Sorry! We're Closed!

About Sorry! We’re Closed:

First of all, TIP YOUR SERVERS! Second of all, don’t leave your children unattended at a restaurant! That’s weird. Third of all, 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 in the city and working on their dreams all while dealing with the New York elite. Everyone wants to pay the rent somehow. 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 cry, ya know?

About the writers:

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. So, she started writing. She then met Ndanu Mutisya (Actor, Musician, Designer, and Writer) at an audition who was also fed up with the service industry. They became fast friends and pondered the sustainability of their careers as servers and artists. They did this all over a cup of coffee after an audition that they THOUGHT went well. So they started to write together and did their first reading at Makers Ensemble in October of 2023.

Why do we need your help?

Respect can be better than just kind words. We believe in paying people for the amazing work that they do. We are looking to create a great team of people who will help us workshop this play at the New York Theatre Festival and we need funding to do so. Specifically:

Costumes

Props

Rehearsal space

Designer Fees

Other Production costs

Please donate what you can! Every dollar counts!

Follow us on social media!

@sammigainer

@ndanumutisya

@sorrywereclosedplay