International City Theatre premieres Warsaw,
a haunting story of secrets and survival
LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 24, 2026) — International City Theatre presents the world premiere of a haunting new drama by British playwright and screenwriter Paul Webb (Selma). Directed by ICT artistic director caryn desai [sic], Warsaw opens May 1 for a three-week run through May 17. Performances take place at ICT’s home in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center. Two low-priced previews are set for April 29 and April 30.
A woman fighting for her life after a devastating accident (Suzanne Ford) draws four very different visitors to her bedside — a doctor (Anna Van Valin), the doctor’s estranged fiancé (Elias Scoufaras), a truck driver (Spencer Del Carmen), and a hospital volunteer who believes he once knew her long ago (Bruce Nozick). As the four keep vigil, they realize that the comatose patient holds vital pieces missing from their own lives. Warsaw is a moving meditation on survival, forgiveness, and the invisible threads that bind our lives together.
“Warsaw is about the survival of love against all odds,” says Webb. “It’s a celebration of the power of the human spirit, a quality embodied by 74-year-old Krystyna, fighting for life in a New York hospital after miraculously escaping death in a traffic accident. A group of people gather in the hope she will regain consciousness. They all have questions. Only Krystyna has the answers.”
“This is the rare play that blends intimacy with historical resonance,” says desai. “It examines how choices, losses and the weight of survival shape us, sometimes in ways we don’t fully understand. Bringing this world premiere to ICT gives audiences a chance to experience the profound ways lives can intersect, shaping us in ways we never forget.”
Webb, who lives in Reading, England, travelled widely in America as a teenager, acquiring a lifelong fascination with the country and its people. After a career in teaching followed by several years in the oil industry, he wrote his first play, Four Nights in Knaresborough, at the age of 50. It was produced in London, had a national tour and drew the attention of the film industry. He was subsequently commissioned by Stephen Spielberg, Michael Mann and Ridley Scott, working closely with all three over a number of years. Paul wrote Selma, the 2014 film about the voting rights campaign in Alabama, led by Dr Martin Luther King. Shortly after, Paul turned once again to the theater. Hold On! premiered at the St. Louis Black Rep in January 2024. Paul recently completed Six Easy Steps, an intimate history of the marriage between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the defining influence of their confidante, Louis Howe. Paul is currently working on a play about the epochal summit meeting between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in Iceland in 1986.
ICT’s creative team includes set designer Destiny Manewal, lighting designer Donna Ruzika, costume designer Kim DeShazo, sound designer Hunter Moody, and prop designer Patty Briles. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA. The stage manager is John Freeland, Jr.
Warsaw runs May 1 through May 17 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30 both at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $56 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, except opening night (Friday, May 1), and $59 on opening night and at Sunday matinees. Low-priced tickets to previews are $44.
International City Theatre is located in Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s Beverly O’Neill Theater at 330 East Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.
Details for Calendar Listings
‘Warsaw’
WHAT:
International City Theatre presents the world premiere of Warsaw, a haunting new drama by British playwright and screenwriter Paul Webb (Selma). Four lives are unexpectedly brought together at the bedside of a woman fighting for her life after a devastating accident. Could her mysterious past hold the answers to their secrets, regrets, and unresolved love?
WHO:
• Written by Paul Webb
• Directed and Produced by caryn desai [sic]
• Starring Spencer Del Carmen, Suzanne Ford, Bruce Nozick, Elias Scoufaras, Anna Van Valin
• Presented by International City Theatre
WHEN:
April 29 – May 17
• Previews:
Wednesday April 29 and Thursday, April 30, each at 7:30 p.m.
• Performances:
May 1 – May 17
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. / Sundays at 2 p.m.
WHERE:
International City Theatre
Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center’s Beverly O’Neill Theater
330 East Seaside Way
Long Beach, CA 90802
TICKET PRICES:
$44-$59
• Opening Night (May 1): $59 (includes post-show reception with the actors)
• Sunday matinees: $59
• Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (except Friday, May 1): $56
• Previews: $44
HOW:
InternationalCityTheatre.org.
(562) 436-4610
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