‘Queen Margaret’s Version of
Shakespeare’s War of the Roses’

WHAT:
In Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses, a new edit of Shakespeare’s best-known history plays — Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III — Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer puts the focus on the women in court to draw an unspoken parallel between the in-fighting of rival dynasties that led to England’s bloody civil wars and modern-day American politics.

WHO:
• Written by William Shakespeare
• Compiled, Edited and Directed by Ellen Geer
• Presented by Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

WHEN:
Performances: June 24–October 1:
• Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m.*
• Friday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m.**
• Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
*Prologue (pre-show discussion):Saturday, Aug. 12 from 6:30 p.m.–7 p.m.
**Pay-What-You-Will performance on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7:30  p.m. (cash only at the door)

WHERE:
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga CA 90290
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)

TICKET PRICES:
• Adults: $48 (lower tier); $30 (upper tier); $60 (premium seating)
• Seniors (65+), Students, Military Veterans, Teachers, AEA Members: $35/$20
• Children (5-15): $15
• Children 4 and under: Free
• Friday night, Aug. 18 Pay-What-You-Will (cash only at the door)

OTHER:
• The outdoor amphitheater at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating.
• Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

HOW:
theatricum.com
(310) 455-3723

KILL SHELTER AT THEATRE OF NOTE

World Premiere engagement written by Ashley Rose Wellman, directed by Shaina Rosenthal

Kill Shelter is a play that resists the easy categorization of its characters into heroes and villains. The only solutions to the situations in which its characters find themselves appear to be paths of compassion and empathy. See Kill Shelter and determine this for yourself.

Colleen manages an open-admissions, government-funded animal shelter. When animals prove unadoptable because of advanced age, illness, injury, or aggressiveness, they may be subject to euthanasia. Overcrowding  may also put animals in line for euthanasia.

Colleen is a compassionate animal lover whose duties put her at odds with her instincts. She is also the single mom to a teenager who disapproves of her mom’s job. Complicating things further is Colleen’s burgeoning romance with a much-younger subordinate.

The play’s narratives underscore headline-relevant issues of choice, autonomy (both human and animal) and power dynamics.

Ashley Rose Wellman is the playwright. She is the recipient of an MFA from USC, where she has also been an instructor. Her previous plays include Hot Tragic Dead Thing; That Long Damn Dark; You Are the Blood; Shrines; Willed Bodies; Living Creatures; and Gravidity. She is a recipient of the Humanitas PLAY LA Award.

Shaina Rosenthal directs Kill Shelter, her debut directing at NOTE. She has also directed for Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Skylight Theatre Company, The Blank Theatre, Antaeus, Playwrights’ Arena, and other companies. She also has extensive credits producing nonfiction television.

Produced by Niall Sulcer for Theatre of NOTE. The cast of Kill Shelter includes Nadia Marina, Chloe Madriaga, Alex Hogy, C.J. Craig, Ashley Romans, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Brandon Warfield, and Jack Clevenger. Please note that the show is double-cast.

Previews August 17-20.  Opens Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.
Performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 6:00 p.m.

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN: Mondays August 28, September 18 and 25  at 8:00 p.m.

Skylight Theatre Company’s 40th Season Celebrates the World Premiere of  “Hungry Ghost” Written by Lisa Sanaye Dring / Directed by Jessica Hanna This  installment of the season’s enthralling lineup, by female playwrights and directors, keeps focus on “Her Vision, Her Voice,” the theme for Skylight’s 40th anniversary. Breaking barriers for female voices in theatre, phenom playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring will have two simultaneous world premiere productions gracing our stages in Southern California. While Hungry Ghost is playing at the Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles, renowned for championing emerging playwrights, SUMO debuts at the La Jolla Playhouse in mid-September. “I came across an interview with Christopher Thomas Knight, an infamous hermit who lived in the forest for 27 years without conversing with another human, and I thought — how did this man find freedom in solitude while the rest of us feel alienation, especially during the pandemic? The story grew from there to include those parts of ourselves that chase us around whether we want them to or not. It’s those forces beyond our consciousness that keep breaking in,” says playwright Dring. Bringing together an exceptional cast and creative team, this thought-provoking story delves into the lives of Dean and Amanda who are ready to start a family. Dean’s estranged mother has left her a secluded house in the woods where the couple have decided to settle. Their plans suddenly take a twisted turn when the new home is burglarized by a mysterious hermit—a Stevie Nicks worshiping, hot Cheetos eating trickster—who haunts the forest. Hungry Ghost is a chillingly humorous meditation on identity and isolation, seeing and being seen, and the insatiable hunger in us all to be truly free. “Our theatrical season proudly shines a spotlight on the powerful voices of women – on the page and presentation, on the direction, and on the exceptional ensemble of actors we’ve worked with this year. With each new play we celebrate the diversity of perspectives and the strength of these storytellers,” says Skylight’s Producing Artistic Director Gary Grossman. Lisa Sanaye Dring (Playwright) will have two world premiere stage productions running simultaneously this year at Skylight Theatre (Hungry Ghost) and at the La Jolla Playhouse with Ma-Yi Theater Company (SUMO). She has recently worked on multiple projects with Meow Wolf and was a member of the Geffen Playhouse Writers’ Room. Lisa was honored as a recipient of the 2020/21 PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize. Her play The Wicked One was a finalist for the Relentless Award, a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a finalist for the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin, a piece she co-wrote with Chelsea Sutton, was nominated for 8 Ovation Awards including Best Production (winner of 5). Lisa’s work has been developed/produced by LA’s top theatre companies, and nationwide. She was a member of East West Players’ Playwrights Group and has been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Blue Mountain Center and Yaddo. Her play SUMO was recently named as a finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and was a part of La Jolla Playhouse’s DNA New Works Series. Lisa graduated from the University of Southern California. She was awarded the 2021 Dorothy and Granville Hicks Residency at Yaddo, which honors one promising young writer a year. Lisa is working on commissions for Antaeus Theatre Company and Rogue Artists Ensemble. She has been nominated for an Emmy for her work as a writer and director. Jessica Hanna (Director) is a Los Angeles based director, producer, space maker, member of The Kilroys, Chair of SITI Company’s Board of Directors, and co-founded of the Bootleg Theater. Her focus as a director is on new works development, most recently directing the world premiere of 3 Little Girls Down a Well at Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theatre NYC (2023), and Lottie Plachett Took a Hatchet, in Los Angeles and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2022), both written by Justin Elizabeth Sayre. Selected directing credits include works at Circle X (the world premiere of Deathplay, written & performed by Lisa Sanaye Dring), Celebration Theatre (Ovation Award winning Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), Bootleg Theater, Inkwell Theatre, UCLA, CalState University Long Beach, CalArts, Adobe Rose Theatre (Hostage by Michelle Kholos Brooks), Santa Fe Playhouse (#Undertheinfluence by Kristin Goodman), and Orlando Opera (As One). Jessica is the producing artistic director of Outside In Theatre, a new non-profit theatre company working at the intersection of Theatre and Digital, based in Highland Park, CA. Cast: Tasha Ames as Amanda (Do You Feel Anger? and Trevor at Circle X, Hooded or Being Black for Dummies at Echo Theater, Miss Lilly Gets Boned and Honky at Rogue Machine, Kimberly Akimbo and Rabbit Hole at Malibu Stage–Ovation Award “Featured Actress.” TV: Little Fires Everywhere, The Originals); Ben Messmer as Hermit (appeared on stage at A Noise Within, The Evidence Room, Cornerstone, Pacific Resident Theatre, Bootleg Theater, and Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Co. Performed in WoodBoy Dogfish, D is for Dog, and the Gogol Project with Rogue Artists Ensemble); Jenny Soo as Dean (West Adams with Skylight Theatre, Gloria with Echo Theater – Stage Raw Award for Best Female Comedy Performance, Dry Land, Hot Cat and most recently, The Untitled Baby Play. Film/TV: Parks & Rec, LA to Vegas, and Reverie). Creative Team: Yuri Okahana-Benson (Scenic Design), Brandon Baruch (Lighting), Mylette Nora (Costume Design), Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski (Sound Design), Nick Santiago (Projection Design), Benjamin Rawls (Technical Director), Victoria Hoffman (Casting), Cedes Sifuentes (Production Manager). Skylight Theatre Company is recognized as a “powerhouse of new play development” by Dramatist Magazine and as “a leader in play development” by the L.A. Times. In just the last five years, three plays originating at Skylight have been performed Off Broadway and on Broadway, The Wrong Man, and Church & State (which had 65+ productions in 33 states), and Lavender Men (which received a staged reading at Circle in the Square). In 2015, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (a co-production with Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble) received the prestigious Steinberg/ATC New Play Citation. In 2019, Center Theatre Group remounted their multiple award-winning production of Rotterdam at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of Block Party. The production won the 2017 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Production, and awards for Writing and Lead Actress. It also received top honors at the 2018 Stage Raw Awards, winning Production of the Year and Leading Actress awards. More at www.skylighttheatre.org HUNGRY GHOST  plays 8:30pm Fridays & Saturday, 3:00pm Sunday, 7:30pm Monday through October 2, 2023. Added performance at 8:30pm on Thursday, September 28 Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave, LA, 90027. Tickets are $20 – $38, pay it forward: up to $76, opening Aug. 26: $45+ (recommended age 14 +). Information and reservations: (213) 761-7061. Online ticketing: http://SkylightTix.org Masks are no longer required, but are encouraged, for audiences in our theater and lobby areas. Sunday matinee performances of Hungry Ghost have been designated as “Mask Required” to accommodate our immunocompromised patrons who are still at high risk, and for patrons who feel more comfortable attending with an audience that is fully masked.

Boston Court Pasadena presents

The World Premiere of

 Measure Still For Measure

Written and Directed by Jessica Kubzansky

SEPT 7 – OCT 15

Press Opening: SEPT 16

Boston Court’s first-ever immersive production offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of theatre

PASADENA, CA (AUG 2, 2023) — Boston Court Pasadena closes their 20th anniversary theatre season with the world premiere of Boston Court’s first immersive play, Measure STILL for Measure, written and directed by Boston Court Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky, September 7 – October 15 (press opening: September 16). Measure STILL for Measure features Robert Beitzel  (Bruce), Desiree Mee Jung (Alexis), Mara Klein (Brooke), Dinah Lenney (Mary), Leo Marks (Sam), Alexander Matos (J.Todd), Bukola Ogunmola (Dionna), Randy Thompson (Griffin), and  Jenapher Zheng (Frankie).

Boston Court’s first-ever immersive play, utilizing the entire building, will take audiences on a journey behind the curtain to experience the layered and intimate complexities of creating theatre. In this play-within-a-play, a renowned director rehearses a spectacular new production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, “the original #metoo story.”  But backstage, there’s an even bigger drama playing out as the power dynamics of the play and the rehearsal blow up in the course of the night.

At a time where American theatre as a collective is still struggling to find its new normal post- pandemic, Kubzanky’s Measure STILL for Measure is both a love letter to the art form, as well as an examination of the challenging gray areas that theatre-making demands. Measure STILL for Measure lovingly skewers the delicious behind-the-scenes oddities of the rehearsal behaviors that actors, directors, and stage managers  find routine, and the code switching that happens as they oscillate between being fully immersed in the imaginary world of the play to being pulled back to the mundane stressors of the real world. It simultaneously examines the insidious and problematic power dynamics that are inherent in the world of theatre.

Not only does this world premiere mark Kubzansky’s directorial debut as the sole Artistic Director of Boston Court but Measure STILL for Measure is also Boston Court’s first immersive play, as well as one of Boston Court’s most ambitious productions.

Says Kubzansky, “One thing that seems clear about the moment we’re in right now, is that when possible, theatrical events need to be seen live and at the theatre, so that the experience is not possible to replicate by sitting on your couch and watching a good Netflix show. Measure STILL for Measure is a brand new immersive play that will utilize the entire Boston Court building and allow audience members to move throughout various spaces in the building to see ‘behind the curtain.’ It’s the equivalent of an all-access pass to how theatre gets made. This will be a theatrical experience that people have never seen at Boston Court before.”

Measure STILL for Measure marks the second Boston Court production penned by Kubzansky, the first being 2013’s RII, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II.

Surrounding this world premiere production of Measure STILL for Measure  are more than 10 events giving community members opportunities to engage with the play and its subject matter. These events include but are not limited to: post-show discussions on playwriting, acting, direction, design, on Theme, an Intimacy Coordination Workshop, two Pay-What-You-Choose performances, a Community Matinee, an ASL performance, and Student Night. A full schedule and listing of cast and creative team can be found below.

Tickets are available now and range from $22 – $47 with discounts available for students, seniors, and Boston Court members. Visit BostonCourtPasadena.org or call 626.683.6801 to purchase tickets or become a member.

# # #

About Boston Court Pasadena

Located in Pasadena, California, Boston Court Pasadena is a nonprofit arts center that creates and nurtures innovative, boundary-pushing art that invokes the power of collective imagination to illuminate our common humanity. Boston Court features a state-of-the-art, intimate facility designed to bring audiences and artists closer together. The 75-seat Marjorie Branson Performance Space and the 99-seat Main Stage serve as homes for Boston Court’s season of adventurous theatre and its richly eclectic music series, the annual New Play Reading Festival, and Art Upfront, a rotating visual art program, under the leadership of Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. BCP was founded in 2003 by philanthropist  Z. Clark Branson and Founding Producing Director Eileen T’Kaye. For more information about Boston Court Pasadena visit BostonCourtPasadena.org or call 626.683.6801.

About Jessica Kubzansky

Jessica Kubzansky (she/her) is a passionate storyteller for the theatre, and a champion of innovation and artistic excellence, and as such she was invited to be one of two founding artistic directors of Boston Court Pasadena, creating a mission and vision for the company that produces risky adventurous new work coupled with intimate artistic excellence. Now Kubzansky shepherds all the art created at Boston Court, including rich and eclectic music concerts as well as theatre. She began her artistic life as a playwright; her first full-length play, Inventory, had its world premiere directed by Edward Albee, with subsequent productions in Austin, San Francisco, and more. She became an award-winning national director working at venues such as Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) Seattle, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Rep, The Geffen Playhouse, and many Los Angeles theatres. Kubzansky combines her passions by treating new works like Shakespeare, and Shakespeare like new work, which is how she arrived at her own adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II, called RII (initially developed and produced at Boston Court, subsequently produced at Santa Cruz Shakespeare Festival). Other favorite Shakespeares she’s directed include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (currently running at Utah Shakespeare Festival) Hamlet (with Leo Marks), The Winter’s Tale (Theater 150), Othello, Measure for Measure (A Noise Within), Macbeth (Antaeus), Richard II, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Illinois Shakespeare Festival), Twelfth Night (Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival), and a Scottish/American walking production of Macbeth in Edinburgh Scotland. Recently, she directed the LA Drama Critic Circle award-winning The Father with Alfred Molina (Pasadena Playhouse), Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths (San Diego Rep), Luis Alfaro’s Mojada, a Medea in Los Angeles (Boston Court/The Getty Villa), and for Boston Court Pasadena, the world premieres of Kit Steinkellner’s Ladies, and Sarah B. Mantell’s Everything That Never Happened (a new play written in response to The Merchant of Venice), which would have played at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2020 had the Coronavirus not interfered. Kubzansky teaches graduate playwrights and directors at UCLA, has her MFA in Direction from the California Institute of the Arts, and her undergraduate degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins and Harvard. She has received many awards and honors, among them the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre.

Cast & Creative Team

Measure Still for Measure

Written and directed  by Jessica Kubzansky

Cast:

Bruce Elliot Norton: The Actor Playing Duke Vincentio; also the play’s Director: Robert Beitzel

Frankie: The Assistant Director: Jenapher Zheng

Dionna: The Actor Playing Isabella: Bukola Ogunmola

Brooke: The Actor Playing Marianna: Mara Klein

Mary: The Actor Playing Escalus/Provost: Dinah Lenney

Sam: The Actor Playing Angelo: Leo Marks

J.Todd: The Actor Playing Claudio: Alexander Matos

Griffin: The Actor Playing Lucio: Randy Thompson

Alexis: The Stage Manager:Desiree Mee Jung

Understudies:

Bruce and Sam: Dan Stevens

Dionna: Sharlee Taylor

Griffin and J. Todd:  Will Block

Mary and Alexis: Dawn Alden

Brooke and Frankie: Mary Ann Pianka

Creative Team:

Scenic Design: Francois-Pierre Couture

Costume Design: Denitsa Bliznakova

Lighting Design: Tom Ontiveros

Video Design: Jason H. Thompson

Sound Design:John Nobori

Properties Design: Cindy Campos

Production Stage Manager: Kimberly Sanchez Garrido

Dramaturg: Emilie Pascale Beck

Shakespeare Consultant: Miranda Johnson-Haddad

Intimacy Director: Carly D.W. Bones

Casting Director: Julia Flores

Assistant Director: Erica Chamblee

Associate Lighting Designer: Jennifer Gonzalez

Associate Sound Designer: Caitlin Leong

Assistant Stage Manager: Jasmine Leung

World Premiere: The Right Is Ours! is a new musical with book and direction by Lloyd J. Schwartz, lyrics and music by Adryan Russ, choreography by Kay Cole. It features Anna Mintzer (Susan B. Anthony), Emily Abeles (Elizabeth Cady Stanton), Suffragists Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (Emmeline), Carlin Castellano (Christabel), Paige Berkovitz (Ida) and Katherine Chatman (Suffragists understudy). Music direction: Gregory Nabours. Orchestrations: Kat Sherrell.

Join us September 8 – October 8, 2023 at Sierra Madre Playhouse, in the charming village of Sierra Madre, California, just 10 minutes east of Pasadena, as we celebrate this intimate story of how the friendship, persistence and inspiration of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony sparked the fire of the Woman’s Suffragist Movement and changed the world by winning women the vote.  We are excited to see you there!

Michael A. Shepperd to direct explosive ensemble
drama ‘Blood at the Root’ by Dominique Morisseau 

LOS ANGELES (August 9, 2023) — Racial tensions erupt in an explosive ensemble drama based on a real-life incident at a Louisiana high school. Open Fist Theatre Company presents Blood at the Root, a “choreopoem” by Dominique Morisseau (Sunset Baby, Detroit ’67, Skeleton Crew) inspired by the true case of the “Jena Six.” Michael A. Shepperd directs for an eight-week run, September 9 through October 28, at Atwater Village Theatre.

Infused with hip-hop music and movement, Blood at the Root sheds light on escalating tensions between Black and White students at a Southern high school, delving into the double standard often applied to racially charged situations.

“This play feels so relevant for right now because we keep reliving these incidents,” says Shepperd. “This is a fantastic ensemble piece that uses rhythm, sound and poetry to explore friendship, racism and the miscarriage of justice.”

On a scorching autumn day, Raylynn, an African-American senior, dares to break tradition by grabbing some shade under a historic oak tree in front of the school — an area typically reserved for White students. The next day, three nooses are discovered hanging from the tree — sending shockwaves through the school. The administration dismisses the incident as a thoughtless prank. In stark contrast, when six Black teenagers are accused of beating a White schoolmate during a subsequent fight, attempted murder charges are sought.

The play’s title comes from the Billie Holiday song “Strange Fruit” in which Holiday sings, “Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root.”

The young ensemble cast features Malik Bailey, Deandra Bernardo, Emma Bruno, Nychelle C.E. Hawk, Nicholas Heard, Jeremy Reiter II, Caroline Rose, Jack David Sharpe, Grace Soens, Amber Tiara and Azeem Vecchio.

The Open Fist creative team, including scenic designer Joel Daavid; lighting designer Gavan Wyrick; sound designer Marc Antonio Pritchett; costume designer Mylette Nora; and chorographer Yusuf Nasir, promises a visually and emotionally immersive experience. The assistant director is Debba Rofheart, and the production stage manager is John Dimitri. Co-artistic directors Martha Demson, James Fowler and Amanda Weier produce for Open Fist Theatre Company.

Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise with all facets of its operation run by its artist members. The company’s name combines the notion that an open spirit, embracing all people and all ideas, is essential, with the idea that determination, signified by a fist, is necessary if the theater is to remain a vital voice for social change and awareness.

Blood at the Root runs September 9 through October 28. Performances take place at 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday; at 7 p.m. every other Sunday beginning September 10; and at 3 p.m. every other Sunday beginning Sept. 17. Tickets range from $20 to $30.

Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. Parking is free is in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) parking lot one block south of the theater.

To purchase tickets and for more information call (323) 882-6912 or go to www.openfist.org.

L.A. premiere of ‘Birds of North America’ by Anna Ouyang Moench
stars Arye Gross and Jacqueline Misaye

Birding connects a father and daughter whose relationship is strained by different views of the world in Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s Los Angeles premiere of Birds of North America by Anna Ouyang Moench (Man of God at Geffen Playhouse, East-West Players; Severance on Apple+). Peter Richards (Lucas Hnath’s A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney) directs.

In this funny, poignant and nuanced two-hander set against the background of nature and climate change, John (Arye Gross, known for Eight Nights at Antaeus, ABC’s Castle) and Caitlyn (Jacqueline Misaye, seen in Reykjavik at the Road, General Hospital) scan the skies over a backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, even as the years go by and both they and the world around them change in small and vast ways. Birds of North America takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding.

“How do you manage a relationship in a case where you really love each other and really care, but just can’t see eye to eye on so many things?” asks Richards. “The unsettled nature of what’s happening in the world becomes a metaphor for their rocky relationship. I’m particularly excited by the soundscape opportunities for telling this story.”

The creative team for Birds of North America includes scenic designer Mark Guirguis, lighting designer Scott Bolman, sound designer Costandina Daros, costume designer Lena Sands and props designer Jenine MacDonald. The stage manager is Beth Mack. Beth Hogan produces for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

Performances of Birds of North America take place Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from September 23 through November 19. In addition, there will be two performances on Mondays at 8 p.m., on Oct. 16 and Oct. 30; one performance on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on Sept. 27; and three “wine night” performances on Fridays at 8 p.m., on Sept. 29, Oct. 6 and Oct. 20 (enjoy complimentary wine and snacks after the show). Public previews take place on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and Thursday, Sept. 21 followed by a press preview (also open to the public) on Friday, Sept. 22, with all previews beginning at 8 p.m.

Tickets to performances range from $25–$40, except Mondays, which are Pay-What-You-Will (reservations open online and at the door starting at 5:30 p.m.). Previews are priced at $20. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com.

Eco–anxious?
4-performances of darkly comic ‘Certain Death and
Other Considerations’ marks U.S. premiere at the Echo
 

WHAT:
Nine Twenty Collective in association with The Echo Theater Company presents the U.S. premiere of Certain Death and Other Considerations by Eliza Frakes. Direct from a smash-hit run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this ensemble-devised, “eco-anxious” dark comedy combines Greek tragic structure, realism and physical theater to explore the implications of living as the last viable generation — the good, the bad and the funny.

Living in a world doomed to end in exactly 80 years, Marc and Steph think that’s just enough time to have a baby. Meanwhile, Krista and Tom can’t even decide whether or not to adopt a cat. When Krista catches feelings for Marc and Steph’s surrogate, the layers of impending doom only get more complex.

Written between the shadow of the pandemic and the looming reality of climate catastrophe, this play chooses to laugh. After all… in the face of certain death, what else can you do?

WHO:
• Written by Eliza Frakes
• Original Devisers: Eliza Frakes, Scott Lipman, Emma Pierce Rempel, Christian Skinner
• Choreographic Deviser: Satori Folkes Stone
• Directed by Eliza Frakes and Emma Pierce Rempel
• Consulting Director: Isabel Strongheart McTighe
• Sound Design by Nathanial Kaye
• Starring Kyrie Dawson, Eliza Frakes, Scott Lipman, Emma Pierce Rempel, Christian Skinner
• Presented by Nine Twenty Collective in association with The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director

WHEN:
Sept. 24 – Oct. 15
• Sundays at 7:30 p.m.: Sept. 24; Oct. 1; Oct. 8; Oct. 15

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

PARKING:
FREE in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot one block south of the theater

TICKET PRICE:
$10

HOW:
www.EchoTheaterCompany.com
(310) 307-3753

BISEXUAL SADNESS

Written by India Kotis

Directed by Carlyle King  

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, announce the first show of its 2023-2024 season.

BISEXUAL SADNESS will preview Saturday, September 23 at 8pm; Sunday, September 24 at 2pm; Tuesday, September 26 & Wednesday, September 27 at 8pm. BISEXUAL SADNESS is double cast with the “Edna St. Vincent Millay” cast opening on Thursday, September 28 at 8pm & the “Roxane Gay” cast opening on Saturday, September 30 at 8pm. BISEXUAL SADNESS will perform through Sunday, November 5 at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

BISEXUAL SADNESS is double cast. The “Edna St. Vincent Millay” cast will feature: Tiffany Wolff as “Faye,” Alaska Jackson as “Genevieve,” Brian Graves as “Alex,” Karrie King as “Miranda,”, Gloria Ines as “Naomi,” and Andrea Flowers as “Lillian.”  The “Roxane Gay” cast will feature: Liz Fenning as “Faye,” Bex Taylor-Klaus as “Genevieve, Philip Smithey as “Alex,” Amy Tolsky as “Miranda,” Naomi Rubin as “Naomi,” and Samira Beija as “Lillian.”

‘Queen Margaret’s Version of
Shakespeare’s War of the Roses’

WHAT:
In Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses, a new edit of Shakespeare’s best-known history plays — Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III — Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer puts the focus on the women in court to draw an unspoken parallel between the in-fighting of rival dynasties that led to England’s bloody civil wars and modern-day American politics.

WHO:
• Written by William Shakespeare
• Compiled, Edited and Directed by Ellen Geer
• Presented by Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum

WHEN:
Performances: June 24–October 1:
• Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 1 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 12 at 7:30 p.m.*
• Friday, Aug. 18 at 7:30 p.m.**
• Sunday, Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 17 at 3:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m.
*Prologue (pre-show discussion):Saturday, Aug. 12 from 6:30 p.m.–7 p.m.
**Pay-What-You-Will performance on Friday, Aug. 18 at 7:30  p.m. (cash only at the door)

WHERE:
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd.
Topanga CA 90290
(midway between Pacific Coast Highway and the Ventura Freeway)

TICKET PRICES:
• Adults: $48 (lower tier); $30 (upper tier); $60 (premium seating)
• Seniors (65+), Students, Military Veterans, Teachers, AEA Members: $35/$20
• Children (5-15): $15
• Children 4 and under: Free
• Friday night, Aug. 18 Pay-What-You-Will (cash only at the door)

OTHER:
• The outdoor amphitheater at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is terraced into the hillside of the rustic canyon. Audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating.
• Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

HOW:
theatricum.com
(310) 455-3723

KILL SHELTER AT THEATRE OF NOTE

World Premiere engagement written by Ashley Rose Wellman, directed by Shaina Rosenthal

Kill Shelter is a play that resists the easy categorization of its characters into heroes and villains. The only solutions to the situations in which its characters find themselves appear to be paths of compassion and empathy. See Kill Shelter and determine this for yourself.

Colleen manages an open-admissions, government-funded animal shelter. When animals prove unadoptable because of advanced age, illness, injury, or aggressiveness, they may be subject to euthanasia. Overcrowding  may also put animals in line for euthanasia.

Colleen is a compassionate animal lover whose duties put her at odds with her instincts. She is also the single mom to a teenager who disapproves of her mom’s job. Complicating things further is Colleen’s burgeoning romance with a much-younger subordinate.

The play’s narratives underscore headline-relevant issues of choice, autonomy (both human and animal) and power dynamics.

Ashley Rose Wellman is the playwright. She is the recipient of an MFA from USC, where she has also been an instructor. Her previous plays include Hot Tragic Dead Thing; That Long Damn Dark; You Are the Blood; Shrines; Willed Bodies; Living Creatures; and Gravidity. She is a recipient of the Humanitas PLAY LA Award.

Shaina Rosenthal directs Kill Shelter, her debut directing at NOTE. She has also directed for Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, Kirk Douglas Theatre, Skylight Theatre Company, The Blank Theatre, Antaeus, Playwrights’ Arena, and other companies. She also has extensive credits producing nonfiction television.

Produced by Niall Sulcer for Theatre of NOTE. The cast of Kill Shelter includes Nadia Marina, Chloe Madriaga, Alex Hogy, C.J. Craig, Ashley Romans, Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Brandon Warfield, and Jack Clevenger. Please note that the show is double-cast.

Previews August 17-20.  Opens Thursday, August 24, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.
Performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays at 6:00 p.m.

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN: Mondays August 28, September 18 and 25  at 8:00 p.m.

Skylight Theatre Company’s 40th Season Celebrates the World Premiere of  “Hungry Ghost” Written by Lisa Sanaye Dring / Directed by Jessica Hanna This  installment of the season’s enthralling lineup, by female playwrights and directors, keeps focus on “Her Vision, Her Voice,” the theme for Skylight’s 40th anniversary. Breaking barriers for female voices in theatre, phenom playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring will have two simultaneous world premiere productions gracing our stages in Southern California. While Hungry Ghost is playing at the Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles, renowned for championing emerging playwrights, SUMO debuts at the La Jolla Playhouse in mid-September. “I came across an interview with Christopher Thomas Knight, an infamous hermit who lived in the forest for 27 years without conversing with another human, and I thought — how did this man find freedom in solitude while the rest of us feel alienation, especially during the pandemic? The story grew from there to include those parts of ourselves that chase us around whether we want them to or not. It’s those forces beyond our consciousness that keep breaking in,” says playwright Dring. Bringing together an exceptional cast and creative team, this thought-provoking story delves into the lives of Dean and Amanda who are ready to start a family. Dean’s estranged mother has left her a secluded house in the woods where the couple have decided to settle. Their plans suddenly take a twisted turn when the new home is burglarized by a mysterious hermit—a Stevie Nicks worshiping, hot Cheetos eating trickster—who haunts the forest. Hungry Ghost is a chillingly humorous meditation on identity and isolation, seeing and being seen, and the insatiable hunger in us all to be truly free. “Our theatrical season proudly shines a spotlight on the powerful voices of women – on the page and presentation, on the direction, and on the exceptional ensemble of actors we’ve worked with this year. With each new play we celebrate the diversity of perspectives and the strength of these storytellers,” says Skylight’s Producing Artistic Director Gary Grossman. Lisa Sanaye Dring (Playwright) will have two world premiere stage productions running simultaneously this year at Skylight Theatre (Hungry Ghost) and at the La Jolla Playhouse with Ma-Yi Theater Company (SUMO). She has recently worked on multiple projects with Meow Wolf and was a member of the Geffen Playhouse Writers’ Room. Lisa was honored as a recipient of the 2020/21 PLAY LA Stage Raw/Humanitas Prize. Her play The Wicked One was a finalist for the Relentless Award, a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, a finalist for the Seven Devils Playwrights Conference and a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference. Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin, a piece she co-wrote with Chelsea Sutton, was nominated for 8 Ovation Awards including Best Production (winner of 5). Lisa’s work has been developed/produced by LA’s top theatre companies, and nationwide. She was a member of East West Players’ Playwrights Group and has been awarded fellowships at MacDowell, Blue Mountain Center and Yaddo. Her play SUMO was recently named as a finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and was a part of La Jolla Playhouse’s DNA New Works Series. Lisa graduated from the University of Southern California. She was awarded the 2021 Dorothy and Granville Hicks Residency at Yaddo, which honors one promising young writer a year. Lisa is working on commissions for Antaeus Theatre Company and Rogue Artists Ensemble. She has been nominated for an Emmy for her work as a writer and director. Jessica Hanna (Director) is a Los Angeles based director, producer, space maker, member of The Kilroys, Chair of SITI Company’s Board of Directors, and co-founded of the Bootleg Theater. Her focus as a director is on new works development, most recently directing the world premiere of 3 Little Girls Down a Well at Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theatre NYC (2023), and Lottie Plachett Took a Hatchet, in Los Angeles and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2022), both written by Justin Elizabeth Sayre. Selected directing credits include works at Circle X (the world premiere of Deathplay, written & performed by Lisa Sanaye Dring), Celebration Theatre (Ovation Award winning Priscilla, Queen of the Desert), Bootleg Theater, Inkwell Theatre, UCLA, CalState University Long Beach, CalArts, Adobe Rose Theatre (Hostage by Michelle Kholos Brooks), Santa Fe Playhouse (#Undertheinfluence by Kristin Goodman), and Orlando Opera (As One). Jessica is the producing artistic director of Outside In Theatre, a new non-profit theatre company working at the intersection of Theatre and Digital, based in Highland Park, CA. Cast: Tasha Ames as Amanda (Do You Feel Anger? and Trevor at Circle X, Hooded or Being Black for Dummies at Echo Theater, Miss Lilly Gets Boned and Honky at Rogue Machine, Kimberly Akimbo and Rabbit Hole at Malibu Stage–Ovation Award “Featured Actress.” TV: Little Fires Everywhere, The Originals); Ben Messmer as Hermit (appeared on stage at A Noise Within, The Evidence Room, Cornerstone, Pacific Resident Theatre, Bootleg Theater, and Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Co. Performed in WoodBoy Dogfish, D is for Dog, and the Gogol Project with Rogue Artists Ensemble); Jenny Soo as Dean (West Adams with Skylight Theatre, Gloria with Echo Theater – Stage Raw Award for Best Female Comedy Performance, Dry Land, Hot Cat and most recently, The Untitled Baby Play. Film/TV: Parks & Rec, LA to Vegas, and Reverie). Creative Team: Yuri Okahana-Benson (Scenic Design), Brandon Baruch (Lighting), Mylette Nora (Costume Design), Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski (Sound Design), Nick Santiago (Projection Design), Benjamin Rawls (Technical Director), Victoria Hoffman (Casting), Cedes Sifuentes (Production Manager). Skylight Theatre Company is recognized as a “powerhouse of new play development” by Dramatist Magazine and as “a leader in play development” by the L.A. Times. In just the last five years, three plays originating at Skylight have been performed Off Broadway and on Broadway, The Wrong Man, and Church & State (which had 65+ productions in 33 states), and Lavender Men (which received a staged reading at Circle in the Square). In 2015, Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea (a co-production with Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble) received the prestigious Steinberg/ATC New Play Citation. In 2019, Center Theatre Group remounted their multiple award-winning production of Rotterdam at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of Block Party. The production won the 2017 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Production, and awards for Writing and Lead Actress. It also received top honors at the 2018 Stage Raw Awards, winning Production of the Year and Leading Actress awards. More at www.skylighttheatre.org HUNGRY GHOST  plays 8:30pm Fridays & Saturday, 3:00pm Sunday, 7:30pm Monday through October 2, 2023. Added performance at 8:30pm on Thursday, September 28 Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave, LA, 90027. Tickets are $20 – $38, pay it forward: up to $76, opening Aug. 26: $45+ (recommended age 14 +). Information and reservations: (213) 761-7061. Online ticketing: http://SkylightTix.org Masks are no longer required, but are encouraged, for audiences in our theater and lobby areas. Sunday matinee performances of Hungry Ghost have been designated as “Mask Required” to accommodate our immunocompromised patrons who are still at high risk, and for patrons who feel more comfortable attending with an audience that is fully masked.

Boston Court Pasadena presents

The World Premiere of

 Measure Still For Measure

Written and Directed by Jessica Kubzansky

SEPT 7 – OCT 15

Press Opening: SEPT 16

Boston Court’s first-ever immersive production offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of theatre

PASADENA, CA (AUG 2, 2023) — Boston Court Pasadena closes their 20th anniversary theatre season with the world premiere of Boston Court’s first immersive play, Measure STILL for Measure, written and directed by Boston Court Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky, September 7 – October 15 (press opening: September 16). Measure STILL for Measure features Robert Beitzel  (Bruce), Desiree Mee Jung (Alexis), Mara Klein (Brooke), Dinah Lenney (Mary), Leo Marks (Sam), Alexander Matos (J.Todd), Bukola Ogunmola (Dionna), Randy Thompson (Griffin), and  Jenapher Zheng (Frankie).

Boston Court’s first-ever immersive play, utilizing the entire building, will take audiences on a journey behind the curtain to experience the layered and intimate complexities of creating theatre. In this play-within-a-play, a renowned director rehearses a spectacular new production of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, “the original #metoo story.”  But backstage, there’s an even bigger drama playing out as the power dynamics of the play and the rehearsal blow up in the course of the night.

At a time where American theatre as a collective is still struggling to find its new normal post- pandemic, Kubzanky’s Measure STILL for Measure is both a love letter to the art form, as well as an examination of the challenging gray areas that theatre-making demands. Measure STILL for Measure lovingly skewers the delicious behind-the-scenes oddities of the rehearsal behaviors that actors, directors, and stage managers  find routine, and the code switching that happens as they oscillate between being fully immersed in the imaginary world of the play to being pulled back to the mundane stressors of the real world. It simultaneously examines the insidious and problematic power dynamics that are inherent in the world of theatre.

Not only does this world premiere mark Kubzansky’s directorial debut as the sole Artistic Director of Boston Court but Measure STILL for Measure is also Boston Court’s first immersive play, as well as one of Boston Court’s most ambitious productions.

Says Kubzansky, “One thing that seems clear about the moment we’re in right now, is that when possible, theatrical events need to be seen live and at the theatre, so that the experience is not possible to replicate by sitting on your couch and watching a good Netflix show. Measure STILL for Measure is a brand new immersive play that will utilize the entire Boston Court building and allow audience members to move throughout various spaces in the building to see ‘behind the curtain.’ It’s the equivalent of an all-access pass to how theatre gets made. This will be a theatrical experience that people have never seen at Boston Court before.”

Measure STILL for Measure marks the second Boston Court production penned by Kubzansky, the first being 2013’s RII, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II.

Surrounding this world premiere production of Measure STILL for Measure  are more than 10 events giving community members opportunities to engage with the play and its subject matter. These events include but are not limited to: post-show discussions on playwriting, acting, direction, design, on Theme, an Intimacy Coordination Workshop, two Pay-What-You-Choose performances, a Community Matinee, an ASL performance, and Student Night. A full schedule and listing of cast and creative team can be found below.

Tickets are available now and range from $22 – $47 with discounts available for students, seniors, and Boston Court members. Visit BostonCourtPasadena.org or call 626.683.6801 to purchase tickets or become a member.

# # #

About Boston Court Pasadena

Located in Pasadena, California, Boston Court Pasadena is a nonprofit arts center that creates and nurtures innovative, boundary-pushing art that invokes the power of collective imagination to illuminate our common humanity. Boston Court features a state-of-the-art, intimate facility designed to bring audiences and artists closer together. The 75-seat Marjorie Branson Performance Space and the 99-seat Main Stage serve as homes for Boston Court’s season of adventurous theatre and its richly eclectic music series, the annual New Play Reading Festival, and Art Upfront, a rotating visual art program, under the leadership of Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. BCP was founded in 2003 by philanthropist  Z. Clark Branson and Founding Producing Director Eileen T’Kaye. For more information about Boston Court Pasadena visit BostonCourtPasadena.org or call 626.683.6801.

About Jessica Kubzansky

Jessica Kubzansky (she/her) is a passionate storyteller for the theatre, and a champion of innovation and artistic excellence, and as such she was invited to be one of two founding artistic directors of Boston Court Pasadena, creating a mission and vision for the company that produces risky adventurous new work coupled with intimate artistic excellence. Now Kubzansky shepherds all the art created at Boston Court, including rich and eclectic music concerts as well as theatre. She began her artistic life as a playwright; her first full-length play, Inventory, had its world premiere directed by Edward Albee, with subsequent productions in Austin, San Francisco, and more. She became an award-winning national director working at venues such as Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) Seattle, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, South Coast Rep, The Geffen Playhouse, and many Los Angeles theatres. Kubzansky combines her passions by treating new works like Shakespeare, and Shakespeare like new work, which is how she arrived at her own adaptation of Shakespeare’s Richard II, called RII (initially developed and produced at Boston Court, subsequently produced at Santa Cruz Shakespeare Festival). Other favorite Shakespeares she’s directed include A Midsummer Night’s Dream (currently running at Utah Shakespeare Festival) Hamlet (with Leo Marks), The Winter’s Tale (Theater 150), Othello, Measure for Measure (A Noise Within), Macbeth (Antaeus), Richard II, The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Illinois Shakespeare Festival), Twelfth Night (Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival), and a Scottish/American walking production of Macbeth in Edinburgh Scotland. Recently, she directed the LA Drama Critic Circle award-winning The Father with Alfred Molina (Pasadena Playhouse), Jeanne Sakata’s Hold These Truths (San Diego Rep), Luis Alfaro’s Mojada, a Medea in Los Angeles (Boston Court/The Getty Villa), and for Boston Court Pasadena, the world premieres of Kit Steinkellner’s Ladies, and Sarah B. Mantell’s Everything That Never Happened (a new play written in response to The Merchant of Venice), which would have played at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2020 had the Coronavirus not interfered. Kubzansky teaches graduate playwrights and directors at UCLA, has her MFA in Direction from the California Institute of the Arts, and her undergraduate degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins and Harvard. She has received many awards and honors, among them the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theatre.

Cast & Creative Team

Measure Still for Measure

Written and directed  by Jessica Kubzansky

Cast:

Bruce Elliot Norton: The Actor Playing Duke Vincentio; also the play’s Director: Robert Beitzel

Frankie: The Assistant Director: Jenapher Zheng

Dionna: The Actor Playing Isabella: Bukola Ogunmola

Brooke: The Actor Playing Marianna: Mara Klein

Mary: The Actor Playing Escalus/Provost: Dinah Lenney

Sam: The Actor Playing Angelo: Leo Marks

J.Todd: The Actor Playing Claudio: Alexander Matos

Griffin: The Actor Playing Lucio: Randy Thompson

Alexis: The Stage Manager:Desiree Mee Jung

Understudies:

Bruce and Sam: Dan Stevens

Dionna: Sharlee Taylor

Griffin and J. Todd:  Will Block

Mary and Alexis: Dawn Alden

Brooke and Frankie: Mary Ann Pianka

Creative Team:

Scenic Design: Francois-Pierre Couture

Costume Design: Denitsa Bliznakova

Lighting Design: Tom Ontiveros

Video Design: Jason H. Thompson

Sound Design:John Nobori

Properties Design: Cindy Campos

Production Stage Manager: Kimberly Sanchez Garrido

Dramaturg: Emilie Pascale Beck

Shakespeare Consultant: Miranda Johnson-Haddad

Intimacy Director: Carly D.W. Bones

Casting Director: Julia Flores

Assistant Director: Erica Chamblee

Associate Lighting Designer: Jennifer Gonzalez

Associate Sound Designer: Caitlin Leong

Assistant Stage Manager: Jasmine Leung

World Premiere: The Right Is Ours! is a new musical with book and direction by Lloyd J. Schwartz, lyrics and music by Adryan Russ, choreography by Kay Cole. It features Anna Mintzer (Susan B. Anthony), Emily Abeles (Elizabeth Cady Stanton), Suffragists Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (Emmeline), Carlin Castellano (Christabel), Paige Berkovitz (Ida) and Katherine Chatman (Suffragists understudy). Music direction: Gregory Nabours. Orchestrations: Kat Sherrell.

Join us September 8 – October 8, 2023 at Sierra Madre Playhouse, in the charming village of Sierra Madre, California, just 10 minutes east of Pasadena, as we celebrate this intimate story of how the friendship, persistence and inspiration of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony sparked the fire of the Woman’s Suffragist Movement and changed the world by winning women the vote.  We are excited to see you there!

Michael A. Shepperd to direct explosive ensemble
drama ‘Blood at the Root’ by Dominique Morisseau 

LOS ANGELES (August 9, 2023) — Racial tensions erupt in an explosive ensemble drama based on a real-life incident at a Louisiana high school. Open Fist Theatre Company presents Blood at the Root, a “choreopoem” by Dominique Morisseau (Sunset Baby, Detroit ’67, Skeleton Crew) inspired by the true case of the “Jena Six.” Michael A. Shepperd directs for an eight-week run, September 9 through October 28, at Atwater Village Theatre.

Infused with hip-hop music and movement, Blood at the Root sheds light on escalating tensions between Black and White students at a Southern high school, delving into the double standard often applied to racially charged situations.

“This play feels so relevant for right now because we keep reliving these incidents,” says Shepperd. “This is a fantastic ensemble piece that uses rhythm, sound and poetry to explore friendship, racism and the miscarriage of justice.”

On a scorching autumn day, Raylynn, an African-American senior, dares to break tradition by grabbing some shade under a historic oak tree in front of the school — an area typically reserved for White students. The next day, three nooses are discovered hanging from the tree — sending shockwaves through the school. The administration dismisses the incident as a thoughtless prank. In stark contrast, when six Black teenagers are accused of beating a White schoolmate during a subsequent fight, attempted murder charges are sought.

The play’s title comes from the Billie Holiday song “Strange Fruit” in which Holiday sings, “Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root.”

The young ensemble cast features Malik Bailey, Deandra Bernardo, Emma Bruno, Nychelle C.E. Hawk, Nicholas Heard, Jeremy Reiter II, Caroline Rose, Jack David Sharpe, Grace Soens, Amber Tiara and Azeem Vecchio.

The Open Fist creative team, including scenic designer Joel Daavid; lighting designer Gavan Wyrick; sound designer Marc Antonio Pritchett; costume designer Mylette Nora; and chorographer Yusuf Nasir, promises a visually and emotionally immersive experience. The assistant director is Debba Rofheart, and the production stage manager is John Dimitri. Co-artistic directors Martha Demson, James Fowler and Amanda Weier produce for Open Fist Theatre Company.

Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise with all facets of its operation run by its artist members. The company’s name combines the notion that an open spirit, embracing all people and all ideas, is essential, with the idea that determination, signified by a fist, is necessary if the theater is to remain a vital voice for social change and awareness.

Blood at the Root runs September 9 through October 28. Performances take place at 8 p.m. every Friday and Saturday; at 7 p.m. every other Sunday beginning September 10; and at 3 p.m. every other Sunday beginning Sept. 17. Tickets range from $20 to $30.

Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. Parking is free is in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) parking lot one block south of the theater.

To purchase tickets and for more information call (323) 882-6912 or go to www.openfist.org.

L.A. premiere of ‘Birds of North America’ by Anna Ouyang Moench
stars Arye Gross and Jacqueline Misaye

Birding connects a father and daughter whose relationship is strained by different views of the world in Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s Los Angeles premiere of Birds of North America by Anna Ouyang Moench (Man of God at Geffen Playhouse, East-West Players; Severance on Apple+). Peter Richards (Lucas Hnath’s A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney) directs.

In this funny, poignant and nuanced two-hander set against the background of nature and climate change, John (Arye Gross, known for Eight Nights at Antaeus, ABC’s Castle) and Caitlyn (Jacqueline Misaye, seen in Reykjavik at the Road, General Hospital) scan the skies over a backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, even as the years go by and both they and the world around them change in small and vast ways. Birds of North America takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding.

“How do you manage a relationship in a case where you really love each other and really care, but just can’t see eye to eye on so many things?” asks Richards. “The unsettled nature of what’s happening in the world becomes a metaphor for their rocky relationship. I’m particularly excited by the soundscape opportunities for telling this story.”

The creative team for Birds of North America includes scenic designer Mark Guirguis, lighting designer Scott Bolman, sound designer Costandina Daros, costume designer Lena Sands and props designer Jenine MacDonald. The stage manager is Beth Mack. Beth Hogan produces for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

Performances of Birds of North America take place Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from September 23 through November 19. In addition, there will be two performances on Mondays at 8 p.m., on Oct. 16 and Oct. 30; one performance on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on Sept. 27; and three “wine night” performances on Fridays at 8 p.m., on Sept. 29, Oct. 6 and Oct. 20 (enjoy complimentary wine and snacks after the show). Public previews take place on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and Thursday, Sept. 21 followed by a press preview (also open to the public) on Friday, Sept. 22, with all previews beginning at 8 p.m.

Tickets to performances range from $25–$40, except Mondays, which are Pay-What-You-Will (reservations open online and at the door starting at 5:30 p.m.). Previews are priced at $20. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com.

Eco–anxious?
4-performances of darkly comic ‘Certain Death and
Other Considerations’ marks U.S. premiere at the Echo
 

WHAT:
Nine Twenty Collective in association with The Echo Theater Company presents the U.S. premiere of Certain Death and Other Considerations by Eliza Frakes. Direct from a smash-hit run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this ensemble-devised, “eco-anxious” dark comedy combines Greek tragic structure, realism and physical theater to explore the implications of living as the last viable generation — the good, the bad and the funny.

Living in a world doomed to end in exactly 80 years, Marc and Steph think that’s just enough time to have a baby. Meanwhile, Krista and Tom can’t even decide whether or not to adopt a cat. When Krista catches feelings for Marc and Steph’s surrogate, the layers of impending doom only get more complex.

Written between the shadow of the pandemic and the looming reality of climate catastrophe, this play chooses to laugh. After all… in the face of certain death, what else can you do?

WHO:
• Written by Eliza Frakes
• Original Devisers: Eliza Frakes, Scott Lipman, Emma Pierce Rempel, Christian Skinner
• Choreographic Deviser: Satori Folkes Stone
• Directed by Eliza Frakes and Emma Pierce Rempel
• Consulting Director: Isabel Strongheart McTighe
• Sound Design by Nathanial Kaye
• Starring Kyrie Dawson, Eliza Frakes, Scott Lipman, Emma Pierce Rempel, Christian Skinner
• Presented by Nine Twenty Collective in association with The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director

WHEN:
Sept. 24 – Oct. 15
• Sundays at 7:30 p.m.: Sept. 24; Oct. 1; Oct. 8; Oct. 15

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

PARKING:
FREE in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot one block south of the theater

TICKET PRICE:
$10

HOW:
www.EchoTheaterCompany.com
(310) 307-3753

BISEXUAL SADNESS

Written by India Kotis

Directed by Carlyle King  

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, announce the first show of its 2023-2024 season.

BISEXUAL SADNESS will preview Saturday, September 23 at 8pm; Sunday, September 24 at 2pm; Tuesday, September 26 & Wednesday, September 27 at 8pm. BISEXUAL SADNESS is double cast with the “Edna St. Vincent Millay” cast opening on Thursday, September 28 at 8pm & the “Roxane Gay” cast opening on Saturday, September 30 at 8pm. BISEXUAL SADNESS will perform through Sunday, November 5 at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

BISEXUAL SADNESS is double cast. The “Edna St. Vincent Millay” cast will feature: Tiffany Wolff as “Faye,” Alaska Jackson as “Genevieve,” Brian Graves as “Alex,” Karrie King as “Miranda,”, Gloria Ines as “Naomi,” and Andrea Flowers as “Lillian.”  The “Roxane Gay” cast will feature: Liz Fenning as “Faye,” Bex Taylor-Klaus as “Genevieve, Philip Smithey as “Alex,” Amy Tolsky as “Miranda,” Naomi Rubin as “Naomi,” and Samira Beija as “Lillian.”

CALENDAR LISTING FOR “HADESTOWN”

Venue: Ahmanson Theatre, 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012

Dates: October 3 to 15, 2023

Schedule: Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8:00PM; Saturdays at 2:00PM and 8:00PM; Sundays at 1:00PM and 6:30PM

Tickets:
Prices — begin at $40
Website — CenterTheatreGroup.org
Phone — Audience Services at (213) 628-2772
In person — Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012
Groups —centertheatregroup.org/tickets/groups-and-corporate-offers
Access — Center Theatre Group offers a number of services to accommodate persons requiring mobility, vision, and hearing access.
For more information, please visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Access.

BIOGRAPHIES

AMAYA BRAGANZA (Eurydice) (she/they). Tour: The King And I. Regional: Spring Awakening (Martha, Northern Stage). TV: “Succession”. She also makes music with her sisters “The Braganza Sisters” found on all streaming platforms, @thebraganzasisters. Currently fulfilling a BSW in Social Work at Fordham University. Proud Filipino-American. Thank you to Whitley Theatrical, Carson Kolker Organization, Sabina Kalfa. Love to family, especially mom, dad, Anika, and Adriana. @amaya_braganza

LANA GORDON (Persephone) is thrilled to return to Hadestown, having performed this role on Broadway. She began her professional career as a dancer with Alvin Ailey, Dunham Company and Donald Byrd/The Group before landing her debut in the original Broadway cast of Disney’s The Lion King. She is also perhaps known for her long runs as Velma Kelly in Chicago (Broadway), and throughout North America and Europe. Other credits include Jesus Christ Superstar (Broadway), Hair, West Side Story, and concerts throughout the world. Grateful to God for every blessing and husband Robert. Thanks to Matt and Kat at DGRW, and manager Geoff Soffer. @LanaJeanGordon

WILL MANN (Hermes). BROADWAY: Hadestown (Standby Hades/Hermes), Oklahoma! (2019 Tony Award Winning Revival) and Memphis (Bobby). NATIONAL TOURS: Memphis, Billy Elliot, Joseph…Dreamcoat, Elf and Wonderful Town. FILM: “Ricki and the Flash.” VOICEOVER: Aflac, Chase, Doritos and Square Terminal. Thank you CLA and DDO. For Darius! @UUILLMANN

MATTHEW PATRICK QUINN (Hades). National Tours: Finding Neverland, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged, Scooby Doo LIVE! Regional: Matilda (Northern Stage), Crazy for You (Pennsylvania Shakespeare), A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder (Engeman), The Addams Family (Gateway), Loch Ness (The REV). Originated several villainous roles for Disney Cruise Line such as Scar, Jafar, and Captain Hook. Endless gratitude for the continuous love and support from my family, Todd Eskin and ATB talent, Benton Whitley and the entire Hadestown team and especially YOU for supporting live theatre. Enjoy the show! Follow me @matthewpatrickquinn.

J. ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ (Orpheus) is thrilled to be a piece of this beautiful show. Off-Broadway: Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas. Select Regional: Footloose (The MUNY), Escape to Margaritaville (Ogunquit Playhouse), Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (The REV), Rocky Horror (Lyric Theatre OKC). HUGE thank you to DGRW, my amazing partner Cecilia, mi familia, my amazing Swing Fam, and all the DREAMers. Los quiero mucho! IG: @j.antoniorod

MARLA LOUISSAINT (Fate, u/s Persephone) (aka Marla Lou) is a Haitian born visionary making the revolution irresistible! Credits include: 2015 Jimmy Award Winner, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Seven Seconds (Netflix), Flatbush Misdemeanors (Showtime), creative producer (Theatre Producers of Color ’23) internationally published model (Vogue Italia, Oprah Magazine, SavagexFenty), and abolitionist community organizer as the Founder and CEO of Claim Our Space NOW. Learn more MARLALOU.COM.

LIZZIE MARKSON (Fate) (she/they) is deeply honored to be part of this story. Select credits: Mamma Mia! National Tour (Sophie), West Side Story Tokyo (Anybodys), Cabaret (Asolo Rep). Thank you Jen Waldman, DGRW, Hadestown team, and everyone who dreamed me here. Big love to my family, given and chosen. To all the queers, theater nerds, dreamers, and weirdos—this one’s for you.www.lizziemarkson.com @lizziemarkson

HANNAH SCHREER (Fate). National tour debut! Regional: Come Fall In Love (The Old Globe), Cinderella (Fulton Theatre). Proud FSU alum. Endless thanks to Whitley Theatrical, the Hadestown team, CESD, LINK, and her incredible friends and family. For Mom & Dad, always. @hannahschreer

SEVON ASKEW (Worker, u/s Hades, u/s Hermes). National Tour debut! Recent graduate from the University of Michigan Department of Musical Theatre. Special thanks to the Hadestown family and immense gratitude to Rachel, Ellery, and his incredible team. He would like to dedicate his performance to his family, friends, teachers, and loved ones for their endless support. @sevonaskew

IAN COULTER-BUFORD (Swing, Fight Captain, u/s Hermes). Off-Broadway: Broadway Bounty Hunter. Tour: After Midnight. TV/Film: “Modern Love”. Choreography: The Rose Room. Goes by PALAWN as a musician, debut single, “Juxtapose” out 2/4/22, go listen! Thank God, my fam, my amazing team, my circle, and the Hadestown squad. Illinois Wesleyan University Alum. KEEP DREAMING! Let’s connect! @iancoulterbuford @iampalawn

KC DELA CRUZ (Swing, Assistant Dance Captain, u/s Fate) Tour and Hadestown debut! Regional: Kiss My Aztec!, The Prince of Egypt, In the Heights, The Little Mermaid, West Side Story, Miss Saigon. Television: “I Can See Your Voice,” “The Voice of the Philippines.” Much love and gratitude to family, friends and DGRW. This one’s for my mom and dad! @kcdelacruz.

JAMAL LEE HARRIS (Worker, u/s Hades). Broadway: The Lion King. Tours: The Lion King, Miss Saigon, The Full Monty. BFA from Ithaca College. Eternally grateful to anyone making and/or supporting the Arts. Special thanks to SW Casting, Dustin Flores, and the entire team at Daniel Hoff Agency. Love to CNPH and my entire family!

COURTNEY LAUSTER (Worker, u/s Eurydice, u/s Fate) is thrilled to be making her touring debut in Hadestown! Proud alumna of Missouri State University. Regional: Beehive, Catch Me If You Can, Grease (Tent Theatre). Many thanks to Meghan & Caroline, Stewart/Whitley, KMR, and family & friends whom she never would have made it this far without. @courtneylauster

COLIN LeMOINE (Swing, u/s Orpheus). National Tour: Hello, Dolly! (Ambrose Kemper), NY: Pirates of Penzance Benefit Concert (Roundabout Theatre Co), Regional: Flat Rock Playhouse, Jacob’s Pillow, Music Theatre Wichita. BFA Musical Theatre- IU Bloomington. Thanks to my Mom and Dad, Laura Pietropinto, Stewart/Whitley Casting, and the entire team of Hadestown. Follow me @colin_lemoine

DANIEL TRACHT (Ensemble, u/s Orpheus) is ecstatic to be making his national tour debut with Hadestown! Select regional: RENT (Roger), 25th…Spelling Bee (Chip), Footloose (Ren). Penn State grad. Endless thanks to his family, friends, teachers, HCKR, and his wonderful partner, Kate for their unwavering support. @danieltracht

CECILIA TRIPPIEDI (Swing, Dance Captain, u/s Fate) she/her. Hailing from Orland Park, Ill., Cecilia is especially grateful to make her national tour debut with Hadestown. Endless thanks to Stewart/Whitely, The Link Program and her incredible team at DGRW for their unwavering support. Proud Otterbein alum. Love always to her family, Sav and Antonio. @ceciliatrippiedi

RACQUEL WILLIAMS (Worker, u/s Persephone, u/s Fate). National Tour debut! Born in Texas and raised in Alabama, Racquel has since performed in The Last Five Years (Cygnet Theatre), In The Heights (Rubicon Theatre), and The Magnificent Seven (Theatre Row). Her film credits include Daisy directed by Kendra Baude. Repped by Lynne Marks and Clear Talent. @racqwilliams

Company of Angels Presents

the World premiere of
‘RISE’ by Kimba Henderson
Follows a Boyle Heights African American woman’s poignant and haunting journey through the decades and why she could never leave

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (September 21, 2023) — Company of Angels presents the world premiere of RISE, a poignant journey throughout the decades of an African American woman born and bred in Boyle Heights. As the neighborhood evolves, this love story unfolds the ties that bind her to it, unraveling the tragic mystery behind her unrelenting resolve to never leave. Written by Company of Angels (CoA)-commissioned playwright Kimba Henderson (2023 Fox Entertainment TV drama fellow and currently a resident in The Black List/Women in Film Screenwriting Program) and directed by Lui Sanchez (Company of Angels Associate Artistic Director; playwright and director for CoA, USC School of Theatre, Urban Possibilities, The Deltoid Performance Group, and Take Fountain Theatre). Performances take place October 7 through November 5 at the Company of Angels Theater in Boyle Heights, with one low-priced preview beginning October 6.

The Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights was once known as the Ellis Island of the west coast, a multicultural haven, providing a home to European and Asian immigrants, Latinos, and African Americans. This rich convergence of cultures resulted in a unique tapestry of American life in the much beloved and historic community of Boyle Heights.

Through a previous project with Impro Theatre which looked at Boyle Heights through the lens of Japanese American, Jewish and Latine communities, there began a growing interest in wanting to explore the black community through an original play. Many don’t know that African Americans had a strong presence in Boyle Heights back in the day.

CoA commissioned playwright Kimba Henderson to create this play. In addition to her being an amazing writer, CoA had worked with her before, including taking part in CoA’s Playwrights group. In addition, Henderson has a postgraduate history background and research for RISE was right up her alley. CoA connected with members of the African American community who either grew up in Boyle Heights or had family from the area and they held Story Circles at the theater. Henderson was able to talk with this group, hear their stories and love for Boyle Heights. After months of research and development, CoA held their first invite-only reading in February 2023 via zoom. From there, Henderson worked on re-writes based on the feedback received. Another reading, this time in-person, was held this past July which was open to the public and included a talk-back with Henderson after the reading.

“In a time when America is wildly divided particularly along racial lines, I was stunned to discover Boyle Heights was a historically multiracial neighborhood which boasted a diversity that was organic and proved to be an advantage to many residents as they went out into the world. Despite differences in race, faith, and culture, neighbors inspired by the American dream supported, celebrated, and learned from each other,” exclaimed Henderson. “Personally, I was compelled to tell a story about a uniquely African American family shaped by this extraordinary neighborhood that presents a sense of place unlike anywhere else. Rise is a love letter to Boyle Heights, and I hope it gives the audience a glimpse of what is possible in the communities’ we humans call home.”

The cast who each play multiple characters include Miles Bryant (standup comic and actor who has performed in Hollywood Fringe Festival productions as well as with Inner City Arts and other companies) plays Kenji/Detective Tom/Scott; Justeen Butler (CSU Northridge graduate and actress in multiple plays and shorts) as Young Emmeline/Grace; RaeAnne Carlson (has worked on productions with Lit Live Theatre, Elite Theatre Company, and more) as Tizzy/Mina/Kate; Doug Kaback (directed at the Old Globe, Cornerstone, LATC, Odyssey Theatre; a playwright and actor) as Saul/Mr. Ralphs/David/ White Cop; Julianna Stephanie Ojeda (actress and associate producer with CoA) plays Veronica/Ramirez/Maria; Sherrick O’Quinn (Boyle Heights Anthology at CoA, many film credits) plays Sam/Bruce; Bernadette Speakes (accomplished actor, highly acclaimed director, award-winning filmmaker) plays Old Emmeline/Harriet/Julia; and Markhum Stansbury, Jr. (award-winning actor in multiple feature films, award-winning poet) plays Phil/John/Raymond.

The creative team includes scenic designer Lui Sanchez, scenic design consultant Justin Huen, set builder Raul Vega Martinez, lighting designer Max Brother, sound and video designer Veronica Bowers, costume designer Mylette Nora, prop master Shen Heckel, production stage manager Max Tel and assistant stage manager Cassandra Castillo-Tapia. Lui Sanchez is also a producer on RISE, along with producers Armando Molina, Nakasha Norwood, and assistant producer Jose Medrano.

As the oldest non-profit professional theater in Los Angeles, Company of Angels produces theater that reflects and responds to the richness, diversity, and complexity that is our city. A theater company of diverse theater artists fostering mutual learning partnerships with the residents of Los Angeles. Company of Angels develops emerging artists, creates new work, and re-envisions theater to entertain new audiences and serve the City of Angels. Company of Angels is proudly in partnership and in residence at Legacy LA, a youth empowerment non-profit.

Company of Angels is dedicated to creating theater that is deeply connected to its community. We aim to share and help give voice to the many stories that exist in our community. With a collective of Actors, Directors, Playwrights, Designers, and Administrators, Company of Angels forges ongoing and meaningful relationships with the residents of Los Angeles.

RISE runs October 6 through November 5, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 7 p.m. There will be a preview performance on Friday, October 6. Special preview tickets available for October 6 for only $10. Tickets to all performances are $25; $15 students and seniors (65+) Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at $12 per person (Promo code GROUP).

Company of Angels Theater is located at 1350 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. Limited free parking and street parking available.

For reservations and information, please visit https://ci.green.prod.ovationtix.com/29315/production/1179856 or go to https://www.companyofangels.org/rise.

WHAT:
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the recent Hollywood Fringe Festival hit comedy, BEFOK (or the Desperate Attempt to Impress Iñárritu). Academy Award-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s movies mean a lot to both writer/performer Asta Leigh, and to her new force-of-nature character, South African-born Lola Luvv. Lola swore she’d be a world-renowned actress by the age of forty, but that’s in seven days and she’s no closer to her goal than when she moved to Hollywood. She still walks dogs and cleans up their monster shits. After catching a glimpse of Iñárritu at the Alta Dena WholeFoods, Lola’s convinced it’s a sign she’s destined to play the lead in his new TV show The One Percent. What follows is a manic ride of determination, desperation, ketamine and chickens, where the only thing at stake… is her life. The show is truly “befok,” an Afrikaans word that can mean a number of things: crazy, awesome, angry, cool, or simply “not right in the head.” For anyone who’s pursued a career in Hollywood, it’s a word with which they can identify — and it certainly applies to Lola.

WHO:
• Written and Performed by Asta Leigh
• Directed and Storycrafted by Matt Ritchey
• Produced by Beth Hogan
• Presented by the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Ron Sossi Artistic Director

WHEN:
October 19 – November 5
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 20. Oct. 27, Nov. 3
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4
• Sundays at 4 p.m.: Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5

WHERE:
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025

TICKET PRICES:
$30

HOW:
www.OdysseyTheatre.com
(310) 477-2055 ext. 2

This solo dark comedy wowed audiences at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe and now it’s back for three encore performances!

Chronically single, Gail has always been good at staying busy, setting boundaries and avoiding intimacy. That is, until a scary diagnosis makes her realize that she might just need to slow down, chill out, and get some help. But, who can she trust? “I got rid of all the toxic people and there was no one left.”

This dark comedy solo show tracks Gail’s quest to find the line between herself and others after a cancer diagnosis and her participation as patient #13 in a ground-breaking FDA study that gave psilocybin (magic mushrooms) to cancer patients with anxiety and depression. As reported in countless publications, including the New York Times, the Atlantic, CNN, La Mode, the study has blazed a trail for the potential legalization of the psychedelics for use as a medical treatment. 

Performances are at the Broadwater Black Box Theater Fri – Sun, October 20-22 7pm 

Tickets and more information here.

Antaeus presents world premiere of poignant
coming–of–age tale ‘SHE’ by Marlow Wyatt
GLENDALE, Calif. (September 6, 2023) — Antaeus Theatre Company opens its 2023-24 season with the world premiere of SHE, a poignant, magical and lyrical coming-of-age American drama written by Antaeus-commissioned playwright Marlow Wyatt and directed by Andi Chapman (Native Son, The Abuelas). Performances take place October 20 through November 20 at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, with low-priced previews beginning October 15.

Camille Ariana Spirlin (Runaway Home at the Fountain) stars as 13-year-old SHE Sojourner Freeman. Resilient and ever-optimistic, SHE overcomes her stifling small-town existence by re-imagining her reality through poetry. Her dreams take flight when she’s presented with the opportunity to attend the prestigious Vanguard Academy.

“How do you thrive when you’re stuck in a small box?” asks Wyatt. “SHE is trapped by the boundaries of generational fear, searching and wanting and growing up female in a male society. She copes through a world of poetry and eventually discovers that the small town she desperately wants to escape is filled with the very people who give her wings to fly.”

The cast of characters also includes SHE’s best friend, Davie Mansaw, played by Ovation, Backstage and LADCC award-winner Lorenz Arnell; SHE’s hard-working, single mother, Bernice, portrayed by longtime Antaeus company member Karen Malina White (Eight Nights, As You Like It, The Liar); Bernice’s charismatic gambler boyfriend, Mr. Lonnie (Jon Chaffin, seen as Bigger in Native Son at both Antaeus and CTG Block Party at the Kirk Douglas Theatre); eagle-eyed town matriarch, Miss Jane (four-time NAACP Theater Award nominee Veronica Thompson); and city-slick hustler Othalee (Gerard Joseph seen and heard in Antaeus productions of Everybody and The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles podcast series).

SHE is the recipient of the second annual Los Angeles New Play Project (LANPP) grant, designed to attract excellence in playwriting to the Los Angeles theater community and encourage the production of exciting, untried plays. The script was also a CTG/HUMANITAS finalist, Long Beach Playhouse New Works winner, and received National Black Theatre Festival A-List and Antaeus Theatre Company Lab Results readings.

The creative team includes scenic designer Eli Sherlock, lighting designer Andrew Schmedake, sound designer Jeff Gardner, video designer Nick Santiago, costume designer Wendell C. Carmichael and properties designer Katie Iannitello. The assistant director is Jessica Williams and the production stage manager is Camella Cooper.

Antaeus is an actor-driven theater company that explores and produces timely and timeless works, grounded in its passion for the classics. The company illuminates diverse human experiences through performance, training and outreach. It believes in the transformative power of live theater.

SHE runs October 20 through November 20, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. (dark Monday, Oct. 23). There will be two additional weeknight performances, on Thursday, Nov. 9 and Thursday, Nov. 16, each at 8 p.m.; two additional matinees, on Saturday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 18, each at 2 p.m.; and four preview performances October 15 through October 19. Tickets to all performances are $40; tickets to previews are $20.

The Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center is located at 110 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205 (between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.). The first 90 minutes of parking is free, then $2 per hour, in Glendale Marketplace garage located at 120 Artsakh Ave. (between Broadway and Harvard). The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible.

For reservations and information, call 818-506-1983 or go to antaeus.org.

L.A. premiere of ‘Birds of North America’ by Anna Ouyang Moench
stars Arye Gross and Jacqueline Misaye

Birding connects a father and daughter whose relationship is strained by different views of the world in Odyssey Theatre Ensemble’s Los Angeles premiere of Birds of North America by Anna Ouyang Moench (Man of God at Geffen Playhouse, East-West Players; Severance on Apple+). Peter Richards (Lucas Hnath’s A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney) directs.

In this funny, poignant and nuanced two-hander set against the background of nature and climate change, John (Arye Gross, known for Eight Nights at Antaeus, ABC’s Castle) and Caitlyn (Jacqueline Misaye, seen in Reykjavik at the Road, General Hospital) scan the skies over a backyard in suburban Maryland looking for elusive birds, even as the years go by and both they and the world around them change in small and vast ways. Birds of North America takes a close look at the relationship of a father and daughter over the course of a decade as they struggle to understand the parts of one another that defy understanding.

“How do you manage a relationship in a case where you really love each other and really care, but just can’t see eye to eye on so many things?” asks Richards. “The unsettled nature of what’s happening in the world becomes a metaphor for their rocky relationship. I’m particularly excited by the soundscape opportunities for telling this story.”

The creative team for Birds of North America includes scenic designer Mark Guirguis, lighting designer Scott Bolman, sound designer Costandina Daros, costume designer Lena Sands and props designer Jenine MacDonald. The stage manager is Beth Mack. Beth Hogan produces for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

Performances of Birds of North America take place Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from September 23 through November 19. In addition, there will be two performances on Mondays at 8 p.m., on Oct. 16 and Oct. 30; one performance on Wednesday at 8 p.m., on Sept. 27; and three “wine night” performances on Fridays at 8 p.m., on Sept. 29, Oct. 6 and Oct. 20 (enjoy complimentary wine and snacks after the show). Public previews take place on Wednesday, Sept. 20 and Thursday, Sept. 21 followed by a press preview (also open to the public) on Friday, Sept. 22, with all previews beginning at 8 p.m.

Tickets to performances range from $25–$40, except Mondays, which are Pay-What-You-Will (reservations open online and at the door starting at 5:30 p.m.). Previews are priced at $20. The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com.

BISEXUAL SADNESS

Written by India Kotis

Directed by Carlyle King  

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, announce the first show of its 2023-2024 season.

BISEXUAL SADNESS will preview Saturday, September 23 at 8pm; Sunday, September 24 at 2pm; Tuesday, September 26 & Wednesday, September 27 at 8pm. BISEXUAL SADNESS is double cast with the “Edna St. Vincent Millay” cast opening on Thursday, September 28 at 8pm & the “Roxane Gay” cast opening on Saturday, September 30 at 8pm. BISEXUAL SADNESS will perform through Sunday, November 5 at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.

BISEXUAL SADNESS is double cast. The “Edna St. Vincent Millay” cast will feature: Tiffany Wolff as “Faye,” Alaska Jackson as “Genevieve,” Brian Graves as “Alex,” Karrie King as “Miranda,”, Gloria Ines as “Naomi,” and Andrea Flowers as “Lillian.”  The “Roxane Gay” cast will feature: Liz Fenning as “Faye,” Bex Taylor-Klaus as “Genevieve, Philip Smithey as “Alex,” Amy Tolsky as “Miranda,” Naomi Rubin as “Naomi,” and Samira Beija as “Lillian.”

Company of Angels Presents

the World premiere of
‘RISE’ by Kimba Henderson
Follows a Boyle Heights African American woman’s poignant and haunting journey through the decades and why she could never leave

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (September 21, 2023) — Company of Angels presents the world premiere of RISE, a poignant journey throughout the decades of an African American woman born and bred in Boyle Heights. As the neighborhood evolves, this love story unfolds the ties that bind her to it, unraveling the tragic mystery behind her unrelenting resolve to never leave. Written by Company of Angels (CoA)-commissioned playwright Kimba Henderson (2023 Fox Entertainment TV drama fellow and currently a resident in The Black List/Women in Film Screenwriting Program) and directed by Lui Sanchez (Company of Angels Associate Artistic Director; playwright and director for CoA, USC School of Theatre, Urban Possibilities, The Deltoid Performance Group, and Take Fountain Theatre). Performances take place October 7 through November 5 at the Company of Angels Theater in Boyle Heights, with one low-priced preview beginning October 6.

The Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights was once known as the Ellis Island of the west coast, a multicultural haven, providing a home to European and Asian immigrants, Latinos, and African Americans. This rich convergence of cultures resulted in a unique tapestry of American life in the much beloved and historic community of Boyle Heights.

Through a previous project with Impro Theatre which looked at Boyle Heights through the lens of Japanese American, Jewish and Latine communities, there began a growing interest in wanting to explore the black community through an original play. Many don’t know that African Americans had a strong presence in Boyle Heights back in the day.

CoA commissioned playwright Kimba Henderson to create this play. In addition to her being an amazing writer, CoA had worked with her before, including taking part in CoA’s Playwrights group. In addition, Henderson has a postgraduate history background and research for RISE was right up her alley. CoA connected with members of the African American community who either grew up in Boyle Heights or had family from the area and they held Story Circles at the theater. Henderson was able to talk with this group, hear their stories and love for Boyle Heights. After months of research and development, CoA held their first invite-only reading in February 2023 via zoom. From there, Henderson worked on re-writes based on the feedback received. Another reading, this time in-person, was held this past July which was open to the public and included a talk-back with Henderson after the reading.

“In a time when America is wildly divided particularly along racial lines, I was stunned to discover Boyle Heights was a historically multiracial neighborhood which boasted a diversity that was organic and proved to be an advantage to many residents as they went out into the world. Despite differences in race, faith, and culture, neighbors inspired by the American dream supported, celebrated, and learned from each other,” exclaimed Henderson. “Personally, I was compelled to tell a story about a uniquely African American family shaped by this extraordinary neighborhood that presents a sense of place unlike anywhere else. Rise is a love letter to Boyle Heights, and I hope it gives the audience a glimpse of what is possible in the communities’ we humans call home.”

The cast who each play multiple characters include Miles Bryant (standup comic and actor who has performed in Hollywood Fringe Festival productions as well as with Inner City Arts and other companies) plays Kenji/Detective Tom/Scott; Justeen Butler (CSU Northridge graduate and actress in multiple plays and shorts) as Young Emmeline/Grace; RaeAnne Carlson (has worked on productions with Lit Live Theatre, Elite Theatre Company, and more) as Tizzy/Mina/Kate; Doug Kaback (directed at the Old Globe, Cornerstone, LATC, Odyssey Theatre; a playwright and actor) as Saul/Mr. Ralphs/David/ White Cop; Julianna Stephanie Ojeda (actress and associate producer with CoA) plays Veronica/Ramirez/Maria; Sherrick O’Quinn (Boyle Heights Anthology at CoA, many film credits) plays Sam/Bruce; Bernadette Speakes (accomplished actor, highly acclaimed director, award-winning filmmaker) plays Old Emmeline/Harriet/Julia; and Markhum Stansbury, Jr. (award-winning actor in multiple feature films, award-winning poet) plays Phil/John/Raymond.

The creative team includes scenic designer Lui Sanchez, scenic design consultant Justin Huen, set builder Raul Vega Martinez, lighting designer Max Brother, sound and video designer Veronica Bowers, costume designer Mylette Nora, prop master Shen Heckel, production stage manager Max Tel and assistant stage manager Cassandra Castillo-Tapia. Lui Sanchez is also a producer on RISE, along with producers Armando Molina, Nakasha Norwood, and assistant producer Jose Medrano.

As the oldest non-profit professional theater in Los Angeles, Company of Angels produces theater that reflects and responds to the richness, diversity, and complexity that is our city. A theater company of diverse theater artists fostering mutual learning partnerships with the residents of Los Angeles. Company of Angels develops emerging artists, creates new work, and re-envisions theater to entertain new audiences and serve the City of Angels. Company of Angels is proudly in partnership and in residence at Legacy LA, a youth empowerment non-profit.

Company of Angels is dedicated to creating theater that is deeply connected to its community. We aim to share and help give voice to the many stories that exist in our community. With a collective of Actors, Directors, Playwrights, Designers, and Administrators, Company of Angels forges ongoing and meaningful relationships with the residents of Los Angeles.

RISE runs October 6 through November 5, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 7 p.m. There will be a preview performance on Friday, October 6. Special preview tickets available for October 6 for only $10. Tickets to all performances are $25; $15 students and seniors (65+) Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more at $12 per person (Promo code GROUP).

Company of Angels Theater is located at 1350 San Pablo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. Limited free parking and street parking available.

For reservations and information, please visit https://ci.green.prod.ovationtix.com/29315/production/1179856 or go to https://www.companyofangels.org/rise.

WHAT:
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the recent Hollywood Fringe Festival hit comedy, BEFOK (or the Desperate Attempt to Impress Iñárritu). Academy Award-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s movies mean a lot to both writer/performer Asta Leigh, and to her new force-of-nature character, South African-born Lola Luvv. Lola swore she’d be a world-renowned actress by the age of forty, but that’s in seven days and she’s no closer to her goal than when she moved to Hollywood. She still walks dogs and cleans up their monster shits. After catching a glimpse of Iñárritu at the Alta Dena WholeFoods, Lola’s convinced it’s a sign she’s destined to play the lead in his new TV show The One Percent. What follows is a manic ride of determination, desperation, ketamine and chickens, where the only thing at stake… is her life. The show is truly “befok,” an Afrikaans word that can mean a number of things: crazy, awesome, angry, cool, or simply “not right in the head.” For anyone who’s pursued a career in Hollywood, it’s a word with which they can identify — and it certainly applies to Lola.

WHO:
• Written and Performed by Asta Leigh
• Directed and Storycrafted by Matt Ritchey
• Produced by Beth Hogan
• Presented by the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Ron Sossi Artistic Director

WHEN:
October 19 – November 5
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 19, Oct. 26, Nov. 2
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 20. Oct. 27, Nov. 3
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4
• Sundays at 4 p.m.: Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5

WHERE:
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90025

TICKET PRICES:
$30

HOW:
www.OdysseyTheatre.com
(310) 477-2055 ext. 2

Antaeus presents world premiere of poignant
coming–of–age tale ‘SHE’ by Marlow Wyatt
GLENDALE, Calif. (September 6, 2023) — Antaeus Theatre Company opens its 2023-24 season with the world premiere of SHE, a poignant, magical and lyrical coming-of-age American drama written by Antaeus-commissioned playwright Marlow Wyatt and directed by Andi Chapman (Native Son, The Abuelas). Performances take place October 20 through November 20 at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center in Glendale, with low-priced previews beginning October 15.

Camille Ariana Spirlin (Runaway Home at the Fountain) stars as 13-year-old SHE Sojourner Freeman. Resilient and ever-optimistic, SHE overcomes her stifling small-town existence by re-imagining her reality through poetry. Her dreams take flight when she’s presented with the opportunity to attend the prestigious Vanguard Academy.

“How do you thrive when you’re stuck in a small box?” asks Wyatt. “SHE is trapped by the boundaries of generational fear, searching and wanting and growing up female in a male society. She copes through a world of poetry and eventually discovers that the small town she desperately wants to escape is filled with the very people who give her wings to fly.”

The cast of characters also includes SHE’s best friend, Davie Mansaw, played by Ovation, Backstage and LADCC award-winner Lorenz Arnell; SHE’s hard-working, single mother, Bernice, portrayed by longtime Antaeus company member Karen Malina White (Eight Nights, As You Like It, The Liar); Bernice’s charismatic gambler boyfriend, Mr. Lonnie (Jon Chaffin, seen as Bigger in Native Son at both Antaeus and CTG Block Party at the Kirk Douglas Theatre); eagle-eyed town matriarch, Miss Jane (four-time NAACP Theater Award nominee Veronica Thompson); and city-slick hustler Othalee (Gerard Joseph seen and heard in Antaeus productions of Everybody and The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles podcast series).

SHE is the recipient of the second annual Los Angeles New Play Project (LANPP) grant, designed to attract excellence in playwriting to the Los Angeles theater community and encourage the production of exciting, untried plays. The script was also a CTG/HUMANITAS finalist, Long Beach Playhouse New Works winner, and received National Black Theatre Festival A-List and Antaeus Theatre Company Lab Results readings.

The creative team includes scenic designer Eli Sherlock, lighting designer Andrew Schmedake, sound designer Jeff Gardner, video designer Nick Santiago, costume designer Wendell C. Carmichael and properties designer Katie Iannitello. The assistant director is Jessica Williams and the production stage manager is Camella Cooper.

Antaeus is an actor-driven theater company that explores and produces timely and timeless works, grounded in its passion for the classics. The company illuminates diverse human experiences through performance, training and outreach. It believes in the transformative power of live theater.

SHE runs October 20 through November 20, with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. (dark Monday, Oct. 23). There will be two additional weeknight performances, on Thursday, Nov. 9 and Thursday, Nov. 16, each at 8 p.m.; two additional matinees, on Saturday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 18, each at 2 p.m.; and four preview performances October 15 through October 19. Tickets to all performances are $40; tickets to previews are $20.

The Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center is located at 110 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205 (between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.). The first 90 minutes of parking is free, then $2 per hour, in Glendale Marketplace garage located at 120 Artsakh Ave. (between Broadway and Harvard). The theater is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible.

For reservations and information, call 818-506-1983 or go to antaeus.org.

“Bringing Awareness to Domestic Violence”

I’ll Be Single Before I Settle by Shaneisha Dodson.

Black Girlz Productions presents I’ll Be Single Before I Settle at the Miracle of Inglewood 11/04/2023 for a 7pm show. Tickets at https://miracletheater.tixtrack.com/tickets/series/SingleBeforeISettle/ill-be-single-before-i-settle-758486?startDate=11-04-2023.

The production is a about three lifelong friends who navigate the turbulent waters of modern love while inadvertently uncovering the hidden truths of domestic violence. Amidst the laughter and tears, their personal journeys intersect with stories of healing, love and survival that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This is definitely a production that you don’t want to miss.  IG: @blkgirlz12