"The play chronicles the bittersweet connections that are often sparked between strangers at the time of unimaginable tragedy and the fragility of that condition that can also lead to frustrating missed connections. Patterson has created a touching and often humorous journey through the struggles that befall—and mostly strengthen—the lives of those afflicted." — Arts In LA Our lives can change in an instant. One moment you’re getting engaged, and a few surreal moments later you’re sitting with strangers in an ICU waiting room, praying your fiancé will survive a brain aneurysm. While waiting for Frank to wake from a coma, Ada meets Julia, Paul, and Josh, who are waiting for their mom to wake up. A tenuous friendship is born. I Wanna Hold Your Hand looks at life, death, and recovery, and what it means to try your hand at living again... NOMINEE , Stage Raw Awards, Best Playwriting Play Details I Wanna Hold Your Hand is a full-length play in two acts, with one intermission. Cast: 3 female, 3 male Genre: comedic drama Keywords: stroke, recovery, family, infidelity, health care, love Character Breakdown JULIA, 30s, an actress. PAUL, 30s, a good son. MARY JEAN, 60s, their mother. Recovering from a brain aneurysm. JOSH, 30s, also an actor. ADA, 30s, a book editor. FRANK, 30s, engaged to Ada. Recovering from a brain aneurysm and a stroke, suffers from aphasia. "I Wanna Hold Your Hand contains so much hope and love and new beginnings and is absolutely comforting. Well-thought out, rooted, artistic writing, capturing the laughable and sometimes dark complexities of human nature." — Gia On the Move About the Author Erik Patterson 's plays include He Asked For It , Sick , One of the Nice Ones , Handjob , and I Wanna Hold Your Hand . His theater work has been produced or developed by Playwrights’ Arena, the Los Angeles Theatre Centre, Theatre of NOTE, the Evidence Room, The Actors’ Gang, the Echo Theater Company, the Lark Play Development Center, Moving Arts, Black Dahlia, Naked Angels, the Mark Taper Forum, and New Group. His plays have been nominated for the Ovation Award, the Stage Raw Award, the LA Weekly Award, and the GLAAD Media Award. His writing for TV has been recognized with the Humanitas Prize and the Writer's Guild Award, as well as two Emmy nominations. Along with his writing partner, Jessica Scott, Erik has written films for Warner Bros., Universal, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Freeform, MTV, Paramount, Hallmark, and Syfy, among others. Film and TV credits include: Abandoned (starring Emma Roberts and Michael Shannon), R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour , Another Cinderella Story (starring Selena Gomez and Jane Lynch), Deep Blue Sea 2 , Radio Rebel , and many more. Erik is a graduate of Occidental College and the British American Drama Academy. He hosts a gently-guided writing sprint online called “Sunday Sprints” that attract writers seeking community and inspiration to do their best work. Praise for I Wanna Hold Your Hand "The play chronicles the bittersweet connections that are often sparked between strangers at the time of unimaginable tragedy and the fragility of that condition that can also lead to frustrating missed connections. Patterson has created a touching and often humorous journey through the struggles that befall—and mostly strengthen—the lives of those afflicted." —Travis Michael Holder, Arts In LA "The writing displays Patterson's knack for both poetic and realistic dialogue." —David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times "An unexpected triumph... I Wanna Hold Your Hand contains so much hope and love and new beginnings and is absolutely comforting. Well-thought out, rooted, artistic writing, capturing the laughable and sometimes dark complexities of human nature." —Tracey Paleo, Gia On the Move "Patterson's moving play, set mostly in a hospital waiting room, concerns two stroke victims and their families dealing with the capriciousness of personal tragedy... A tender fabric of connections and missed connections." —Sarah Tuft, Stage Raw "It's full of dynamic characters going through interesting changes, and they say funny and moving things... Powerful enough to make me tear up. I was usually fascinated, gape-mouthed, my default position at an engaging entertainment." —Jason Rohrer, Stage and Cinema Erik Patterson recently won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for One of the Nice Ones, which had its world premiere at The Echo Theater Company in 2016. His plays have been produced or developed by Playwrights' Arena, the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Theatre of NOTE, Evidence Room, The Actors' Gang, the Echo Theater Company, the Lark Play Development Center, Moving Arts, Black Dahlia, Naked Angels, the Mark Taper Forum, and New Group. Nominations include the Ovation Award, the Stage Raw Award, the LA Weekly Award, and the GLAAD Media Award. His writing for TV has been recognized with the Humanitas Prize and the Writer's Guild Award, as well as