Reposted from ExperienceLA.com

second, produced by Celeste Den for Filament Theatre Co.,  plays Wed.-Sat., 8 pm; through May 29. Tickets: $20 at Brown Paper Tickets.  For location or information, visit  filamenttheatreco.com or call 213.373.1367 (mention LAStageBlog to receive promo codes for discounts on tickets).

Theatre is about taking risks. Often directors, producers, cast members and crew sign on to a project with little clue what the final outcome will be and how they will pull it off.

Such is the case with Filament Theatre Co.’s LA premiere of second. In this dark comedy written by Neal Utterback, six New Yorkers have their beliefs put to the test after a mysterious event takes place.

The six are paired into three groups so essentially the audience is following three sets of stories — concurrently. That is the way the play was written. For director Joe LaRue, that is also the experience he wanted to achieve. While the play was written for the stage, this LA premiere is being performed in a home in Echo Park.

Celeste Den

The choice to produce a show at a private residence was primarily a financial decision. Producer Celeste Den also felt (through hosting past fundraiser events at her home) a certain kind of energy could be created by bringing theatre into a home environment. Think of it as attending a party at a friend’s house and a bunch of your friends are going to perform for you.

Audiences are invited to come early and hang out afterward in this casual setting. And before you write this off as a bunch of theatre geeks indulging themselves, think about the luxuries a group is afforded when they perform in a blackbox theatre.

With this decision came several technical challenges. How do you tell three stories in a restricted space simultaneously? You tell them all at once in three different rooms with television monitors in each room. So the audience in one room can see what’s going on in the other two rooms.

The production proved to be a monumental task the cast of seven-plus were up for, lending individual experiences and learning their way together through the technical challenges. There were moments throughout rehearsal where Den admits the team wondered, “What are we doing? What if it doesn’t work?”

Joe LaRue

Fortunately, time was on the company’s side as well as a willing cast and experienced director. LaRue, who is no stranger to the play having directed the original production in 2005, saw an opportunity to create a whole new environment.

“It wouldn’t be as exciting or be challenging enough just to remount it in a traditional way,” Den recalls LaRue’s words.

This production of second is Filament’s re-introduction to LA theatre and is also LaRue’s induction into the company. The troupe prides itself in bringing unique theatre experiences. “Our goal is to explode people’s expectations of theatre,” Den claims.

The pair offer some tips for how to make the most of your second viewing:

- If you’re going with a group of friends, split yourselves up among the three different rooms. That way, you’ll have different perspectives of the play and be able to share your experiences.

- Expect a fast-paced, intense and humorous play.

- Leave plenty of time to find parking (most parking is residential and may be challenging).

Considering the play is about faith, it may be appropriate to say one can expect to witness a miracle in the play as well as in the accomplishing of “pulling-off” the production.

Feature image of  Jason Bonduris, Joe LaRue (director), Carla Nassy, Tane Kawasaki, Celeste Den (producer), Marco Neves (seated center), Hilario Saavedra, Chad Christopher Kline, Kristin D’Andrea by Joe LaRue

Article by Julie Nguyen