some scripts

Tag: Oregon theatre

  • Review: The Words Will Come created by Melody Erfani (LES Shakespeare Co., PDX)

    Review: The Words Will Come created by Melody Erfani (LES Shakespeare Co., PDX)

    When I see friends’ shows with the intention to review, I try to go in as objectively as possible. I will preface this review by saying I’ve read a previous draft of The Words Will Come created by Melody Erfani; what I saw on Saturday, June 6th in Portland proved how much it takes a team like the one Erfani pulled together to create a brilliant show full of heart and intention.

    Amy Driesler (Einstein), Alex Abdelwahed (Sheila), Kelly Saunders (Lala) (left to right).
    Photo by Kyra Sanford

    The Words Will Come blends movement in a dreamscape depicting dyslexia, identity, and searching for one’s voice and belonging. It was inspired in part by Erfani’s own experience with dyslexia as a child, as well as witnessing her niece’s decades later. Erfani was particularly struck by how little structures and institutions have changed in their approach to dyslexic and neurodivergent students. Prior to its world premiere at Shaking the Tree Theatre, Erfani developed the piece at HB Studio in 2024 and the Alembic Residency earlier this year with a slew of collaborators. 

    Immediately upon entering the space, the audience is encouraged to engage with the lobby display about a word that comes to mind about ourselves. There is also a plethora of local and state-wide resources available and some cool swag. I enjoyed being able to be creative and engage in some preshow reflection about dyslexia. It coalesced into a collaborative lobby piece where your word joined others’ to create a new piece of art. 

    Kelly Saunders (Lala), Alex Abdelwahed (Sheila), Amy Driesler (Einstein) (left to right)
    Photo by Kyra Sanford.

    Erfani’s directing shines once again with a clear vision of storytelling in such a movement-driven piece and in a piece that exists in a more corporeal setting than reality. The set design by Kyra Sanford is sleek and simple, there to accentuate the actors’ interactions and movement and put them on display as if a museum exhibit. Three white columns stand center stage with curtains that are utilized throughout the show to create different scenes, to entrap actors and embody their inner worlds, and to project letters and words onto. Rachel Kinsman Steck’s lighting design and Alan Cline’s projections move seamlessly across the walls of the blackbox and Sanford’s scenery, creating a suffocating feeling that proved most effective when Sheila (our young protagonist played by Alex Abdelwahed) struggles with her dyslexia. 

    Kelly Saunders (Lala), Alex Abdelwahed (Sheila), Amy Driesler (Einstein) (left to right)
    Photo by Kyra Sanford.

    Abdelwahed’s Sheila is endearing, earnest, and fully grounded. She is the life and soul of the piece, bringing together Lala (her older counterpart played by Kelly Saunders) and the one and only Albert Einstein (played by Amy Driesler). Saunders expertly captures the darkness that surrounds an adult losing control of her life as she faces a potential divorce from her wife and as she must relive her childhood memories dealing with dyslexia. Also, major props to Saunders for doing at least three different accents while embodying different characters in Sheila’s world. Driesler’s Einstein surprised me, portraying Einstein not just as the genius we think he was but also embodying him as a full person with a variety of ideas, faults, and emotions. I was really tickled by Einstein playing one of Sheila’s classmates and also Einstein’s soap opera marriage directed by Sheila herself. The three actors work together in the movement portions of the play to create moments of frustration, confusion, fear, love, and acceptance. 

    Amy Driesler (Einstein), Alex Abdelwahed (Sheila), Kelly Saunders (Lala) (left to right).
    Photo by Kyra Sanford.

    I also really enjoyed the moments with Sheila and her mother (also played by Saunders), where their Iranian heritage was subtly present and wholly unapologetic. The “happy birthday” song, followed by Sheila’s unsuccessful wish to know how to read Good Night, Moon and her mother comforting her brought tears to my eyes. In addition, Lala’s casual queerness and her vulnerability around her unraveling relationship with her wife was touching and felt real and organic. As a neurodivergent person, this show made me feel seen. I absolutely adored The Words Will Come and would whole-heartedly see it again. This is what it means to make space for everyone in theatre and storytelling. 

    Kelly Saunders (Lala), Alex Abdelwahed (Sheila) (left to right).
    Photo by Kyra Sanford.

    Performance Details

    THE WORDS WILL COME: Inside the Dyslexic Mind
    Created and directed by Melody Erfani

    When: now through June 28, 2026
    Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30 PM
    Sundays at 2:00 PM

    *On Saturday, June 20, the show is bringing together educators, dyslexia advocates, immigrant and refugee support organizations, and community leaders for a post-show conversation about belonging, stigma, support systems, and what it means to feel seen. Featuring representatives from: International Dyslexia Association – Oregon, Pacific Refugee Support Group, Wise Choice Educational Solutions, Park Academy, and independent educational advocates

    Where: Shaking the Tree Theatre, 823 SE Grant St. Portland, OR 97214

    Run Time: Approximately 90 minutes

    Tickets: $30 with limited Pay-What-You-Can tickets available
    Tickets available at: www.lesshakespeareco.org

    Alyssa Cokinis is a writer and theatre artist from Iowa, currently living in the Pacific Northwest. She is also the founder and editor of some scripts, which just published its sixth issue, available to purchase and read here.

  • An Interview with Playwright Alyssa Cokinis on In Memory Of

    An Interview with Playwright Alyssa Cokinis on In Memory Of

    By Melody Erfani

    In a world where memories can be traded like currency, what would you be willing to give up just to survive?

    In Memory Of, written by Alyssa Cokinis, directed by Pax Bennett, and presented by Spark Plug Theatre Collective, imagines a dystopian future where identity, grief, and resistance collide. Set in the aftermath of a civil war, the play explores a society where survival comes at the cost of one’s own memories—raising urgent questions about autonomy, surveillance, and what it means to remain human in an increasingly transactional world.

    I spoke with Cokinis about the origins of the play, its emotional landscape, and what she hopes audiences will carry with them long after the performance ends.

    Melody Erfani: In Memory Of is such an evocative title—what first sparked the idea for this piece?

    Alyssa Cokinis: In Memory Of was first conceived in 2018 during a time of major personal and professional transition. I was grappling with the idea of commodifying my time and identity just to survive—whether that was through day jobs or trying to gain recognition in the arts.

    I’ve always been drawn to dystopian storytelling—The Hunger Games and The Giver were huge influences growing up. I started wondering: what if, instead of money, we had to pay with memories—parts of ourselves—in order to live? That idea stayed with me for years.

    I revisited the play in 2025, while witnessing ongoing global crises and thinking deeply about how memory is documented, erased, and controlled. It became clear to me there was still more to say.

    Actors Nicki Darling (L) and Matthew Grand (R) portray characters Vale and Dom. Darling (shoulder-length curly dark brown hair, pale complexion) as Vale wears a blue plaid flannel and blue jeans with brown boots, looking concerned. Grand (short blonde hair, pale complexion) dons all black and is gesturing their right hand up.

    Melody Erfani: Without giving too much away, what kind of world are you inviting audiences into?

    Alyssa Cokinis: The play takes place in a post–civil war United States where lawmakers have implemented something called the Memory Currency Act. The idea is that by paying in memories instead of money, everyone is on equal footing—but of course, that’s not really true.

    We follow Vale, who has returned to the U.S. after living abroad and is navigating grief, displacement, and the cost of survival. They’re isolated, struggling, and questioning the system around them.

    While the emotional landscape is dark, there are also moments of humor, connection, and hope. At its core, the play is about relationships—how people care for each other, resist together, and find humanity even under surveillance.

    Actors Nicki Darling (L) and Tate Ivy (R) portray characters Vale and Laurel. Darling sits on a bench with a hand up to their face, laughing, while Ivy (wearing a keffiyah wrapped around their head with short red hair peeking out, pale complexion) dons all black and stands with their arms out, imitating something. A black and grey backpack sits on the bench next to Darling and in front of Ivy.

    Melody Erfani: What themes or questions are at the heart of the play for you right now?

    Alyssa Cokinis: I keep coming back to questions like: What does it mean to live in a surveillance state? What is “real” in an age of generative AI? Who owns our memories and lived experiences?

    The play also explores queerness, identity, grief, resistance movements, and the cost of freedom. It asks whether small, individual actions can make a difference against systems that feel overwhelming—and whether collective action can truly create change.

    Actors Tate Ivy (L) and Nicki Darling (R) portray characters Laurel and Vale. In this photo Ivy dons a blue shirt with grey horizontal strips. Ivy and Darling have their pinky fingers locked in a promise as they sit on black cubes.

    Melody Erfani: Has anything surprised you in the development process?

    Alyssa Cokinis: Absolutely. The characters have deepened so much through rewrites and collaboration with actors. I also found myself adding more humor than I initially expected—it became essential to balancing the weight of the story.

    One of the biggest surprises was introducing a fifth character who appears late in the play but reshapes how we understand everything that came before.

    A photo in bluelight of a projection with green and white coding.

    Melody Erfani: How has working with Spark Plug Theatre Collective and the Fertile Ground Festival shaped the piece?

    Alyssa Cokinis: Spark Plug Theatre Collective has been an incredible partner. Their WRITE | IGNITE initiative is designed to support new plays through workshop-style productions, and being part of its inaugural cohort has been really meaningful.

    The team—our dramaturg Amanda Clark, director Pax Bennett, and actors—have asked thoughtful, challenging questions that have helped expand the world and deepen the characters. And the intimate space at Ki Coffee allows the audience to be right there with the actors, which is exactly what this story needs.

    Actors Nicki Darling (L) and Anita Rohira (R) as characters Vale and Kandala. Darling stands looking serious, and Rohira (brown and pink highlighted shoulder-length hair, brown complexion), wearing blue jeans and a purple/yellow/green vertical striped top, looks at Vale while mid-sentence. Both stand in front of a projection of the Hawa Mahal of Jaipur, India.

    Melody Erfani: What do you hope audiences walk away thinking or feeling?

    Alyssa Cokinis: Things are bleak right now—and they may continue to be—but there are always pockets of joy and resistance that we have to actively choose.

    Hold your people close. And fight like hell.

    Performance Details

    In Memory Of runs April 10–12 at 7:30 PM at Ki Coffee in Beaverton, Oregon.

    Run time is approximately 90–95 minutes.

    Tickets are $15, with pay-what-you-will options available. Seating is limited to 24 audience members per performance.

    Tickets: https://sparkplugtheatrecollective.ludus.com/index.php?show_id=200520809

    Melody Erfani is a theatre creator and director and the founding artistic lead of LES Shakespeare Co. Her work blends movement, new writing, and classical adaptation to illuminate untold stories, often centering immigrant and neurodivergent experiences. Recent projects include Bee زنبور, 97 Orchard Street, and The Words Will Come, an immersive memory play about dyslexia. She holds an MFA in Directing from the Actors Studio Drama School and has trained with the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and Shakespeare’s Globe. She has also received residencies at HB Studios 2017, 2024, Barns Art Collective, Drama League First Stage Residency, and Osleth Family Foundation.  www.melodyerfani.com

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