Backseat: A Festival of New Works
An online festival of new works inspired by the formation of The Drivers Cooperative NYC. LAByrinth company members have created a series of new works exploring the intersection of the American Dream and the reality of the working class world of New York City drivers based on interviews with the human beings behind the wheel.
BACKSEAT will stream online at www.labtheater.org over the course of three evenings, June 25-27. Each evening’s program will be unique, featuring 15 total works by Labyrinth company members. Virtual tickets are free, with donations welcomed during performances.
Listen now!
Kara Young interviews a working Rideshare driver named Manuel Garcia originally from the Dominican Republic, to find out more about the challenges of working for Rideshare corporations, and the opportunities that a worker-owned co-op Rideshare company offers, in terms of more equitable pay for drivers.
Program
Friday June 25th
Ken & Marlene by: John Rubin & Melisa McGregor
Uber Driver by: Lucy Thurber
How I Stopped Driving a Cab by: Greg Keller
A Safe Space by: Florencia Lozano
Saturday June 26th
Ain't Nobody Gonna Fuck With My Glow by: Elizabeth Canavan & Cheray O’Neal
Hot Tea by: David Deblinger
Reynaldo by: David Anzuelo
Drivers: Mariana Carreño King
Sunday June 27th
More Than a short film by: Jinn S. Kim
Ahmed by: Stephen Belber
The Morning When: by Paula Pizzi-Black
Famoso in JuuTube by: Victor Almanzar
Bios
Victor Almanzar starred and co-wrote the film 11:55, now available on Showtime and most digital platforms. As an actor some of his theater credits include: BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY (Pulitzer prize), GRAND CONCOURSE, MAN IN THE RING, HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN and MEDEA. His screen credits include 11:55, Homeland, Power, Empire, Blue Bloods and Chicago PD.
David Anzuelo is a stage actor who has appeared in plays including MINOTUAR ROMANCE, QUEEN LATINA & THE POWER (both the original and the re-boot for LAByrinth), KNIVES&OTHER SHARP (Public/LAB), and more. Screen performances include A NY CHRISTMAS WEDDING, A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES, SUCCESSION, THE AMERICANS and more. David is a member of LAByrinth Theater Company and Rising Phoenix Rep. He is the founder of UnkleDave’s Fight-House.
Stephen Belber’s plays have been produced on Broadway and in over 25 countries. He was the associate/co-writer/actor for The Laramie Project and Laramie: Ten Years Later, writer/director for Management (Jennifer Aniston), Match (Patrick Stewart) and What We Do Next (Corey Stoll). And writer for Tape (dir. by Richard Linklater), Drifting Elegant and O.G., (Jeffrey Wright, HBO). He has appeared on television in Law & Order SVU, Rescue Me and more and is currently developing a series about The Chateau Marmont for Paramount.
Elizabeth Canavan originated roles in Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven (Atlantic Theater), Between Riverside and Crazy (Atlantic Theater and 2nd Stage), Little Flower of East Orange (The Public Theatre), Our Lady of 121st Street (Union Square Theater) and more. Liz has written two short films, Father’s Day (Tribeca Film Festival 2016) and Sleeping with Sharks. Her play Ladies in Waiting has had readings in LAByrinth’s Barn Series, Circle in the Square and Urban Theatre Movement in LA.
Mariana Carreño’s plays include TRUCKERS and THE RED GENE (LAB’s Barn Series), TUNNELS (USC, CA), Miss 74489 (2014 Winner, MetLife Nuestras Voces), PATIENCE, FORTITUDE AND OTHER ANTIDEPRESSANTS (LATC, CA) and DANCE FOR A DOLLAR (Miracle Theatre, OR), among others. As a director, she has worked at INTAR, The Lark, Stages Repertory Theatre (TX), Iati, Mabou Mines and PRTT. She teaches playwriting at SUNY Purchase College.
David Deblinger is a co-founder of LAByrinth, which has produced work he has written and performed, including NOBODY’S HOME, SHMOO, and STOPLESS. His critically acclaimed performance piece, LUCKY PENNY was adapted for audio and picked up for a national broadcast on the NPR program, Snap Judgement. As a director he created the short film, SHAKESPEAREAN MINUTE, which won the New York Foundation for the Arts artist fellowship award, and he wrote and directed THE CALLBACK, an award-winning short film starring Sam Rockwell. As an actor David can be seen in a recurring role opposite Forest Whitaker in season one of GODFATHER OF HARLEM, on EPIX, and has appeared in BROAD CITY, LAW AND ORDER: SVU, SEX AND THE CITY, THE SOPRANOS and more.
John Gould Rubin is a producer and director who has worked throughout the US, Europe and the world.
Greg Keller is an actor, writer, and Dad, born and raised in Manhattan.
Jinn S. Kim has produced three LAByrinth productions: WHERE'S MY MONEY? by John Patrick Shanley, CULTURE BANDIT & DARWAZA by Vanessa Hidary & Ajay Naidu and OUR LADY OF 121ST STREET by Stephen Adly Guirgis. Jinn is the Executive Director of Developing Artists Theater Company, which teaches undervalued teens to fight for positive change through practical application of the performing arts.
Florencia Lozano’s stage credits include RINSE, REPEAT (Signature) DEVIL OF CHOICE (LAB) AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS (Movement). Her screen credits include Kevin Can Wait, Blacklist, Mysteries of Laura, Blue Bloods, Lipstick Jungle and Ugly Betty. Florencia’s play underneathmybed was produced at the Rattlestick Playwrights’ Theatre. She is a member and literary manager at LAByrinth and currently shooting the upcoming NETFLIX series BREATHE.
Melisa McGregor is a LAByrinth Theater Company Member and a Sundance Lab Composer Fellow. She performed and composed original music for DEVIL OF CHOICE (LAByrinth, Cherry Lane Theater 2018) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2019). Her recent film composing credits include the Emmy-Nominated documentary MADE IN BOISE (2019), directed by Beth Aala.
Cheray O’Neal, is an OG LAB member and award winning writer/actress/producer, her work crosses both film and theater. Recently; she’s co- written/co- produced and starred in the short film ‘Weep not’; winner of the ‘Audience Choice Award’ at Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase 2021. Other Notables: Co star in the comedy film ‘Fixer Upper’ directed by Actress Kathleen Quinlan; Nominated for Two NAACP Theater Awards for Best playwright and Best Actress for her solo show ‘Journey this’ directed by LAB member Marlene Forte.
Paula Pizzi Black’s theatre credits include BURNING CITIES (New Circle Theatre Co), DEVIL OF CHOICE (Edinburgh Fringe 2019) and Los Monólogos de la Vagina (Westside Arts), among others. She can be seen on screen in LOSERVILLE, THE SMURFS, Frágil, and Law and Order, City of Angels.
Lucy Thurber is the author of 10 plays, including WHERE WE’RE BORN, ASHVILLE, SCARCITY and KILLERS and OTHER FAMILY. She was the recipient of the 2000-01 Manhattan Theatre Club Playwriting Fellowship and has been a guest artist at Alaska’s Perseverance Theatre twice, where she helped to adapt both DESIRE UNDER THE ELMS and MOBY DICK. She is published by Dramatists Play Service and is a member of New Dramatists, 13P, MCC Playwrights’ Coalition. Lucy has been commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, and she is currently writing a new play under a commission from Yale Rep. She is the recipient of the 1st Gary Bonasorte Memorial Prize for Playwriting 2008 and a proud recipient of a Lilly Award. Lucy currently teaches at NYU and Sarah Lawrence College.
Kara Young was most recently seen in Amazon's CHEMICAL HEARTS alongside Lilli Reinhart and Austin Abrams. Prior to this, she appeared in Koganada's AFTER YANG, HBO's RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS, Netflix's THE PUNISHER, and MTV's GIRL CODE. She also starred in HAIR WOLF, the winner of the Sundance 2018 Short Film Jury Awards: US FICTION. Before the pandemic, Kara was starring in the MCC Theater's ALL THE NATALIE PORTMANS, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Award Nomination. Her many other stage credits include HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN, SYNCING INK, and REVOLVING CYCLES TRULY AND STEADILY ROLL'D.
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CITY COUNCIL