I had the pleasure of directing Brian Delate’s one-man show “Guardian Angels” and this weekend it will be at Actors Studio in New York City. Saturday and Sunday shows are sold out but you can still get on the waitlist, or grab a ticket to Friday night’s performance, and possibly Thursday night’s too.

Tickets are FREE but you need to reserve them here. Actors Studio is located at 432 West 44th Street, Ground Floor, between 9th & 10th Avenues, New York, NY 10036. Running time is one hour, shows start at 7:00 pm Thursday Feb 1, Friday Feb 2, and Saturday Feb 3, with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 on the 4th.

About the show:
“Guardian Angels” reveals how the angels on earth and beyond can guide and direct us. In 1973 a profound event, in the form of a dream transformed Brian Delate’s life. Was it a “close encounter”? An Out-of-Body Experience? Or a visit from “The Great Beyond”? You decide. Brian served in the Vietnam war. The path after coming home was destructive, but real life guardian angels intervened to guide him in a life-affirming direction. The dream came later but its impact would alter his thinking and behavior forever.

And from the theater:
WAITLIST: If a particular date is “sold out”, we encourage you to join the waitlist — since cancellations are prevalent and seating often becomes available.

I had the privilege of directing Brian Delate’s one man show “Guardian Angels” this year, which was presented first at the Whitefire Theater, then at The Road Theatre in Los Angeles, to sold-out crowds. He got a wonderful review by John Lavitt in The HollywoodTimes, who was kind enough to mention my work as a director:

“At the Road Theatre, Delate’s performance is taken to the next level of excellence with the help of Deb Hiett’s precise direction. When it comes to solo shows, the role of a director is a careful balancing of unleashing and containing. While some aspects of a performer need to be brought out, others need to be quieted so this can happen.

Hiett helps Delate bring forth the significance of his message by focusing on his body and respecting moments of silence. By helping Delate get in touch with his physicality while not being worried about gaps, the direction allows the actor to expand the range of his expression while making it more precise.”

Brian’s show is heading for a limited run at the Actors Studio in New York City in February, 2024. Congrats, Brian!

This season you might have caught sight of Mrs. Stephen Edwards (played by yours truly) on the Starz’ horror-comedy show “Shining Vale” with Courteney Cox, Greg Kinnear, Mira Sorvino, Merrin Dungey, and Sherilyn Fenn. Check out another scene coming up on this Friday’s episode (11-24-23):

Although it was not selected for the award/fellowship, I’m very proud to have written one of the few plays selected as Semi-Finalists for the 2023-2024 Princess Grace Award in Playwriting/Fellowship at New Dramatists. With the subjective nature of the selection process of these organizations, it means a lot to me to have the play get to this level of competition, and every acknowledgment is appreciated and taken as great encouragement!

I continue to develop (and hopefully improve) this play which was originally written as part of the Playwrights Union “February New Play Challenge,” was selected for Antaeus Theatre’s Lab Results Reading Series, and which will be workshopped at Gulfshore Playhouse’s New Works Festival in September 2023.

Synopsis for “Circle Forward": Seventeen years after the loss of her young husband from cancer, Mia meets a teenager, Ethan, who believes he is the reincarnation of her late husband. When Ethan and his mom Lexi come to Mia's house for lunch, Mia must face her doubts, her past, and the whole truth.

A big thank you to the Princess Grace Foundation and New Dramatists for this recognition. Onwards!!

I am over the moon excited to have my play Circle Forward selected for the Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival this September. I’ve had the pleasure of working with this extraordinary LORT-D theater before, when they produced the world premiere of my play Miss Keller Has No Second Book in 2018.

With the talented folks they are assembling (including director Jeffrey Binder), I can’t wait to bring my play to the table. The week’s workshop will conclude with a reading that is open to the public on Saturday Sept 16, followed by a Q&A with the audience.

Synopsis of Circle Forward: Seventeen years after the loss of her young husband from cancer, Mia meets a teenager, Ethan, who believes he is the reincarnation of her late husband. When Ethan and his mom Lexi come to Mia's house for lunch, Mia must face her doubts, her past, and the whole truth.

More info about the festival here in the BroadwayWorld press release. For Gulfshore Playhouse tickets, click here.

We are asking for fair wages and a reasonable contract.

Learn more about the strike at the SAG-AFTRA website or the WGA website. Thank you for your support!

Watch until the very end:

Big thanks to Allison Jones and Emily Buntyn, and the fabulous Greta Gerwig. Also, Ryan. :)