The Sister House by Stephanie Alison Walker
LOCATION
The Road on Lankershim – GALLERY
5108 Lankershim Boulevard
North Hollywood, CA 91601
(Street parking or paid lot parking at 5125 Lankershim Blvd)
The Sister House
By Stephanie Alison Walker
Directed by Judith Moreland
CAST
RAMONA- Meeghan Holloway*
RYAN- Kaitlin Huwe
MARIE- Cherish Duke*
PAUL/NIGEL- Leandro Cano*
STAGE DIRECTION- Jessica Wierzba
*Appears courtesy of Actor’s Equity Association
SYNOPSIS
When Ramona- a forty-something widow with a shopping addiction- rents out her deceased husband’s home office to a mysterious stranger, her sixteen-year-old daughter rebels. Three women and one imaginary vampire collide in an historic Victorian home with a past of its own, in this play about immortal love, mothers and daughters, and redemption.
TICKETS
No reservations or advance tickets. Admission is by donation ($15 suggested).
MEET YOUR PLAYWRIGHT
STEPHANIE ALISON WALKER’s plays have been produced and/or developed with the Skylight Theatre, Moving Arts, Antaeus Theatre Company, Teatro Vista, Moxie Theatre Company, National New Play Network, 16th Street Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville and more. Awards include: Ashland New Plays Festival, Blue Ink Award, Generations Prize, Finalist for the Saroyan/Paul Human Rights Playwriting Prize, Finalist for the 2016 Primus Prize, finalist for the CTG/Humanitas Prize, two-time finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and four-time Finalist for the Heideman Award. She is a proud member of the Playwrights Union and the Antaeus Playwrights Lab.
MEET YOUR DIRECTOR
JUDITH MORELAND has directed at Capital Stage Company in Sacramento, The Blank Theatre in Hollywood and at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television where she currently teaches acting and dialects. Her acting film and TV credits include Dark Skies, Eagle Eye, Blackish, How to Get Away with Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, Parks and Recreation, and The Big Bang Theory. She has performed both on and Off-Broadway and has worked with the New York Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizons, Ensemble Studio Theater/Los Angeles and the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles among others. She was also a company member of San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater for many years. She is the co-creator of UCLA’s Acting for the Camera Professional Program.
An Interview with Playwright Stephanie Alison Walker
1: What is the name of your play?
THE SISTER HOUSE
2: What was your first job in the theatre?
I was the executive assistant to the Executive Producer of a commercial theatre production company in Chicago -Fox Theatricals- when they were renovating and opening the Cadillac Palace Theatre with Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA and in pre-production for the premiere of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was a very fancy and extremely educational introduction to the world of theatre. I started writing plays while working there.
3: Do you ever model characters after real life people?
My characters are often inspired by real people.
4: As an artist, what subjects tend to draw your interest?
The resilience of humanity is something I explore in many of my plays and usually via the experience of being a woman in the world. I write a lot about motherhood and mother/daughter relationships. Complex women populate my plays. My plays always begin with a question and never an answer. I’m interested in the how and the why of humanity and the choices we make. I tend to find the humor in even the darkest moments and even the tiniest hope in the grimest circumstances. I’m committed to making a difference in the world via art, so I’m always hoping the stories I tell will make a real difference.
5: Do you have other passions aside from playwriting?
My family, friends, experiencing life to the fullest and making a difference.
6: Are you currently working on any new projects?
I’m working on a rewrite of my play The Abuelas (sequel to The Madres) that will be produced in Chicago by Teatro Vista in February 2019, I’m working on a tv pilot and I have two different new plays marinating in my head. Also, I’m gearing up for the joint world premiere of my new play Friends With Guns in 2019 by Chapel Theatre Collective in Portland and The Road in L.A.! Lots of exciting stuff.
7: Here’s a fun question! What is your favorite dessert?
I could write a five-page monologue about my favorite desserts. And of course my favorite changes with my mood or the season or the news of that particular day. Do I need McConnell’s Double Peanut Butter Chip ice cream? Some days, yes. In general, I love a good bread pudding. Ice cream holds a special place because my first job was scooping ice cream at Baskin Robbins (though I’m now an ice cream snob.) Is it hotter than a sauna? Bring on the Affogato. Shave ice. Key lime pie. Berries and cream. Chocolate is always a good choice, no matter the season. And flan. Flourless chocolate cake. A good port. A cappuccino and a cookie. A gooey brownie. Whiskey.
8: Any acknowledgements or words of encouragement?
Vote like your life depends on it!
9: Describe your play in 3 words!
Sisterhood. Attachment. Acceptance.