IAMA Theatre Company’s New Works Festival (File Photo – iamatheatre)
IAMA Theatre Company, committed to cultivating cutting-edge voices and creating bold, boundary-pushing work, will present its 8th Annual New Works Festival this fall.
By News Desk
The festival runs October 8–13, 2025, at Atwater Village Theatre (3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles). Tickets are $18 per reading (including fees) and are available at iamatheatre.com.
Featuring staged readings of six new plays, IAMA’s New Works Festival offers audiences an early look at future theatrical hits while giving playwrights the rare opportunity to experience live public reactions to their work in progress.
This year’s lineup includes:
- Word of Mouth by Weston Gaylord, directed by Casey Stangl — a dinner party spirals into unsettling revelations.
- Death Doula by Rachel Borders, directed by IAMA Artistic Director Stefanie Black — a dark comedy exploring family and end-of-life care.
- Skynight by Christian Durso, directed by Jessica Hanna — a grieving mother searches for meaning inside her son’s video game world.
- The Stars by Kemiyondo Coutinho, directed by H. Adam Harris — a two-actor exploration of mental health across continents and eras.
- What We Leave Behind by Gloria Calderón Kellett, directed by Margaux Susi — an IAMA-commissioned family drama about siblings saying goodbye.
- The Treatment by Amy Berryman, directed by Lindsay Allbaugh — a speculative look at the cost of halting human aging.
“IAMA’s New Works Festival encapsulates exactly who we are as a theatre company,” says Associate Artistic Director Margaux Susi. “We are invested in the stories of tomorrow, and that means investing in the storytellers themselves. The dramaturgical work that happens in just one week is amazing. Each year we’re floored by the talent united here at IAMA. This year’s lineup is no different.”
Launched in 2018, the New Works Festival has become IAMA’s leading development and community engagement program, offering a platform for artistic excellence and a space for playwrights to hone their craft. The festival invites the local community into the creative process through post-show discussions and social gatherings, sparking meaningful dialogue both on and off the stage. Plays developed at the festival have gone on to full productions at IAMA and theatres across the country.
8th Annual New Works Festival Lineup
Word of Mouth Written by Weston Gaylord Directed by Casey Stangl October 8, 2025 8:00 pm
A mysterious and elaborate dinner party takes a dark turn as the host and guests are forced to confront the deeper hunger and fear that eats them from within. A shared meal becomes a search for answers as secrets surface from the shadows.
About the Artists
Weston Gaylord is a playwright, librettist, and mixed-reality technologist whose work has appeared at Ashland New Plays Festival, Boston Court Pasadena, and the Geffen Playhouse Writers’ Room. Casey Stangl is an award-winning director whose work has been seen at South Coast Rep, the Guthrie, Woolly Mammoth, and the O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.
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Death Doula Written by Rachel Borders Directed by Stefanie Black October 9, 2025 8:00 pm
In this dark comedy about death, inheritance, and legacy, a family is shocked to discover their dying patriarch has hired a death doula to guide them through his final days.
About the Artists
Rachel Borders is a Play LA winner and member of IAMA’s Emerging Playwrights Lab, also a screenwriter for Netflix’s Virgin River. Stefanie Black, IAMA’s Artistic Director and founding member, has developed over 100 new plays and recently directed the Broadway premiere of Cult of Love.
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Skynight Written by Christian Durso Directed by Jessica Hanna October 10, 2025 8:00 pm
After her son’s suicide, a mother ventures into his fantasy video game, becoming a warrior in its mystical world. When a detective’s investigation intrudes, she must choose between justice and her last connection to her son.
About the Artists
Christian Durso is a founding member of IAMA and creator of Netflix’s The Stranded. His plays have been performed nationally and internationally. Jessica Hanna is a director, producer, and co-founder of Bootleg Theater, with credits spanning Circle X, Celebration Theatre, and the Edinburgh Fringe.
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The Stars Written by Kemiyondo Coutinho Directed by H. Adam Harris October 11, 2025 8:00 pm
Fourteen characters, played by just two actors, explore mental health in Black communities—spanning continents and generations from present-day America to apartheid-era South Africa.
About the Artists
Kemiyondo Coutinho is a multi-hyphenate artist and Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 honoree, with TV credits on P-Valley and Survival of the Thickest. H. Adam Harris is a director and creative consultant with credits across South Coast Rep, National Black Theatre, and IAMA’s Emerging Writers Lab.
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What We Leave Behind Written by Gloria Calderón Kellett Directed by Margaux Susi October 12, 2025 8:00 pm
Set in Marina del Rey, the Valdez siblings reunite to say goodbye to their dying mother. Over one emotionally charged night, they confront old wounds and rediscover the fierce love that binds them.
About the Artists
Gloria Calderón Kellett is an Emmy-winning creator (One Day at a Time) and advocate for Latinx voices in Hollywood. Margaux Susi is Associate Artistic Director at IAMA, a Sundance alum, and vocal director of Netflix’s hit KPop Demon Hunters.
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The Treatment Written by Amy Berryman Directed by Lindsay Allbaugh October 13, 2025 8:00 pm
When Will becomes the first person to undergo a radical treatment that halts aging, he discovers the true weight of immortality, and the devastating cost to his relationship with his daughter.
About the Artists
Amy Berryman is the playwright of Walden, which premiered in London’s West End and Second Stage Theater. She is a MacDowell Fellow and Playwrights’ Center Core Writer. Lindsay Allbaugh is Associate Artistic Director at Center Theatre Group, with directing credits including Our Dear Dead Drug Lord and Cry It Out.
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