Teaming up with my new husband
Almost six months into our marriage, my husband and I are producing our first officially-wedded collaboration: a ten-minute play we wrote together called Single Riders. The play will appear as part of Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA’s One Act Festival Fundraiser 2026.
Last winter, when we were engaged and marinating in wedding-planning, we took each other on a date to Disneyland. We spent a brisk off-season day standing in lines, rushing to other lines, trying to beat the unscheduled ride breakdowns, and watching other people experience being in line. Some people pass the hour-long waits by playing Heads Up; we did it by coming up with a play.
In a way, Single Riders belongs to both of my playwriting affiliate groups: Second Draft Los Angeles, where I am on the reading committee, and EST/LA New West, where I am now a deputy administrator. Second Draft was calling for Valentine’s Day-themed plays, which inspired the play, and EST/LA was calling for short plays for their festival, which brings it now to life.
What a ride!
SINGLE RIDERS
by Aubrey Clyburn & Marcello Padilla
directed by Marcello Padilla
starring Jacqueline Castañeda and Adam Mattson