The Co- Op of Pacific Resident Theatre presents:

OTIS

An Original Play by Shanti Reinhardt
Directed by Kymberly Harris

When a free spirited, streetwise fashion maven from Harlem buys a co-op in a staid upper East side building, five longtime residents discover that they have much more in common than just the walls that separate them. Doors, walls, rooms, boxes, spaces open and close and open again in this cosmic, quirky drama.

What is OTIS about?

OTIS is about the box we can disappear into when we experience grief and loneliness. It’s about how a force much greater than ourselves is needed to help us find our way out.

What inspired you to write this play?

There was a time when I suffered a big loss and unwittingly isolated myself for about a year. I look at my life now and feel so incredibly grateful that I not only made it through that period but that I ended up creating a beautiful family that gives me such joy. I wanted to write a play that would remind us all to keep the windows open on the other parts of our lives when something like that happens.

How did you come up with the unique environment of this play?

As a kid, I used to visit my grandmother every summer in New York. She lived in an Upper East Side apartment building that had a beautiful, tiny old elevator. She was a character that was bigger than life and I found myself fascinated by her daily interactions in this moving space. I guess writing this play has also been a way for me to piece together a picture of who she was not only to myself but to others who knew her as well.

You have a relationship with PRT as an actor and playwright, can you explain how this theater has helped you in developing and mounting your play?

PRT has been a creative sanctuary for me. I have been able to express myself through my acting and writing in a way that very few theatres in Los Angeles are able to provide. I am a proud member of our PRT Writers Group which meets once a week and creates opportunities such as our 23-hour play festival and our Fall Fruit Series that directors, writers and actors get to participate in every year. We often give ourselves 48 hour play challenges to force ourselves to push through creative and psychological blocks that we all struggle with. Then, our pieces are read out loud and we get constructive notes so we can further develop our ideas. This is how OTIS was first created. We are so very lucky at PRT, that our artistic director, Marilyn Fox and the Co-op committee has created a space that gives our members the opportunity to produce, write, act, dance, sing and continue to play! I feel that it is important now more than ever to show our community what an integral part of the world theatre has always been and will continue to be.