Meet the Team

President

Mona Deutsch Miller

Mona Deutsch Miller, a Life Member, joined ALAP  in the early 2000s.  She valued ALAP's putting her in a position to meet and learn from real, working playwrights.  She did not want to see ALAP fade away without the late and much-missed Dan Berkowitz and past Chair Jon Dorf, who contributed so much.  She is committed to being the face of an open, friendly and well-run organization of playwrights and theater makers.  She coordinates ALAP's New Works Lab, and hopes to increase and diversify ALAP's membership, while keeping our programs relevant and interesting.  She needs your help, ALAP members, to do all this, and welcomes your suggestions.  You can learn more about her life and playwriting by watching an interview she did with the Stage Explorations YouTube channel by clicking here. You can also contact her at monadm@laplaywrights.org

Management Team Roles

Jeremiah Benjamin

Detailed biography pending.

Currently Open/Secretary

The position of Secretary is currently open. If you are intersted in contributing to ALAP as secretary please contact us via info@laplaywrights.com.

Board Members

Brian Raine

Brian Raine has enjoyed over thirty years working in all phases of live theatre administration, including production budgeting, theatre management, marketing, advertising, special events promotion, subscription and sales.

He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a Vice Chair with the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, a former Trustee for Long Beach Civic Light Opera, a former Board Member of the Santa Monica Theatre Guild, and was Subscription Manager with Center Theatre Group during the reign of Gordon Davidson.

In the meantime he's written about a dozen plays, including  -   

2011 - Santa Monica Theatre Guild presents  Sand in the Air.
2012 - West Hollywood Arts Festival Winner   In the Name of the Son.
2015 - Julie Harris National Playwriting Award  Coral Gables.
2017 - Alliance Repertory Company presents  Lying With Love. 

Gary Young

Gary Young’s theatrical plays deal with social issues and  have been produced and performed at the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, the White House, the Smithsonian, and venues throughout the US and Europe. His new novel, Glimmer the Bright Moonlight, and the sequel, Slingshot, will be released soon. He has worked with Jean Kennedy Smith as a coordinator for the National Very Special Arts Festival, and has produced festivals and written successful grant proposals to fund programs for, by, and with disabled populations and the underprivileged. His touring programs throughout the United States have been co-supported by the former HEW, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Mobil Oil, US Airlines, and private foundations. Gary is the co-author, with his wife, Kathy, for Loss and Found: Surviving the Loss of a Young Partner (2nd ed coming out soon) also presenting seminars and support groups throughout the United States. His play, Interruptions – A life, a death, pizza, dancing and Murphy’s Law, premiered at the Kennedy Center, with its West Coast premier in Los Angeles, June through September, 2000, at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood. His ON HOLD: The MYTH of Male Maturity, premiered in England, and will have its Los Angeles premier in the near future. Gary serves as president of the Publishers Association of Los Angeles/Independent Writers of Southern California, board member of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights, and Executive Director of the Lifetime Achievement Foundation.

Chair Emerituss

Leigh Kennicott

Leigh Kennicott can’t remember how long she has been a part of ALAP!  Presently, a Board Member, she brings an extensive background in theatre, film and television and a Ph.D. degree in Theatre, to her work. As a playwright, she has been particularly prolific during COVID. “It’s Just Lunch” is the latest edition to her COVID plays.

As a director in Los Angeles, she directed a neo-realist "Romeo and Juliet" at the Secret Rose Theatre; “Charlotte Second Chance,” at DramaGarage; and “How I Learned to Drive,” “Nickel and Dimed” and “Top Girls”; all at College of the Canyons where she also taught Acting for the Camera, Improvisation and Acting Fundamentals.

In addition, she has taught all aspects of theatre at California State University, Northridge and most recently, “Teaching Drama in the Classroom” at CSU-Channel Islands.

Jonathan Dorf

Currently under construction. 

Elixeo Flores/Web Administrator

As a member of the ALAP board of directors, Elixeo's responsibilities include ALAP website administration as well as lead project manager for the annual ALAP/WeHo Pride Reading Festival. Elixeo would like to thank the ALAP board for this opportunity to be of service.

For additional details on Elixeo's work as a playwight, please visit https://venturawritersblock.weebly.com/elixeo-flores.html

Tom Misuraca/Social Media Manager

Tom Misuraca has been a member of ALAP since 2009. In the past year and a half, he’s taken over ALAP social media in the hopes of helping to promote fellow playwrights’ work. As well as to show potential members how active our community is. His second goal is to archive the history of ALAP so that the future can benefit from the work of the past. Contact him at TomM@laplaywrights.org.