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Antaeus ‘NEXT’ commissions go to
playwrights Alex Alpharaoh, Lisa Sanaye Dring

 

LOS ANGELES (April 12, 2023) — Antaeus Theatre Company has selected playwrights Alex Alpharaoh and Lisa Sanaye Dring as the recipients of the company’s second annual NEXT commissions, a new play development initiative for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) playwrights. Antaeus created the commissions to amplify historically underrepresented voices and to broaden the scope of the classical theater canon.

An artist-driven theater company, Antaeus believes in the power and importance of storytellers as architects of culture and stewards of history. The purpose of NEXT is to nurture an inclusive generation of writers and support the creation of extraordinary new plays that will stand the test of time. NEXT offers financial, dramaturgical and logistical support for the development of original, full-length works.

“We created our NEXT Commissions because we believe that great stories, from both past and emerging voices, help us further our mission of illuminating diverse human experiences,” note Antaeus artistic director Bill Brochtrup and producing executive director Ana Rose O’Halloran. “We are thrilled to partner with two incredible storytellers, Alex and Lisa, this year and can’t wait to see what vital plays they will create.”

Alex Alpharaoh is a formerly undocumented, Guatemalan born actor, dramatic writer, spoken word poet, solo performer and teaching artist from Los Angeles, CA. He is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award for solo performance as well as the recipient of a Stage Raw award for writing and performance for WET: A DACAmented Journey, a story about what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except on paper. Alpharaoh’s plays have been produced and workshopped throughout the country. Some of his plays include Don’t Talk About It, SP!T About It; Why Won’t You Remember?; Vile-Let; Freddy Fender’s Last Concert; and O-Dogg: An Angeleno Take on Othello. As a formerly undocumented citizen, Alpharaoh believes in the transformative power of sharing one’s truth and vulnerability, especially in the face of danger. His writing reflects the struggles of the common person, and is often inspired by the works of Anton Chekhov, William Shakespeare, August Wilson, Octavio Solis, Luis Alfaro, Anna Deavere Smith, John Leguizamo, Roger Guenveur Smith and Stephen Adly Guirgis, to name a few. Alex’s stories, poems and spoken word narratives address issues pertaining to race, class, immigration, assimilation, family, love and Los Angeles. Alpharaoh is the founder of SP!T: Spoken Word Theatre, which focuses on telling stories about Los Angeles by fusing street culture with acting as the basis of storytelling. Alpharaoh has been acting professionally for over a decade and has been a lyricist and poet for over 30 years.

Lisa Sanaye Dring recently appeared in the Antaeus production of Everybody, and she directed Alex Goldberg’s The Six Pianos of El Miradero for “The Zip Code Plays.” Her play Hungry Ghost will be produced by Skylight Theatre this summer, followed by a production of SUMO at La Jolla Playhouse with Ma-Yi Theater Company. Lisa has recently worked on multiple projects with Meow Wolf and was a member of The Geffen Writers’ Room. She was a recipient of the 2020/21 PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize. She’s been a finalist for the Relentless Award, the O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. Lisa’s work has been developed/produced by the Geffen, The New Group, Actors Theatre of Louisville, East West Players, Circle X, CalArts and Rogue Artists Ensemble. Lisa has been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Blue Mountain Center and Yaddo. She has worked in the VR Space with Double Eye Studios on multiple projects which have gone to the Venice International Film Festival (winner: Best VR Immersive Experience) and Raindance. She co-wrote and co-directed Welcome to the Blumhouse Live, which won a Silver Clio Award and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Interactive Program.

For more information about Antaeus Theatre Company and the NEXT commissions, go to www.antaeus.org.

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