Short plays about characters from the Wizard of Oz. Saturdays and Sundays at noon in July and August. Free. In a park in Culver City.

Martha Graham simply refused to quit. Her influence on dance, which is often compared to Picasso’s influence on modern art and the impact that Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture, has unequivocally transformed the art form. She pursued her vision with unwavering dedication in spite of the difficulties and challenges it brought to her life. Which were many.
“Each one of us has all of life in us, and it is our choice to decide what we will reveal. How many drops of blood have gone into making you? How much memory is in that drop of blood?” – Martha Graham

Ellen Melaver’s quintessential glimpse into the passionate heart and history of the woman who revealed a “hidden language of the soul of the body,” mines the triumphs and struggles faced by this pioneer of modern dance. Graham’s work manifested the complexities of human society, emotion, frailty, and perseverance as never before interpreted in dance. The first dancer invited to perform at the White House, the first choreographer to regularly employ a multiracial ensemble; she revolutionized set design, and was a champion for women.

“Moments of magic…Carlisi’s performance can be incandescent” – LA Times

Playwright Ellen Melaver has had her work produced at Williamstown Theater Festival, SPF, New Georges, Teatronetto in Tel Aviv, and Le Cirque Roman in Paris. Her play, Little White Mice from Broken Homes, was commissioned by Juilliard and Calendar was published by Smith & Kraus. Readings and workshops have been hosted by theaters such as Cherry Lane, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Florida Stage, Marin Theater Company, The Zephyr Theater, and Westside Arts. Television work includes pilots for Spyglass, Touchstone, CBS, and Fox, and she was a staff writer on What About Brian (ABC) and Paul Reiser’s Love Bites (TBS). She is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Director Stewart J. Zully has helmed new works by David Lindsay-Abaire (Pulitzer Prize winner, 2007), Romulus Linney, Peter Tolan (Analyze This, The Larry Sanders Show), Rolin Jones (Weeds) and Marco Ramirez (Orange Is The New Black, The Royale). Most recently he directed the Los Angeles premiere of White Guy On the Bus, by Bruce Graham, at the Road Theatre. He garnered a Scenie Award (Direction of a Comedy – Intimate Theater) for his work on American Wee-Pie, by Lisa Dillman. Regional directing credits include the East Coast Premiere of Kent R. Brown’s In The Middle of Nowhere (recipient of the Julie Harris Award), three new works at City Theatre’s Summer Shorts Series at The Arsht Center in Miami, part of America’s Short Play Festival in conjunction with Actor’s Theater of Louisville. Stewart co-wrote the feature film Perfect Opposites, which stars Piper Perabo, Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Joe Pantoliano, and Jennifer Tilly. The movie is based on the stage play A Piece of My Heart, by Matt Cooper, which Stewart directed at The Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles.

A dancers career is usually short, but Martha Graham continued to dance into her seventies and choreographed until her death at age 96. For most artists, a life away from the arts feels impossible but when is it time to say…”when?”

From the moment she steps on stage, she grabs our attention and doesn’t let go“ – Cultural Weekly
Christina Carlisi (Martha) has worked as a dancer along side notables such as Chita Rivera, Bernadette Peters, Stanley Donen, Gower Champion, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, and Kenny Ortega. She has toured the world for Disney Productions and starred as the ballerina in the acclaimed production of Tamara in Los Angeles. Selected stage credits include Burn This, The Rivals, Juno and the Paycock,(Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award Nomination – Best Actress) Lady-Like (Drama Logue Award – Best Actress), Reckless, Shivaree (Drama Logue Award Best Actress), Seascape, The Boor, The Immigrant, Trojan Women, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Recent film and television credits include All About Steve, The Soul Collector, Wave Babes, Hear No Evil, and ELI (Winner Best Short – Comic-Con). (Web Series) Luke 11:17 (Series regular, nominated for two Webby Awards), (Television) Bones, Supernatural, Rizzoli & Isles, Criminal Minds, CSI, Glee, Six Feet Under, Ugly Betty, NYPD Blue, Providence, Picket Fences and Crystal Empire (series regular).

“Brava, Ms. Christina Carlisi!!! Possesses all the creative elements…stunning” – Broadway World

MARTHA runs Wednesdays at 8pm on July 19, August 16, and September 20, 2017. The Whitefire Theatre is located at 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, CA 91423. Tickets are $25 and can be reserved at www.marthasoloplay.brownpapertickets.com . For more information: (818) 990-2324.

Open your heart and soul to the legendary life and times of Sister Rosetta Tharpe in this world premiere musical, conceived and directed by Randy Johnson, the creator of the hit A Night with Janis Joplin. Hailed the godmother of rock and roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s unique gospel voice and virtuoso guitar influenced some of the greatest musicians of all time, from Elvis Presley to Little Richard, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Shout, Sister, Shout is a soulful and joyous noise that will inspire, entertain and leave you wanting more.

SHOUT SISTER SHOUT!
Jul 26 – Aug 20
Book by Cheryl L. West
Created & Directed by Randy Johnson

www.pasadenaplayhouse.org/event/shout-sister-shout

Trouble in Mind, the scathingly funny backstage drama about interracial politics by pioneering African American playwright Alice Childress, will get a revival at Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum beginning July 29.

Ellen Geer directs Childress’ groundbreaking 1955 satire, which follows an integrated theater company in rehearsal for a “progressive” anti-lynching drama. The play-within-a-play, entitled Chaos in Belleville, marks the first opportunity for gifted African American actress Wiletta Mayer (portrayed by multiple NAACP Award-winner Earnestine Phillips) to play a leading lady on Broadway. But what compromises must she make to succeed?

Ironically, Childress was forced to confront nearly the same choice with Trouble in Mind that she dramatized in the play. Following the tremendous success Trouble enjoyed off-Broadway, a commercial run was announced — but only if Childress would write a happier, less-ambivalent ending. Like Wiletta, Childress had to decide: soften her message, follow the formula and sell out for success, or maintain her integrity and risk everything. By standing her ground and not making the requested changes, she sacrificed the opportunity to become the first African-American female playwright produced on Broadway. A Raisin in the Sun would later garner that distinction for Lorraine Hansberry in 1959.

The foreword to the version Childress chose for publication explains that “Trouble is clearly set in the context of the social upheavals of the fifties. Interestingly, some of the references were added after the original production (the Little Rock riots didn’t occur until 1957), suggesting how future events would expand the play rather than render it obsolete.”

In addition to Phillips, the Theatricum production stars Judy Durkin, Rodrick Jean-Charles, Christopher W. Jones, Max Lawrence, Mark Lewis, Constance Jewell Lopez, Gerald C. Rivers and Frank Weidner. Costume design is by Robert Merkel; lighting design is by Zach Moore; sound design is by Ian Flanders; and props are by Sydney Russell. The production stage manager is Kim Cameron.

Trouble in Mind opens on Saturday, July 29 at 7:30 p.m. and continues through Sept. 30, running in repertory with The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Animal Farm and Other Desert Cities as part of Theatricum’s 2017 “Rising Up” summer season.

• Visit us on facebook: www.facebook.com/theatricum
• Follow us on twitter: @theatricum

THE LOST CHILD by Jennifer W. Roland & Directed by Denise Blasor

Runs Fridays at 8:30pm and Sundays at 7:00pm

Rich with mystery and metaphor,  The Lost Child is an emotional thriller that follows an estranged couple as they return to their deserted cabin in the woods to pack it all up. When a storm moves in, a mysterious child appears…could this be their lost child?

“In The Lost Child, parenthood is harrowing – but it’s also humbling, and I think that people will laugh (and maybe scream!), in recognition of that paradoxical situation. Both plays live at the intersection of the real and the supernatural.” – Jennifer W. Rowland, Playwright

CAST for The Lost Child: Addie Daddio, Marilyn Fitoria, and Peter James Smith

PRODUCTION TEAM: Gary Grossman (Producer), Stephanie Kerley Schwartz (Set Design), Jeff McLaughlin (Lighting Design), Christopher Moscatiello (Sound Design), and Sarah Figoten (Costume Design)

Jennifer W. Rowland is a critically acclaimed playwright whose work The Indians are Coming to Dinner received its World Premiere at Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California. The Contest was produced at the PRT CoOp, Powerhouse Theater and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. One Good Death was presented as part of The Road Theater Summer Playwrights Festival. The Cold Inside played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015, Phantom Owls Productions and was also presented in The Road Theater Summer Playwrights Festival. Jenifer’s plays have been developed at Antaeus Theater Company, Rogue Machine and Pacific Resident Theatre. Jennifer is an alumnus of Harvard College, American Conservatory Theatre’s Young Conservatory, and she is a member of the Antaeus Writers Lab and the Dramatists Guild.

Denise Blasor (Director) was Artistic Director of LADiversified Theater Company, founding member of LAAFO, KOAN, East LA Classic Theater, and currently is the Associate Artistic Director of the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. Plays directed/adapted include House of Bernarda Alba, Life is a Dream, The Three Sisters, Blood Wedding, The Wide Sea, Pedro Infante, Anna in the Tropics, No Exit, Marisol, and Wild in Wichita; performed/directed at LATC, BFA, Teatro Las Americas and Frida Khalo Theatre. Recently she directed/choreographed the Multi Media piece Tormenta Omnia at the Craft & Folk Art Museum in collaboration with Gronk and the Passion Play Cristo Vive at the historic Million Dollar Theatre. Her short film “Dentro de la Casa de Bernarda Alba” was nominated for the Imagen Awards as Best Short Film.

http://skylighttheatrecompany.org Facebook: SkylightTheatre Twitter: @SkylightThtr Instagram: SkylightTheatre

“Camp Ragnarok,” is a six-part play series performing Saturday and Sunday nights from August 4, 2017 – September 9, 2017. When a group of fledgling survivalists find themselves stranded in the woods, they must band together to make it through not only the week, but the pending squirrel-driven apocalypse. Written by CJ Hoke, Lisa K. Wyatt, Cesar Abella, and Matt Brunhofer. Produced by Ann Herd and CJ Hoke under the auspices of Theatre Unleashed.

theatreunleashed.org ; social media hashtag #TURagnarok.

“On The Twentieth Century” Book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Music by Cy Coleeman. Directed by Trace Oakley. Musical direction by Alena Bernardi.
Fri. & Sat. at 8:00, Sun. at 2:00.
www.proofdoubtcloser.com
Presented by ProofDoubtCloser Theater Company.
The glamorous passenger train Twentieth Century Limited, which ran between New York and Chicago between 1902 and 1967, is the main setting of this musical screwball comedy’s action.
Oscar Jaffe, an egomaniacal Broadway producer who has sustained a string of recent flops and is now dodging creditors, boards the train heading to New York. On the train, he spots his former Broadway leading lady and muse, Lily Garland, now a Hollywood movie star, and schemes to have her signed to star in his new play and thereby save his career and stay out of jail. But she’s on her way to meet with his competitor, Max Jacobs, to sign up for his play.
Jaffe believes he’s found an investor in a fellow passenger and heiress, the religiously fervent Letitia Primrose, who could write a check big enough to entice Lily to renew her working relationship with Oscar and save his show. But Ms. Primrose is certifiably insane.
There’s action, a little romance, fast-paced dialogue and a dash of slapstick.
The cast includes (in alphabetical order) Alena Bernardi, David Colville, Anagabriela Cordero, Georgean George, Tatiana Gomez, Stephen Juhl, Wade Kelley, Philip McBride, Rafael Orduna, Chelsea Pope, Nicole Sevey, Talya Sindel, Rowan Treadway and Rob Warner.
Choreography by Averi Quinn Yorek.

SHAKESLESQUE – written and directed by: Alli Miller and Sarah Haworth-Hodges.

After Winning “Top of Fringe” and “Best Cabaret/Variety Show” at this Hollywood Fringe ’17 the Cherries have hunkered down and perfected the story, added a few numbers, streamlined the show and are bringing you a two act Musical Theatre Queerlesque Cabaret experience!

Playing Thursdays at 8pm, Fridays at 10pm

Take an immersive, musical theatre burlesque journey through the swirling head of “William Sexspeare” and discover all the mishaps that never made ink on paper.

“William Sexspeare” stumbles, heavily inebriated, through the woods into The Knock Shop, a dilapidated yet musical whorehouse where he picks an evening companion who promises to inspire creativity. It’s an easy pick as he is experiencing a terrible case of writer’s block. He falls asleep, has an orgy (albeit this part a bit blurry), and is at some point drugged. Any which way, his whore/Jiminy Cricket, “F*ck”, is now calling him King Queer and introducing him to his three daughters, “Lady Macbreast”, “Juliewet” and “Beabitch”. It would seem before Shakes wrote the plays we know today; the characters were dreadfully mixed and matched inside his brain. Unbeknownst to you, each character you loved, feared, or hadn’t met yet, once resided in “The Knock Shop-upon-Avon”…or did they? Will “Sexspeare” ever write again? Who is “Ham-on-Rye”? How did “Shakeslesque Hill” survive “Tightass Androgynous”? All this and more can be answered by getting your tush in a glitter covered seat…NOW!

Players:
Alli Miller, Sarah Haworth-Hodges, Michael Shaw Fisher, K.C. Lindley, Heath Butler, Tyler Olshansky, Cory Robison, Rebecca Reaney, Shannon Glasgow, Amber Braken, Reagan Osborne, Kim Dalton, Angie Hobin, Taylor Baker, Kelly Stevenson, Ginger Lee Belle, Sarah Wines, Brin Hamblin, Markesha Chatfield, Bina Monique

Band:
Sandy Chao Wang, Krishnan Swaminathan, Ludvig Brathen, Tim McIntyre

Learn More at eventbrite.com

IG: @cherrypoppinsLA
twitter: @cherrypoppinsyo
facebook.com/cherrypoppinsproductions
www.cherrypoppinsproductions.com

Elvis Is In The Building
Five pieces, three are by women playwrights-2 by Stacy Ann Raposa (The Sandwich, Ella) and one by Sarah Kelly (Closing Time at Graceland)

Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:30pm

Conceived by Stacy Ann Raposa, Elvis Is In The Building is an evening of fictional short plays, monologues and music that centers around the iconic King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. From an Elvis Imitator who gets more than he bargained for to a chance meeting at Graceland, from a girl stuck in the closet with The King to the (apparent) invention of the famous Fried Peanut Butter and Banana sandwich, these five short plays stretch the imagination of the four playwrights to include Elvis-themed pieces. The plays are intermingled with live music, commemorating the 40th anniversary of the legend’s death.

Produced by Stacy Ann Raposa
Directed by Stacy Ann Raposa & Sarah Kelly

http://www.fringetheatreco.com
@fringetheatreco (both fb and Twitter)

Botanicum Seedlings adds an exciting layer to Theatricum’s “Rise Up” repertory season with free readings of two new plays that explore how choices compelled by extraordinary circumstances can lead us into unknown territory.

• Sunday, August 20 at 11 a.m.
  Stop-Motion by Liz Kerin, directed by Gloria Iseli. After a decade of living in her childhood home caring for her disabled mother, a reclusive animator is forced to look at the fractured pieces of her youth – and the risks of moving forward in life – in the aftermath of a tragic accident. Terra Dray, Dramaturg.

• Sunday, August 27 at 11 a.m.
  The Orange Garden by Joanna Garner, Directed by Rachel Berney Needleman.  It’s 1972 and a young Peace Corps volunteer in Iran finds himself caught up in a cultural whirlwind of danger and forbidden passion. But upon returning to America, he becomes lost between two very different worlds.   Jennie Webb, Dramaturg.

Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is outdoors. In case of inclement weather, please call for alternate performance times.

Facebook.com/botanicumseedlings
Twitter  @botseedlings & Instagram @botseedlings

A celestial romance and true story of discovery, this riveting new play explores the life and career of Henrietta Swan Leavitt (1868-1921) as she fearlessly asserts herself in the male-dominated world of early astronomy. Hired by the Harvard Observatory as a human “computer” to catalog the stars, Henrietta’s story plays out against a landscape of early feminism and universe-revealing science, reminding us all what we can achieve when we allow curiosity and wonder into our lives. “Luminously beautiful… an intellectual epic told on an intimate scale. Bottom line: Heavenly.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Runs Aug. 23 through Sept. 10, Thursdays, Fridays and, Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.. International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. For tickets and info call (562) 436-4610 or go to InternationalCityTheatre.org.

This play is part of the Echo Theater Company’s One Act Festival of women writers called “Nevertheless She Persisted.”

The Echo Theater Company celebrated its 20th anniversary with an evening of five world premiere short plays by female writers that explore the treatment of women in today’s political climate: “yajū,” written and directed by Mary Laws; “Sherry and Vince,” written by “Charlotte Miller,” directed by Tara Karsian; “At Dawn,” written by Calamity West, directed by Ahmed Best’; “Violet,” written by Jacqueline Wright, directed by Teagan Rose’ and “Do You See,” written and directed by Sharon Yablon.

Nevertheless, She Persisted runs Aug. 24 through Sept. 10, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. All tickets are $20. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. On-site parking is free. For reservations and information, call (310) 307-3753 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.

“American Home” by Stephanie Alison Walker

Showtimes: Friday August 26th- Sunday September 24th, Thursday-Saturday 8pm, Sundays 2pm

One out of every 54 homes in America received a foreclosure notice in 2008. Award winning playwright and author of Love in the Time of Foreclosure, Stephanie Alison Walker, takes us on a deeply personal journey through recent history as she shines a light on three out of the millions of stories of loss. A young couple faces eviction from the dream house they stretched to buy, an elderly widow falls prey to a reverse mortgage scheme, and a minister of the prosperity gospel must face the flock she’s led astray. American Home takes an unflinching look at the impossible choices people make when faced with losing everything and, ultimately, celebrates the powerful resilience of community and the human spirit.

Artistic Team: Little Candle Productions, Directed by Kate Felton, Artistic Director Allison Gorjian, Managing Director Betsy Roth, Assistant Production Manager Paula Deming, Outreach Director Lynn Downey Braswell, littlecandleproductions.com

Facebook: facebook.com/LittleCandleProductions
Twitter: @thelilcandle
Instagram: @littlecandleproductions

At Write Act Rep at The Brickhouse in NoHo Arts District.
A Collection of Short plays by Linda L. Rand
Nothing is sacred… nor the same …in these seven different mashups and mix-ups of life. Whether loving, longing, searching or desperate…they each have their own unexpected surprises.
August 26th through September 3rd
The Brickhouse Theatre NoHo
10950 Peach Grove Street.
No. Hollywood, CA 91601

Info@writeactrep.org

SHE’S HISTORY! written and performed by Amy Simon. Celebrating Women’s Equality Day Saturday August 26th at 8:00pm and Sunday August 27th at 2:00pm (Kids ten and up FREE on Sunday’s matinee).
Why Do We Know More About Kim Kardashian Than Abigail Adams?
Amy Simon knew something needed to be done when her ten-year-old daughter came home from school, stating she was planning on doing her women’s history project on Cher, or Janet Jackson.
Combining theater, history, multi-media, audience interaction, and good old-fashioned story telling, SHE’S HISTORY! brings to life the true tales of fabulous females, then and now.
Writer/Performer/Cultural Herstorian Amy Simon spent years researching diaries, letters, publications, and biographies and created this unique herstorical and often hersterical edutaining theatrical presentation. Going back and forth from the past to the present, this Mom On A Mission poignantly finds the funny as she chronicles the struggles and accomplishments of our unheralded, unknown and forgotten heroines whose courage and strength inspire her as she raises two daughters.
Watch Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony multitask – just like today’s mom – running the house, fixing dinner and corralling the kids, all while working on the Fourteenth Amendment.  Hear about our first feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft, and witness Sojourner Truth’s powerful Ain’t I Woman speech. Learn how Alice Paul stole President Wilson’s parade, and see how she suffered for the cause. Watch Nancy Pelosi become the First Female Speaker of The House. Be inspired by courageous Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm’s humanity, indomitable Malala Yousafzai’s, Victoria Woodhull (the first woman to run for president) and Hillary Clinton. Bloomers, suffrage, maternal profiling, the road to Seneca Falls, abolition and more are all there in a GAL-A-PALOOZA honoring Female America!
http://www.sheshistory.com