cynthia wands

Some of my plays appear as magic realism, exploring the mystic and molecular memories of our consciousness. I also write comedies because I love it when an audience recognizes something in a script that takes them by surprise and makes them laugh. In my young years, I performed in new works with the Magic Theatre, San Francisco Rep, and the Celebration Theatre; and these roles sparked my interest in hearing new voices for theatre. I pursued readings of new works with the Theatre Series on KCRW (The House In The City), the Coast Playhouse (The Crimson Thread), The Burbage Theatre (Pearls & Marlowe), and the Marin Playwright’s Festival (Sarah Bernhardt). During our pandemic years I’ve performed in online readings for new scripts, including: Running For My Life, (CCCT Theatre), Shloshim, (Words That Speak Workshop), and Flora Welles, (Words That Speak Workshop). Some of my current work includes: “CHANGE FOR MARTHA WASHINGTON”, is a full-length play exploring the afterlife trial for Martha Washington as she tries to negotiate her way to heaven. “THE HOARDING HOUSE”, examines the gluttony of hoarding, the molecular memory of slavery in a historic home, and the permission to grow beyond one’s legacy. My full-length play “THE LOST YEARS”, centering on the backstage life of women during Shakespeare’s time, had it’s premier at the Contra Costa Civic Theatre in 2017, under the direction of Marilyn Langbehn. My writing is included in “ALICE IN QUARANTINE”, a collaborative script published by Next Stage Press. Member of the Dramatist Guild, Los Angeles Female Playwrights Initiative (LAFPI), International Centre for Women Playwrights (ICWP), and the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights (ALAP). 

WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA:
Website: https://newplayexchange.org/users/5747/cynthia-wands
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.wands.5/

MORE ABOUT ME:
What was your most gratifying moment in the theater? A few years ago, after years of writing and workshops and readings, I had the opportunity for a script of mine to be produced. I had an incredible director, who was able to see more things in my script than I did. And I was able to travel to the theater to see the auditions, and the table read, and some rehearsals, and the final dress and the opening night. I saw the young woman in the play blossom on stage into a character with humor and gumption and vulnerability. I also saw the leading young man in the play bring his character to an unexpected performance: he was hilarious. I didn’t know how hilarious the character was until he showed me. A lot of this I bring to the actor’s vulnerability and charm (he didn’t know how charming he was). But here it was - the best moment/the peak experience in the play happened on their opening night. At the end, after an exchange with some raucous laughter, the characters lock arms and walk off into a new life together. The light went out. There was a moment of quiet in the house, and then there was a kind of WHOOSH, and a burst of laughter and clapping. It felt as thought the audience wanted to go out in the night air and walk off with these characters. And the curtain call was that excited jazzed up buzz that you can feel on some opening nights. This was a different excitement than being an actor on stage, or watching someone you care about giving an accomplished performance. As a playwright, I watched these characters become real, and spark laughter and spirited conversations and an excitement about the actors performance. So a dream came true – and I’ll never forget it. 

WHAT I'M WORKING ON:
I'm finishing a new script, THE LOST AND FOUND OF 2020, a full-length script, which follows a mystical tarot reader who helps people find what they have lost during the pandemic years. Creating the artwork for the tarot cards in this piece was a challenging, weirdly esoteric, and powerful experience. 

KEYWORDS: 
​Historical, Magic Realism, Pandemic, Biography, Women Focused Stories, Comedy