Behind the Scenes: Ipsheeta Furtado’s DISTANCED DATES
The second annual PlayGround Free-Play Festival, a fringe-style free-admission three-week showcase of new works by Bay Area artists, concludes this week with the premiere of Ipsheeta Furtado’s DISTANCED DATES, presented by Network Effects Theater, August 25-27 at 7pm PDT at Potrero Stage and simulcast. We recently spoke with Ipsheeta to get a behind-the-scenes look at her upcoming show.
About the Play
DISTANCED DATES is a new full-length play about dating during a global pandemic, presented by Network Effects Theater.
About the Playwright
IPSHEETA FURTADO, she/her, is a technology entrepreneur by day and, by night, she writes and performs theatrical art. She’s founded companies, consultancies, and adventure clubs. Her passion for theater started from a young age, memorizing musicals well before seeing them on stage and discovering basement shows in college. Ipsheeta weaves the supernatural into her writing where she highlights counter culture female characters, generational paradigms, and commentary on the technology economy. Ipsheeta serves on the Board of Directors for the Bay Area’s Shotgun Players, writes with PlaygroundSF’s Writers Pool, and is part of Voices of Our Nations Arts (VONA) Foundation and SF Writers Grotto Rooted & Written alumni. She co-founded The Network Effects Theater in 2023 to prevent passivity in the Bay Area. Ipsheeta holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics from UC Berkeley and prefers tea over coffee.
What should audiences expect from Distanced Dates?
IPSHEETA: This production is a developmental debut with actors from Empowerhouse Acting Studio (training in the Meisner technique). The relationships are tender and the circumstances are challenging.
Why this play and why now?
IF: Are we out of it? Really? How have we changed? Loneliness and the desire for companionship can shape someone’s perception of themselves. It’s not too early to examine how the pandemic has affected our choices when it comes to the biggest decisions in life.
Who is your favorite playwright and why?
IF: Caryl Churchill – because her dialogue is like a treasure map of tone and tension.
What is a hidden talent or something that audiences might be surprised to learn about you?
IF: I had never written a play before the pandemic and Distanced Dates was my first full-length piece.
For more information on the PlayGround Free-Play Festival or to reserve your free tickets (donations gratefully accepted and directly support the artists), click here.