Theater 20: What’s Prison Like?
Theater 20:
What’s Prison Like?
Story:
We’re excited to bring our first play in our 2021 series of plays from the PEN America’s PRISON WRITING PROGRAM, What’s Prison Like?
Writer:
Matthew Mendoza
Matthew Mendoza has published fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, all from prison! His play Freedom Feather was performed by Rehabilitation Through The Arts at the Brooklyn Book Festival as part of “Break Out 2018: Voices From the Inside.” He has won awards from American Short Fiction and PEN America. He juries prison writing for Evening Street Review.
Matthew Mendoza
Director:
Bernadette Armstrong
Bernadette moved to Los Angeles to work in film in the late 1990’s and after her first two films went to festivals she took a short hiatus from writing until she fell in love with small theater. Since 2008 she has had several successful theater projects produced in No Hollywood. Her play The Reading Group was named Pick of the Week by LA Weekly Magazine and in 2017 her play Simple Lives was nominated for Outstanding Writing of an Original Play or Musical by the Valley Theater Awards (the only woman nominated)
Bernadette Armstrong
Cast:
Amir Abdullah as Lincoln
Amir Abdullah is an award-winning actor and writer. His TV work includes The Odd Couple and Tosh.0, as well as extensive commercial work both on-camera and in voice-over. Amir also voices the antagonist in the video game Abo Khashem. Amir has appeared on stage in dozens of productions, including Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Amir can be seen in the feature film Radioflash and is a member of SAG and Actor’s Equity.
Amir Abdullah
Jeffrey Johnson as Wade
Jeffrey Johnson was born in Southborough, Massachusetts, as Jeffrey Scott Southworth Johnson. He is an actor and producer, known for Captain Black (2017), Terminator Genisys (2015), and Burn Notice (2007). An ordained minister with The Universal Life Church, he has married ten couples, including his sister and her husband in the summer of 2005, and his cousin, a decorated war veteran, and his wife in 2009.
Jeffrey Johnson
Eric Nikolaus Kwasnjuk as Rodriguez
Eric Kwasnjuk- Bio Eric Kwasnjuk, (pronounced-kwaz-knee-yuk) is living his best and most exciting time of his life. He is an exceptional actor and free-spirited, oddball comedian. He has performed with Zack Galifianakis and Dave Chappelle and has starred in International Award-winning films. Grit, faith, and determination are what motivates him to never give up on his passion for acting and entertaining and his enthusiasm for living
Eric Nikolaus Kwasnjuk
Goreti da Silva as Bannon
Goreti da Silva has had the pleasure of working on several of Bernadette Armstrong’s plays: Dark Stage, Unheard Voices, Simple Lives, and Joan. Goreti has won The Michael Grossman Most Inspirational Award for her work in the Desert, and the Valley Theatre Award for her work in “Park Plays: Portland”.
Goreti da Silva
Sound Production:
Recorded at ES Audio Services in Glendale, CA.
Recorded and Mixed by Hall Cantrell
Sound Editor: Hall Cantrell
