October 12 - 28, 2023
Ideation
Written by Aaron Loeb
Directed by David L. Yen
In just ninety minutes, a group of high level consultants must present a design to their CEO. As they apply logical approaches to solve increasingly implausible scenarios, the situation goes from corporate comedy to psychological thriller. Will their solution save humanity, or doom it? Who really benefits from the implementation of their design? Is this scenario hypothetical, or is it happening as they speak?
Winner of the Will Glickman Award for Best New Play in the Bay Area (2013), Aaron Loeb’s gripping comic thriller “Ideation” is hilarious and intense.
Cast (click on photo to read bio)
Cast
Gina Alvarado – Hannah
Mike Pavone – Brock
Justin Thompson – Ted
Phi Tran – Dr. Minh Le
Lauren DePass – Scooter/JD
Peter Downey – Male Understudy
Allison Lovelace – Understudy for Hannah
Lindsay John – Understudy for Scooter/JD
Production Team
Director - David L. Yen
Producing Artistic Director - David L. Yen
Stage Manager - Kayla Hewson
Props - David L. Yen
Costumer - Serena Elize Flores
Lighting Designer - Ryan Severt
Sound Designer - Ryan Severt
Set Designer - David L. Yen
Playwright
Aaron Loeb
Aaron Loeb (Playwright) is a Bay Area playwright whose work has been performed around the country. His full-length plays include The Proud, Alcestis (Doesn’t Live Here Anymore), Brown, First Person Shooter (which had its world premiere at SF Playhouse), Blastosphere (with Geetha Reddy), What Your Parents Don’t Want You to Know… (an opera by Kurt Erickson for which Loeb wrote the libretto) and Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party, which had its world premiere at SF Playhouse and went on to premiere Off-Broadway in 2010.
Among the honors Loeb has received are: two Bay Area Theater Critic Circle Awards for Best New Play (First Person Shooter in ’07, ALBGDP in ’08), Outstanding Play from the New York International Fringe Festival (ALBGDP ’09), GLAAD Media Award Nominee (ALBGDP ’09), and seven “Emerging Playwright Awards” from PlayGround. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Director
David L. Yen
David L. Yen (Director) David is so proud of this cast and crew. Previously, he has received Best Production accolades from both the BATCC and MTJA for directing Visiting Mr. Green (6th Street Playhouse) and Drumming with Anubis (Left Edge Theatre). His work as intimacy and fight choreographer for The Government Inspector (Ross Valley Players) was also under consideration for the same award this year. David is the Producing Artistic Director for Left Edge Theatre, and is also an award-winning actor, having performed for over twenty-five years in contemporary and classical theater as well as musicals, all over the North Bay. Follow him at www.DavidLYen.com
NOTES ON REPRESENTATION in this production:
In the original script, the character portrayed by Phi Tran was named Sandeep, and came from Delhi, India. Left Edge believes in proper Representation where it is important and necessary. Mr. Tran is from Vietnam. His casting in no way diminishes the importance of Indian or Vietnamese cultures, or their stories being told. While we were unable to find an Indian actor to fill the role, it is vital to the story that the character is a person of color. After contacting the playwright, we were given permission to change the character’s name to Dr. Minh Le, and have his city and country of residence change to Hanoi, Vietnam.
Additionally, the character of Scooter was written to be played by a male actor. It is a conceit of the play that this is a male-dominated world. It was our choice to offer the role to Lauren DePass, since the character’s nickname (Scooter) and first name (Perry) were not male-specific. The playwright approved this decision with the caveat that the audience be made aware that the actor is a female playing a male.
SPECIAL THANKS: Left Edge Theatre is grateful and proud to partner with coLAB on this production. Thank you for your support.
