The fearless LA playwright’s newest work marks the company’s first full non-festival production since the pandemic, opening September 24 at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood
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Press Contact: Gregory Crafts
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Box Office: (323) 591-4849
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://events.thestagecrafts.com/projects/15261
LOS ANGELES, CA — Theatre Unleashed, in association with Fierce Mama Productions, will present the world premiere of Imago, a bold new play by acclaimed Los Angeles playwright Wendy Gough Soroka, directed by Richard Piatt. Running September 24 through October 10, 2026 at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood, Imago marks a milestone for the company: its first full, non-festival production since the pandemic.
Artwork by Katelyn Schiller
Katherine Harmston paints butterflies as monsters. At forty-five, she lives and works in a crumbling warehouse loft, refusing to soften her uncompromising art into something that might actually sell, and refusing, just as fiercely, to accept help from anyone. When her overbearing, Type-A sister Beth arrives with news that their sharp-tongued mother is in hospice, Katherine is pulled back toward the family she’d fled, and once again into the orbit of a glossy, commercially triumphant ex-lover who represents everything she loathes about being an artist.
Wrestling with unsettling revelations about her past and an increasingly uncertain future, Katherine is forced to confront the possibility that she may finally have to compromise her lifestyle, her beliefs, and her independence in the name of survival. Her only hope is an upcoming exhibition and a bold new painting that represents a complete departure from her established body of work, if she can ever finish it. Will this new work redefine her career, or destroy it?
The newest play by fearless LA scribe Wendy Gough Soroka, Imago is an unflinching, funny, and unexpectedly tender work about art and ambition, the debts we owe the people who made us, and what it costs to finally let ourselves transform.
The Harmston family: Katherine (Soda Persi, top), Beth (Aarti Mann, middle), Fran (Arden Lewis, bottom)
“Imago is a play that wrestles with artistic integrity versus commercial success, family and independence, the desires that drive us, and the torments of our past, and amidst all this, the practical aspects of living a creative life,” says playwright Wendy Gough Soroka. “It feels like a touch of kismet to be collaborating with such a remarkable team of theatre artists on this project, and to once again be back at Theatre Unleashed. Over the years, their support for LA Theatre and those of us who create it has been unwavering, which goes straight to the heart of this play.”
Imago Director Richard Piatt agrees: “I feel truly blessed to have been asked to work on this piece with such generous and fearless artists. Wendy’s play resonates with me on multiple levels and I suspect the same is true for the company. I think it’s the best combination of funny and fierce.”
Back in the Saddle
For Theatre Unleashed, Imago represents more than a premiere. It is the company’s first full-scale, non-festival production since the pandemic reshaped the Los Angeles theater landscape. a deliberate return to the kind of ambitious, full-length storytelling that has long defined its work. Staged in the intimate setting of The Hobgoblin Playhouse, the production reaffirms the company’s commitment to bold new plays by living writers.
Looking Ahead
Imago is only the beginning. Theatre Unleashed will announce further productions and programming in the coming months, as the company builds on this return to full-scale work. Audiences and press are encouraged to join the mailing list and follow the company on social media for first word on what’s next.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Title: Imago (World Premiere)
Playwright: Wendy Gough Soroka
Director: Richard Piatt
Presented by: Theatre Unleashed, in association with Fierce Mama Productions
Venue: The Hobgoblin Playhouse, 1516 N. Gardner St., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Performances: September 24 – October 10, 2026 · Thursdays–Saturdays at 7:30pm
Run time: 2 hours · Ages 13+
Tickets: $30 General Admission
Box office: https://events.thestagecrafts.com/projects/15261?tab=details
About Theatre Unleashed
Founded in 2008 by a team of nine artists looking to carve out their own space in the Los Angeles theatrical landscape, the mission of Theatre Unleashed is a critically acclaimed non-profit theatre ensemble now resident at The Hobgoblin Playhouse. Its mission is to embody original stories, shed light upon lesser-known works by known playwrights, and put new twists on old favorites; all for discerning Los Angeles audiences. New company website coming soon. In the meantime, find us on all major social platforms at @TheatreUnleashed.
About Fierce Mama Productions
Fierce Mama Productions is an independent production company founded by dynamic Los Angeles creative multi-hyphenate Soda Persi. Soda is a longtime ensemble member at Theatre Unleashed and is proud to be the driving force behind the premiere of Imago.
About The Hobgoblin Playhouse
The Hobgoblin Playhouse is a 50-seat black box theater located at 1516 N. Gardner St., Los Angeles, CA 90046, managed by The StageCrafts. A home for adventurous independent theatre in the heart of Hollywood, The Hobgoblin hosts festivals, world premieres, and genre work throughout the year. TheHobgoblinPlayhouse.com.
About Wendy Gough Soroka
Wendy Gough Soroka is a Los Angeles–based multi-hyphenate theatre artist: playwright, actor, director, and mask artist. Her playwriting began with the solo show The Divine Madness of Isabella, which earned her the Women in Theatre Red Carpet Award, and continued with the full-length CAKE (Theatre Unleashed, 2015) and short plays produced at festivals worldwide. As an actor, she has appeared onstage in Los Angeles as Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Desdemona in Othello, Esther Summerson in the acclaimed Bleak House, and the title role in The Devil’s Bride, among many others. She holds a Master’s in Theatre from the Hilberry Repertory (Wayne State) and a BFA from UC Santa Barbara, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, SAG-AFTRA, and Actors’ Equity. Offstage, she is a voracious reader, devoted dog-lover, and third-degree black belt in American Kenpo Karate who serves as Communications & Education Coordinator at Motion Picture Costumers, IATSE Local 705. WendyGoughSoroka.com
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