First of all, TIP YOUR SERVERS! Second of all, don’t leave your children unattended at a restaurant! That gives us the ick. Sorry! We’re Closed! is an absurdist, dark comedy, written by Sammi Gainer and Ndanu Mutisya, following a day in the life of a service worker. Set in a small jazz club in Manhattan, we meet a ragtag group of servers fighting to survive paycheck to paycheck. They work to accomplish their dreams all while dealing with the New York elite (gag me with a spoon). While it is a comedy, it is meant to reflect and reveal major issues within feminism, racism, and toxic work culture. Let's just say shit gets real. If you don’t laugh, you’ll certainly cry! Awesome!
For five years, Sammi Gainer (Actor, Writer, Director) has kept a notes app on her phone, writing down some absurd experiences she has had while working in a restaurant. She has always wanted to work on a play that creates a space to show how ridiculous it can be working in customer service. Even though service workers make up almost half of the New York work force, these conversations are not often part of our collective concious. So… she started writing. Soon after, she met Ndanu Mutisya (Actor, Musician, Designer, and Writer) at an audition they THOUGHT went well. After their callback, they grabbed a cup of coffee and became fast friends as they pondered the sustainability of their careers as servers and artists (they both had eight hour shifts that night). They started to write together and produced their first staged reading at Makers Ensemble in October of 2023.
They are happy to announce that in May 2024 their work will primer at the New York Summer Theater Festival where they hope to workshop this piece and take it to stages across the city! Casting will be in January, rehearsals starting February, and a fundraiser in March. As they are eager to watch their work take its’ final form, they are excited to discuss further production and publication!
If you want to be apart of the making, there is a go fund me link that can be found on Sammi’s instagram!