Jami Brandli's S.O.E. Opens 3/23 in LA

Award-winning playwright Jami Brandli, who now calls Southern California her home, makes her full-length debut this March with the Los Angeles premiere of S.O.E., directed by Darin Anthony, featuring Jessica Hanna, Michael Kass and Diana Wyenn.

Previously titled The Sinker, Brandli's savage three-character play described with "dark twists and shifting alliances, layered with humor and humanity," has been retitled and re-imagined for Los Angeles audiences. Performances begin on March 23, 2013, in the Speakeasy at Atwater Village Theatre running Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays through April 15, 2013.

Unconditional love is a bitch. It's the morning after a big party celebrating the publication of Josh's first novel. His top student, childhood best friend, and literary agent unwittingly meet in his apartment and find themselves trapped by the fierce winter storm raging outside which threatens to cause a State of Emergency for the Boston area. Anxiously awaiting Josh's return, the three begin sifting through the cigarette butts and plastic cups to clean up last night's mess, until the discovery of a mysterious gun triggers unexpected revelations about the man they each deeply love. With allegiances betrayed, each must now determine how far they are willing to go to protect the secrets they once believed to be safe and buried.

S.O.E. explores what happens when you love someone so much you bend (or break) your principles for a taste of their affection, and what you are capable of when they withhold themselves from you. Its Los Angeles premiere marks the latest fully-mounted production for playwright Jami Brandli whose plays include Technicolor Life, BLISS (or Emily Post is Dead!), and M-Theory as well as shorter works. Her work has been produced and developed at HotCity Theatre, WordBRIDGE, Ashland New Plays Festival, The Lark, New York Theatre Workshop, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Moving Arts, Milwaukee Rep, Rogue Machine Theatre, among other venues. She received the John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award and Holland New Voices Award and is a current nominee for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award. Jami teaches dramatic writing at Lesley University's low-residency MFA program and is represented by The Gersh Agency.

Director Darin Anthony's work has been seen at South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse, The Colony and many others. Recent directing credits include Bohemian. Like You., Before We Go Home and Ski Mask (Moving Arts, The Car Plays), the world premieres of Closeness of the Horizon and London's Scars (The Odyssey Theatre), Sidhe (Road Theatre) and HEADS (Blank Theatre - LA Times "Best of 2007″), plus the West coast premieres of US Drag (Furious Theatre) and Smudge (Syzygy Theatre). He also directed The Good Boy (LATC) which will be transferring to New York this April.

The cast of S.O.E. features Los Angeles theater veterans Jessica Hanna, Michael Kass and Diana Wyenn. The designers of S.O.E. are Aaron Francis (sets), Johnny Garofalo (lights), Joe "Sloe" Slawinski (sound), Diana Wyenn (costumes), and John Burton (special effects). The stage manager is Brice Williams.

Produced by Episodic Entity, in association with Bootleg Theater, these performances of S.O.E. are funded in part with generous support from individual donors and an ARC grant from the Center for Cultural Innovation.

To learn more about the production and read bios for the creative team listed above, visit www.soetheplay.com

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