May 30th, 2016

It is hard to believe that 7 months have gone by since my last Wee Lass E-blast. But, as they say time flies when you’re having fun and working hard…and I've been doing both.
 
In the fall of 2015 I had the great pleasure of working with the incredible actors, directors, and theater ensemble of Babes With Blades in Chicago. My play RUST ON BONE was part of their Fighting Words Series.  I also ventured to Ohio State University as a speaker for their COST OF WAR symposium. 
 
In the winter I was fortunate enough to sign with an incredible group of managers at ECHO LAKE (Dave Brown, Chelsea Benson, and James Engle are the best!). I also spent several weeks working on an amazing show INCARNATE by Josh Stolberg and the ALLOY Entertainment team. I can’t wait for this show to find a home because it's truly fantastic!
 
2016 kicked off as a great year of writing. I’ve kept myself (and my managers) busy writing 4 new scripts since January (1 feature, 1 play, 1 spec, 1 original pilot).

My play RUST ON BONE also received a workshop reading at the BLANK THEATER in Hollywood as part of their LIVING ROOM series. I was so happy to work with amazing actors, director, and staff right here in LA!

Speaking of Rust On Bone, it made it to the finalist round at Centenary Stages Women Playwrights Series and the Semi-Final round at Humanitas/CTG Playwright Prize (which was won by my girl Ngozi Anyanwu!!!! Whoot! Congrats NGOZI!).
 
My Play BATTLE CRY was selected for the 2017 (Re)Focus 20/20 series at 20% Theater in Chicago… So I will be heading there in March 2017.
 
A few weeks ago I was thrilled to be chosen to take part in the Women In Film/Sundance Feature Film Intensive; a productive two day summit that has been extremely helpful as I continue to develop my first feature film.

I was accepted as a member of the Actors Studio’s Playwright/Director unit. A weekly writers/director mashup in West Hollywood.

I was truly excited to be asked to write a short piece on Diversity for the May/June edition of THE DRAMATIST, the Dramatist Guild magazine. http://www.dramatistsguild.com/media/PDFs/DramatistMay2016.pdf
 
I’ve also been doing some blogging on www.fingerlickinkitchen.com so check out the newest recipes: Shrimp Pho w/ Zucchini Noodles, Homemade Limoncello, Water Kefir, Lavender Vodka, Vegan Thai Ice Tea and more.  
 
This May was also of course staffing season: an exhausting time of interviews, pitching ideas, and over analyzing who you are… lol. Thanks to my amazing team and support system, I am happy to say I was able to land a coveted spot on a writing team. Hooray! Mama always said to wait until the T’s are crossed and the I’s dotted before announcing things…but, since tomorrow is my first day of work I guess I can officially tell folks.... I am excited to be part of the TRAINING DAY writing staff. We will be a midseason show… premiering in winter/spring 2017. SO definitely be on the look out for that.
 
So yeah! These are the highlights of what I’ve been up to the past several months. Lord willing I shall have lots of other great news to share in the fall. Thanks for being a part of my wild journey.
 
Have a great day,
 
Bianca Sams aka The Wee Black Lass