Theatre Arts Professor Gino DiIiorio’s new play, “CRIB” will be given a staged reading on Monday, March 27, at the Blank Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., as part of the “Living Room” reading series.

Now in its 25th year, the Living Room Series is a New Play Development program, which embodies The Blank’s commitment to developing new work by diverse voices from both established and emerging writers.

“CRIB” deals with questions of race, scholarship, and mental illness. Tracy is an African-American professor in the midst of a tenure fight. Rajon is a star basketball player, negotiating the challenges of freshman year and his court prowess. When Rajon is accused of plagiarism and faces expulsion, Coach Pari comes to his rescue, reminding Tracy that the school is run on athletic money, not on anything she hopes to achieve in the classroom. In turn, Tracy finds herself in the middle of an unwanted battle between academics and athletics. At play’s end, we find that both coach and professor are key players in the development of the troubled athlete.

Gino’s plays have had productions at theaters all over the U.S., including New Jersey Rep, Luna Stage, Arclight Theatre, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Custom Made Theatre, Urban Stages, Seven Angels, Penguin Rep, The Garter Lane Theatre, and the Virginia Stage Company. He has won a number of awards for his writing including the E. Desmond Lee Playwriting Prize (“Reparation”), the Julie Harris Award (“Darwin at Down”), the BBC International Playwriting Prize (“Dead Ringer”), and the Firehouse Theatre’s Great American New Play Award (“The Jag”). He is a two-time finalist for the prestigious Laurents Hatcher Award as well as the Yale Drama Series. “The Jag” received its world premiere at New Jersey Rep in 2017 featuring “The Sopranos” star Dan Grimaldi. His new play, “Sam and Dede,” received its New York premiere at 59 East 59 Theatre earlier this month.