SCRIPTED | SHOWS
Projected captions will appear through out the production.
Audio description is available with audio devices provided by the box office (limited to 12 per performance).
Please let us know if you have access needs when purchasing your tickets by adding your needs in the comment section of the ticket purchasing form. For more information or questions call (213) 262-8742 (voice) or send an email to boxoffice@outsideintheatre.org
We encourage our audiences to take care of themselves and to let us know how we can support them. The show will be displayed on a screen in the lobby for anyone who needs to step out of the theatre.
This play addresses barriers and modes of control set upon disabled youth, especially isolation and confinement.
Content:
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Near the end of Act 1, there is a description of an attempted infanticide.
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In Act 1 and 2, there are mentions of suicide.
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At the end of Act 1, a character reveals a large scar.
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In Act 2, there is a staged depiction of physical violence.
Lights:
- House lights will be dark throughout the performance.
Sound:
- A loud bang in Act 2
Please send any questions or comments to contact@outsideintheatre.org
ROOM BY THE SEA
When does protection become a form of confinement?
Room By The Sea, a new play by John Guerra and directed by Brian Hashimoto, at Outside In Theatre, in co-production with Coin & Ghost and After Hours Theatre Company.
A boy with a dream. A king with a secret. An island, shaped by grief and isolation.
Every day, the boy in the wheelchair sits by the window and dreams of flight, while his father – an architect – secures their tenuous place through service to the royal family. When the island’s king offers riches in exchange for a wonder – a structure larger on the inside than out – the architect begins to dream of more than just survival. But who is this impossible creation for? And what if his son has plans of his own?
By turns thrilling, lyrical, haunting, and intimate, John Guerra’s Room By The Sea is a new myth about invention & inheritance, about the harms we do in the name of love, and the bravery it takes to imagine a new world.
The production was shaped early by access considerations. After the playwright and director, access dramaturgs were among the first collaborators invited into the process. Disability aesthetics and accessible practices informed script revisions, design choices, and rehearsal processes, with the goal of centering disabled characters as active agents rather than symbolic devices.
TALK BACK TUESDAYS
Select performances will include “Talk Back Tuesdays” pre-show conversations on topics including access-informed theatre and the experiences of working artist parents. “Talk Back Tuesdays” will take place on the following dates in Outside In’s café & lounge The Lobby.
- February 24 – 7:00PM
- March 1 – 5:30PM: Accessibility in Theater talkback with special guest Doris Baizely
- March 3 – 7:00PM: Talk with artist A. Laura Brody of Opulent Mobility
- March 10 – 7:00PM: Talk about being a working father with 3 dads from the RBTS Team
UNDERSTUDY PERFORMANCES
- Sunday, 3/8 – Isabella Mari Griggs (Girl)
- Monday, 3/9 – Gerald Isaac Waters (Boy)
- Tuesday, 3/10 – Gerald Isaac Waters (Boy)
- Monday, 3/16 – Tom Lucien (Father) & Isabella Mari Griggs (Girl)
INFO
PREVIEWS | Feb 14 – Feb 21
PRICE | $15 -$25
MAIN RUN | Feb 22 – Mar 24
PRICE | $25- $45
MON, TUE, SAT, SUN | 8:00PM (3:00PM Matinee)
Sensory friendly performance | March 8th – 3:00PM
LOCATION
Outside In Theatre Artspace
5319 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042
ASL SUPPORTED PERFORMANCES
There will be ASL interpreters at performances on March 1 (including the Talk Back) and March 9.
Sarah Culotta (they/she)
Sher Smith (she/her)
REVIEWS
“That magic of a theatre company walking the talk”
– The Nerds of Color –
“Not only evangelizes accessibility to theater and art, it lives and breathes it”
– LA Theatrix –
Stage Raw Top 10
“Thoughtful tribute to accessible foundations and disabled dreams”
– Stage Raw –
CAST
Bruce A. Lemon Jr. (he/him)
KING
Bruce Lemon is a storyteller born and raised in Watts, CA. As a child, his father made him write stories and read them aloud in the hallway as punishment for lies and mischief. He’s still in trouble. Most recently, he played the titular character in the world premiere of THE AARON PLAY, co-produced by Coin & Ghost and Independent Shakespear Co. More work: Acting in the BLK MGC films “Time is Money” – winning ‘best actor’ at this years Diversity in Cannes showcase during the Cannes Film Festival and the HollyShorts Grand Prix winning “Hallelujah” which premiered at Sundance in 2022. Co-Artistic Director of Watts Village. Ensemble with Cornerstone Theater Company. Princess Grace Award Winner. Sherwood Award Finalist. BruceLemon.com // @BALemonJr.
Cole Massie (he/him)
BOY
Cole is beyond thrilled to be back on the boards with his fabulous Room by the Sea co-stars! He recently co-starred in Director Anthony Lucero’s award-winning film, Paper Bag Plan. As comfortable on stage as he is on screen, he has played roles from Shakespeare to X-Men’s Xavier. He’s had guest star roles on Speechless and The Comedy Get Down as well as a small role in the independent film Chronic, starring Tim Roth. He has also performed with Burbank Community Theater, ShowCamp, and Jaxx Theatricals. Cole is an actor with a disability; he is a wheelchair user who has cerebral palsy and a vision impairment, so he was delighted to voice the wheelchair-using character Finnegan Wake for Nickelodeon’s Monster High. In his spare time, Cole absolutely loves attending musical theater and creating digital art. You can learn more about Cole here: www.colemassie.com
Carene Rose Mekertichyan (she/her)
GIRL
Carene is honored to join this co-production alongside so many incredible artists and her Coin & Ghost family! She is a proud Black Armenian Angeleno and serves as the Artistic Associate for Social Justice at Independent Shakespeare Co., Program Coordinator at Support Black Theatre, and is co-author of the LA Anti-Racist Theatre Standards and a Blklst Contributor. With Coin & Ghost: The Aaron Play (Associate Director), Index of Forbidden Books (Fredi), HUNNYSWEET (Narrator), MAMA MAMA CAN’T YOU SEE (Anita). Selected stage: Doctor Faustus, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, …Ladies and Gentlemen of Colour, The Tempest, Knight of the Burning Pestle, Macbeth, Pericles, Twelfth Night (Independent Shakespeare Co.), Much Ado About Nothing (u/s A Noise Within), Troy (Hero Theatre), The Three Musketeers (PVPA), Señor Plummer’s Final Fiesta (Rogue Artists Ensemble), Macbeth (Northern Stage). She received her training from Dartmouth College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). @carenerose carenerose.com
Robert Paterno (he/him)
FATHER
Robert Paterno is a 2nd Generation Filipino American Teaching Artist/Actor from Houston, TX, residing on the unceded Kizh/Gabrieleno/Tongva territory of Los Angeles. Certified Teacher Fitzmaurice Voicework®; MFA Acting (Southern Methodist University); BS Marine Biology (Texas A&M University at Galveston). As a teacher he works with highly impacted, underrepresented, and incarcerated youth throughout LA County. TV/Film: Wake (Feature film); 9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, Single Parents (ABC); Good American Family (Hulu); Days of Our Lives (NBC/Universal); The Vampire Diaries (CW). Selected Theatre: Nimrod (Theatre of Note); Our Town (River & Rail Theatre); 1984 (Greenway Court); Twelfth Night (Coeurage Theatre); The Johnny Cycle (Speakeasy Society); The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Hudson Theatre); Revolver (Celebration Theatre); LA Views (Company of Angels). In honor of my Father and real-life architect, Roberto Sevilla Paterno Sr.: I miss you every day.
Tom Lucein (he/him)
UNDERSTUDY FATHER/KING
Tom Lucein is an American actor, producer and filmmaker from Morris County, New Jersey. A lifelong artist, he has a BFA from Pace University and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts. Currently in Los Angeles, California with East Wave Productions, Tom is leading the creative teams on multiple films at different points in their production process, with some in film festivals across America as of 2025. His most recent co-productions include collaborations with West Coast Pictures and Oscar- winning producer Sven Ebeling, as well as Soledad O’Brien Productions. Some of his previous credits include the Syfy Channel, YES Network, Warner Bros., along with over 200 stage, TV and film performances.
Gerald Isaac Waters (he/him)
UNDERSTUDY BOY
Gerald Isaac Waters has appeared in several film, television, and theatre productions. With appearances on TBS and also Netflix’s All together Now. Diving into the realm of Voiceover he can be heard in Nickelodeon’s Blazes, Amazing Race, and also Marvel’s Moongirl and Devil Dinosaur. Taking the lead in the stage production of The Cost Of Living in Seattle, Gerald once again fell in love with the theatre. When not modeling for brands such as Zappos adaptive and Tommy Hilfiger or rolling the runway during New York Fashion week Gerald can be found scoping out new restaurants with his friends in Los Angeles. Gerald has studied at Los Angeles Community College in their Acting Conservatory. A native of the great state of Tennessee, Gerald now lives in North Hollywood, California.
Isabella Mari Griggs (she/her)
UNDERSTUDY GIRL
Isabella Mari Griggs (she/her) is an American and Japanese-Brazilian actor who developed her love for storytelling in Singapore, where she grew up. She received her training from the University of Southern California and the British American Drama Academy earning a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. Isabella’s theatre credits include Collective Rage (u/s Bethesda Repertory), The Wolves (Morgan Wixson Theatre), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (USC), and Jekyll and Hyde (British American Drama Academy). She also recently starred in an original short play reading of Chelsea Sutton’s I Say Running is like Breathing for Rogue Artist Ensemble’s “Rogue Lab: Rough Draft Series.” Her recent film credits include, The Camera, a short film by award winning director and editor Mari Walker. Isabella is honored to be working with Coin & Ghost and is very excited to be a part of the team!
CREATIVE TEAM
John Guerra (he/him)
Playwright
John Guerra is a Latinx writer who left his home in Carpenteria, CA to make his fortune in the theatre. He never found his fortune, but he did become a 2019 Sundance Theatre Fellow and a member of the Ghost Road Company. When he’s not rolling around on a black box floor with Ghost Road, he’s writing about California, class, and mythology. He’s worked with organizations and institutions across LA, including: Ghost Road, The Blank Theatre, The Fountain Theatre, Rogue Artists Ensemble, Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum, the Vagrancy Theatre Company, and the Road Theatre Company. Recent collaborations with Coin & Ghost include: “Room By The Sea” at Noise Now (2019) and “The Index of Forbidden Books: Volume 2” (2025). Read more of his work at New Play Exchange.
Brian Hashimoto (he/him)
Director
Brian Hashimoto is a Director, DP, and Photographer based in Los Angeles, and thrilled to be directing live theater again with such wonderful collaborators. He is currently a DP on the official documentary for the band Los Lobos and directing a feature film for East West Productions. He has had the pleasure of working with such organizations as Lincoln Center Theater, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Center Theatre Group, L.A. Dance Project, REDCAT, the Shakespeare Center of LA, Pasadena Playhouse, Boston Court Pasadena, and many more. www.brianhashimoto.com
Chu-hsuan Chang
Lighting Designer
Chu-hsuan Chang is a Los Angeles based lighting artist working in live performance, and installation. In addition to lighting, Chu-hsuan’s passions include puppeteering, puppet design and lighting instrument design. chuhsuanchang.com
Dean Grosbard (he/him)
Access Dramaturg
Dean Grosbard is a New York/Los Angeles-based access dramaturg, director, performance artist, and dedicated maximalist specializing in premieres and new play development. Dean is currently a Masters student of Disability Studies at City University of New York, and this is his access dramaturgy debut with co-dramaturg Lee Rosen. Dean is co-directing the upcoming world premiere of CERCLE HERMAPHRODITOS by Shualee Cook (After Hours Theatre Company). His solo work includes MRAK (a celebration of disability, ancestry, and darkness), a 24-hour fortune-telling extravaganza during an at-home medical test, and BIG TITS 69 (Son of Semele, Asheville Fringe Festival). His other world premieres include THERE IS EVIL IN THIS HOUSE by Natalie Nicole Dressel (SheLA Arts, Best Ensemble Winner) and SON OF A MAN by Cooper Bates (Son of Semele).
Kimberly Jimenez (she/her)
Stage Manager
Kimberly Jimenez is delighted to be the stage manager of the Room By The Sea. A recent graduate from California State Northridge, in Cinema & Television Arts and Theater. She enjoys working on original plays and her recent credits are The Aaron Play, A Chirtmas Carol with Charles Dickens, Girl Blood: A Period Piece, Argonautika and many more. Kimberly appreciates her time working on the show and is grateful to all three production companies for the opportunity and their support. A huge thank you to her family & friends. She is thrilled for everyone to see the show and hopes you enjoy it as much as she did while working on it!
Mark Kanieff (he/him)
Scenic Designer
Mark Kanieff is a set designer and artist. He has worked on diverse productions in both the US and Europe. Recent productions include: Letters From Home (Merrimack Repertory, Lowell, MA – nominated for Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Scenic Design) and Florence Nightingale (Off/Off Teatro, Rome Italy). He received an MFA in Scenic Design from the California Institute of The Arts (CalArts) and a BFA in Sculpture from Carnegie-Mellon University. He formerly worked in Public Health in Rome. He currently teaches at CalArts.
Cricket S. Myers (she/her)
Sound Designer
On Broadway, Cricket earned a Tony Nomination and a Drama Desk Award for her design of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. She has also designed regionally at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, La Jolla Playhouse, The Geffen Playhouse, The Ahmanson, The Mark Taper Forum, Arizona Theater Company, South Coast Rep, The Kirk Douglas Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, Denver Center and Milwaukee Rep. Other selected L.A. Theaters include The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts, East West Players, Celebration, and Ghost Road Theater Company. She has earned 24 Ovation Nominations, as well as winning The Ruth Morley Award from the League of Professional Theater Women, The Kinetic Award for Outstanding Achievements in Theatrical Design, an LADCC and a Garland Award. Cricket is a proud member of Local USA 829 and the TSDCA. www.cricketsmyers.com
Mylette Nora
Costume Designer
Ovation Award and NAACP Theatre Awards for best costumes, listed in the honors edition of The Cambridge Registry of Who’s Who Among Executive and Professional Women, works world wide consists of television, film, video and stage, and was seen nightly on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and now “You Bet Your Life” with Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks, and weekly on “Jay Leno’s Garage”. The famed artist Synthia St. James noted Mylette as being the inspiration for her world renowned painting “Ensemble” which graced the cover of the best selling novel “Waiting To Exhale” by Terry McMillan. Mylette’s designer lines are, doggie wear, www.FromTheHeartDoggieWear.com, heirloom dolls, “My Mind’s Eye”, and now face mask by, Mylette!
Lee Rosen (they/she)
Access Dramaturg
Lee Rosen (They/She) is a queer, disabled, multidisciplinary artist and writer from Whittier, CA, making their access dramaturgy debut with co-dramaturg Dean Grosbard. Educated in fine art at CUNY Hunter College, they are thrilled to put their creative background and Disability Justice wisdom to work on Room By The Sea. Lee is a 2025-26 Ascend Fellow, benefitting from Keely Cat-Wells’ Making Space initiative which provides career training and networking opportunities to early-mid-career disabled professionals. Lee had the luck of being in Gina Young’s long-form Feminist Acting Class in 2018, and is passionate about bringing better access practices to live performance in Los Angeles.