UCSB’s Launch Pad series celebrates 10 years with ‘The Talented Ones’

From left, director Risa Brainin and playwright Yussef El Guindi work with actors Emily Newsome, who plays the older Cindy and Roberto Tolentino, who plays the 30-year-old Omar. David Bazemore
From left, director Risa Brainin and playwright Yussef El Guindi work with actors Emily Newsome, who plays the older Cindy and Roberto Tolentino, who plays the 30-year-old Omar.
David Bazemore

In recognition of its 10th anniversary, UCSB’s Launch Pad series, which gives playwrights the space to create new work for the audience’s benefit, has brought in multiple award-winning playwright Yussef El Guindi, the British transplant whose plays have long documented the immigrant experience both in America and the UK.

“The Talented Ones,” which opens this Thursday for a five-show run, is a play in progress, but this is no table read. Launch Pad gives playwrights much more.

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