Kairos, by Lisa Sanaye Dring (Los Angeles, CA)

Kairos, by Lisa Sanaye Dring
East West Players

December 19, 2023, Los Angeles, CA | East West Players (EWP), one of the nation’s oldest theaters of color and the largest producer of Asian American theatrical works announces the inaugural production of its upcoming 2024 Season. Kairos, by playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring will perform at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater April 4 through April 28, 2024 with opening night on Sunday, April 7, 2024.

Kairos is the story of two people falling in love during a tectonic shift in society. Their nascent relationship is tested by the advent of Prometheus, a procedure that grants immortality to a select few. What happens to commitment, meaning and care when linear time breaks open? At once both a dystopian science-fiction play and a dark-comedy love story, Kairos is a deeply sensitive investigation of two humans whose ideal “happily-ever-after” is terrifyingly outpaced by relentless technological and societal upheaval.

Kairos was originally developed as part of the Geffen Writers’ Room 2021/2022 and originally produced by Know Theatre of Cincinnati. Lisa Sanaye Dring, a longtime member of the East West Players community as both a performer and teaching artist, makes her EWP playwriting debut as the inaugural production of our mainstage 2024 Season.

EWP Associate Artistic Producer Tyree Marshall shares, “Lisa is one of the hardest working playwrights I’ve had the joy of working with. Being an alum of the East West Players’ Playwrights Group we’re happy to have been a part of cultivating the work of such a thought provoking and intensely engaging artist. Kairos is no exception—Lisa’s vital and searing voice shines in this piece and we can’t wait to debut our 2024 Season with it.”

Kairos is the first production of East West Players’ upcoming 2024 Season. Casting will commence in January 2024. Announcement of the full 2024 Season to follow in February 2024. Tickets to Kairos will be made available to purchase through the East West Players 2024 Season Membership starting in February 2024, online at eastwestplayers.org or by calling (213) 625-7000.

Lisa Sanaye Dring (Playwright) is a writer and director from Hilo, Hawaii and Reno, Nevada. She wrote SUMO in EWP’s writing group, which was recently produced by La Jolla Playhouse and Ma-Yi Theater Company. She has recently worked with Meow Wolf and was a member of The Geffen Writers’ Room. Lisa was honored as a recipient of the 2020/21 PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize.

She has been a finalist for the Relentless Award, the O’Neill Playwrights’ Conference, the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, and a 2x finalist (one honorable mention) for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin, a piece she co-wrote with Chelsea Sutton for Rogue Artists Ensemble and East West Players, was nominated for 7 Ovation Awards including Best Production (winner of 5). Lisa’s work has been developed/produced by The New Group, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Circle X, SCF @ Son of Semele, Playwrights’ Arena, Rogue Artists Ensemble, UCSB Launch Pad Series, CalArts, The Motor Company, Theatre of NOTE and Skylight Theatre.

Lisa was a member of writers groups at Boston Court, Circle X, Chalk Rep and The Vagrancy and has been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Blue Mountain Center and Yaddo. Lisa was awarded the 2021 Dorothy and Granville Hicks Residency at Yaddo, which honors one promising young writer a year. She received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Interactive Programming for a piece she co-wrote and co-directed with Matt Hill called Welcome to the Blumhouse Live. lisasanayedring.com

Calendar Information About Kairos

All performances of Kairos will be presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center of the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 in Little Tokyo. Kairos will perform April 4 through April 28, 2024 with opening night on Sunday, April 7, 2024. Performance times Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays are at 8pm, with additional 2 PM matinees on Saturday and 5pm performances on Sunday.

Tickets to Kairos will be made available to purchase through the East West Players 2024 Season Membership starting in February 2024, online at eastwestplayers.org or by calling (213) 625-7000. Single tickets will be made available at a later date. Performance dates and details are subject to change. Box office is available 11AM – 5PM, Monday-Friday, as well as ninety minutes before all performances.

EWP has implemented numerous COVID-19 safety protocols to ensure that artists and audience members are able to safely enjoy their experience. For more information, please visit eastwestplayers.org.

About East West Players

East West Players (EWP), the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, was founded in 1965, at a time when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (APIs) faced limited or no opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in the American landscape. EWP not only ensures that API stories are told, but works to increase access, inclusion, and representation in entertainment and media. Learn more at eastwestplayers.org.

Acknowledgements

East West Players is sponsored in part by the Ford Foundation, Perenchio Foundation, Aratani Foundation, and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles Department of Arts and Culture.

Tickets to Kairos will be made available to purchase through the East West Players 2024 Season Membership starting in February 2024, online at eastwestplayers.org or by calling (213) 625-7000.