The Valley doesn’t have many playwrights to its credit, but the ones it has set the stage for artistic quality. One of the finest is Larissa Brewington, a Pennsylvania native who now calls Arizona her home.

BIOGRAPHY

Larissa was born and raised in Pennsylvania. She began acting upon moving to Allentown, PA, shortly after graduating from high school. It was during her first professional acting gig Out of the Net, with Touchstone Theatre (Bethlehem) a few years later, that she began playwriting. She penned her first play, Chaos on the Edges, in 1994. At the Bottom (one woman show performed at Touchstone Theatre), Sister Like and When Aunt Naomi Speaks (performed at Hamilton Art Gallery, Allentown, PA, with the Zwadi Collective) would follow. She wrote An Evening With Harriet Tubman and began touring Allentown public schools. She moved to Phoenix in 1996.

For five years, she submitted to and was accepted by the Pandora Festival (panel judged festival contest featuring AZ playwrights sponsored by Arizona Woman’s Theater) and has had the following plays stage read: Shades Of Grey, Tie The Not, Civil Union, When Aunt Naomi Speaks, What You Don’t Know, and The Fire In Minerva. Larissa is also an actress who has written and performed for The Herberger Theatre Center’s Outreach Program Lunch Time Theatre, for the past 9 years. (Plays performed have been: An Evening With Harriet Tubman, Quality Time, Trailblazing Sadie, Into The Blue With Bessie Coleman, A Vote From Alice, Frederick And Ida , The League, Harlem-Ren, and most recently March.) Her one act two-person plays, X Factor and Tie The Not, were seen at the Herberger Festival of the Arts in 2011 and 2012. Her two ten minute plays, Spirit and Minuet at the Dog Park have been seen at Herberger Festival of the Arts (2013). Her full length play What You Don’t Know, was runner up for the AZ Theatre Company. She is the winner of the 2011 Short Play Artist Path Theatre Contest in Prescott with her one act, two person play A Little Something Called Family and portions of her full length play, The Fire In Minerva will be featured in the Bridge Initiative Arizona project June 2015.

PLAYWRITING

FULL LENGTH (90 – 120 MINUTES)

Welcome Home, Roberta DuCant – (Stage Reading) Space 55, October 2012.   The Fire in Minerva – (Staged Reading) AZ Women’s Theater, Pandora Festival May 2011, Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts.  What You Don’t Know – (Production) Pandora Showcase November 2011, AZ Women’s Theater; (Staged Reading) Pandora Festival May 2010, Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts.  Shades of Grey – (Staged Reading) Pandora Festival May 2009, Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts.

ONE ACTS (30 – 45 MINUTES)

March – (Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater February 2015, Herberger Theater.  Har-Lem-Ren – (Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater February 2014, Herberger Theater.  The League – (Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater February 2013, Herberger Theater.  Frederick & Ida – (Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater February 2012, Herberger Theater.  A Little Something Called Family – (Production) Space 55, September 2012, Phoenix; (Staged Reading) Artists Path New Plays Series 2011, Prescott.  X Factor – (Production) Herberger Festival of the Arts October 2011, Herberger Theater.  A Vote From Alice! – (Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater January 2011, Herberger Theater.  Trailblazing Sadie! – (Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater January 2010, Herberger Theater. Into the Blue–(Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater January 2009 & September 2011, Herberger Theater.  Civil Union – (Staged Reading) Pandora Festival May 2008, Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts.  Tie the Not – (Production) Space 55, September 2012, Phoenix;  (Production) Herberger Festival of the Arts October 2010, Herberger Theater;  (Staged Reading) Pandora Festival May 2008, Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts.  Quality Time–(Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater June 2007, Herberger Theater, Phoenix; (Staged Reading) Pandora Festival April 2007, AZ Women’s Theatre, Scottsdale.  When Aunt Naomi Speaks – (Production) Pandora Showcase 2010 and (Staged Reading) Pandora Festival 2010, AZ Women’s Theater, Scottsdale Center of the Performing Arts; (Production) AZ; Zwadi Collective – New Voices 1996, Hamilton Art Gallery.  An Evening with Harriet Tubman–(Production) Herberger Lunch Time Theater, Herberger Theater,  January 2008; (Local Tour- Schools) 1994, Allentown, Penn.; Christmas 1993 Packer Auditorium, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penn.  In the Best Interest –(Production) Theater Outlet (1997), Allentown, Penn.  Speaking of Ashes–(Production) Theater Outlet (1997), Allentown, Penn.  Sister Like –(Production) Zwadi Collective – New Voices 1996, Hamilton Art Gallery.  Grey Matters –(Production) Night of One Acts, 1994 Touchstone Theater, Bethlehem, PA.  At The Bottom–(Production) Night of One Acts, 1994 Touchstone Theater, Bethlehem, PA.

10 MINUTES

Spirit –(Production) Herberger Festival of the Arts October 2013, Herberger Theater, Phoenix. Minuet at the Dog Park –(Production) Herberger Festival of the Arts October 2013, Herberger Theater, Phoenix.

AWARDS / HONORABLE MENTION

 A Little Something Called Family – (Staged Reading) Winner of the New Plays Series 2011 for Short Plays category.  What You Don’t Know – Finalist for Arizona Theater Company’s Playwriting Competition, 2010.

MEMBERSHIPS / TITLES

Dramatist Guild of America Member – 2014

Arizona Woman’s Theatre Board & Secretary – 2010-2012

LAFPI (Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative) Communications Officer– 2013

ACTING 

Theater Performance

March   (2015)     Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ.  Har-Lem-Ren (2014)Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ.  Life In The Cancer Lane (2014) Pink Lady Prod – Performed at Helen K Mason Center,  The Journey (2013) CBBC – Performed at Helen K Mason Center. The League (2013) Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ.  Frederick & Ida (2012)  Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ. A Vote from Alice (2011) Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ. Drifting (2010)  AZ Women’s Theatre, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts and Phoenix Fringe Festival, Phoenix, AZ. When Aunt Naomi Speaks (2010) Pandora Festival – AZ Woman’s Theater, Scottsdale, AZ. Trailblazing Sadie (2010)  Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ.  Into The Blue (2009) Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ. An Evening with Harriet Tubman  (2008) Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix, AZ. Fiddler on the Roof (2008) Arizona Jewish Theater Company. Quality Time (2007) Herberger Theater – Lunch Time Theater, Phoenix. Well (2007) AZ Woman’s Theater, Scottsdale, AZ. Cynthia, Lori, Self Pearls: Motherhood Unstrung (2006) AZ Woman’s Theater, Scottsdale, AZ.  Improbable Couple (2006) Improbable Theater Co/Herberger Lunch Time  Theater   Phoenix, AZ.  A Raisin in the Sun (1994) I.E.M Productions / Theater Outlet, Allentown, PA. Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (1995) Municipal Opera Company of Allentown, Allentown, PA.  Hair  (1993) Civic Little Theater, Allentown, PA. Out of the Net (1994) Touchstone Theater/ Bethlehem, PA and Touring.

PHOTOGRAPHS