaking Hindu who loves the same Bollywood films and can cook a mean dal makhani. If his parents were ever going to accept him bringing home a boyfriend, Keshav would be that boy except – he’s white, raised by Indian foster parents who adopted him. But they’re madly in love and so off they head to the Gavaskar house, where Naveen’s white boyfriend isn’t the only surprise ready to walk through the door. This inter-generational, intercultural comedy presents a warm portrait of an Indian family wrestling with tradition, masculinity, and acceptance.

The Lunchbox - A New Musical

Produced by Lincoln Center Theater

By Ritesh Batra + The Lazours
Directed by Ritesh Batra
Musical Direction by Cynthia Meng

Lonely housewife Ila decides to try adding some spice to her stale marriage by preparing a special lunch for her neglectful husband. Unfortunately, the delivery goes astray and winds up in the hands of Saajan, an irritable widower. Curious about her husband's lack of response, Ila adds a note to the next day's lunchbox, and thus begins an unusual friendship in which Saajan and Ila can talk about their joys and sorrows without ever meeting in person.

Photo: The Cast and Crew of the Summer 2022/Fall 2022 Reading

A MURDER OF CROWS

Produced by Boomerang Theatre Co

Directed by Scott Ebersold

Who killed Reginald Crows, the dashing renaissance man of 20th century theatre, who died in the bombing of London in 1940? Eighty years after his death, a banker's box of Crows ephemera lands on the desk of Kat Davidson, a graduate student in Berkeley. The contents of that box compel Kat to scour the dusty corners of the internet where she finds herself squarely in the crosshairs of a rabid Crows preservationist. Fact bleeds into fiction in this off-beat, comic detective story.

**Jessica Jain**, **Eston Fung**, and **Ching Valdez-Aran**

Esspy

Produced by New Jersey Repertory Company

By Nandita Shenoy
Directed by Aneesha Kudtarkar
Esspy tells the story of a medical student, William Chen, and a standardized patient, Anu Shilpa, whom he encounters several times over the years. A sweet, funny exploration of the medical system and the values prioritized within it.

Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley

Produced by Arizona Theatre

By Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon
Directed by Sean Daniels

Tucson : 11/06/21 - 12/04/21

Phoenix : 12/09/21 - 01/02/22

From the pen of the writer of last season’s hit Silent Sky, and America’s most produced playwright, comes this charming and cleverly imagined sequel to Pride and Prejudice. It is two years later and the Bennet family gathers at Pemberley to celebrate Christmas together. Unlike her witty and vibrant sisters, Mary Bennet is unmarried, nerdy, and growing tired of her role as the obedient middle sister. But an unexpected guest gives Mary the boost she needs to embrace her independence and find true love.

Blue Bloods: Season 11 Episode 13

“Fallen Hero’s”

“Fallen Heroes” – Jamie faces official reprimand from Frank when he refuses to explain why he contests the arrest report of a fellow officer assaulted in the field, a rising rookie with allies in City Hall. Also, Danny and Baez clash when their lead suspect for the murder of a legendary comedy club owner is one of Danny’s favorite standup comedians, and Eddie balks after she agrees to an undercover assignment for Anthony then learns his informant is Don Voorhees (James Le Gros), a former corrupt parole officer she and Jamie arrested, on

BLUE BLOODS, Friday, April 30 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

FOR STEVE WOZNIAK, ON HIS 67TH BIRTHDAY

PRODUCED BY Alley Theatre

THIS PLAY IS FILMED TO STREAM as part of The Alley’s ‘Alley @ Home’ spring Season.

BY JIEHAE PARK
APRIL 9 – JULY 4, 2021

Meet Steve. And Steve. And Steve. One turns 67 today. One is dead. Two are famous. A play for three women from the singular mind of Jiehae Park, author of The Aves (Alley All New Festival 2020).

THE WHO & THE WHAT

Produced by TheaterWorks Hartford

This play is filmed to stream on stage at TheaterWorks Hartford.

BY AYAD AKTAR

A thrillingly fierce yet tender new play about identity, religion, and the contradictions that make us who we are. Brilliant Pakistani-American writer Zarina is focused on finishing her novel about women and Islam when she meets Eli, a young convert who bridges the gulf between her modern life and her traditional heritage. But when her conservative father and sister discover her controversial manuscript, they are all forced to confront the beliefs that define them.