Category Archives: Theatre

Theatre Review: One Jewish Boy

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Sandra Bullock holds Brendan Fraser as soon as she sees two Black young men walking close to them in the 2004 film Crash. A similar scene takes place in One Jewish Boy, where an insidious distrust starts to shape the lives of two Londoners. They meet, fall in love, get married, and have a baby. Jesse (Zeke Goodman) is Jewish with White looks. Alex (Sharae Foxie) is mixed with Black looks. Can they survive the internal and external racism?

While living in London, Jesse is brutally attacked, leaving him with emotional and psychological scars difficult to heal. As Alex tries to help him recover his self-confidence, Jesse seems to implode to the point of becoming dysfunctional. What makes Stephen Laughton‘s story more complex is the exploration of the conditioning imposed on the two characters by the structural discrimination and negative views on diversity of the English society, often magnified and incited by the political parties.

The play exposes the popular idea of Jews enjoying a privileged life, sitting on piles of money, disconnected from the daily struggles of the less privileged sectors of society. It’s not a new perception, of course. It’s a revolving idea recycled time after time. In One Jewish Boy, Laughton presents the latest sentiment around the world. The physical aggression Jesse experiences is similar to the attacks suffered by the supporters of the Tel Aviv Maccabi soccer team in Amsterdam in November 2024. The names and places might change, but the entrenched hate feels the same.

The other interesting aspect of the play is the diversity of Jewish views on race, politics, religion, and even the emotional connection to Israel. In the diaspora, identity and allegiance might shift, closer or further away from the motherland, either as a reinforcement of the Jewish identity or a dismissal of the autochthonous myth. Jesse feels connected to his Jewish culture, but not so much to the state of Israel. Either way, he is targeted by society and even by the person who is supposed to love him. He is beaten up by strangers and slapped by his own wife.

That’s Jesse. But there’s also Alex. As a mixed-race woman with Black looks, she knows one or two things about struggles. She relates to Jesse’s insecurities, but refuses to see herself as a victim. She exhibits an attitude hardened by the tragic history of discrimination against Blacks. It is at this point where the two have to make a decision. Their marriage and the future of their baby are at stake. Laughton shows that even the best intentions have to overcome prejudice.

For this production, Director Chris Fields uses a minimalist set, enough for two characters; the focal point being the internal conflicts and the dynamic relationship between Jesse and Alex. Both actors delve into the great expectations of happiness and the disenchantment caused by unsurmountable differences. They both excel in the exhibition of human fragility and the isolation caused by deep-rooted misconceptions.

This play is timely and provocative. It is a picture of our times and another take on the preconceptions of race and privilege. Laughton generates a heated conversation on what happens when you scratch the fabric of society and discover the beauty and ugliness of human relationships. In the end, the question remains. In a racist environment, who is the winner and who is the loser?

One Jewish Boy

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

March 19 through April 28
• Previews: March 19–March 21: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m.
• Performances: March 22–April 28: Fridays and Mondays at 8 p.m. / Saturdays at 7 p.m. / Sundays at 4 p.m. plus three Thursdays at 8 p.m.: April 10, April 17, April 24

Tickets: echotheatercompany.com

Written by Stephen Laughton. Directed by Chris Fields. Presented by The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director.

Cast: Sharae Foxie and Zeke Goodman.

Creative team: Scenic designer Justin Huen, lighting and sound designer Matthew Richter, and costume designer Dianne K Graebner. The assistant director is Natalya Nielsen and the production stage manager is Bianca Rickheim. Chris Fields, Kelly Beech, Marie Bland and Hilary Oglesby produce for the Echo Theater Company.

Theatre Review: Parents in Chains

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Scott DeVine, ETC’s Artistic Director, announces that the actors had only one day to rehearse. And that’s why at the beginning, the play feels like a stage reading. But when you have such a pool of talented and experienced actors, magic happens and the day is saved. 

In Parents in Chains, the typical concerns of any given parent become atypical, leading to a menagerie of feelings disrupting the peace and sanity of the six parents whose 17-year-old daughters are on a trip to San Francisco. As the teenagers are ready to come back to Los Angeles, an unusual hurricane is approaching, endangering their well-being and triggering their parents’ deepest fears.

While their daughters are away in San Francisco, the parents’ backgrounds are revealed. Muriel (Melora Hardin) and Rick (Matt Walsh) are going through a rough patch in their marriage, even thinking about a divorce. Mark (Pete Gardner) is a widow, having lost his wife five years ago. Winona (Sharon Lawrence) is still digesting the painful experience of her husband divorcing her. Diane (Jorja Fox) and Connor (Thomas Sadoski) are married, but a secret between Diane and Winona’s ex-husband threatens to stain their marriage.

So, how do parents of a certain age (Hollywood’s code name for people over 40) communicate when their kids are in danger? Texting, of course, typos included. As the text chain becomes more intense, their personalities, strengths, and vulnerabilities become more obvious. Who gives the green light for their daughters to either hit the road or stay at a hotel instead? Who takes control of the text chain? Who keeps their cool and who loses it?

The outstanding script by Jay Martel—who has won Emmy, Peabody, Writers Guild of America, and American Comedy awards as a writer—is a clever description of the parental anxiety of losing one’s kids, not in a storm, but in that dreadful time when they move away from home to start college, far from their parents’ watchful care. These six parents in the play are forced to face the inevitable, seeing their kids grow up, ready to start the adventure called life, on their own. 

Texting-wise, however, these six parents are awful. Connor, especially, is a disaster. Driving and texting is not his thing at all, and his typos heighten Muriel’s anxiety, sending her into panic mode. In Martel’s witty writing, the revelations of the parents’ personalities and secrets are intertwined with political and social commentaries. Topics of race, sex, and the pressure of success show the turmoil of today’s American society. Martel also exposes the tectonic shift in human connection. Paradoxically, the immediacy of connection through technology has led to an emotionally-disconnected society, increasing the sinking feeling of isolation that threatens to break apart friendships and even families.

For this production, Director Andy Fickman utilizes the extraordinary skills of his actors to deliver the chaos and comedy of the script. The scenic and lighting designs are kept at a minimum, focusing on the superb comedic talents of the actors, each one with a stellar list of stage, film, and TV credits. Fickman’s successful formula for this production is pretty simple. Put a group of great actors on stage with a remarkable script and they’ll work their magic to make it a vivid and exciting theatrical experience. Do not miss this one; it’s a rare opportunity to see all of these amazing thespians together on stage.         

Parents in Chains

Ensemble Theatre Company at The New Vic
33 W. Victoria Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Runs: Wednesday, March 12 – Sunday, March 30, 2025
Performances are Wednesdays at 2:00pm & 7:30pm, Thursdays at
7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 3:00pm & 8:00pm, Sundays at
2:00pm. There will be added performances on Tuesday, March 18 &
Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30pm.

Tickets: etcsb.org

Written by Jay Martel. Directed by Andy Fickman. Produced by J. Todd Harris.

March 12-16 Cast: Jorja Fox, Pete Gardner, Melora Hardin, Sharon Lawrence, Thomas Sadoski, and Matt Walsh.
March 18-23 Cast: Melora Hardin, Gildart Jackson, Sharon Lawrence, Joshua Malina, Gina Torres, James Urbaniak.
March 25-30 Cast: John Ross Bowie, Rob Huebel, Sharon Lawrence, Loni Love, Jane Lynch, James Urbaniak.

Creative team: Lighting Design by Michael Rathbun; Sound and Projection Design
by Ben Crop; Casting by Michael Donovan Casting, CSA, Michael Donovan & Richie Ferris.

Theatre Review: These Shining Lives

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A newspaper ad dated November 10, 1918 claimed the following about radium, a  radioactive element used back then in some beauty products: “The tiniest particle of Radium throws off a continuous stream of Energy Rays. An energy never diminishing, never ceasing, day or night, year in, year out. A force a million times more powerful than any other known. Rays of Radium, in fact, energize and revivify any living matter with which they come in contact. They are accepted by the human system as harmoniously as is sunlight by the plant”.

However, in the case of the four female workers employed at the Radium Dial Company back in 1922, radium proved to be a source of ailments that lead to a life of debilitating pain and cancer. Marie Curie, who along with her husband Pierre Curie discovered radium, said this about the toxic element: “There is absolutely no means of destroying the substance once it enters the human body”. Not even with the aspirins prescribed by the doctors who treated those women.

The protagonist is Catherine (Abigail Stewart), a young woman who is excited about her new job at Radium Dial Company. The job consists of painting the markings of the clocks with a mixture of glue, water, green paint, and radium powder, which glows in the dark. It’s an easy job, pays well, and has a great time with her co-workers Pearl (Allison Schlicher), Frances (Shannon Woo), and the bubbly and sharp-tongued Charlotte (Jessica Woehler).

Catherine feels great about contributing to the family income, raising two kids, and having a supportive husband. But there’s a caveat. The women at the factory don’t use any protective barrier when handling the radium, and they are even instructed to point the tips of the brushes with their lips, ingesting, in fact, large amounts of the highly toxic radioactive material.

As expected, their health starts to deteriorate. First is the indelible glowing of their skin. Then it’s the pain in the arms, legs, jaw, and the teeth. Then uncertainty builds up. Then panic sets in. Meanwhile, all the company doctor (Michael Kachingwe) prescribes is aspirin. In cahoots with Mr. Reed (John Colella), the company’s supervisor, the doctor keeps the women in the dark about the known toxicity of radium.

The proximity of the stage allows the audience to appreciate the range of complex emotions displayed by the characters, brilliantly played by the exceptional cast. Stewart immerses herself into her character with intensity, going to dark places, reaching the bottom, where hope is no longer an option. Declining physically and emotionally, the anguish increases knowing that she will leave behind her two young kids and her devastated husband Tom (Isaac Jay), a WWI veteran struggling to cope with the idea of losing the woman who gave him back his faith in God after seeing the horrors of war.

Director Thom Babbes proves to be a crafty director, able to extract the essence of Melanie Marnich‘s script and set up powerful scenes to move the audience. The blocking and the superlative work with his actors shows a director that knows how to blend the vulnerabilities and strengths of the characters to deliver an inspiring story that set a precedent in the history of American worker’s rights.

This play is deep and complex. The upbeat beginning changes to a much darker tone. From there, the exploration of defeat makes way to the resilience of the human spirit, and a poetic ending wraps the rollercoaster of emotions that make this play a poignant and meaningful experience. Fortunately, Babbes and his cast prove to be a pool of skillful professionals that capture in detail the daunting aspects of the ordeal and the fearlessness of the women and their supporters in their fight for justice. This phenomenal production of These Shining Lives is a theatrical gem not to be missed.

These Shining Lives

Actors Co-op’s Crossley Theatre

1760 N. Gower Street

Hollywood, CA 90028

Located on the campus of First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood.

FREE PARKING: On Carlos in the church parking lot with Actors Co-op Parking Signage across from the theatre/church campus.

February 21 – March 30

Friday and Saturday Evenings at 7:30 pm

Sunday Matinees at 2:30 pm

Additional Saturday Matinees March 1 & March 15 at 2:30 pm

Tickets: actorsco-op.org

Written by Melanie Marnich, directed by Thom Babbes and produced by Crystal Yvonne
Jackson.

Cast: John Colella , Isaac Jay, Michael Kachingwe, Allison Schlicher, Abigail Stewart, Jessica Woehler, and Shannon Woo.

Creative team: Julia Hibner (Stage Manager), Kevin Williams (Property Designer), David Marling (Sound Design), A. Jeffrey Schoenberg (Costume Designer), Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Designer), Joel Daavid (Set Designer/Set Construction), Judi Lewin (Wig/Makeup Designer), and Nikki Alday (Assistant Stage Manager).

Theatre Review: Four Women in Red

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During the 90s and 00s, the world centered their attention on the hundreds of women murdered in Ciudad Juárez, right on the U.S.-Mexico border. However, there is less media attention on a similar situation that has been altering the lives of many families here in America.

Playwright Laura Shamas exposes the traumatic ordeal of the families who navigate the bureaucracy and indifference of the authorities when Native American women go missing. During the opening scene, four women are sitting at the Sheriff’s office, waiting for news about their loved ones. Lynda (Carolyn Dunn) and her daughter Jo (Harriette Feliz) have reported the disappearance of Sara, Lynda’s daughter. Sadie (Zoey Reyes) is expecting news about her former girlfriend, Becky, who went missing recently. And Marie’s (Jehnean Washington) niece and a cousin are also missing.

From there, the exposition of the characters tells us that Sadie still cares about Becky. Marie has a a podcast, and Lynda is also very concern about the safety of her daughter Jo, a young woman who is also at risk of being kidnapped and murdered. The women complaint about the so-called “man camps”, the temporary housing units set up by oil companies near Native American reservations. The workers living in these man camps are rarely prosecuted if they commit crimes against Native women. But there’s more than just man camps that are troubling for these women. In the case of Lynda’s missing daughter, there is something far more sinister and complicated, something that involves international organized crime.

Left pretty much alone by the authorities, the four women decide to take matters into their own hands. With some leads, they collaborate with other women to organize search expeditions. These expeditions are similar to the ones undertaken by the families of the missing women of Juárez and Mexico in general, where more than 60 collectives of relatives have found multiple bodies of murdered people, originally reported as missing.

The four women in the play try to help each other, but under duress, even the best intentions are put to the test and their unity is soon replaced by distrust and resentment. Lynda and Jo receive some news from the Sheriff’s office, but they need to keep it to themselves. Unable to share the news with Sadie and Marie, their relationships start to crumble. The conflict and emotions are effectively used by Harrison to display the disruption of human behavior when faced by uncertainty.

Director Jeanette Harrison uses the limited elements available—The Victory is an intimate theatre, so there’s not much space for props or set design, although there a few creative set changes in between—to convey the different scenarios in the script, the search missions being the most challenging scenes to stage.

Harrison and her thespians are able to recreate the tension, drama, and anxiety depicted in Shamas’ story to magnify the epidemic of violence and murder afflicting the Native communities. The play references some laws that have been enacted to protect the Native women and enhance their safety. One of those laws is Savana’s Act, passed in 2020, aimed at improving the government’s response to missing or murdered Indigenous people. This law was enacted after the murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, a pregnant member of the Spirit Lake Tribe who was killed when her baby was ripped from her womb. Savana died, but her baby girl survived miraculously and is now living with her father.

Underfunding, discrimination, indifference, and lack of media attention are some of the reasons why people don’t know much about the missing and murdered cases of Indigenous women. To complicate things even further, when searching and solving cases of missing Native women, authorities and families have to navigate the intricacies of federal government, state government, and tribal government, a jurisdictional maze that causes many cases to just fall into oblivion.

Four Women in Red is a powerful story that contributes to raise awareness of this critical issue. The four actresses deliver a moving message of empathy and solidarity in a time of need. It’s a play that has to be seen to really understand the nature and urgency of the situation. And hopefully, like in the case of Marie’s podcast, this play can help spread the word and call for action.

Four Women in Red

The Victory Theatre Centre
3326 W Victory Blvd
Burbank, CA 91505

Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. / Sundays at 4 p.m.
• Previews: Feb. 8 and Feb. 9
• Performances: Feb. 14 (International Day of Action for #MMIW) through March 23

Tickets: https://thevictorytheatrecenter.org/

Written by Laura Shamas (Chickasaw Nation). Directed by Jeanette Harrison (Onondaga). Produced by Maria Gobetti and Evan Bartoletti. Presented by The Victory Theatre Center.

Starring Carolyn Dunn (Tunica-Choctaw/Biloxi, Mvskoke), Harriette Feliz (Chumash), Zoey Reyes (Dinéh and Chicana), Jehnean Washington (Yuchi, Seminole and Shoshone)

Creative team: Costume designer Lorna Bowen (Muscogee Creek Nation, Seminole and Cherokee); lighting designer Grayson Basina (Ojibwe); production designer Evan Bartoletti; sound designer Jose Medrano Velazquez; graphic designer Nipinet Landsem (Ojibwe and Michif, descendant of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation); dramaturg Gail Bryson; and photographer Tim Sullens. The associate producer is Lisa Lokelani Lechuga and the stage manager is Ngan Ho-Lemoine.

Theatre Review: Evanston Salt Costs Climbing

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With its mixture of reality, fiction, and loose ends, Evanston is not an easy play to stage. However, under the brilliant direction of Guillermo Cienfuegos and a talented cast, Will Arbery‘s characters come to life to offer an amusing story about…salt and technology.

There is, of course, more than just salt and technology. Basil (Hugo Armstrong) and Peter (Michael Redfield) work in the Department of Public Works, salting the roads during snow season in the city of Evanston, Illinois. Peter seems depressed and thinks about death constantly. Basil is from Greece. He has a secret that bothers him a lot. Their boss is Jane (Lesley Fera). Basil and Jane are engaging in some sexual shenanigans.  Jane has a 31-year-old daughter, Jane Jr. (Kaia Gerber), who is insecure and suicidal. Basil talks about a lady in a purple hat who appears at times during the play. The story sounds simple and straightforward, until it doesn’t.

The scenes then turn topsy-turvy, jumping from reality to the surreal. And that’s where our imagination kicks in. The minimal exposition of the characters and their existential crises converge to make some kind of sense, but it’s up to the audience to connect the dots and find the explanation of the mayhem seen on stage. And that might be the value of this play. It seems as if Arbery didn’t just write a play to hypnotize the audience. Arbery wants the spectator to collaborate with him to write the story together. The relationship then becomes a clash between writer and audience. As an agent provocateur, Arbery shakes the spectators to get them out of their comfort zone and allow them to construct the drama and find the solution of the story. The dramatic elements are scattered around in an open form, and it’s the audience who solves the puzzle. An amusing challenge to say the least.

The play could’ve been flat and boring as an experimental piece. Fortunately, Cienfuegos excites the elements and the characters become a spectacular display of dysfunctional personalities on the verge of self-destruction, with plenty of drama and comedy in between to engage and entertain. To heighten the experience, Scenic Designer Mark Mendelson uses a variety of elements and effects to convey the snowy surroundings and the fantastical allusions described in the play.

One can imagine that the director and actors had to work a bit harder to find the motivations that drive the story and the characters. This is because the play looks like an open story, somehow like Luis Buñuel‘s films and Edward Albee‘s plays, with absurdist situations and strange characters with no apparent direction. But with his usual magic touch, Cienfuegos takes the script and turns it into a dynamic expression that uses physical and verbal comedy as a vehicle to express the abstract truths of the story and infuse the characters with a thrilling aura of surrealism to compliment Arbery’s fantasy-reality dualism.

One of the themes in the play is the advancement of technology and the displacement of certain jobs. As a new technology with heated roads threatens Basil and Peter’s jobs, Jane tries to save their jobs, although she gets a better position for herself. Not much hope for Basil and Peter, but that’s how the story goes, at times reflecting our pressing reality, such as AI, a threat for some, an opportunity for others.

In a series of scenes, Arbery gives his characters some kind of backstory to justify their actions. Those revelations however, are not detailed enough to project Peter and Basil as fully developed characters. This might be intentional to force the audience to fill in the blanks in that exercise of solving the puzzle together.

To emphasize the absurdist tone of the play, Arbery adds a strange case of entity fusionism. Basil tells Peter of a dream where he and his grandma experience a close encounter with each other. The description is shocking and surreal, a symbolic instance similar to the one experienced by Montero in Carlos Fuentes‘ fantastical novel Aura, a bit different, but using sexuality as a projection of grander themes.

One aspect that makes this production an exciting experience is the superb acting. The four thespians play their parts with passion and give the characters a suspenseful sense of despair and hope, always holding on for dear life. Armstrong, Redfield, and Fera are a display of talented stage experience, contributing to create emotional, dysfunctional, and engaging performances to make this complex story work. As for Gerber, she exhibits depth and commitment to the craft. She has a commanding stage presence, moving easily between drama and comedy, delivering her lines with conviction and offering a moving performance, hinting even a career in music? She’s a rising stage star and a refreshing addition to the theatre scene.

In trying to define Evanston, we can say that the play features themes of new technology, guilt, insecurities, suicidal tendencies, human relationships, and a whole lot of salt. But it is the audience who build, define, and find the beauty in the abstract world of Will Arbery.

Evanston Salt Costs Climbing

Rogue Machine (in the Matrix Theatre)
7657 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046

Opening: 8pm on Saturday, January 25, 2025
Schedule: 8pm Fridays, Saturdays, Mondays; 3pm Sundays
(No performances on Monday January 27, February 10)
Closing: March 9, 2025

Tickets: roguemachinetheatre.org

Written by Will Arbery. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos. Assistant Director: Hall McCurdy. Produced by Justin Okin. Associate Producer: Athena Saxon. A Rogue Machine Production.

Cast: Hugo Armstrong as Basil. Lesley Fera as Jane Maiworm. Kaia Gerber as Jane Jr. Michael Redfield as Peter.

Creative team: Mark Mendelson (Scenic Design), Dan Weingarten (Lighting Design), Chris Moscatiello (Sound Design), Christine Cover Ferro (Costume Design), Jenine MacDonald (Prop Design), Michelle Hanzelova-Bierbauer (Projection Design), Victoria Hoffman (Casting), Myrna Gawryn (Movement Director/Intimacy Coordinator), Rachel Ann Manheimer (Stage Manager), Grant Gerrard (Technical Director).

Theatre Review: The Seagull

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Director Bruce Katzman‘s staging of this classic play offers comedy and intrigue, framed by an impressive naturalistic scenic design.

The Seagull is a play where Anton Chekhov uses spoken and unspoken language to convey the intricate emotional layers of the characters living by the lake. The words and the silences combine to create tension and express the complicated relationships of Treplev (Parker Sack) with the people around him. The beauty of the lake casts a spell on the people who live around it, bringing both romanticism and tragedy.

In Katzman’s production, the characters are surrounded by an eye-catching scenic design that represents the lake and the woods of Chekhov’s magical place. The blue and green hues used by Carlo Maghirang capture the vividness of nature and the intensity of the feelings experienced by the characters.

Katzman honors the comedic aspect of the play. There is plenty of drama, but the production highlights the humorous characteristics of Chekov’s writing. The excellent performance of Carlos Carrasco as Shamrayev, is an example of Katzman’s commitment to present Chekov’s intention to write a comedy rather than a drama. The result is a balanced production that adds dynamism to the characters and the situations portrayed on stage.

The music and sound effects by Clare Marie Nemanich also contribute to the attraction of this staging. Lukas Jann as Yakov and Hannah May Howard as Maid make great use of the sound effects playing their respective instruments, adding an air of mysticism to the scene.

The acting of the leading actors leaves room for improvement. It feels as if Cece Kelly as Nina and Parker Sack as Treplev only scratch the surface. Although they offer good performances, they don’t reach the depths of their characters. Both Nina and Treplev are complex characters with layers of ambitions and traumas that could be explored more intensely in this production to broaden the dramatic effect of the story. Both Kelly and Sack seem to have the skills to achieve greater heights. The supporting actors with more experience leveled up the play. Sasha Alexander as Arkadina and James Tupper as Trigorin delivered solid performances, playing their characters convincingly and adding the necessary tension for an effective striking impact to move the story forward.

Overall, Katzman presents a visually exuberant production of a play that shows Chekov’s keen observation of human nature and the volatility of humans when pushed to the limits. As a traveling doctor through the Russian territory, Chekov saw first hand the sublimity and misery of the human condition. His experiences are ingrained in his writing. Katzman captures the nuances of the human behavior witnessed by Chekov and infuses an interesting combination of drama and humor to express the verbal and silent symbols present in the story.

The Seagull

Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Jan 18 – Feb 9 2025

Thursdays @ 8 p.m. / Fridays @ 8 p.m. / Saturdays @ 8 p.m. / Sundays @ 2 p.m.

Tickets: odysseytheatre.com/tickets/

Written by Anton Chekhov. Directed by Bruce Katzman. Produced by James Tupper and Carolyn Crotty.

Cast: Sasha Alexander as Arkadina. James Tupper as Trigorin. Cece Kelly as Nina. Parker Sack as Treplev. Carlos Carrasco as Shamrayev. Carolyn Crotty as Polina. Brianna Bryan as Masha. Will Dixon as Dorn. Joe Hulser as Sorin. Matthew Hartley as Medvedenko. Lukas Jann as Yakov. Hannah May Howard as Maid.

Creative team: Nicole Ohara Production Manager. John Levey Additional Casting. Roella Dellosa Stage Manager. Carlo Maghirang Scenic Designer. W. Alejandro Melendez Lighting Designer. Eva Zapata Costume Designer. Clare Marie Nemanich Sound Designer. Dana Schwartz Props Designer.

DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR at Atwater Village Theatre

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IAMA THEATRE COMPANY TO STAGE  
WORKSHOP PRODUCTION OF  
DOUGLAS LYONS’ NEW COMEDY  

DON’T TOUCH MY HAIR 

WHAT: IAMA Theatre Company will continue its 2024/25 season with a workshop production of the final play in the Douglas Lyons comedic trilogy, Don’t Touch My Hair. Lyons created “The Deep Breath Trilogy: New Plays for Black Women” cycle, with Don’t Touch My Hair that completes the series. The trilogy launched with the family play Chicken & Biscuits on Broadway, called “pure entertainment” by TheaterMania, followed by the romantic comedy Table 17, named a Critics Pick by The New York Times which declared the Off-Broadway play, “something we’ve been missing: a gentle, hopeful good time out in the world, in the company of other humans. This is theater as comfort food, and it satisfies a genuine craving.” A piece about friendship, Don’t Touch My Hair follows lifelong best friends Eemani and Jade as they decompress over a good blunt, not knowing the weed is laced with something else. As the duo spiral into a hilarious hallucination, they are able to confront the oppressors of the past dead-on. Velani Dibba, who recently served as associate director on the Geffen Playhouse’s Waiting For Godot, will direct this new work.  

WHEN: February 13-24, 2025 

SHOWS: 8pm, Thursdays-Mondays (no performance Monday, Feb. 17) 

 WHERE: Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles 

 TICKETS: $35 (includes fees) 

INFO: Information and tickets are available at iamatheatre.com

7TH ANNUAL NEW WORKS FESTIVAL at Atwater Village Theatre

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IAMA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS 
EIGHT READINGS OF 
GROUNDBREAKING NEW PLAYS
7TH ANNUAL 
NEW WORKS FESTIVAL

DECEMBER 5-8 & 12-15, 2024

 

LOS ANGELES, CA (31 October 2024) — IAMA Theatre Company, committed to cultivating new voices and creating new, boundary-pushing work, will host its 7th Annual New Works Festival this December. Featuring eight new plays presented as staged readings, IAMA’s New Works Festival gives audiences an early look at future hits and allows playwrights to experience public reaction to their work for the first time. Thanks to a generous award from the National Endowment for the Arts, this season’s Festival has been expanded to eight new plays, up from six in previous years. IAMA Theatre Company’s 7th Annual New Works Festival will take place December 5-8 and 12-15, 2024 at Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles. Tickets ($18 for each reading, includes fees) are available at iamatheatre.com.

The 7th Annual New Works Festival will include Grief World written by Hannah Kenah and directed by Hannah Wolf at 8pm on Thursday, December 5, Wad by Keiko Green and directed by Rebecca Wear at 8pm, Friday, December 6, HIT MACHINE (or, TRUE WES) by Jonathan Caren and directed by Jaime Castañeda 8pm, Saturday, December 7, Baruch HaShem by Josh Levine and directed by Stefanie Black* at 8pm, Sunday, December 8, Beautiful Blessed Child by Daria Miyeko Marinelli and directed by Reena Dutt at 8pm, Thursday, December 12, Foursome by Matthew Scott Montgomery* and directed by Tom Detrinis* at 8pm, Friday, December 13, Care Less by Chloé Hung and directed by Lily Tung Crystal at 8pm, Saturday, December 14, and The Playground by KJ Cuitiño Bjorge and directed by Margaux Susi* at 8pm, Sunday, December 15. *Denotes IAMA Theatre Company Ensemble members.

WHAT: IAMA Theatre Company, committed to cultivating new voices and creating new, boundary-pushing work, will host its 7th Annual New Works Festival this December. Featuring eight new plays presented as staged readings, IAMA’s New Works Festival gives audiences an early look at future hits and allows playwrights to experience public reaction to their work for the first time. Thanks to a generous award from the National Endowment for the Arts, this season’s Festival has been expanded to eight new plays, up from six in previous years.

WHEN: December 5-8 & 12-15, 2024

SHOWS: 8pm, Thursdays-Sundays

WHERE: Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles

TICKETS: $18 for each reading (includes fees)

INFO: Information and tickets are available at iamatheatre.com  

‘Mother Sisters’ at MorYork in Highland Park

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Unique docu-play ‘Mother Sisters’ gets
4 performances at MorYork in Highland Park

WHAT:
The Echo Theater Company presents Mother Sisters, a one-woman docu-play starring Makaela Vogel as each of her eight aunts, chronicling their unique experiences leaving home for the first time. Through verbatim monologues drawn from interviews with each of her father’s sisters, Vogel captures defining coming-of-age moments that shaped their lives and identities, offering a poignant reflection on the transformative power of sisterhood and the challenges women faced navigating the world in the ’60s and ’70s. Intimate and evocative, Mother Sisters celebrates female voices, family legacy, and the enduring connections that define who we are.

Makaela Vogel is a Los Angeles based writer and actress who was created in the Land of  Enchantment, New Mexico. This is the third rendition of her play, driven with the intention to honor the women on the paternal side of her family and the generations of women who came before her that made her first breath possible. She is a proud member of Echo Theater Company

WHO:
• Written, Directed and Performed by Makaela Vogel
• Assistant Drector Natalya Nielsen
• Presented by The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director

WHEN:
Nov. 21 – Nov. 24
• Thursday, Nov. 21 at 8 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 23 at 8 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m.

WHERE:
MorYork
4959 York Blvd.
Highland Park, CA 90042

TICKET PRICE:
$25

Theatre Review: The Wisdom of Eve

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Margot (Dahlia Waingort Guigui) and her entourage are captivated by Eve (Esther Guigui), an ingenue who portrays herself as Margot’s biggest fan. But below her sweet demeanor, Eve’s ambition has no limits. Director Bryan Rasmussen extracts the best elements of Mary Caswell Orr‘s script to present an amusing play that delivers drama and comedy in the best possible way.

Combining the elegance and excitement of the 1950s, Rasmussen infuses the play with the effervescence of the Golden Age of Broadway and the glitz and glamour of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Paying homage to the stars who performed in the original film released in 1950, the cast in The Whitefire production convey a halo of sophistication and allure typical of the 50s’ productions.

Dahlia Waingort Guigui hits the right notes when portraying the duality of megalomania and carelessness of Margot. Likewise, Esther Guigui does a fantastic job playing the convincing ingenue and the heartless Machiavellian. Bringing order and reason to Margot’s hectic world is her husband Clement (John Mese), who can see through Eve’s excessive ambition right from the get-go. Also supporting Margot’s career is Lloyd (Eric Keitel), the playwright who writes to fit Margot’s personality, but can’t seem to find the right character to fit Margot’s age; she’s now 45 playing a 22-year-old.

To complement the talent and also shining bright on stage are two fabulous actors. Michael Mullen, playing Margot’s dresser Leila and the unscrupulous journalist Tally Ho, is quirky and funny, creating a compelling character and a perfect contrast to the darker tones of the story. More of him would be even better. The other actor is Barry Brisco, playing Karen. He delivers a tremendous performance, combining fluidly both drama and comedy. There are tears in his eyes when he cries, showing his level of commitment. 

The story ends up linking Broadway and Hollywood. Whether in New York or Los Angeles, the play delves into ageism, especially for women, and how difficult it is to find trustworthy friends in a hyper-competitive industry that promotes a cutthroat environment. Eve’s ambition keeps the intrigue going till the end. When you think of the magnanimity of forgiveness, a twist happens that throws off your assumptions, and you end up debating whether to sympathize with some of the characters or not. This exercise highlights the brilliance of Orr’s writing.            

This is another win for The Whitefire Theatre, an example of resilience despite the challenges and an example of dedication to the production of  quality theatre in Los Angeles.

The Wisdom of Eve

The Whitefire Theatre
13500 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

October 12th through November 24th

Performances are Saturday evenings at 8:00pm, with a show added Sunday evening, November 24th at 7:00pm.

(Due to a schedule conflict there is No Show October 26). 

Tickets: www.whitefiretheatre.com

Written by Mary Caswell Orr. Directed by Bryan Rasmussen. Produced by Dahlia Waingort Guigui.

Cast: Cayla Black (Vera), Barry Brisco (Karen), Brady Gentry (Harvey), Dahlia Waingort Guigui (Margot), Esther Guigui (Eve), Mitch Hara (Shared Roles – Tally-Ho & Leila – 10/12, 10/19, 11/16 & 11/23), Eric Keitel (Lloyd), John Mese (Clement), Michael Mullen (Shared Roles – Tally Ho/Leila – Performs 11/2, 11/9 & 11/24, Mitch Rosander (Bert Hinkle).

Creative team: Jeff Rack (Set Design), Derrick McDaniel (Lighting Design), Michael Mullen (Costume Design), and Mitch Rosander (Sound/Projection Design).