Emily Chadick Weiss

First Public Reading: December 12, 7pm at The Ensemble Studio Theatre.
In 2051, Zika is all over America. Families are given government subsidies to stay home and single people must live at work. But when two couples choose to live in luxury together to survive, sex, the next generation, or an old flame may mean their end.

A commission from Youngblood/The Ensemble Studio Theatre. California is drying up and the clock is ticking. The Drought Tank is the story of a woman deciding between her marijuana habit and motherhood. Celebrating her Birthday in Jamaica may tip the scales.

It is New England’s biggest blizzard yet and two grown sisters are snowed in alone together. This is their chance to finally get closer or finally kill each other.

In present day Arizona, Father is turning sixty and demands extraordinary gifts from his grown daughters. Since he raised them on the dramatic stories, not the Jewish traditions of The Old Testament, Alison and Marissa both decide to write the best new bible for their father – one that is about the epic tale of their family. But when they learn they are competing for not only their father’s love, but the love of the rabbinic student Father found wandering in the desert, Alison and Marissa must decide if they will remain within the confines of their primitive upbringing, or venture out into secular America.

Nodding Off is the story of soon to be father, Daniel, who can’t stop falling asleep whenever his wife, Ayaka, mentions their baby. But when the psychiatrist, Miriam, piques Daniel’s interest, he must decide if it is his wife or the idea of fatherhood that makes him want to sleep through life.

GOOD DANCER tells the story of a wealthy young man with Cerebral Palsy, his African American Republican girlfriend and the meeting of their parents before the couple sets off to Hong Kong for what could be the beginning of the rest of their lives (if their parents approve.)

GOOD DANCER treats the disabled character of Rich just like any other romantic lead in any other play. The physically disabled have largely been left out of theatre or are simply pitied or ignored outside of the theatre. It is time for them to be seen as leads, and to know their struggles and dreams beyond their physical condition. Though Rich is the disabled character, it is Erica, the African American female lead who has the greatest challenge in the play; the challenge of deciding how she wants to move forward with her precious life – to be with the man she loves despite her parents warnings about the difficulty she will face, or to make the even riskier choice of leaving the man she loves for the unknown. GOOD DANCER is a new perspective on the challenges of interracial relationships, disability within a romantic relationship, and the comedy and sadness of growing out your parents’ arms and into the arms of a life partner.