LOS ANGELES: Echo Theater Company has announced its 2019 season, featuring three new plays. The shows will be presented at the Atwater Village Theatre.

The season will open with The Wolves (March 16-April 21, 2019), by Sarah DeLappe, about a high school girls soccer team and the challenges they face both on and off the field. Alana Dietze will direct.

Next up will be Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over (July 13-Aug. 18, 2019), about two young black men who dream about a promised land they’ve yet to find.

The season will close out with the world premiere of Handjob (Sept. 7- Oct. 20, 2019), by Erik Patterson, a dark comedy about what happens when a gay writer hires a “shirtless cleaner.” Artistic director Chris Fields will direct.

Also part of the programming will be the National Playwrights in Residence program, which pairs emerging playwrights with professional playwrights for a year-long mentorship. This year’s National Young Playwrights are Messiah Cristine, Ammie Jergenson, Massi(mo) Monfiletto, David Norris, Viviana Prado-Núñez, and Eliana Pipes. Each student and mentor will work together to create a new play. The mentorship program will culminate with public staged readings.

Founded in 1997, Echo Theater Company is dedicated to producing new work.