Samuel French, Inc. The House of Plays & Musical Plays for Over 175 Years

Beachwood Drive
[29003]

$9.95

ISBN 978-0-573-69606-0

Steven Leigh Morris

Drama

2m, 4f

Based on police case-files, Beachwood Drive is a smart, character-driven drama that tells the story of Nadya, a Ukrainian prostitute and single mother smuggled into Los Angeles. Nadya attempts to free herself from the snares of both the Russian Mafia and the Los Angeles Police Department after she’s arrested in a sting operation. The mystery of Nadya’s disappearance unfolds Rashomon-style, as the story is retold from four different perspectives: first, that of Hansonia, Nadya’s African-American novelist neighbor who baby sits Nadya’s 10 year-old daughter; the story gets re-imagined through the eyes of Rocky, Nadya’s Native-American client, a meat-packer and family man from El Monte, grappling with an identity crisis; Crowell, a crusty vice detective with literary aspirations has his take; and finally, there’s the angle of Vera, the Russian woman running the prostitution ring who is both protector and monster. Before its New York premiere, Beachwood Drive was invited to perform in the Lublin International Theatre Festival, it was also developed in Los Angeles by Playwrights Arena and Theatre of NOTE, with the assistance of the LAPD and the U.S. Department of Justice. It’s an unflinching, erudite and dramatic look at slavery in its many forms. In New York, it triggered vigorous discussions from organizations opposing human trafficking and rights abuses.

“...intelligent...[a] theatrical presentation of human connection in the digital age...mines the strange dynamics of unexpected pairings...Lena Starostina is just the right mix of beautiful and faded - her stillness sets her apart: at times it reads like fierce self possession, at others like a consuming loneliness...compelling and mysterious...” - The New York Times

“...there’s a sobering authenticity here, much of it provided by the first-class cast directed by Alan Mandell. [Lena] Starostina’s Nadya is the center of this reality, with a conviction that never falters. [Peter] Brouwer’s detective provides theatrical flavoring to the harshness, while [Brenda] Thomas’ Hansonia is even able to inject a little charm into these grim events” - Back Stage

“Equally tender and vulgar scenes with a love-struck john, play-sessions between Nadya’s daughter and a well-meaning neighbor, and a confrontation with an LAPD detective, expose the darkness of everyday exploitation. Based on a true police case, the audience is forced to consider desperation and life in modern-age slavery.” - Flavorpill.com

FEE: $75 per performance

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Beachwood Drive (Logo Pack)

Character Descriptions:
HANSONIA - 40s, African-American female novelist and arts writer for a Los Angeles-based alternative newspaper
NADYA - 30s, female immigrant from Odessa, Ukraine, now a prostitute in Los Angeles
ROCKY - Mid 30s male, Latino meat packer from El Monte, California; descended from Tongva branch of the Gabrielino Indians, the indigenous tribe that dominated the Los Angeles area prior to the incursions of the Spanish in the mid 1700s.
VERA - 40s, female immigrant from Moscow, runs an escort service in Los Angeles
WILLIAM CROMWELL - 70s, a fatigued Caucasian homicide investigator for the Los Angeles Police Department; has tried in vain numerous times to retire
KATERINA - Nadya’s 10 year-old daughter

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