IAMA Theatre Company was conceived in 2007 by a group of young actors eager to create new theater in Los Angeles. Working with a shared commitment to exploration and development, IAMA seeks to challenge themselves and their audience by producing original works within a collaborative, multi-disciplinary ensemble. The past 5 years has seen IAMA grow from a fledgling company to “a new creative force on the local theatre scene (LATimes)”. Fueled by the exciting work of Artist-in-Residence Leslye Headland and her Seven Deadly Plays, IAMA has brought six new, full length works to the stage. Grounded in the struggles of youth, vice, and modern life, Headland’s plays “speak directly to this generation of post-college castoffs (MetromixLA).” As a result of IAMA's collaboration with Ms. Headland and their support of her work, her play “Bachelorette”, the second of the Seven Deadly Plays, and originally developed, produced and premiered by IAMA in 2008, was also developed into a screenplay and was voted as one of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood on the prestigious 2008 Blacklist. After playing to a sold-out run at Second Stage Theater in New York during the Summer of 2010, Ms. Headland's stage hit has since been picked up by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company Gary Sanchez, and the feature film is currently shooting in New York, starring Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan, and Casey Wilson. IAMA’s passion for live performance, commitment to quality, and innovative material has garnered them recognition and rave reviews from StageSceneLA, LA2DAY, MetromixLA, LAWeekly, and The LATimes. Quickly building an enthusiastic and loyal audience, IAMA has carved a niche for themselves in an emerging LA theater community: “In this industry town, where theater is often the byproduct of actors waiting to be plucked for film and TV, IAMA’s devotion to the stage is fully grounded in its counterintuitiveness (MetromixLA)”. Eager to continue to create new theater in Los Angeles and work with new writers, IAMA also began producing IAMAFEST, an annual festival of new, one-act plays. Through the collaboration of company members and professional guest writers and directors all working in the greater LA area, IAMAFEST showcases original works that celebrate this city’s unique culture, explore the urban encounter, and investigate and reveal the sometimes humorous, often dark undertones of an exciting and eccentric Los Angeles. IAMAFEST has been so successful at building new audiences and establishing relationships with new writers, that the annual show is often sold-out for its entire three week run. IAMA is a young company, but is already an active participant in both the theater community and the city at large. Committed to sustaining the future value of theater within Los Angeles, IAMA is an active member of The Young Storytellers Foundation, an arts education and early development program that pairs artists from the entertainment industry with at-risk students in targeted public schools. Under the supervision and guidance of their mentors, the students spend weeks developing short scripts that are then performed for the school and their families by professional actors. For the last three years, IAMA members have participated in the program as both mentors in the schools, and as actors in the students’ final show, encouraging a new generation of writers to love the performing arts, to develop their creativity and confidence, and to pave the way for many stories to come. Ambition and determination are the qualities that IAMA Theatre Company was built on, and the hard work is beginning to pay off. Through the support of donors, loyal fans, an elite advisory board, and now the fiscal sponsorship of the Pasadena Arts Council, IAMA is poised for an exciting new season.
