Laila Robins, Abbey Lee, and Maria Habeeb join Joe Calarco's AMERICA'S MOM industry presentation
An honest, funny, heartfelt play that confronts the epidemic of estrangement running rampant through so many families today.
DEBRA OLSHAN-COOPER
Proudly Presents
AMERICA’S MOM
A Play By JOE CALARCO
Starring
LAILA ROBINS, ABBEY LEE, MARIA HABEEB
Directed by HANNAH RYAN
INDUSTRY READING
OPEN JAR STUDIOS
JUNE 24, 2026
DEBRA OLSHAN-COOPER is pleased to announce the industry reading of Joe Calarco’s AMERICA’S MOM, directed by Hannah Ryan on Wednesday, June 24. To request an invite, please email info@ampersandtheatrical.com.
AMERICA'S MOM is an honest, funny, heartfelt play that confronts the epidemic of estrangement running rampant through so many families today. Sitcom star Valerie Simmons is making her Broadway debut, a long-held goal that Hollywood fame and wealth had shoved to the back burner. Following a performance one rainy night, her daughter Stevie, who had initiated no contact with her mother five years earlier, shows up at her dressing room door with no warning. Trapped by a storm, mother and daughter are forced to confront their conflicting memories, grapple with the lost time, and face the difficult truths that drove them apart.
The production stars Laila Robins (Bway: Heartbreak House, Frozen. Film and TV: Planes, Trains) as Valerie, Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road, Black Rabbit) as Stevie, and Maria Habeeb (Off-Bway: The Gospel According to Heather) as Marta.
AMERICA'S MOM “shines a light on a profound and often misunderstood silent epidemic facing 70 million people known as estrangement. The cut-off culture is reaching an all-time high, and the play focuses on the unspoken pain that even though apart physically, remains emotionally,” remarks producer Olshan-Cooper. “AMERICA'S MOM examines what happens when a mother and a daughter come together after five years apart to bring their wounds, heartache, hurts, and secrets to the table. The play is a beautifully written story by Joe Calarco. It puts into words the deep feelings and pain of those who are estranged and in desperate need of being heard.“
Stage directions will be read by Kelly Pekar, and Kelly Martindale is the stage manager. General management by Ampersand Theatrical Management. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.
Running Time: 90 minutes
JOE CALARCO (Playwright) Published work includes Shakespeare’s R&J (Lucille Lortel Award), Walter Cronkite is Dead (included in The Best Stage Monologues of 2013), In the Absence of Spring (included in The Best Stage Scenes of 2004), A Measure of Cruelty (included in The Best Stage Monologues of 2013), Separate Rooms (included in The Best Men’s and Women’s Monologues of 2020), and 20 plays for teens including, Revolution, Hero Worship, 295N, Smile Lines, 12 Million Footsteps, The Spoken Word, Winter Break and Spring Break. Other adaptations include Well Met By Moonlight and Antigone Renewed, which had its first workshop at the National Theater in London. He is the book writer for the musicals The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, which had its West End premiere in conjunction with Mercury Musical Developments and its U.S. premier at Barrington Stage Company, Golden Gate (developed at Second Stage and at Lincoln Center), and he was a contributing book writer of the Drama Desk Award-winning The Audience. He was resident playwright at Expanded Arts for two years, is one of New York Theater Workshop's Usual Suspects, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild. Current plays in development: America’s Mom and 1987.
HANNAH RYAN (Director) Broadway: Hamilton, An American in Paris, Curious Incident, Doctor Zhivago & 700 Sundays. Australia & Switzerland: An American in Paris. Regional: Gypsy, Love, Loss and What I Wore, Sally and Long Drive Home (Theatre Aspen), Carol of the Bells (Goodspeed), Vilna: A Resistance Story (The Ebell of Los Angeles), Spring Awakening (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music), Confidence and The Speech (Theatre Row), Roe (Post Theatre Co.) All Dressed Up (Redhouse) Riot Song (Joe's Pub) Every Path (La Jolla Playhouse & Moxie Theatre) Sally (Alabama Shakespeare Festival) Still Life (Keller Gallery) The Guys (Davenport Theatre) Ascended (Zoetic Stage) Let's Misbehave (Mr. Finn’s Cabaret) Cendrillon & Gianni Schicchi (Point Loma Opera) Member of SDC, Drama League Director’s Project, SDC Foundation Denham Fellow. Hannahmryan.com
DEBRA OLSHAN-COOPER makes her producing debut with America's Mom, a play she commissioned and passionately brought to life through Joe Calarco's brilliant writing. With a keen eye for storytelling and a commitment to projects that resonate deeply with audiences, Debra combines creative vision with strategic insight to shepherd productions from concept to meaningful narratives that explore family, identity, and the nuances of contemporary life.
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