What a joyous and inspiring week I had in Durango, Colorado last week! I was invited to workshop my play “Circle Forward” with a wonderful team of actors and crew, all led by the brilliant director, Pesha Rudnick. And the amazing staff who run the festival are so well-organized! I was able to make some great tweaks to my play, and I feel like it’s better than it was before. (The revised version is available on New Play Exchange here.)

The cast included Tony-nominated Enid Graham as Mia, Catia Ojeda as Lexi, Conor Sheehan as Ethan, and Siena Widen as Calista. Cindy Laudadio-Hill read stage directions, Misha Zimmerman was Stage Manager, and J’Kye Wientjes was Assistant Stage Manager. A fun, lovely, and supportive group of artists!

A big thanks to everyone in Durango for making us feel so welcome. We had the pleasure of two separate readings and both audiences had thoughtful and helpful responses.

Please join me for a FREE reading of my hot-off-the-press comedy “This Is Crazy” on Saturday June 15 at 8:00 p.m. in Santa Monica!

The reading will be part of the Playwrights Union “First Peek Reading Series” and is free to the public. Every February, member of Playwrights Union are encouraged to write a brand new work, and then this series presents these new pieces to the public. This year we have nine new plays!

Here’s the synopsis for “This Is Crazy”:
Sometimes life throws you a curveball, or, in Laila and Jackson's case, a giant, pointy, mysterious (and possibly intergalactic) Thing. Will they be able to hold on to their understanding of how the world works, achieve their hard-earned dreams, and still look their oddball neighbors in the eye again? Life is full of surprises, but this is crazy.

An amazing cast has assembled for this thing: Emily Goss, Ed Rosini, Kwana Martinez, Ravi Kapoor, and Julia Manis!

This rollicking 85-minute comedy has no intermission, and the reading takes place at City Garage Theater at Bergamot Arts Center (T1 Bldg) in Santa Monica (2525 Michigan Ave). Free parking. Reservations highly suggested so sign up here today!

Colorado is the home of the Durango PlayFest, the prestigious new play development workshop, and I’m thrilled that my play “Circle Forward” was selected as one of four new plays that will headline its 6th annual festival, June 25-30, 2024. PlayFest's mission is to bring well-known and emerging playwrights, well-known actors and directors to Durango to incubate new plays, hold free events for the community, and culminate the week with staged readings for local audiences.

Directing “Circle Forward” will be Pesha Rudnick. A full cast list will be announced in early June.

Here’s the synopsis of “Circle Forward”: Seventeen years after the loss of her young husband from cancer, Mia meets a teenager who believes he is the reincarnation of her late husband. When the teen and his mom come to Mia's house for lunch, his uncanny memories force Mia to face her doubts, her past, and the whole truth.

The festival's full schedule and ticket information will be posted at durangoplayfest.org in late April. For more information, visit www.durangoplayfest.org.

Take a look at the BROADWAYWORLD press release HERE.

South Dakota State University Department of Theatre and Dance produced “The Escape Thingy” in February and the crowds loved it! Directed by Artistic Director W. James Wood, the production featured an all-student cast (Israel Caldron, Blake Fabre, Jacob Stevens, Alex Gales, and Peyten Wiese) and design team. I was delighted to be in attendance to see the wonderful collaboration. Thanks, Brookings, for welcoming me!

While it wasn’t selected to be a part of the festival, my play “Circle Forward” was a finalist for the Local Theater Company’s “Lab” New Play Festival. With hundreds of plays submitted to this prestigious reading series, being a finalist is quite an honor.

Here’s the synopsis for “Circle Forward:” Seventeen years after the loss of her young husband from cancer, Mia meets a teenager, Ethan, who believes he is the reincarnation of her late husband. When Ethan and his mom Lexi come to Mia's house for lunch, Mia must face her doubts, her past, and the whole truth.

A big thank you to Local Lab for the consideration and selection as a finalist!

I had the pleasure of directing Brian Delate’s one-man show “Guardian Angels” and this weekend it will be at Actors Studio in New York City. Saturday and Sunday shows are sold out but you can still get on the waitlist, or grab a ticket to Friday night’s performance, and possibly Thursday night’s too.

Tickets are FREE but you need to reserve them here. Actors Studio is located at 432 West 44th Street, Ground Floor, between 9th & 10th Avenues, New York, NY 10036. Running time is one hour, shows start at 7:00 pm Thursday Feb 1, Friday Feb 2, and Saturday Feb 3, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 on the 4th.

About the show:
“Guardian Angels” reveals how the angels on earth and beyond can guide and direct us. In 1973 a profound event, in the form of a dream transformed Brian Delate’s life. Was it a “close encounter”? An Out-of-Body Experience? Or a visit from “The Great Beyond”? You decide. Brian served in the Vietnam war. The path after coming home was destructive, but real life guardian angels intervened to guide him in a life-affirming direction. The dream came later but its impact would alter his thinking and behavior forever.

And from the theater:
WAITLIST: If a particular date is “sold out”, we encourage you to join the waitlist — since cancellations are prevalent and seating often becomes available.

I had the privilege of directing Brian Delate’s one man show “Guardian Angels” this year, which was presented first at the Whitefire Theater, then at The Road Theatre in Los Angeles, to sold-out crowds. He got a wonderful review by John Lavitt in The HollywoodTimes, who was kind enough to mention my work as a director:

“At the Road Theatre, Delate’s performance is taken to the next level of excellence with the help of Deb Hiett’s precise direction. When it comes to solo shows, the role of a director is a careful balancing of unleashing and containing. While some aspects of a performer need to be brought out, others need to be quieted so this can happen.

Hiett helps Delate bring forth the significance of his message by focusing on his body and respecting moments of silence. By helping Delate get in touch with his physicality while not being worried about gaps, the direction allows the actor to expand the range of his expression while making it more precise.”

Brian’s show is heading for a limited run at the Actors Studio in New York City in February, 2024. Congrats, Brian!