ArtsUP! LA’s Theatre by the Blind, the only all-blind theatre company in the USA, proudly presents the World Premiere of OFF KEY by Christopher Ureña featuring an all-blind cast at THE BLUE DOOR in Culver City from February 28 to March 14, 2026.
LA. The Theatre by the Blind cast features (in alphabetical order) James J. Alvarez, Ronnie “Talksho” Chism, Miguel Casillas Clarin, Melanie Hernandez, Julio Hoyos, Leela Kazerouni, Joslyn Marquez, Maliaka S. Mitchell, Marvin Dexter Moore, David Lee Rickman II, Matthew Saracho, Myrachele Thomas, and Jennifer Vazquez.
Set in a smoky, late-night jazz club, the play follows Candi (Maliaka S. Mitchell), a once-celebrated matchmaker whose business – and confidence – are falling apart. As Marvin (Marvin Dexter Moore) the jazz piano player underscores the action, she juggles a series of disastrously mismatched dates, each couple revealing more about her own fears of failure, loneliness, and control.
When fantasy collides with reality, Candi’s trainee Doreen (Joslyn Marquez) is forced to confront a painful truth – she has been searching for love instead of living inside it. Through music and honesty, Doreen’s journey culminates in an unexpected revelation about her own life.
Between improvised music and overheard confessions, the matchmaker begins to realize that her obsession with perfect pairings has kept her from listening to the messy human rhythms of real connection. By the final set, the club becomes a place not of romance solved, but of vulnerability shared – and a chance for Candi to start over.
The production is directed by Greg Shane, Artistic Director of ArtsUP! LA, and produced by Bryan Caldwell, Executive Director of ArtsUP! LA.
General admission tickets are $20, available online at https://www.artsupla.org or at the box office starting a half hour prior to the performance.
