The Ragged Claws
After Alec, the adopted son of a power couple, questions his mother’s politics, family hurt tumbles out, unstoppable, like the tsunami heading for Manhattan. Ragged Claws follows a family struggling to stay together in a world that’s falling apart. Through parallel stories of people adapting to extraordinary circumstances, the play examines the value of history and art in a time of crisis. What is worth preserving when life becomes precious? Who is qualified to give the past a fair rendering?
Lina Patel is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores disability, non-traditional relationships, and power in an unstable world. Upcoming work includes, “Sick Girl or Don’t Hate Me Cuz I’m Pretty” at PlayFest Indy with Summit Theater; and her UCLA/Playwright’s Arena commissioned new play, “Traces of Desire,” is being published by Bloomsbury, U.K. In 2024, Lina was one of five writers invited to develop work with The Lark Playwright’s Workshop at 2nd Stage and is a co-moderating and participating in Rogue Machine Theater’s inaugural Playwright’s Roundtable. On television, Lina was co-producer on Ava DuVernay’s nuanced series, “Cherish the Day,” which explores Black love; previously on DC’s character-driven sci-fi drama, “Krypton,”. Currently, Lina is developing her original pilot about mental health and law enforcement for BET Plus and a hybrid-animation series about a rocket prodigy in search of her missing mother with Aaron Simpson and Trioscope Studios. She got her start as an actor and voice-over artist. Lina is a Lecturer of Theater at Pomona College, where she teaches Playwriting.
DANIEL TALBOTT is an award-winning writer and director, a Lucille Lortel Award winning theater producer, and the artistic director of Rising Phoenix Rep. His first feature film co-written and co-directed with Samantha Soule – Midday Black Midnight Blue – premiered at SIFF in Seattle in 2022 and was released in June 2023 by Good Deed Entertainment. His horror drama pilot Rome, Georgia (starring Marylouise Parker) is in development with Vertigo Entertainment. His feature script Gray is in active development in Denmark with Motor Productions, with Martin de Thura attached to direct. Other TV writing includes The Mist based on the Stephen King novella, and The Conners on ABC. He is a graduate of Juilliard.
“The Ragged Claw”
RENE: Meeghan Holaway*
THOMAS/TOM: Rob Nagle*
ALEC: Nirvan Patnaik*
SAMANTHA (SAM): Ivy Khan*
BOB: Gabriel Palma
SAMIR: Jacob Athyal
SAFIYA: Julia Manis*
JACOB: Chase Cargill*
Stage Directions: Laura Gardner*
*Road Company Member