LAFPI

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.