Waiting for Ella
By Michael London
Directed by Tiffany Countryman
Playwright’s Night | 7 PM
Set in a waiting room at Kettering Hospital, Waiting for Ella is the story of four Native American friends living in Dayton, Ohio, who struggle to stay together after the leader of their a capella singing group, Tohtónha, has a health crisis and may no longer be the visionary that keeps them together.
Since first coming together as separate Indian people making their way in a non-Indian world, they have found a place together that brings them joy and sense of pride in their identity as part of a Native American Indian Community. But could it all come apart? This new crisis brings their fears to the front, as their humor, caring and support for each other help them find a way.
We hear the joy and humor of their souls in their singing both native and non-native songs, all in native languages.
This play is the result of an Individual Artist Award for the Playwright from the National Endowment for the Arts, as administered through Culture Works.
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Tickets$10
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Runtime80m
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Ratingpg13
The Human Race Theatre Company
Executive DirectorKappy Kilburn
Artistic DirectorEmily N. Wells
Present:
CREATIVE PRODUCER Tara Lail
DIRECTOR Tiffany Countryman
Time:
Place:
About the Playwright
Michael LondonPlaywright
Michael London is a Dayton playwright and novelist, and the Director of the Ohio Playwrights Circle. He is the Regional Representative for the Dramatists Guild of America for Ohio, and the Playwright-in-Residence with the Benjamin Franklin House in London, UK.
He studied for the theatre and playwrighting in a variety of settings including, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in the UK and Ohio State University in the USA. He has a Masters in Screenwriting for Television and Film from Royal Holloway, University of London in the UK.
His plays have been performed in the US, the UK & Canada. His bio-play on Charles Chaplin, SMILE, was a feature presentation at the International Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada.
In 2007 he received a variety of publishing awards for his original novel, Dearest. In 2010 he received a Silver Medal Award from the Publishers Association of The West, for the design and editing of a three-dimensional edition of the Jane Austen novel, Lady Susan.
He has taught playwrighting in a variety of theatrical, university and community settings. He is a member of the Dramatist Guild, the International Society of Dramatists, & the Authors League of America. He continues to serve with the National Affairs Committee for the Dramatists Guild of America.
In 2022 he was the recipient of an Individual Artist Award from the National Endowment for The Arts. In 2023 he received the Governor’s Award in the Arts from the State of Ohio.