Producing Artistic Director John Lant of Write Act Repertory
is pleased to announce
FINAL RESTING PLACE
“A dramatic portrayal aimed at shedding light on the often-silenced issue of violence against women.”
part of
Theater Resources Unlimited’s
TRU Voices Play Reading Series – August 17 | 4 p.m. EST
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) hasannounced the TRU Voices reading of Ali MacLean’s FINAL RESTING PLACE, a hybrid live/virtual performance. FINAL RESTING PLACE by Ali MacLean will be presented via live stream on August 17 at 4pm EDT.
FINAL RESTING PLACE is a live-stream event shining a light on violence against women in the current age of multi & social media. This story gives a voice to women whose deaths are sensationalized, but whose stories often go untold. The project is a composite of monologues from a diverse group of women, some are victims from beyond the grave, some are family left behind, and others are survivors who remain nameless while the killer has become famous.
This post-shutdown reboot of TRU’s popular series is a live/virtual hybrid. We are pleased to announce that directly after the event there will be TRU’s “Dollars and Sense” industry talk back with special guest Kimberly Harris of Women’s HQ. A domestic violence survivor and advocate, Ms. Harris lead 1-1 crisis management for victims of domestic and physical violence, and was a democratic special advisor to the past White House and Congressional administrations. https://womenshq.org/about-us/
Final Resting Place is a theatrical event that gives a voice to women whose deaths are sensationalized, but whose stories often go untold. The play is a composite of monologues from a diverse group of women who have crossed paths with the same serial killer. Some are victims from beyond the grave, some are family left behind. Others are survivors who remain nameless while the killer has become a household name.
These confessions are intertwined with a satirical, behind-the-scenes peek at a slasher movie franchise based on the murders as well as a dialogue between two true crime loving housewives. Soon the audience can’t tell fact from fiction. And that is exactly what Final Resting Place hopes to highlight. Our country’s obsession with true crime, murder podcasts, and horror porn flicks that have made the killing of women America’s favorite pastime.
The cast includes film, television and theater veterans Allison Blaize, Seamus Dever, Ali MacLean, Judith Feingold, Cheryl Games, Alina Gloria Garcia, TT Jones, Anamari Mesa, Nikki Neurohr, Eileen Sugameil, Alison Wien and Jasmine Reneé Williamson.
It is directed by award-winning Kathryn Keats, written by award-winning playwright, actor, and television writer Ali MacLean, and produced by award-winning and entertainment veteran John Lant in association with Write Act Repertory and Tin Mirror Studios. Technical Producers are Tamra Pica, Spiro Prekas with team members of TRU.
Tickets may be purchased, and the virtual link accessed,
at https://truonline.org/events/final-resting-place/
Final Resting Place, written by Ali MacLean, is a powerful reckoning with our culture’s obsession with the murder of women, and the way those tragedies are monetized for entertainment. As a survivor and lifelong member of the entertainment industry, I’m honored to direct this vital film that gives voice to the silenced and challenges the industry to do better. — Kathryn Keats, Director
“America’s obsession with true crime and the sensationalism of violence against women is an epidemic. We are so desensitized to the bloody deaths of real women, that we see it as entertainment. As a nation we glorify the perpetrators, turning them into rockstars, while the victims and their families go forgotten. This play is purposefully filled with triggering moments. Though these scenes may not be as bloody or bleak as the horror film at the local multiplex, it is supposed to make one feel uncomfortable. For when we are uncomfortable, we are often prompted to change. My hope is that audience members who have been conditioned to view violence with a dispassionate emotional distance, will now view survivors with understanding and empathy.” — Ali MacLean, Playwright
This is a Virtual Live Stream that you must be pre-registered by 12 noon on August 17, 2025.
The material is sensitive and has issues dealing with domestic, physical and mental abuse as told in the event.
A donation of any amount is appreciated so we can continue the journey of this important play. The producers will also donate to anti-violence non-profits. In addition, we are pleased to announce that we will be joined by Kimberly Harris of Women’s HQ.
For more information and registration to this live stream event – www.truonline.org/event
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Ali MacLean:
Ali MacLean is a writer, actor, director, and mental health advocate in LA. She’s won/placed in over 60 competitions including winning: John Gassner, Julie Harris, She NYCArts, O’Neill, New American Voices, Women’s Playwriting Prize UK, Orchard Project, ICWP Oestreicher Award, and Lincoln Center Music Theater AACR. She has been awarded three grants from the California Coalition of the Arts. Ali’s prose won the
David Sedaris Writing Prize.
She was a finalist at O’Neill, Ojai, Moxie, Pegasus, Kitchen Dog, New American Voices, Orchard Project, Creede Rep, Garry Marshall, Parity, Women’s Playwriting UK, and more. Developed/produced by: The Road, Theatre 40, Playwrights Realm, EST/LA, Antaeus, 24 Hour Plays, Arcola UK, White Bear, Lincoln Center, Citadel of Playwrights (Resident Artist). Ali has been nominated for Broadway World Awards and MethodFest as Best Actor, Play, and Director.
She’s won and screened at several film festivals, including Atlanta, Toronto, Palm Springs, Slamdance, and Gen Art. Ali is a Coverfly-Endorsed screenwriter, Women In Film Mentee, with fellowships from Writers For Writers, Stowe Story Labs, RespectAbility, Black Magic Writer’s Collective, and 1in4 Coalition. TV Credits: MTV, VH-1, FOX, Showtime, Pop TV. Published by: Nation, Applause, andSmith & Kraus Books.
Ali is a teaching artist for The Unusual Suspects Theater Company in Los Angeles, and is a Talent Ambassador for MTV’s Mental Health Action Day. She is also on the advisory board at Peace Over Violence. Ali is a member of EST/LA, The Honor Roll, the Sundance Collective, the Dramatists Guild, and the Pet Co.Rewards Program. www.alimaclean.com
Kathryn Keats
Kathryn Keats is a Drama Critics’ Circle Award-winning artist, playwright, performance artist, creative director, and producer living in Brooklyn, NY.
Her solo beat musical The Hummingbird—a raw and deeply personal exploration of compassion, survival, and healing—was developed in residency at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Ground Floor and commissioned by The Marsh Theatre in San Francisco.
Her latest work, Roofing, written by her late son Andrew J.J. Conti and co-written with Keats and Dr. Senadhi Parakrama, is a serio-comedic play about nine people in recovery. After a ten-week workshop, it premiered to sold-out audiences in California in 2024 and is currently in development for an Off-Broadway run.
Keats also co-developed the award-winning dramatic play 180 Days – To Die To Live with Marsh founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman.
Born Ellen Christian Munger, Keats was an emerging musical theatre performer when her life was upended. Her former collaborator, suffering from untreated schizophrenia and addiction, held her captive for 54 days. This experience led to a precedent-setting trial in Oakland, California. With the help of the Victim Witness Assistance Program, she changed her identity and lived anonymously for over two decades. In 2005, after her abuser’s death, she reclaimed her voice and returned to the public stage under her new name.
Today, Keats uses her art to amplify stories of recovery, resilience, and renewal. She is a featured speaker and performer for organizations including Reimagine, Arts Heal, Sam Lamott’s Hello Humans, the YWCA, the Center for Domestic Peace, and many others.
Keats is a board member of the Sonoma Foundation for Behavioral Health (SFBH) and contributes to the development of original productions through the SFBH Andrew Conti Workshop, inspiring people in recovery to tell their stories through performance.
Kathryn Keats is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA, BMI, and Theatre Resources Unlimited (TRU). https://linktr.ee/kathrynkeats
Kimberly Harris
Women’s HQ – Helping Today. Changing Lives Tomorrow. Ms. Harris’ mentors women 1:1 on work-life balance and inspirational parenting while overcoming adversity and surviving domestic violence. She works tirelessly to continue in helping sister survivors reach their full potential regardless of the barriers violence presents. Ms. Harris vows to continue her work in helping other women bridge their “From Trauma to Triumph” at Women’s HQ where a culturally specific and holistic approach is combined with evidence-based modalities. Through the programming, primarily Black and brown women in Washington, D. C. will participate in Survivor-centered wellness, career enhancement, and financial literacy programming. Ms. Harris received her Bachelor of Arts in Management from The Catholic University of America, and has her Executive Masters in Leadership from Georgetown University.
Her experience with nonprofit operations, management, and oversight spans more than twenty years in Washington, D. C. She is an active member of the Client Leadership Council for Feeding America/Capital Area Food Bank partnership and currently serves as Co-Chair for the D. C. Department of Human Services’ Family Rehousing & Stabilization (FRSP) Task Force. Ms. Harris previously served as a Director for Dress for Success DC Professional Women’s Group. Ms. Harris previously served as an Ambassador for The United State of Women and remains active with the organization.In 2000, Ms. Harris sounded the alarm about environmental justice. As a guest speaker during a White House News Briefing in December 2000, she spoke forcefully about how Improving Air Quality impacts children in low-poverty communities in America, along with then Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner, and President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff, John Podesta. In 2016, Ms. Harris was selected to attend the White House Summit on The United State of Women for President Barack Obama’s administration where she advocated for a whole-of-government approach to her key issues. Her approach also recognizes the need for a whole-of-society reckoning with immigration practices that continue to allow harm. She has traveled to El Paso Texas to help serve in the community of Hispanic and Latino immigrants and has studied the impacts immigration has on Hispanic women and children. Ms. Harris is a mother, survivor and advocate.
She will join the talkback panelists.
TRU’s “Dollars and Sense” industry talkback following the reading will include R.K. Greene of The Storyline Project, producer (Beau the Musical; previous: Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar: The Musical, Room Service); Lorca Peress, artistic director of MultiStages Theater Company; Ric Wanetik, (Tony nominated Twilight Los Angeles: 1992, Broadway’s Marlene, Broadway and National Tour Matilda the Musical, Off-Broadway’s Jolson and Company; 2024-25 South Florida premieres of Fat Ham and The NEW Fantasticks) and senior advisor for America to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC).
For more information and registration to this eventwww.truonline.org/event
ALI MacLEAN 