Performed on the beaches of Southern California, Second Skin returns to the origins of theater as stories told around a fire.

written by the award-winning playwright
Kristin Idaszak

directed by
Kate Jopson

performed by
Claire Kaplan
Sarah Halford
Susannah Rea-Downing

designed by
JR Bruce

produced by
Sam Hunter
JR Bruce

A Words in the World
Workshop Presentation
by The West
and The Flagship Ensemble

When Quinn discovers her estranged mother is dying, she returns home. As she cares for her mother, Quinn wrestles with disturbing childhood memories. What is her mother's secret? What do the Irish bedtime stories of Selkies her mother once told her really mean?

Told in three interconnected monologues, Second Skin investigates the fraught relationship between mothers and daughters, and how one mistake can reverberate across generations.

Photos by Jim Carmody

Production History

Annenberg Beachfront
Santa Monica Beach
Los Angeles

April 24 - May 15

Westmont Fringe Festival
Westmont College
Santa Barbara

April 15 - 16

Isla Vista Arts
Depressions Beach
Santa Barbara

April 14 at 7pm

La Jolla Shores
San Diego

April 1 - 3

“Ingenious choice of The West and The Flagship Ensemble to produce Idaszak's piece (with integral elements of water) actually near the wave-crashing shoreline.”

—Broadway World Los Angeles

“Love is an implacable force of nature, Second Skin poignantly insists, with the power to imperil as well as redeem.”

—LA Weekly

“A startlingly beautifully done play that’s deceptively simple, subtle, and dreamlike.”

—Stage Raw

“Dazzling to watch.”

—San Diego Story

“Idaszak’s writing is often beautiful, lyrical and evocative. . . .
Under Jopson’s direction, the three performances are potent, and at times, spine-tingling.”

—Times of San Diego