OFFICIAL WINNER OF THE HOLLYWOOD ENCORE PRODUCERS’ AWARD ****
Have you ever worried that the pain will never end after experiencing a deep loss? Or why our world is filled with so much tragedy in the first place? After our world turned upside down two years ago, we’ve commiserated in the shared heartbreak and devastation that’s consumed our lives. It leaves us to consider the meaning of these dark times. How do we move past such heartbreak while honoring those we lost?
Looking Past Loss explores how this universal crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to reckon with not only the pain that comes along with these grave circumstances but also our other traumas that may be triggered by these events. Encouraged by her therapist to journal her way to the light, Charlotte draws on her grandma’s strength during a world war, her mother’s resilience as a stroke survivor, the unconditional love of a friend lost to suicide, and her aunt’s courage as she faces stage four breast cancer. These memories offer a fresh perspective on how loss can yield a newfound sense of purpose in our lives. While deeply heartfelt and moving, this solo play finds comedy within the darkness, leaving the audience to contemplate where the light is in their own grief.
About the Director:
Debra De Liso is a critically acclaimed actor, writer, and director. She delights in the development of original solo plays and films with new and seasoned writers. Debra is the recipient of the Rainbow Award from the LA Women’s Theatre Festival for her decades of work in forgotten communities, including artists with disabilities, institutionalized teens, and incarcerated women. She has dramaturged and directed over 700 original solo plays which have garnered several awards in Los Angeles and New York City, as well received plays at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
After writing her master’s thesis The Physicalization of a Role, she received a fellowship to earn her M.F.A. at UCLA where she wrote her first solo play The Nurse June Show about her disabled mother. Debra developed Theatre of Compassion playwriting workshops to build healing bridges by stepping into another person’s life for an evening of theatre. She continues to enjoy teaching theatre classes at AADA and USC for over twenty years. Debra’s theatre into film production company, Walk A Mile Works, elevates original projects for voices that are not always heard.
For more info see www.debradeliso.com
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