Falling Slanted, Sad & Crazy by Chelsea Sutton
The Road on Lankershim – THEATRE
5108 Lankershim Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(Street parking or paid lot parking at 5125 Lankershim Blvd)
Falling, Slanted, Sad and Crazy
By Chelsea Sutton
Directed by Katie Witkowski
CAST
KARA – Lizzy Kimball
DANNY- Ben Solenberger
MARISOL- Melelani Satsuma
SEVEN- Adam Peltier
BERDIE- Carole Goldman
STAGE DIRECTIONS- Karrie King
*Appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association
SYNOPSIS
Falling Slanted, Sad & Crazy is dark comedy about a kidnapping gone bad, dead crows, and Twinkies. In a feed shop somewhere along the 91 freeway, Kara is trying to find her own place in the world – which is definitely not here. Helping her brother Danny do one last job for their aunt/small-time-crime-boss Berdie, things do not go as smoothly as they should, and the sky above them seems to be literally falling.
TICKETS
No reservations or advance tickets. Admission is by donation ($15 suggested).
MEET YOUR PLAYWRIGHT
CHELSEA SUTTON is a fiction writer, playwright, and a 2016 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow. Her plays have been finalists for the O’Neill Playwrights, PlayPenn, and Seven Devils Conferences, the Ingram New Works Lab, and the Stanley Drama, Woodward/Newman Drama, and Reva Shiner Comedy awards. She was nominated for a Stage Raw Award for her play Wood Boy Dog Fish, written for Rogue Artists Ensemble, which recently returned to the stage at the Garry Marshall Theatre in 2018. She was a 2016/2017 Humanitas PlayLA Award Winner and a 2018 Sewanee Writers Conference Playwright Fellow. Withcoffeespoons.com
MEET YOUR DIRECTOR
KATIE WITKOWSKI is very excited to direct at the Summer Playwrights Festival! After graduating at Illinois State University with a B.A. in Theatrical Directing, Design/Production, and Cinema Studies, Katie moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2009 where she began working for Director/Producer Garry Marshall. While working for Mr. Marshall, Katie has contributed on-set and on-screen in the films Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Katie has also worked on many live theatrical productions in various capacities. She has worked at such theatres as: The Falcon, The Eclectic, The Vagrancy, The Colony, Open Fist, Theatre/Theater, Skylight Theatre, Theatre Factory Studio, Greenway Arts Alliance, Rogue Artists Ensemble, The Victory, and, of course, The Road. Much love to my husband, Noah, for his constant love and support!
An Interview with Playwright Chelsea Sutton
1: What is the name of your play?
Falling Slanted, Sad & Crazy
2: What was your first job in the theatre?
My first non-paid job was as running crew on a production of The Little Mermaid. I moved the big rock the mermaid sat on. My first paid job was probably as the production assistant for a small company in Santa Barbara called Speaking of Stories.
3: Do you ever model characters after real life people?
I think I do? It is bits and pieces mostly. No one in this play is based on a specific person. But the character of Danny – he has a quirk where he always says idioms incorrectly and that’s basically based on me. I never get them right.
4: As an artist, what subjects tend to draw your interest?
I like ghost stories and am drawn to using magical realism to draw out themes and ideas. The effect of a landscape on the psyche of a community or a person is also interesting to me.
5: Do you have other passions aside from playwriting?
I also write fiction – I’m in an MFA program for fiction right now. Pie making is another big thing, but I need more people to make pie for. Also love reading about paranormal things and true crime. Pie and darkness!
6: Are you currently working on any new projects?
Oh yes, always. Staring a new screenplay, working out ideas for some new plays, and working on my novel.
7: Here’s a fun question! What is your favorite dessert?
I have to say pie now, don’t I? Honestly, I like making it more than I like eating it. Twinkies. Twinkies for sure.
8: Any acknowledgements or words of encouragement?
Thanks to The Vagrancy, where I wrote the first draft of this play in their writers group, and Coffee & Whiskey Productions, which is a great company in Chicago who read the last draft of this play back in November.
9: Describe your play in 3 words!
Faith. Twinkies. Macabre.