Five Flights by Adam Bock is the story of three siblings deciding what to do with the enormous aviary their late father built for his deceased wife, whose soul, he believed, had transformed into the body of a wren. It’s a comedy. His grown children are faced with the dilemma of what to do with the crumbling structure. Folded into this debate are issues of grief, religious conviction, fear of commitment, the way Russian ballet resembles a hockey game, and the courtship of Ed by Tom, a gay professional hockey player. 

What critics say about the script:

"A rare discovery in a new play -- an intricately constructed comedy about love and grief that is incredibly funny, surprisingly touching and soaring with joyful humanity... The play's skylarking structure combined with Bock's haunting substance makes this a not-to-be-missed theatrical triumph..."

                                                AJ Esta, Back Stage

"A buoyant new comedy... Five Flights has a wonderful, limber lightness. You feel good, lifted up, watching it. Only a sweet regret lingers at the end, when it is time to leave these characters and go home..."

Steve Winn, San Francisco Chronicle

What I say about this script:

Five Flights makes my heart dance. It’s about the courage to love, to move into life even when we are afraid. It’s about dancing with fear until it transforms into hope and we dance with life. That’s why I want to produce Five Flights. I want to share what it brings to my heart with everyone that sees it or that hears it or that is part of it. I want to share it with you.

Short answer: Because plays cost money and I don’t have enough. Long answer: As this campaign kicks off, I have raised almost $900 of my $5,000 goal. Rehearsals are underway and tickets are on sale. Unfortunately, ticket sales rarely cover the full cost of a production and even though this play is budgeted very tightly I still need your financial help to bring it off. I need funds to pay for the scripts and the performance rights. I have paid the deposits for the rehearsal and performances venues but I need additional funds to pay the rent and to pay the professional fees of the designers, actors, and crew members. There are also the unseen costs of producing a play: administration, marketing, printing, legal and insurance fees.  All of these cost money and so I need your financial help to create this beautiful play.

I’m H Lynn Smith, founder, CEO, artistic director, and staff for IAMSHE Productions. I have over forty years’ experience in theater and communications. I have strong team-oriented directing skills that I use to create strong, creative, powerful ensembles.  I recently (2015) graduated from Mary Baldwin University Summa cum Laude with distinction in Arts Management. My early years include training in experiential theater with the Norfolk Theatre Company (NTC), workshops with the Polish Lab Theatre at NTC and with the touring company of The Royal Shakespeare Company at Old Dominion University. I served on the Board of Chamberlayne Actors Theatre for 25 years, four of them as President of the Board. My directorial credits include Painting Churches, The Lion in Winter, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, And Then There Were None, The Art of Dining, Kitchen Witches, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, Sherlock Holmes the Final Adventure, I Hate Hamlet, and more.  I am an experienced Production Manager having produced several shows including; The Dining Room, Wyrd Sisters, Catfish Moon,and Alone Together.When I can squeeze it in I love to act. I believe that theater should not only reflect the world around us but it should show us what we could be and advocate for change. Theater should help us explore new ideas, thoughts, and relationships as well as encourage us to be better.

In 2011, I created IAMSHE Productions and, with Terry Menefee Gau,  produced the acclaimed Pirates of the Chemotherapy by Paul Schutte as a benefit for the Massey Cancer Center. After covering all costs we were able to donate $3,500 to the Massey Cancer Center. We produced Pirates as a tribute to friends killed by cancer but also because it offered roles for six (!) strong women. Since that production, I have looked at theater differently.  I realized that women are drastically under-represented and often misrepresented in theater. I think it’s time to change that. Five Flights is the launch of IAMSHE Productions and is a direct descendent of how Pirates of the Chemotherapy changed my relationship with theater. I hope that after supporting this successful production of Five Flights, you will continue to follow IAMSHE Productions as we move forward with our mission of creating equity for women in theater. Thank you for your support as we move forward with this dream.

 “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in your soul” Emily Dickinson





Five Flights by Adam Bock is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Five Flights by Adam Bock must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.