Experiments: Death and Cockroaches
Written by Eric Reyes Loo
Directed by Chay Yew
When Eric moves home to take care of his dying father, he runs away from his sadness straight into a Wall of Dicks—an irreverently honest story told from the point-of-view of a playwright in his own play.
Eric Reyes Loo is a playwright and TV writer based in his hometown, Los Angeles. His play THIS IS ONLY A TEST had its world premiere production at Broken Nose in Chicago, and his play DEATH AND COCKROACHES had its world premiere by Chalk Repertory Theatre in LA. Other companies he’s produced and developed work with include Rattlestick, Lark Play Development Center, George Street Playhouse, Manhattan Theatre Source, The Inkwell, Pacific Resident Theatre, Rogue Machine, The Blank, and Moving Arts. He's an alumnus of the Playwrights Union and is the Artistic Producing Director of Chalk Repertory Theatre where he also oversees the company's new play development initiatives. Eric currently is in East West Players writers group, where he developed two new plays, REPLACED, and THE SHIFT, which is a companion piece to his 2018 play DEATH AND COCKROACHES. Eric has an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, which he attended on a full-scholarship and was awarded a scholarship from the National Hispanic Coalition for the Arts. He has been a lecturer in playwriting, screenwriting and TV writing at San Diego State University and wrote for two years on the teen melodrama GUIDANCE from Awesomeness TV and Verizon's Go90. Seasons Two and Three can be found on Hulu. Eric was an Executive Story Editor on the series, A.J. AND THE QUEEN, currently on Netflix.
CHAY YEW
New York credits include The Public Theater (Mojada, Oedipus el Rey, Durango, Ameriville, Low), Playwrights Horizons (Cool Dip in a Barren Saharan Crick), Signature Theatre (Cambodian Rock Band), New York Theatre Workshop (Sweatshop Overlord,The Architecture of Loss), Audible Theatre (Good Enemy), Rattlestick Theater (Draw The Circle), Playwrights Realm (My Mañana Comes), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Where Did We Sit on the Bus?), National Asian American Theatre Company (The House of Bernarda Alba) and Ma Yi Theatre (Last of the Suns). His regional credits include the Goodman Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Hartford Stage, Denver Center Theater, South Coast Rep, Huntington Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, Empty Space, Portland Center Stage, East West Players and Singapore Repertory Theatre. His opera credits include the world premieres of Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang’s Ainadamar (co-production with Tanglewood Music Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and LA Philharmonic) and Rob Zuidam’s Rage D’Amors (Tanglewood). He is a recipient of the Obie Award for Direction. chayyew.com
Experiments Play Reading Series
For the 23rd season of La MaMa Experiments we will focus on theatrical works in progress addressing mental health issues. No one is more familiar with the need to create greater access to mental healthcare than our New York audience, who come face to face with this crisis on a daily basis. After 3 years of a global pandemic, all of us are feeling the upsurge of anxiety and depression, but these trends have been on the rise long before Covid-19. The works this season shed light on important, personal stories and deal with this subject matter in many different and unique ways. From tongue in cheek comedies to absurdist tragedies, Experiments hopes to create a season that will destigmaify, enlighten and, yes, even entertain.