“Lina Patel is that rare playwright who not only excites and entertains but proves over and again that a sharp intellect and the desire to explore ideas make for great theatre.”
– Jamil Khoury, Co-Executive Artistic Director, Silk Road Rising
THEATRE
SELECTED PLAYS
Full-Legth
TRACES OF DESIRE
A commission from UCLA and Playwright's Arena, "Traces of Desire", is a loose adaptation of the 15th century commedia, "The Widow of Valencia" by Félix Lope de Vega. Once upon a time in Bombay, a widowed Uma Bhatt refused a suitor. He was Muslim; she was Hindu. Unwilling to risk her reputation, she shunned her heart's desire. Shortly after this denial, Uma died. What might be the end of a tragic love story is, in fact, the spark that lights up this funny, soulful choral tale chronicling the struggles and pleasures of female sexuality over three generations in one Indian family. Exploring themes of female agency, transgression, and prejudice, the play asks, can desire be inherited?
SANKALPAN
A loose adaptation of Three Sisters set in pre-Partition Bengal.
RAGGED CLAWS
When Alec, the adopted Indian son of a power couple questions his mother's politics, family pain tumbles forth, like the tsunami about to consume Manhattan.
BONOBOS
Four women extricate a friend from a bad relationship. Chaos ensues. A darkly comedic telenovela for the stage, Bonobos looks at female friendships and loyalty and wonders, why can’t two wrongs equal a right?
SELECTED PLAYS
Short Plays
THE RANDOMNESS OF BEES
When Ryder moves to a new town and meets Charlotte, she finds the courage to tell her she’s adopted—well, at least on her second try. We follow the girls' evolving friendship from ages 9 to 15, when Charlotte moves away. And even as the world changes for Ryder, she may discover that a good friend can still be there for you, even when they’re not.
Available now in the anthology ALL OF US published by YouthPLAYS.
SWEET LIFE
Three misfits find community at a convenience store in a Texas town.
WIN
A couple is detained at LAX for dubious reasons.
INVOLUNTARY
Two liberals question their politics while setting up a polling station.
CANARY
Two cops get personal during a homicide investigation
On television, Lina has written for CW’s Frequency, DC’s Krypton, and Ava DuVernay’s Cherish the Day.