Join us May 1-3 in the screening room at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in San Francisco for pay-what-you-can, professional readings of 5 new works of fiction — a TV pilot, screenplay, play, and 2 books — focused on social and environmental solutions!
Each performance will include a brief presentation from the writer, a little about WBI, and a post-reading reception.
THANK YOU to WBI’s incredible community of founding artists, donors, board members and advisors who made today and all of our work possible! Special thanks to:
Paper Cranes Charitable Fund, Jane & Peter Loeb, Partners in Justice International, Tom Swift, The Financial Avengers, Univ. of Maryland, Baltimore County, Edith Ott, John Kikuchi & Debra Coggins, Brady Lea & David Gallagher, Lynn Mostoller & Kathryn McKnight, Jerome Gentes, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
Founded in 2023, World Builders Incubator (WBI) is working to speed the pace of progress! To do this we’re bringing thought leaders and artists together for the creation of new works that uplift social and environmental solutions. In early 2024, WBI began a beta test of our fiction development process, the Story Arc, with a Beta Cohort of intrepid writers. Over the next 2 years, with intensive support from WBI, the writers created solutions-focused works in their chosen genres and mediums.
The resulting new works that will be presented May 1-3 are uplifting solutions for: climate change; immigration; financial literacy; intergenerational trauma; and mental health care stigma.
In WBI’s full Story Arc process, each writer will receive a commission and have a Story Team consisting of: the writer + a chosen collaborator + a thought leader for their specific issue + a producer/publisher who agrees from the beginning to produce/publish the final work + WBI.
There were no Story Teams or commissions during the beta test, but each writer had ongoing support from WBI, extensive solutions information, and input from a host of renowned dramaturgs.
The May 1-3 public readings are being held to:
• Create professional videos for agents, producers, and publishers
• Celebrate these writers and their immense accomplishment
• Launch WBI
• Dispel some darkness with these beautiful narrative lanterns
Issue: Climate Change
Solution: Multiple Frontline Solutions
In this young adult fantasy novel, Lily ventures out into a desert filled with ancient gods to seek solutions for her drought-stricken city. What she finds is the lush world of cherished myths. This book turns dystopia on its head by reminding us that there is always a better way when we band together to create the possible.
Friday, May 1 | 2:00 pm
Approximate Run Time: 2 hours
YBCA Screening Room
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
Doors open at 1:30 pm
Reception to follow in the YBCA Lounge
Issue: Climate Change Adaptation
Solution: Mutual Aid
This beautiful play intertwines realism, surrealism, dance, multimedia, micro-algae, and a talking dog! During a life-threatening storm in New York, a coalition of Gen Z mutual aid activists band together with the leaders of a Boomer wealth distribution network to provide shelter for hundreds of stranded residents in Baltimore. This high-stakes drama highlights the tensions between philanthropy and activism, the challenges and impacts of collaborative action, and the deeply encoded interdependence that is the open path to our best potential.
This exciting new play will be produced in Baltimore in 2027!
Saturday, May 2 | 11:30 AM
Approximate Run Time: 2 hours
YBCA Screening Room
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
Doors open at 11:00 am
Reception to follow in the YBCA Lounge
Issue: Financial Literacy
Solution: The Rules of the Financial Avengers
This genre-bending, bawdy memoir is both heart-wrenching and hilarious! Our hero arrives in San Francisco in the ‘90s as an HIV-positive man with a mountain of “I’m going to die anyway” debt, and an iron-clad guarantee that his end is imminent — only to discover he’s going to live! In the face of oppressive forces, we witness the origin story of a unique hero — Captain of the Financial Avengers! This is an uplifting romp and solutions-filled rallying cry of “Financial freedom!” for anyone under the boot heel of the American Dream.
Saturday, May 2 | 2:30 pm
Approximate Run Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, including intermission
YBCA Screening Room
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
Doors open at 2:00 pm
Reception to follow in the YBCA Lounge
Issue: Immigration
Solution: Pluralism
In this near-future dramedy TV pilot, a person’s country of origin is no longer a barrier to any kind of study, job, travel, or dream. When a rag-tag group of grad students are given an unexpected opportunity, they choose to document the stories of the last, pre-reform U.S. immigrants. Think: Community meets the Holocaust Project. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, the show shines a light on a world that’s within our reach while also uplifting the harrowing experiences of present-day immigrants.
Sunday, May 3 | 11:30 am
Approximate Run Time: 90 minutes
YBCA Screening Room
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
Doors open at 11:00 am
Reception to follow in the YBCA Lounge
Issue: Intergenerational trauma
Solution: Destigmatizing mental health care
This utterly delightful, hilarious, and touching screenplay follows a family who is sent to mandatory therapy. Think: Prince of Tides meets Kim’s Convenience. From the first absurd moments, these characters become friends that we’re rooting for while their path toward healing is gently lit with compassion and joy.
Sunday, May 3 | 2:00 pm
Approximate Run Time: 2 hours 45 minutes, including intermission
YBCA Screening Room
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
Doors open at 1:30 pm
Reception to follow in the YBCA Lounge
The main entrance is at 701 Mission Street and the Screening Room is upstairs from the main lobby.
For more information, visit the YBCA website.
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