Mildred Inez Lewis

Mildred Inez Lewis

Mildred Inez Lewis writes and directs for theatre, film and the digital space. Recent honors include the Samuel French OOB Festival finals (2022), Grand Jury Award from Fusion (2022), the 2021 L.B. Williams award and Humanitas' PLAY LA (2018).

A member of the Dramatists Guild, she writes for Antaeus Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA Playwrights Unit, PlayGround-LA and Towne Street...
Mildred Inez Lewis writes and directs for theatre, film and the digital space. Recent honors include the Samuel French OOB Festival finals (2022), Grand Jury Award from Fusion (2022), the 2021 L.B. Williams award and Humanitas' PLAY LA (2018).

A member of the Dramatists Guild, she writes for Antaeus Theatre Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA Playwrights Unit, PlayGround-LA and Towne Street Theatre. She is an associate artist with Rogue Artists Ensemble.

Upcoming productions in 2023 include JUKED a commissioned adaptation of Sophocles' ELECTRA for A Different Myth (Asheville, NC). Mildred will also create work for Ohlone College students. 2022 productions included THE MUSEUM ANNEX for Central Works (Berkeley, CA), /kom'plisit/ (staged reading) at Moving Arts (Los Angeles), BONWIT TELLER'S REVENGE for The Workshop Theatre (NYC), and Purity, UnPledged for the Playground Experiment's Faces of America.

Her plays have been published by Applause Books, Broadway Play Publishing. LazyBee (UK), Breathe Fire literary magazine and elsewhere.

Plays

  • The Bridge, Again? by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: nursery rhyme, London Bridge + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: nursery rhyme, London Bridge, London Bridge is falling down, women, 1800s England
    A comedy that takes on the "London Bridge is Falling Down" nursery rhyme. Set in the 1800s, it features two women whose husbands work on the bridge. One woman secures a long sought friendship when she wins the battle of what material the bridge should be rebuilt with.
  • /kom'plisit/ by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: metoo, workplace + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: metoo, workplace, sexual harassment, complicity, female complicity
    Based loosely on the life of Ghislaine Maxwell, this play tells story of Amanda, who's spent her life partnered with Jay at an investment fund. She is trying to break away, but fails.

    The story focuses on the group of female executives around Amanda who ensure that the machine around Jay that produces extraordinary profits and allows him to abuse women keeps running.
  • Juked by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, drama
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    Keyword: African Americans, 1940s + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, drama
    Keyword: African Americans, 1940s, drink house, juke, joint, Sophocles, Electra, betrayal, murder, revenge
    An adaptation of Sophocles' Electra set in a 1940s South Carolina drink house, part of a chain of illegal juke joints that has made the Memnons, an African American clan wealthy and powerful. In this piece Lectra tries, but fails to enlist her sister to confront their mother who long ago murdered their dad.
  • Moving Conversations by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: rust belt, American Midwest + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: rust belt, American Midwest, carpool, Race, work
    Three men in a newly formed carpool fight to hold onto their sliver of the American pie.
  • $10 and a Tambourine by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, period + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: Four Square Gospel, Echo Park + 4 more
    Genre: drama, period, radio drama
    Keyword: Four Square Gospel, Echo Park, Los Angeles, 1920s, William Mulholland, Rev. William J. Seymour
    It's 1925. Real life evangelist Sis. Aimee Semple McPherson is visited by the ghost of Rev. William J. Seymour, a mentor, and William Mulholland on the first anniversary of her radio station, KFSG. They force her to choose a vision of Los Angeles.
  • We Dreamed Ourselves by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: hip hop, m.c. + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: hip hop, m.c., PR crisis
    As an "aging at 38" hip hop star and his main man confront a PR crisis, they are also forced to deal with how the world is shifting around them.
  • We Jump Broom by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    ·
    Keyword: slavery, LGBTQ + 4 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: slavery, LGBTQ, African American, women, love, sensuality
    Two enslaved women decide to jump the broom and seal their love affair into a marriage.
  • The Peace of Home by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Quarantine, interracial + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Quarantine, interracial, lovers, COVID
    An interracial gay couple confronts some difficult truths during quarantine.
  • Acknowledge by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
    ·
    Keyword: suffragettes, Parent Pods + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: suffragettes, Parent Pods, Iriquois Confederacy, Native American Suffragettes, black lives matter, Race
    An upscale parent pod in Tucson, AZ starts with a land acknowledgment, but ends with a vigorous debate over the influence of Native American women on the suffragettes movement.
  • My Body, An Offering by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: African American women, black lives matter + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: African American women, black lives matter, African American sexuality
    The morning after some noisy sex, an African American wife explains to her visiting best friend what was happening. Her husband suffered a racist microaggression. She offered herself for comfort. It's not abuse. It's complicated.
  • Between Aisle 3 and a Half by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: afro-latinx, monologue + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: afro-latinx, monologue, comedy, Afro-Latino
    An Afro Latinx woman reveals her culture to another shopper between the Hispanic and Soul Food aisles in her local supermarket.
  • How's the Store? by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Korean, black lives matter
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Korean, black lives matter
    An older Korean brother paints a Black Lives Matter
  • Sold As Is by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Sisters, home + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Sisters, home, real estate, African American, african american sisters
    In order to sell their childhood home for the best price, two sisters remove all traces of blackness and it works!
  • Submerged by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    ·
    Keyword: ecodrama, environment + 3 more
    Genre: drama, science fiction
    Keyword: ecodrama, environment, women, climate crisis, climate change
    Two women find each other online via a fragile connection after the climate crisis.
  • Roost First, Then Fly by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: environment, chicken farms + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: environment, chicken farms, food supply
    Two hens and a rooster successfully rediscover their ability to fly and escape from an oppressive chicken farm.
  • Piece Work by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: women, piece work + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: women, piece work, garment workers, metoo, fashion
    On a short break at a LA sweat shop, a new worker, Brooklyn, is hurting and wants to leave. Her three coworkers try to get her to stay. At the end, with no realistic shot at other opportunities, Brooklyn stays.
  • Dedications by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: women, Incarceration + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: women, Incarceration, East Los Angeles, prison
    Four women in East Los Angeles prepare dedications for incarcerated loved ones. Their hope is to get air time on the legendary Art Laboe radio show, which has connected people in prison with friends and family for decades.
  • We Wuz Robbed! by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: women, fans + 6 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: women, fans, baseball, Los Angeles Dodgers, LA Dodgers, Dodgers, Girls and Sports, sports
    Two diehard female LA Dodgers fans come to protest the cancelled 1994 baseball season on what would have the first day of their World Series.
  • The Last Ride by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Dystopia, Los Angeles + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: Dystopia, Los Angeles, tsunami
    After a cataclysmic tsunami, three Los Angeles survivors try to find their way home from what remains of a Catholic Church's carnival grounds.
  • The Gift by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    ·
    Keyword: American slavery, women + 4 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: American slavery, women, dower slavery, slavery, marriage, abuse
    When a young Yankee husband gifts his southern wife a slave, everything falls apart.

    Rights inquiries to
    BROADWAY PLAY PUBLISHING INC
    148 W 80th St, NY, NY 10024
    Working Days: Monday – Friday
    Working Hours: 8 am – 6 pm EST
    Phone: 212­-772-­8334
    Email: info@broadwayplaypub.com
    Website: www.broadwayplaypub.com
  • Spillage by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: gun violence
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: gun violence
    A high school principal and two janitors clean up the gym after a school shooting.
  • CowGirls by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: LGBTQ
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: LGBTQ
    A horse riding lesbian couple from Compton meet for the last time as lovers in their regular motel room.
  • Turn On, Tune In by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    4
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    Genre: comedy
    The family that drugs together, stays together. When siblings Joel and Jenna
  • Vacuum Seal by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: dark comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: Donald Trump, women in politics + 1 more
    Genre: dark comedy, political
    Keyword: Donald Trump, women in politics, campaign
    After an election, a mentor seeks to groom her protege with alternative facts.
  • Visitation by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: Incarceration, prison + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, political
    Keyword: Incarceration, prison, women, Sisters, foster sisters
    A newly pregnant young woman who is working as a convenience clerk enlists her foster sister, a college student, to help her make the arduous trip to visit her incarcerated boyfriend.
  • Chained Labor by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: Reproductive Rights, reproductive freedom + 7 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: Reproductive Rights, reproductive freedom, prison, women in prison, shackling pregnant women, shackling, activism, black lives matter, sayhername
    After two stepsisters attend a #BlackLivesMatter protest, they return to find their mother anxious and angry about their participation. During their confrontation, the eldest daughter learns that she was born in a prison hospital while her mother was shackled.
  • Bad Paper by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    9
    ·
    Genre: comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: Debt, debt collection + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, political
    Keyword: Debt, debt collection, gentrification, Race, payday loans, title loans, boiler room
    When Xavier Foshay, African American patriarch and founder of the Foshay Corporation, dies, his granddaughter Angelique reluctantly returns to run the company. Xavier co-founded the company with current firm leaders Mr. Joe B. and Harold.

    Foshay faces more than a leadership transition. The company is in a gentrifying part of Los Angeles. Angelique has big problems. She secretly used the company...
    When Xavier Foshay, African American patriarch and founder of the Foshay Corporation, dies, his granddaughter Angelique reluctantly returns to run the company. Xavier co-founded the company with current firm leaders Mr. Joe B. and Harold.

    Foshay faces more than a leadership transition. The company is in a gentrifying part of Los Angeles. Angelique has big problems. She secretly used the company for collateral for several personal loans. When she misses a payment, the bank calls the loans. The firm has to come up with $30,000 in two weeks.

    Angelique brings in her college friend Ben to help. Ben's grandfather acted as a shadow buyer for Foshay to get around a restrictive covenant that barred blacks from owning property in the neighborhood.

    The firm is saved, but Ben tries to take the firm into government collections. He is ousted, but Angelique's ongoing financial problems force Foshay to make an alliance with Ernesto, a Mexican American employee who has ambitions of his own.
  • Night Sweats by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: mother and daughter, death + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: mother and daughter, death, violence
    After a father's death, a middle aged daughter moves in with her mom, but who's really helping whom?
  • Portland Summer Waltz by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, political
    ·
    Keyword: meet the family comedy, White Aryan nation
    Genre: dark comedy, political
    Keyword: meet the family comedy, White Aryan nation
    A young newlywed and former phone sex operator from the south, follows her husband to Oregon, only to find that she has married into the White Aryan Nation. Bummer.
  • Not Peace But A Sword by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: women, domestic violence + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: women, domestic violence, spousal abuse, women business partners
    Two women, long time friends and business partners, one single and the other married, deal with the aftermath of the married woman's murky sexual experience with her husband.
  • the end of everything by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    7
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: 2008 financial crisis, Washington + 1 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: 2008 financial crisis, Washington, women in politics
    Very loosely inspired by the life of Brooksley Born, the federal commissioner who tried unsuccessfully to blow the whistle on the 2008 mortgage crisis, the end of everything asks why powerful women lose their voices at critical moments.

    In the play, Tyler Stallworth uncovers the ticking bomb of mortgage derivatives along with her protege Shayna Gross-Mendel. Her efforts to do something about...
    Very loosely inspired by the life of Brooksley Born, the federal commissioner who tried unsuccessfully to blow the whistle on the 2008 mortgage crisis, the end of everything asks why powerful women lose their voices at critical moments.

    In the play, Tyler Stallworth uncovers the ticking bomb of mortgage derivatives along with her protege Shayna Gross-Mendel. Her efforts to do something about them are defeated when her colleagues betray her and her husband is diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

    The play ends on a hopeful note that Tyler will regroup and reenter the fray, battered, wiser and whole. It is an exploration of politics, power and family.
  • Bleed Black Bleed Blue Bleed by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: African American police, police + 4 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: African American police, police, post Ferguson, Race, male vulnerability, police brutality
    Two African American detectives wrestle with how to respond when one is beaten up by some off duty white officers.
  • Daily Habits Mask Pain by Mildred Inez Lewis
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: intense, marriage + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: intense, marriage, imprisonment, children in prison, pedophilia
    A middle aged couple confronts their darkest fears when the husband tries to prevent his wife from visiting their son, a convicted pedophile, in prison. This script is published by LazyBee Scripts.