THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, announce the first show of its 2022-2023 Season, a world premiere comedy, ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS, written by Arlene Hutton (The Nibroc Trilogy) and directed by Emily Chase.

A semi-finalist at the prestigious O’Neill conference in 2021, ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS is scheduled to open in New York City in March, 2023. In the basement quick change room of a Broadway theatre in the mid 1980s life is full of angst as the long-running production may close at any time and the chorus women are at war with the wardrobe department. Will the new dresser, with her own sad past and uncertain future, be able to navigate this minefield? ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS is a funny, nostalgic behind-the-scenes look at a pivotal period in the history of Broadway where women’s issues and the AIDS crisis play out through the everyday lives of Equity performers and union dressers.

The Cast of ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS will feature: Samantha Tan as “KJ,” Avery Clyde as “Audrey,” Amy Tolsky as “Brenda,” Juan Pope as “Peter,” Meeghan Holloway as “Mallory,” Jacqueline Mesaye as “Nicki,” Julia Manis as “Linda,” Gloria Ines as “Monica,” Kristyn Evelyn as “Jessica,” Sorel Carradine as “Joyce,” Mara Klein as “Stacie,” Danny Lee Gomez as “Van,” and Fox as “Olivia the Dog.”

The Design Team for ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS is as follows: Scenic Design by Paul Dufresne; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Sound Design by Christopher Moscatiello; Costume Design by Michele Young. Original music by Arian Saleh. The Production Stage Manager is Maurie Gonzalez. The Rehearsal Stage Manager Lila Zamani. ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS is produced by Danna Hyams, Taylor Gilbert and Ann Hearn.

ACCORDING TO THE CHORUS will preview on Tuesday, October 18, Wednesday, October 19 & Thursday, October 20 at 8pm; will open on riday, October 21 at 8pm and run through Sunday, December 11 at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony.

Performances are Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm.

‘Smile’

WHAT:
Two women forge an unexpected bond in the world premiere of Smile, a new play from IAMA Theatre Company. A kid from the inner city whose mother moved her in order to attend a White, affluent public school in Philadelphia’s Main Line, Rachel is a young girl still dreaming of her first kiss; she’s ill-equipped to navigate a world which defines her solely by gender, race and class. When an “incident” at school lands Rachel in the guidance counselor’s office, her situation sparks the young mother’s own questions and insecurities. Soon, Rachel and Helen find themselves developing a complicated relationship.

WHO:
• Written by Melissa Jane Osborne
• Directed by Michelle Bossy
• Starring Isabella Feliciana, Ronit Kathuria, Andria Kozica, John Lavelle
• Presented by IAMA Theatre Company, Stefanie Black, artistic director

WHEN:
Previews: November 10 and November 11
Performances: November 12 – December 5
• Thursday at 8 p.m.: Nov. 10 ONLY (preview)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 11 (preview); Nov. 18; Dec. 2; (dark Nov. 25)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 12 (opening night); Nov. 19; Nov. 26; Dec. 3
• Sundays at 3 p.m.: Nov. 13; Nov. 20; Nov. 27; Dec. 4
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: Nov. 14; Nov. 21; Nov. 28; Dec. 5

WHERE:
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

TICKET PRICES:
• General Admission (except previews and opening night): $35
• Opening Night (Nov. 12): $40 (includes post-performance reception)
• Previews: $20

HOW:
Call 323-380-8843 or go to iamatheatre.com

Holiday entertainment just got more magical. Think, “A Christmas Carol” meets “It’s a Wonderful Life” meets…*NSYNC. It’s Christmas Eve 2009 and Chris Kirkpatrick from *NSYNC has a decision to make. This musical parody mashup of holiday classics features 12 original songs in a celebration of the season with music direction by Taylor Williams, whose work can be heard on the Grammy Award winning albums Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Color Purple (2016 Revival).

“We didn’t originally set out to make an *NSYNC musical, but it was impossible to tell the story of Chris without telling the story of *NSYNC,” explained Valen Shore. “At some point it became our number one goal to be as historically accurate as possible, even in the context of a magical holiday musical.”

Valen Shore (Music/Lyrics/Book/Co-Director; Chris) is a playwright and musician whose music has had millions of streams across all platforms. Her songs have been featured on Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Lucifer, Pretty Little Liars, and The Sims 4. In 2018 she toured with BRONCHO and SYML.

“We both grew up during the boy band era but Chriskirkpatrickmas isn’t just a story about *NSYNC (though there’s definitely a lot of *NSYNC in it), it’s also a story about identity and what might happen on the other side of a dream come true,” says Alison Zatta. “It’s a comedic love letter to the real-life Chris Kirkpatrick, without whom there would be no *NSYNC.”

Alison Zatta (Lyrics/Book/Co-Director/Producer; Marky Mark) is an L.A. based actor, writer, and filmmaker. Alison made her professional stage debut at age 12 in McCarter Theatre’s A Christmas Carol in Princeton, NJ. Selected credits include the music video for P!nk’s F**kin’ Perfect, directed by Dave Meyers, and the title role in the DC premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. Alison’s award-winning short film “Girl Meets Roach,” screened at over 40 festivals worldwide. She recently completed another festival circuit with her script “The Break-App” (Winner, Copa Shorts Film Festival Comedy Screenwriting Competition; Finalist: Nashville Film Festival Screenwriting Competition, Oxford Film Festival Screenwriting Competition; Semi-Finalist, Omaha Film Festival Screenwriting Competition).

“It’s the tiny details that come from craft and time that are buried in the show for audiences to discover. These songs have gone through numerous iterations to make sure each one fits perfectly in its moment of the show. From the first time I spoke with Valen and Ali, I knew that they were capable of creating something very special. With music as good as this, a book as smart as this, and people as talented and as dedicated as this, I really think they’ve done it,” says Music Director Taylor Williams; whose work can be heard on the Grammy Award winning albums Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Color Purple (2016 Revival).

Music Director Taylor Williams is a composer, orchestrator, and electronic music designer. His electronic music work can be heard on the Grammy Award-winning albums of Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and The Color Purple (2016 Revival), as well as the original cast albums of Heathers, Moulin Rouge, and Beetlejuice. He has collaborated with such artists as Sara Bareilles, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, Heather Headley, Steve Martin, and Baz Luhrmann.

The Cast: Riley Rose Critchlow (Lance) Best Performance in a Play for starring in the world premiere of The Girl Who Would Be King at El Centro; Elizabeth Ho (Joey) played “Jenny” opposite Kathy Bates in Netflix’s Disjointed, Emily Lambert (Lou) performed with Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC, Stratford), The Member of the Wedding (Off-Broadway), I Love You Because (London); Mia-Carina Mollicone (J.C.) regional theatre includes Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene) and It’s a Wonderful Life (Violet Bick); Valen Shore (Chris) has songs featured on Riverdale, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Lucifer, Pretty Little Liars, and The Sims 4; Nicole Wyland (Justin) performed in Uptown (Pasadena Playhouse) and Our Town (Kennedy Center Theatre Festival); Alison Zatta (Marky Mark) played the title role in the DC area premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice.

Creative Team: Josh Millican (Sound Design), Lili Fuller (Choreographer).

“Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical” opens at 8pm on Thursday, December 1 and runs at 8pm Wednesday – Saturday; 2pm Saturday matinees; and 3pm Sundays through December 11, 2022. The Actors Company is located at 916 N Formosa Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046. Tickets: $45 at https://www.chriskirkpatrickmas.com/ with ample street parking nearby and the West Hollywood Gateway (with underground parking structure), within short walking distance. Information: 323-201-7050. All tickets include entrance to A BOY BAND CHRISTMAS PARTY following each performance, a nostalgic, interactive after-party with the cast, featuring holiday + boy band music and special surprises! (Party runtime: 90 minutes, with people free to leave/stay as they please).

Face masks are required to be worn indoors at all times.

“18 Minutes of Fame” by Susan Morgenstern and Barbara Minkus. 18 Minutes of Fame is subtitled A Musical Journey with Barbara Minkus. You’ve seen her —a lot: On stage, on screen and especially on television. Other than the fact that she never became actually famous, she’s had what most performers would consider an enviable career. Because she started out as, and remains, an accomplished singer, her show business memoir is a musical one.
Her road hasn’t always been an easy one. She faced physical challenges. She had to conceal her stage mother’s ongoing infidelities. Aspiring early on to sing opera, Barbara found her audiences steering her in the direction of musical comedy. Gaining a foothold in national media, she worked with the show business greats. She appeared 25 times as a raconteur and singer on The Merv Griffin Show; Appeared on TV with Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis; 27 episodes of Love, American Style as a variety of characters; stints on Tosh O; Getting On; The Tonight Show.
Her stage career has included the touring company of Funny Girl (as Fanny Brice); a starring role on Broadway in The Education of Hyman Kaplan; Off-Broadway roles in Picon Pie (as Molly Picon); Don’t Leave It All to Your Children; Rondelay. She starred locally as Jennie Grossinger in Saturday Night at Grossinger’s. She also had roles in eleven feature films.
Along the way, she found true love. A trip to Israel with her husband brought her closer to her Jewish roots.
Directed by Susan Morgenstern. Written by Morgenstern and Barbara Minkus. Presented by Theatre West,

Fri. & Sat. at 8:00, Sun. at 2:00.

http://theatrewest.org

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