emily dendinger

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately!

Pocketful of Sand will have a reading in New York in June as part of the Alliance/Kendeda National Playwriting Award.

Still Quiet will have a reading in New York in July with the Navigators. Very excited to work on this play about alien abductees with this brand new, sci-fi theatre company!

Just finished a brand new YA adaptation of Pride and Prejudice for Mudlark Theatre running May 7-10 and May 14-17.

Working on a new adaptation of Alice in Wonderland with my dear friend and collaborator David Hanzal premiering May 14-17 in Minneapolis.

Working on a short piece for Chicago LiveWire Theatre’s VisionFest. More details soon!

Invited to return for a second year as part of TimeLine Theatre’s Writer’s Collective to continue working on my lady magician play, The Grand Illusion Show.

A brand new adaptation of Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid that I co-wrote with Kristi Banker, Carol MacVey and our killer cast opens this Thursday night at the University of Iowa and runs this weekend and next! If you’re in the area, definitely check it out!

The Imaginary Invalid

adapted by Emily Dendinger, Kristi Banker, Carol MacVey and cast

directed by Carol MacVey

An aging hypochondriac with a miserly streak, Argan decides the key to solving his medical needs is to marry off his daughter to a doctor. Unfortunately for him, his gold-digging wife, his wise-cracking maid, and his daughter have other ideas. A fun, fresh take on Molière’s most often produced comedy; this new adaptation takes a close look at the medical industry, the source of many of Argan’s ills. With comic disguises, feigned deaths, an improvised opera, and Molière’s brilliant wit, The Imaginary Invalid could be just what the doctor ordered for a fun evening in the theatre.

 Tickets and more information can be found here: https://theatre.uiowa.edu/production/mainstage/imaginary-invalid

A FREE staged reading and discussion of
POCKETFUL OF SAND
by Emily Dendinger

The Black Duck
1800 North Halsted St.

Directed by Krista D’Agostino
Featuring: Erika Geller, Fred Geyer, and Robert Koon
Dramaturg: Jenni Page-White

Pocketful of Sand tells the story of an old man named Coco who harvests souls from bodies he pulls from the sea, and how he comes to teach his trade to a young orphan girl named Sunny. As the more sinister aspects of Coco’s work begin to emerge, Sunny must decide for herself whether or not the work they are doing outweighs the costs. Her choice is further complicated with the arrival of a child soldier named Cork, who offers her a life she never even dreamed possible. Pocketful of Sand asks the question what does it mean to die, and how far are we willing to go to help the lives of others?

Join us at The Black Duck on Sunday, August 11th at 7:30 pm for our next installment of our series! Grab a drink, order some food, and wrap up your weekend with a Chicago premiere reading.

LiveWire Chicago’s Unplugged Reading Series seeks to connect our community to scripts at their most personal; that intimate place where the words and the world of a play are first heard before the rest of the production follows. Unplugged presents scripts in various stages of completion–from first drafts to published pieces–that have never before been produced on a Chicago stage.

LiveWire Unplugged is a FREE reading series. Donations welcome. Food and beverages will be available for you to purchase from the bar.