Lia Romeo

Lia Romeo

Lia Romeo is a fellow in the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard. Her play The Forest was developed at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and was scheduled to receive a National New Play Network rolling world premiere this season (postponed due to the coronavirus). Her play Sitting and Talking, starring Dan Lauria and Wendie Malick, premiered at Mile Square Theatre and has...
Lia Romeo is a fellow in the Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program at Juilliard. Her play The Forest was developed at the O’Neill Playwrights Conference, and was scheduled to receive a National New Play Network rolling world premiere this season (postponed due to the coronavirus). Her play Sitting and Talking, starring Dan Lauria and Wendie Malick, premiered at Mile Square Theatre and has subsequently been presented by Laguna Playhouse, New Jersey Rep, Seven Devils New Play Foundry, and other companies. Other plays have been produced off-Broadway at 59E59 and regionally around the country, and four of her plays have been recognized by the Kilroys List. She was the winner of City Theatre’s National Short Playwriting Award, and has been a nominee or a finalist for the Heideman Award, the L. Arnold Weissberger Award, the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Kesselring Prize, and the Steinberg Award. Her plays are published by Broadway Play Publishing, Playscripts, Dramatists Play Service, and Smith & Kraus. She is the associate artistic director with Project Y Theatre Company, and she teaches playwriting at Primary Stages/ESPA and in the M.A. program in creative writing at Fairleigh Dickinson University. She earned her B.A. from Princeton and her M.F.A. in playwriting from Rutgers/MGSA.

Plays

  • The Forest
    Juliet is losing her marriage. Her mother Pam is losing her memory. And there's a mysterious forest growing in and around their living room. Is it any wonder Juliet starts sleeping with one of her high school students? A play about weird love and what to do when there aren't any right answers.
  • Still
    Thirty years ago, Helen and Mark broke up. Now he's running for Congress, and she has a secret that could derail his bid. A play about lost love, political differences, and how people change... or don't. A story for anyone who's ever wondered: what if?
  • The Agency
    Ani has always dreamed of becoming an actress, so she's saved up and moved to New York City. But she's not getting cast, and she's almost out of money. So she takes a job at a "rental agency," where lonely clients can hire actors to serve as surrogate friends or loved ones. It seems like the perfect gig - it pays well, she's good at the work, and she's helping people feel...
    Ani has always dreamed of becoming an actress, so she's saved up and moved to New York City. But she's not getting cast, and she's almost out of money. So she takes a job at a "rental agency," where lonely clients can hire actors to serve as surrogate friends or loved ones. It seems like the perfect gig - it pays well, she's good at the work, and she's helping people feel better. But what will it mean for her real-life relationships? A play for a world where we can buy whatever we want - if we're willing to pay the price.
  • Sitting and Talking: a Play for Zoom
    Charles and Enid are in their sixties, and have never tried online dating before, especially not over video chat. But now that they're confined to their homes, there's a first time for everything. A love story... or something like that.
  • The Lucky Ones
    Vanessa and Janie are best friends… until a devastating diagnosis forces them to consider what that friendship means and how much it matters. Vanessa is sick, and she’s getting sicker, while Janie is embarking on a new love affair. As Janie tries to balance her role as a caretaker with her dreams for her own future, the cracks in the friendship begin to emerge. An exploration of aging, mortality, and the...
    Vanessa and Janie are best friends… until a devastating diagnosis forces them to consider what that friendship means and how much it matters. Vanessa is sick, and she’s getting sicker, while Janie is embarking on a new love affair. As Janie tries to balance her role as a caretaker with her dreams for her own future, the cracks in the friendship begin to emerge. An exploration of aging, mortality, and the value and complexity of female friendship in a patriarchal society.
  • Greek Tragedy
    Anna is a famous and fabulous Instagram influencer. Jennifer is her drab best friend. But Jennifer is the one who’s been writing all of Anna’s content, while Anna spirals into addiction and out of control. And now Jennifer’s the one who’s writing this play. A story about telling stories… and about how to live our lives when we live our lives online.

    GREEK TRAGEDY was a commission for the Farm...
    Anna is a famous and fabulous Instagram influencer. Jennifer is her drab best friend. But Jennifer is the one who’s been writing all of Anna’s content, while Anna spirals into addiction and out of control. And now Jennifer’s the one who’s writing this play. A story about telling stories… and about how to live our lives when we live our lives online.

    GREEK TRAGEDY was a commission for the Farm Theater and the College Collaboration Project.
  • Yoga with Jillian
    In this interactive one-woman show, the audience does yoga while yoga teacher Jillian tries to lead them through an amazing physical and spiritual journey. But the past few years have been tough, right? As Jillian tries to teach again in our changed world, the shiny, happy yoga teacher struggles to keep the class - and herself - from completely imploding.
  • Ghost Story
    Lydia’s just looking for a one-night stand, and so she’s brought a cute guy home from the company holiday party. But now things keep getting in the way. Like the fact that they could hardly be more different (she’s forty, he’s twenty-eight; she’s black, he’s white; she’s a New Yorker and he’s from the Midwest). And the fact that he’s still not over his ex. And the fact that her apartment might very well be...
    Lydia’s just looking for a one-night stand, and so she’s brought a cute guy home from the company holiday party. But now things keep getting in the way. Like the fact that they could hardly be more different (she’s forty, he’s twenty-eight; she’s black, he’s white; she’s a New Yorker and he’s from the Midwest). And the fact that he’s still not over his ex. And the fact that her apartment might very well be haunted. A play about ghosts – both literal and otherwise – and the ways we try to move forward.
  • Connected
    In a world where we are all constantly connected to the internet, and via the internet to one another, why do so many people still feel so alone? In a series of interrelated vignettes - a young girl's most embarrassing moment goes viral, a high school student must choose between real life and role-playing games, two girls spend Saturday night endlessly searching for the “perfect party,” a teacher is...
    In a world where we are all constantly connected to the internet, and via the internet to one another, why do so many people still feel so alone? In a series of interrelated vignettes - a young girl's most embarrassing moment goes viral, a high school student must choose between real life and role-playing games, two girls spend Saturday night endlessly searching for the “perfect party,” a teacher is accidentally seduced by her student on an internet dating site – Connected examines love and friendship in the age of social media.
  • Reality
    Annie and Matt met on “Looking for Love,” a popular reality dating show. But now that the cameras have stopped rolling, their fairy tale is looking a lot less perfect than it seemed. Add into the mix producer Josh, who will do anything for ratings, and the show runner-up, Krisandra, an aspiring actress who’s desperate to make her mark in Hollywood. Will there be a happy ending, or a huge scandal? In our...
    Annie and Matt met on “Looking for Love,” a popular reality dating show. But now that the cameras have stopped rolling, their fairy tale is looking a lot less perfect than it seemed. Add into the mix producer Josh, who will do anything for ratings, and the show runner-up, Krisandra, an aspiring actress who’s desperate to make her mark in Hollywood. Will there be a happy ending, or a huge scandal? In our modern society, where everything from breasts to feelings are likely to be fake, playwright Lia Romeo explores what “reality” really means.
  • Hungry
    Amy is trying. Trying to lose weight, trying to be popular, trying to do well in school... but it’s not working out very well. When a minotaur suddenly shows up in her backyard, Amy finds the unconditional acceptance she’s been looking for… but when the “mean kids” start turning up dead, she realizes that being best friends with a man-eating mythological beast might have its drawbacks. Will the minotaur be...
    Amy is trying. Trying to lose weight, trying to be popular, trying to do well in school... but it’s not working out very well. When a minotaur suddenly shows up in her backyard, Amy finds the unconditional acceptance she’s been looking for… but when the “mean kids” start turning up dead, she realizes that being best friends with a man-eating mythological beast might have its drawbacks. Will the minotaur be her salvation, or her downfall?
  • What Happened That Night
    Jenna and Kate are best friends . . . until one drunken night, Kate ends up in the bathroom with Derek, the guy Jenna has a crush on. Afterwards, Kate says she was raped, while Derek claims it was consensual. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kate, Jenna and Derek have been getting closer . . . but in a small town, they can’t keep their relationship a secret for long. A #metoo play about sexual violence, rape culture, and how to listen.
  • Lifestyle Content (short)
    Four beauty editors, isolated in their homes after an apocalyptic event, try to figure out what kind of content is appropriate for troubled times. Works for stage, screen, Zoom, or audio drama.
  • The Tipping Point (short)
    Four casual tourists go on an Antarctic vacation that goes horribly wrong.