Paula Cizmar is a playwright whose work often combines poetry and politics and is concerned with the way stories get told in a culture—and with who or what gets left out of the discussion.  Her work has been produced at Portland Stage Company, the Women’s Project (New York), the Jungle Theatre (Minneapolis), San Diego Rep, Passage Theatre (NJ), and Playwrights Arena @ LATC, among others.  New plays include January,  which was presented in New York in March 2016 as part of the New Play Development Series at MultiStages Theatre, and The Last Nights of Scheherazade, the recipient of the 2016 Israel Baran Award.  The Chisera (AKA Lost Borders), was selected for the 2016 Mach 33 Festival of Science-Driven Plays.  Set in the Owens Valley in both the past and in the present, The Chisera tells a story of climate change and water—or the lack of it.  Another of her eco-theatre plays is Water Rites, presented as a concert reading at Visions and Voices in 2016.  Paula has received commissions from Center Theatre Group, Salt Lake Acting Company, Echo Theatre, Portland Stage Company, and Playwrights Arena.  Among her many awards are an NEA grant and a TCG/Mellon On the Road grant.   She is one of the authors of the documentary theatre piece, Seven, which has been translated into 20+ languages and has been performed in 32 countries. She is an Associate Professor of Theatre in Playwriting at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts.  More information: www.paulacizmar.com