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The Season’s Fine Feast of Christmas Carols “” and the Carol-ish

by Amy Tofte | November 30, 2012

Christopher Neiman of Theatre of NOTE, Ron West of CTG: Kirk Douglas Theatre, Lauren McCormack of SeaGlass Theatre, David Allen Jones of GTC Burbank and James B. Harnagel of Sierra Madre Playhouse as Scrooge

If you can’t get jolly for the holidays without your annual Scrooge fix, you’re in luck. More than a handful of Los Angeles theaters are staging the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol “” or delivering new tales inspired by the timeless curmudgeon of Christmas. With offerings ranging from the traditional to the twisted and tawdry, there is something for everyone. Bah, humbug!

THE CLASSICS

A Christmas Carol Sierra Madre Playhouse (Sierra Madre)

Sierra Madre Playhouse keeps its tacit agreement with holiday audiences by providing a full-blown family classic for kids of all ages. Adapted and directed by Christina Harris, the traditional tale is brought to life with a large ensemble cast of 29 “” including several young performers “” and plenty of familiar holiday songs designed to warm hearts for the holiday season.

James B. Harnagel, Karl Maschek and Sarah Logan in Sierra Madre Playhouse's production of "A Christmas Carol." Photo by Lars Momsen.

Harris’ script draws directly on the original text for structure and language but also includes new scenes not in the book. “I wanted scenes between Scrooge and his younger sister, Fanny,” says Harris. “The arc to the Fanny story offers a deeper understanding of Scrooge. I want people to understand his past “” his heartache and heartbreak.”

Harris uses 10″“12 musical selections “” under the musical direction of Rich Dembowski “” to help transition the play’s action across space and time. And, while some directors may shy away from casting young performers, Harris delights not only in their innate sense of freedom on stage but also the immediacy they bring to every performance.

“I also wanted something that felt spiritual without being overtly religious,” says Harris. “We’ve found something that is familiar but still new for audiences who know the story well. It’s a chance to rediscover it.”

A Christmas Carol A Noise Within (Pasadena)

With just over a year in its new theater space, the “Home for the Classics” theater company brings Scrooge, Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit to the stage for the first time in 10 years.

Penned by co-artistic director Geoff Elliott (who shares directing duties with co-artistic director Julia Rodriguez-Elliott), the script is a pure adaptation directly from the source material. “[Dickens] was such a dramatist with an intuitive sense,” says Elliott. “His novels can so seamlessly be brought to the stage. I really just pulled all of his words to create this adaptation.”

Costume sketches for the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge and Tiny Tim for A Noise Within's production of "A Christmas Carol." Designed by Angela Balogh Calin.

But Elliott ensures there’s nothing stodgy about this rendition of the story, which Dickens first published in 1843. Plenty of edge can be found in the production, from Victorian-inspired design elements to the original music from Los Angeles’ ever-eclectic composer Ego Plum.

Staging Carol for the first time in ANW’s new 283-seat theater (built from the ground up and opened last year) has made this production an important milestone in the company’s 20-year history. Elliott is particularly thrilled to be stepping into the shoes of Scrooge.

“With all the work we do, but especially with [A Christmas Carol], we feel the importance of the play’s message,” says Elliott. “That we can all be present enough to see the beauty in people around us “” it gives us all a sense of responsibility telling the story.”

A Christmas Carol GTC Burbank (Burbank)

After a limited run last year of this intimate take “” in which a three-person cast performs with a minimalist set, few props and mere suggestions of costumes “” GTC Burbank is remounting Carol as adapted and directed by GTC artistic director Kevin Cochran. David Allen Jones (playing Scrooge) is joined by Frank Simons and Kate Danley, who play multiple characters.

David Allen Jones, Kate Danley and Frank Simons in GTC's production of "A Christmas Carol." Photo by Dallas Ocean.

“People who love A Christmas Carol and have seen it a dozen times really like this one,” says Cochran. “It’s a different way to see it and really hear the words. My goal was getting back to the original.”

Cochran notes Dickens’ love for the theater and storytelling in Victorian England, the author often writing his narratives as stories meant to be shared and spoken aloud. Cochran says he found no reason to deviate from the original text other than determining what to cut, keeping the show at a lean 80 minutes in performance. He believes this year’s production offers an improved version after last year’s first outing and collaboration with the actors to refine the text and staging for 2012.

“[Carol] has earned the same position in theater that Nutcracker has for ballet,” says Cochran. “It truly is one of the great stories of all time, both the holiday part of it and the human part of it.”

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

A Mulholland Christmas Theatre of NOTE (Hollywood)

At Theatre of NOTE, a cast of 17 actors is playing more than 100 roles in this musical comedy based on the true history of California’s Water Wars in the early 20th century and the machinations of Los Angeles power-mogul William Mulholland.

Christine Breihan, Linda Graves, Trevor H. Olsen and Kirsten Vangsness in Theatre of NOTE's production of "A Mulholland Christmas Carol." Photo by Darrett Sanders.

“I really wanted to tell the Mulholland story,” says Bill Robens, writer of the book and music. “It seemed natural to use the redemption story of Scrooge as a template.”

Mulholland was first produced at NOTE 10 years ago, receiving critical acclaim and winning over company members to what its current director Alina Phelan describes as its “historically accurate, wildly funny but moving” storyline.

“This show is very beloved by our company,” says Phelan. “But there’s a tonal shift from the previous version. We’re going for a more bluegrass and unplugged feel with the sound.”

The revival has some new elements, including a new song. While presented with a strong dose of fun, the politics and themes of water conservation remind these storytellers of the larger issues percolating beneath the spoof-riddled antics.

“It gives you the perfect holiday spirit,” Phelan says. “It’s a great history lesson “” and a reminder that battles for water are still happening “” but it’s also silly and has a message, which can be unexpected.”

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol And So We Make Art (Downtown Los Angeles)

Jeff Elam in And So We Make Art's production of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol." Photo by Dove Huntley.

And So We Make Art features a core group of collaborative artists exploring several forms and styles of performance. According to company founder Casey Kringlen, this production of Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol by Tom Mula combines elements of a haunted house and Cirque du Soleil-inspired theatricality for intimate audiences averaging only 40 people “” all within a 7,000-square-foot warehouse. This is not your grandma’s Christmas Carol.

“How it’s presented is as far away from traditional as you can get,” says Kringlen. “But when you get down to it, the spiritual arc of the story is the same “” and it’s all from Jacob Marley’s perspective.”

Last year, the company developed a 10-minute selection of the Marley text as a workshop performance with full design elements. This process helped the company create an “audience immersive” aesthetic for bringing the entire play to the stage in the Ã¼ber-hip Six01 Studio, a transformative performance space/art gallery/sound stage in downtown Los Angeles.

Kringlen describes the creative freedom instilled in the company through the collaborative process and the fun of staging what is essentially a ghost story in such a cavernous space. But themes of redemption and transformation remain as Marley is compared to the original Dickens story.

“This is the kind of piece you have to experience and let your expectations go,” says Kringlen. “The action happens all around you; there’s no possibility you’re going to be bored. In fact, you’re going to be on the edge of your seat.”

A Christmas Twist SeaGlass Theatre (Burbank)

Combining two Dickens classics “” Oliver Twist and A Christmas Carol “” writers Doug Armstrong, Keith Cooper and Maureen Morley create a completely new tale with a holiday message and Monty Python sense of humor for SeaGlass Theatre.

Kimberly Van Luin, Warren Davis and David Reynolds in Seaglass Theatre's production of "A Christmas Twist." Photo by Melissa McCormack.

“If you love Christmas, you’ll enjoy it. And if the holidays annoy you, you’ll also enjoy it,” jokes Twist director and SeaGlass managing director Paul Stroili. “It’s a love letter to the holidays “” and also a preemptive strike against the season and all it entails.”

With the smell of cider wafting from the lobby and Santa greeting you to snap a picture in front of the Christmas tree, SeaGlass Theatre creates what Stroili describes as “event theater” for its audiences.

“When people make that commitment to get in the car and go see a show, we want to offer something more than simply sit down to watch a play,” says Stroili. “The overall experience of the evening is important to us.”

As a small company whose members have roots mostly in Chicago, SeaGlass produces only one show a year with company actors gracing other stages during the remaining months. Stroili finds the company “creatively happiest” when creating work for the stage and hopes Twist will excite audiences about live performance as much as it inspires the SeaGlass team.

“There are still people out here who enjoy theater purely as the art form,” says Stroili. “It’s not just a springboard to film and television.”

A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens! at Kirk Douglas Theatre (Culver City)

The Colbert Report writers Peter Gwinn and Bobby Mort have written a full-length sketch adaptation of the Dickens classic for Second City alums and celebrity guests. Read the LA Stage Times feature HERE.

A Christmas Carol at Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., Sierra Madre 91024. Open now. Check theater website for show times. Through Dec. 23. Tickets: $12-$25. 626-355-4318. www.sierramadreplayhouse.org

A Christmas Carol at A Noise Within, 3352 E. Foothill Blvd., Pasadena 91107. Opens Dec. 8. Check theater website for show times. Through Dec. 23. Tickets: $16-$52. 626-356-3100. www.ANoiseWithin.org

A Christmas Carol at GTC Burbank, 1111-b W. Olive Ave., Burbank 91506. Opens Nov. 30. Thu.-Sat. 8 pm; Sun. 3 pm. Through Dec. 16. Tickets: $15-$30. 818-528-6622. www.gtc.org

A Mulholland Christmas Carol at Theatre of NOTE, 1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd., HollywoodÂ 90028. Opens Nov. 30. Thu.-Sat. 8 pm; Sun. 7 pm. Through Dec. 23. Tickets: $25-$30. 323-856-8611. www.theatreofnote.com

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol presented by And So We Make Art at Six01 Studio, 601 S. Anderson St., LA 90023. Opens Dec. 14. Fri.-Sat. 8 pm and 10:30 pm. Through Dec. 29. Tickets: $34.99. 800-838-3006. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/298333

A Christmas Twist presented by SeaGlass Theatre at Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank 91505. Open now. Fri.-Sat. 8 pm; Sun. 4 pm. Through Dec. 16. Tickets: $30. 818-533-8441. www.seaglasstheatre.org

A Christmas Carol: Twist Your Dickens! presented by Second City at Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City 90232. Open now. Tue.-Sun., check theater website for show times. Through Dec. 30. Tickets: $20-$65. 213-628-2772. www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

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Meet Me @ Metro IV Goes Home to Watts

by Darlene Donloe | May 22, 2013

Pat Payne, Sam Mandel, Trevor Davis and Diana Vaden in "Meet Me At The Metro." Photo by Rick Davitt.

Pat Payne, Sam Mandel, Trevor Davis and Diana Vaden in “Meet Me @ Metro IV.” Photo by Rick Davitt.

A train station is an unlikely place to soak up an entertainment-based cultural experience.

But such is the case this weekend when the Watts Village Theater Company (WVTC) presents Meet Me @ Metro IV: Bringing It Home To Watts (M3-IV), a mobile theatrical production taking place on Saturday and Sunday at the 103rd Street (10100 Grandee Ave.) and Rosa Parks (11611 Willowbrook Ave.) stations along the Blue Line rail system.

M3-IV is the fourth installment of the Meet Me @ Metro series, a theater event performed annually on or near the Metro rail system. This year’s offering includes two shows of original poetry written and performed by a diverse collection of artists exploring the subjective theme of “home.” There will be musical accompaniment, dance/movement, singing and audience participation.

Lynn Manning. Photo by Christopher Voelker.

“Home as a theme is universal,” says WVTC artistic director Lynn Manning. “Whatever we do there will surely be something that everyone can connect with.”

The title of the show at the 103^rd Street Station is Scattered Joy, which takes a meditative look at “home”. It’s directed by Jameelah Nuriddin and will be performed by Trevor Davis, Sam Mandel, Pat Payne and Diana Vaden.

The ensemble-based show at the Rosa Parks Station is Under The 105, which takes a more musical approach. Directed by Ryan Vincent Anderson, it features Jessica Cornejo, Wynne Henry and Erica Peeples.

Both shows, targeted to audiences of all ages, run Saturday and Sunday at each station with performances at noon and 1 pm. Each performance is 25-30 minutes and runs twice simultaneously — allowing guests to see both presentations.

For the fourth year in a row, ticket holders, as well as some unsuspecting Blue Line train passengers, will witness an interactive variety show. It’s curated by Gamal Palmer and produced by David Mack, WVTC’s managing director.

“The show is designed to bring an audience to Watts,” says Mack. “The show starts at a place that is ‘quote unquote’ safe like Union Station. Attendees would then hop off the train, see a production, get back on and realize they are in Watts. Then they will discover that Watts was not so apocalyptic like they imagined in their heads.”

Changes

According to Mack and Manning, this year’s attendees can expect some changes.

“This year is completely different,” says Mack. “Anyone who has seen our previous show will notice that the entire model is different. Previously it was a guided tour model. Previously we took the audience as a group and assigned them tour guides and led them to the trains and the stations. In the past it has been three or four hours long.”

This year the event is considered a festival model.

“Instead of the audience moving as a single group, the two performances at Watts and the Rosa Parks stations will start simultaneously,” says Manning. “Audience members can choose to watch any show first and then switch and see the other station’s show.”

Dave Mack. Photo by Lee Zagari.

In addition, this year, according to Mack, there will be no performances on the train or the platform. In previous years puppetry and music was performed on the platform, which, Mack admits, was in violation of Metro rules.

“They reminded us of that each year,” says Mack, who added it’s the first year the event has been coordinated with the Watts Neighborhood Council. “This year we complied with Metro rules. This year there are no performances on Metro property. There are no clowns and no musicians roving. This time you simply walk to performance places near a Metro stop and experience the poets with musical accompaniment. This year is smaller and more focused. It’s still new work. The pieces are commissioned specifically for this performance. Everyone’s piece is a world premiere.”

At the Rosa Parks station, the performance will take place right next to the platform, under the highway overpass. It’s within walking distance of the train station.

Performances at the 103rd Street Station will take place across the street at the historic Watts Station (1686 E. 103rd St).

“It will be a challenge this year with no performance on the platform or on the train,” says Mack. “This year the audience is going to be more dispersed. We are going to have volunteers in Meet Me t-shirts in strategic places inviting people to discover what’s going on and to participate in the action.”

In the Beginning

Meet Me @ Metro, launched in 2010, is the brainchild of former Watts Village Theater Company artistic director Guillermo Avilés-Rodríguez who, according to Manning, resigned unexpectedly in January, due to creative differences. (Today, Company of Angels announced that Avilés-Rodríguez has been named the downtown-based company’s development coordinator).

“The relationship [at Watts Village] fell apart between the board and artistic director Guillermo,” says the 58-year-old Manning, who co-founded WVTC in 1996 with actor and Watts community activist Quentin Drew. “He decided to resign. He submitted a letter of resignation without being asked.”

Although Avilés-Rodríguez left the company, Manning, a playwright, actor and poet, still applauds his efforts.

Jessica Cornejo, Wynne Henry and Ryan Vincent Anderson.

“Guillermo did some very good things, started some things,” says Manning, who took over the reins of WVTC, once again, in February. “I think conceptually Meet Me @ Metro is a great thing. It has some attractiveness for those who don’t know theater. It’s not theater, not in the way I see theater as a means by which it’s a storytelling tool where we learn about ourselves and others. But the vignettes can be entertaining. Humanity and the world is the most important aspect of what theater can do. It opens us up to the humanity of others. People who never thought about theater might be attracted to it.”

Manning, who became blind after being shot in 1978 by a stranger in a bar in Hollywood, hopes the project opens the eyes of people in the community.

M3-IV will be Manning’s first mainstage production as artistic director of WVTC.

“My feeling about Meet Me @ Metro is that it has that value of introducing people to theater and bringing people into a community they may not have visited,” says Manning. “It’s a great way to get people to come to Watts.”

The Point

Back in 2011, Avilés-Rodríguez said the prime objective of the event was to “provide those Watts youth who had never ventured outside a 10-mile radius of their neighborhoods with a cultural experience outside their comfort zone.” Also, he wanted to provide a reason to visit Watts for Angelenos who had never seen it.

Over the years a number of theatrical companies have participated in the event. This year WVTC is the sole performing theatrical company. However, M3-IV is being produced in partnership with Plus Community Marketplace.

This year’s theme, home, is a reference to Meet Me @ Metro IV returning to its roots. Last year the event highlighted East Los Angeles using the Gold Line.

“This was Guillermo’s vision of expanding it beyond Watts and making it regional,” says Mack, who added that there also was talk of Meet Me @ Metro going from Union Station to Pasadena.

Diana Vaden

However, with the return of Manning, the event will again emphasize Watts.

“This time, because of funding limitations, we have to be limited to the number of stations where performances will be held,” explained Manning, who was born in Fresno, but considers Los Angeles home. “I wanted to bring it home and make Watts the focus once again. We’re inviting the greater community to come join us.”

Shuffling The Deck

Manning, who was one of the co-founders of WVTC 16 years ago, left the organization about 11 months ago.

“After 16 years on the job, I needed a break,” he says. “Several board members, including myself as chair, rotated off. I wanted to replace old board members with new ones to get new ideas and new directions. I wanted to make room for fresh minds and bodies. I thought it would be a good process. Some people, because they were there from the beginning, refused to accept new ideas. When that happens your company can get stuck.”

When Avilés-Rodríguez submitted his resignation, Manning returned as artistic director.

Later this month there will be yet another personnel shuffle at WVTC. Mack, 29, has announced that he is leaving at the end of the month, making Meet Me @ Metro IV his last production for WVTC.

“It’s time,” says Mack who started working at WVTC in 2009. “I love WVTC, but all good things must come to an end.”

Mack has joined a new opera company based in Silver Lake, The Industry. Starting June 1, he will serve as the general manager. Yuval Sharon is the artistic director.

In the meantime, the show must go on.

“This was designed to address the problem of Angelenos not traveling to Watts by providing a vehicle whose journey begins outside of the area and culminates in the heart of the area,” explains Manning. “This is a great opportunity for people to have fun discovering Watts”.

General Information

Trevor Davis

Tickets are $25 for the Saturday performance and pay-what-you-will on Sunday; however, the shows are free for the community and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Attendees may take Metro to either location. Free parking is also available at both locations. If you choose to attend Scattered Joy first, parking is available on Grandee Street adjacent to the 103rd Street Station. There is also parking available in the parking lot adjacent to the Rosa Parks Station if you choose to attend Under The 105 first.

Between the stations, you can ride a train, walk, or drive. There is a 30-minute window between performances to allow for travel time between venues.

Audio description for the hearing impaired and interpretation for the visually impaired will be provided during the 12 pm Sunday performance of Scattered Joy at 103rd Street Station and the Sunday 1 pm performance of Under The 105 at Rosa Parks Station.

Meet Me @Metro IV: Bringing It Home To Watts (M3-IV), 12 pm and 1 pm, Saturday and Sunday, May 25-26. Tickets: $25. Tickets are available at http://meetmeatmetro4.eventbrite.com. To find more routes and connections to the event, use WVTC’s Metro Destination Discounts page at www.metro.net/service/discounts/artsentertainment/watts-village-theater-co. For information: http://wattsvillagetheatercompany.org.

**All Meet Me @ Metro IV production photos by Rick Davitt.

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Directors Lab West Diaries: Day 3 and 4

by Cindy Marie Jenkins, Sara Fenton and Megan Kosmoski | May 22, 2013

Mask Work – Making Dinner. Photo by Evita Castine.

LA STAGE Times is posting several dispatches from the annual Directors Lab West Lab, which began Saturday and will continue until next Saturday, based at Pasadena Playhouse. Today’s report covers events on Monday and Tuesday. Go here for the report on the lab’s first two days.

Monday, May 20

Four Improvised Dances with Megan Finlay, by Sara Fenton

“All movement is dance. We don’t have to be doing unusual things with the table. We can… but all movement is dance” — Megan Finlay

Monday morning’s session of improvised dance gave the Directors Labbies some movement improv exercises to springboard from and use in the creation process.

Megan Finlay. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins.

Megan Finlay of Rapid Descent Physical Performance Company shared four activities she uses in her rehearsal process. I anticipated that we might go through a lot of familiar exercises such as mirroring, flocking, or leading/initiating movement with different body parts, but I was happy to discover a different perspective on what Finlay calls “a way of being in the moment physically.”

1. The Person is Not a Chandelier. With the group divided into couples, each person explored the mechanics of the partner’s body. Curiosity was recommended. Helpful in building relationships, familiarity and group dynamics.

2. Follow Your Partner’s Center. With a hand placed on the partner’s center (front or back or both) we followed our partners around the space. This exercise was most successful for me and my lovely partner Doyle when we really committed to it and put our attention on the other person. A fast track to non-intimate relationship building.

3. Copy or Invent. Both options were available in this exercise. I liked the freedom within this structure. It was a simple, low-pressure, low-stakes chance for me to contribute when I felt compelled. At this point Finlay introduced the concept of a movement “score”, basically the parameters or rules that a particular structured improv would follow.

4. Copy or Invent with a set. Using the structure of copy and invent, a few set pieces were added, and dancers and actors moved about to music. The group pulled six moments/movements/shapes from the improv as the “score” for the next step. Two actors were arbitrarily assigned three of those movements to incorporate into their blocking in an improvised scene.

I most appreciated how this generated unconventional but very usable choices for blocking that could be used as “ingredients” to further create and set the final blocking for a production.

Pop Mythology with Eurydice, by Cindy Marie Jenkins

“You should never see a goddess naked, for your information; If you can avoid it, do” — Laura Shamas

Pop Mythology break out session. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins.

Because the core text for this year’s lab consists of Jean Anouilh’s and Sarah Ruhl’s adaptations of Eurydice (we saw A Noise Within’s production of Ruhl’s on Sunday) playwright and mythologist Laura Shamas presented a slideshow and workshop on archetypes, symbols and the future.

That’s right. A mythologist is often called upon to predict the future. According to Shamas, “Story represents a pattern of human behavior which is so true it repeats itself.” Every story, every symbol, every gesture has happened before we see it. The most striking of these to me was the repetition of the goddess Diana’s pose in a shampoo commercial (actually, most shampoo commercials).

We viewed a series of these parallels before splitting into groups. Shamas had each group find certain story elements in both Anouilh’s and Ruhl’s adaptations that build a foundation of myth. Through these lists, we saw certain guidelines for adaptations take place. It made me want to walk around Pasadena and find all the symbols of archetypal poses based in mythology.

When asked which modern adaptation of mythology nailed both the original story and adapting it to a modern audience, Shamas suggested Oedipus el Rey by Luis Alfaro.

Masks With Anastasia Coon, by Megan Kosmoski

“In a scene, being comfortable doesn’t get you far… Say, YES to something new” — Anastasia Coon

Masks. Photo by Evita Castine.

Anastasia Coon first woke up our bodies by building a dance party through a classic mirroring exercise. We paired up and started mirroring our partner. Then she threw in some rockin’ tunes and encouraged our mirroring to become mobile. The exercise slowly grew until everyone’s movement in the room was influencing each other and became a full-on dance party. The icebreaker was ideal to create a safe and supportive environment for the subsequent movement work, learning to “ride the impulse.”

The workshop was to introduce us to mask work by first explaining the need to respect a mask due to its importance, energy, and spirit. The mask was our scene partner and you cannot just leave your scene partner on the floor to be crushed. Throughout the workshop we created a new vocabulary for our body, letting the mask inform us, which led to discovering new stories. When learning how to let the mask inform us, we embraced a different form of storytelling, in which we create a world that offers nothing but possibilities. The workshop not only gave us information on creating a play that included masks but armed us with a new tool to organically create and explore the stories we were telling.

How do you Say……, by Cindy Marie Jenkins

“I’ll think about that later when I’m in Tech” — Skyler Gray DLW ‘13

After dinner we split into groups to prepare a pitch for a site-specific Eurydice with a twist: 20 vignettes, 20 seconds for each vignette — no more, no less. We asked some groups to choose one director, others to work in groups. After two hours, everyone shared their pieces, to hilarious and very creative results. All integrated something from a session as well, and it was interesting to hear how participants were processing the week so far. We saw some very diverse pitches, but the main take-away appeared to be that a group full of directors and choreographers could absolutely collaborate on a story. It even surprised some of the participants.

Tuesday, May 20

Impro Theatre, by Cindy Marie Jenkins

“When people are confused or stuck they go to plot. We want to encourage you go to character because that’s where the story is” — Dan O’Connor DLW ‘08 – Impro Theatre

Impro session. Photo by Evita Castine.

Impro Theatre has such a specific style that it’s always fun to hear how its creators explain it. They rehearse and study different authors, then take an idea from the audience and start an improvised play in the manner of the chosen author. On our feet we tried these styles firsthand. Dissecting these classics really illuminates the craft, both of the authors and the stage. The director’s challenge, O’Connor revealed, is “ to keep the company inside the world while thinking outside of the box .” No small feat.

Heidi Duckler and Site-Specificity, by Megan Kosmoski

“Make the entire night an experience” –Emily Wanserski

We gathered in a small proscenium theater, with seats, to watch a power point presentation on site-specific theater….not exactly where we would expect this to take place. Emily Wanserski, the managing director of Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre, first introduced us to this site-specific dance company and their inspiring work. She explained the process of placemaking — taking the culture, geography, architecture, energy, and history of a space to enhance the story, illustrating how “each site has its own story.”

Heidi Duckler session. Photo by Evita Castine.

She then turned to the logistics of site-specific theater with the advice “you have to be smart.” We separated into groups and handled the business aspects of putting on a performance. Where is it going to happen? Where do you get the money? Who will be needed to put together and put on the performance? Who will come and see it? How do you get them to come and see it? And finally how will the show operate?

24th St Theatre, by Sara Fenton

“Always give children hope” - Debbie Devine

Field trips are always fun, especially to a part of a city that you don’t often visit. 24th Street Theatre, helmed by Debbie Devine and Jay McAdams, is just off the 10 freeway’s Hoover exit.

They introduced us to the three pillars of their work: community outreach, arts education and professional theater.

24th STreet Theatre. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins.

We visited Devine and McAdams at their carriage-house-turned-99 seat-theater and joined the conversation of viable subject matter for “Theatre for Young Audiences” (TYA). Up for discussion was the “taboo of sadness” and the frequent hesitation of most TYA producers to create work that evokes truthful feelings (specifically sadness) in their audiences.

Through getting on our feet and producing our own 15-second works, the message of the session became clear — no subject matter is off limits. As directors we are responsible for setting the bar high for audiences of all ages.

CTG-Preshow Social by Megan Kosmoski

”Social media is word-of-mouth on steroids” — Jim Halloran, marketing associate, creative, at Center Theatre Group

The group had a session at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre prior to seeing a preview of The Scottsboro Boys. The pre-show social event included two parts.

CTG Social. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins.

First was a dialogue with Evangeline Rose, stage manager of The Scottsboro Boys, which will open next Wednesday. As she talked about the show’s process and the director/stage manager relationship, she was confident, delightful, interested, organized, structured, kind, a great listener, and direct – everything you want in a stage manager. The conversation focused on the idea of the stage manager as the caretaker of the company and show. She articulated the necessity of communication and trust between the director and stage manager. After all, “it’s a marriage – we are in it for better or worse and are raising a child together. One day that child will be handed over [to the stage manager] to care for and protect.”

She was followed by a quick but surprisingly in-depth rundown of social media and engagement by Jim Halloran, CTG’s marketing associate, creative, who is about to begin a new job at Twitter. He explained that social media is just an extension of what we already are doing: social media is communication, communication is storytelling, storytelling is theater. With social media or pre-show engagement you can prime your audience for the production, and encourage a more active audience member who will want to continue to engage even after the event. He also encouraged, just as we take risks in our work, to take risks in social media, challenge our audiences and let them in on the fun. There are many ways to achieve this: Throw events, make the online conversation visible and accessible to everyone, help your audience feel a part of the experience and reassure them their opinion matters. He advised us to “not focus on being a good salesperson, just be a good neighbor.”

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First Person

Tom, Ian and Harry

by Ian Ruskin | May 22, 2013

Ian Ruskin in “To Begin the World Over Again: The Life of Thomas Paine.” Photo by Tom Dempsey.

A highlight of my career in England was performing the one-man play The Man Himself, by Alan Drury, which I performed in repertory theater and twice in London. When I moved to Los Angeles I performed it at Stages in Hollywood.

By now I had developed a love of one-man plays. I worked primarily in television and a pattern developed of guest star roles, usually playing the intelligent bad guy, in shows such as Murder She Wrote, Scarecrow and Mrs. King and MacGyver. While this paid the rent, it did not in any way fulfill the dream that I had as a student at RADA — to be involved in work that would affect an audience. As an actor in repertory theater I had performed in plays by great and exciting new playwrights that could give audiences something to reflect on as they headed home.

Then in 1994 I was cast to play a real-life character named Harry Bridges for a staged reading, directed by my friend Heidi Helen Davis, and my life changed. Bridges was a visionary labor leader whose beliefs and values inspired me. We performed the reading for his union, the ILWU. The cast of 12 actors received a 10-minute standing ovation, and I realized that I had found a way to “affect” again. The play with its large cast was too expensive to produce, but with a single actor…

Ian Ruskin. Photo by Verofoto/Veronica Puleo.

So in 2000 I wrote the one-man play From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks. It had its premiere at the Warner Grand in San Pedro, in front of 1000 longshoremen. This led to the film of a live performance, directed by Haskell Wexler. Since then, as part of the long artistic tradition of the traveling actor, I arrive, set up, perform, pack up and move on to the next gig – which is always totally different in space, size, lights and audience, from all the others. I have performed it more than 200 times, across America, in Canada, Hawaii, England and Australia. Audiences everywhere are inspired by the extraordinary life of Harry Bridges. Then while performing as Bridges….

Two friends introduced me to Thomas Paine and suggested a new play. As I read about him, my astonishment and admiration grew. When the Founding Fathers were debating the requirements for white men to have the right to vote in 1776, Paine supported universal male suffrage, with no slavery, and by 1797, equality for women! No one else was even close! America needed to hear this story.

In 2011, I wrote To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine, with a COLA Fellowship, about the man whose writings were the fire that lit revolution on two continents and defined the idea of reason, yet who is largely forgotten today. As with the research I did while writing From Wharf Rats, I read books about Paine, interviewed people who had studied his life, and had scholars approve the accuracy of my script.

Ian Ruskin as Harry Bridges. Photo by Daniel Castillo.

I employ extensive sound effects and music in To Begin the World…, but I keep the production very simple and focus on defining the person, not a historical figure. For example, the first 30-plus years of his life in England were remarkably unremarkable. He then went from hero on the streets of Philadelphia, with all citizens reading his book Common Sense, to prisoner in Paris awaiting the guillotine. He died poor and largely forgotten. Those who did remember him were not kind in their opinions. The New York Citizen’s obituary said “He had lived long, did some good and much harm”.

As an actor, I want full-fledged characters to sink my teeth into, men with the highs and lows of a unique life yet with very ordinary weaknesses and struggles. I am an actor who has found his calling in telling forgotten heroes’ lives. I hope I inspire and affect audiences even as they inspire and affect me.

From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks. Thursdays 8 pm, 5/23 and 5/30 at Lillian Theatre, 1076 Lillian Way, Hollywood 90038, and 6/20 and 6/27 at Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Avenue, Venice 90291. To Begin the World Over Again: the Life of Thomas Paine. Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun. 3 pm, 5/24-6/2 at Lillian Theatre and 6/21-6/30 at Electric Lodge. Tickets: $20. LAStageTix or www.brownpapertickets.com/profile/63869, 800-838-3006.

Ian Ruskin trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The film version of his play From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks has aired on PBS for the past four years. To cap off this run, To Begin the World Over Again will be performed at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Summer Festival in London on July 5.

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First Person

Mapping the Emotional Terrain of Translations

by Ryan Wagner | May 21, 2013

Kurt Quinn, Sammi Smith. Photo by Laura Crow

The story of Translations is a snapshot of a 22-year event known as the “Irish Survey” (1824-1846), a process in which thousands of English soldiers crawled across the entirety of Ireland to make a new map of the country. England had long established colonial rule over Ireland, and tension between the two cultures was boiling just below the surface. Practically no English soldiers spoke any Irish, yet their instructions were to create an English-language map of a Gaelic-language region.

Ryan Wagner. Photo by Laura Crow

In Translations, playwright Brian Friel turns this set of circumstances into an engaging story. He uses the concept of a language barrier to paint an entire spectrum of emotions — it’s a story made of moments that border on farce with their delightful absurdity, only to give way to unique and deeply moving perspectives. As a director, I consider the chance to explore this brilliant and mature work as an unending gift.

My work with Translations, as it always does, began with research. This time, however, I had the opportunity to take my study beyond the normal Amazon shipment of books that consumes my life for a week or two. I was fortunate enough to take a trip to the New York Public Library, where I spent a day in a reading room that could double as the Sistine Chapel. I read original accounts from the Irish Survey and viewed the original maps, photocopying like a madman for my actors back home. Friel’s characters are based in such a specific reality that my intellectual understanding of the situation was what unleashed my emotional understanding as well. My comprehension of these people and their sights, sounds, hopes, and fears began to materialize, and I returned to my actors a director equally educated and inspired.

Kurt Quinn, Peter Weidman. Photo by Laura Crow

The word I keep coming back to for Translations is “lyrical.” The best definition I’ve found of the word (ironically, from my iPhone’s built-in dictionary) describes it as “[the expression of] emotion in an imaginative and beautiful way.” While I understand this as a fundamental goal of most art, I have to tip my hat a little further to the writers who are able to successfully apply this imaginative and beautiful style to subject matters that can, to the layman, risk seeming particularly pedestrian or academic. I’ve come to respect Friel as a master of this feat. This material stimulates intellect and emotion all at once, challenging the mind to listen and rewarding the heart for doing so.

Appreciators of Chekhov will immediately recognize that trademark blend of humor and pathos. (Fun fact: Friel himself was working on a translation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters as he prepared to write Translations. It shows.) Friel himself has said the play is about “language and only language,” but I disagree. I don’t believe the man gives his own work or those who see it enough credit with this statement. Translations encompasses the themes of dignity, responsibility, hope, identity, and above all, loyalty.

Peter Weidman, TJ Marchbank. Photo by Laura Crow

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the work is that while Friel has made his own opinion of the Survey’s lasting effects clear through his external writings, in Translations he actually presents opposing perspectives on the topic, allowing his characters to present their conflicting viewpoints with equal clarity and elegance. I think it’s a wonderful gesture of respect to blur the line for the audience and let us draw our own conclusions. We are allowed to listen in on a debate rather than endure a sermon.

Beyond that, it remains only to say how proud I am of my actors. Working with such a mature group of artists feels like opening up a sports car on the Autobahn. It’s been an exhilarating, surprising ride. They will never know the depth of my appreciation for their work, because no amount of gratitude could adequately express it.

Translations, presented by Coeurage Theatre Company at Lost Studio, 130 S. La Brea Blvd., LA, 90036. Opens Saturday. Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm. Through June 23. Tickets: Pay What You Want. https://coeurage.secure.force.com/ticket. 323-944-2165.

Ryan Wagner is the associate artistic director of Coeurage Theatre Company. He has worked with Coeurage for three years acting, directing, and serving as the company’s resident graphic designer. Also a performer, his credits include mainstage and workshop productions at La Jolla Playhouse, Under Milk Wood, The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love Suicide, Assassins, Is He Dead?, and The Trouble With Words.

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First Person

It Doesn’t Mean That You’re Charming

by Mitch Rosander | May 21, 2013

Jared Taylor Wilson, John Sperry Sisk, Ashley Snyder, Tor Jensen Brown. Photo by Bree Pavey.

I’ve been known to be rather, shall we say, long-winded. I’ve always seen it as a double-edged sword — either you’re super into what I’m saying, or I’m boring you to death. But there is something to be said about a really good story, you know? It’s the kind of story that you want to take with you and tell someone else. It’s those kinds of stories that last forever, and the kind of stories you wish you were a part of. Stories that in time, become legend or even myth, like a fairy tale…

Mitch Rosander. Photo by Phillip Holbrook

The Princes’ Charming started out as a one-act play I wrote for a friend as a school project, the fall after I graduated high school. I had written some in high school, to marginal success and even won a few awards, so I figured, why not? It went over splendidly and won several awards itself. So I thought to myself, maybe I’ve got something here…

Flash forward two years: I was a three-time community college dropout who worked for the weekend and basically had given up my dreams of acting, writing, and directing. Sure, I had talked about writing the play into a full length, and even asked people if they would be interested in being a part of it, but secretly I had done nothing to make it happen. I was lying to my friends, my family, and myself. Before I knew it, I magically found myself kicked out of my house because of my growing drug and alcohol problems. So in true dramatic fashion, I packed my things into my tiny Honda Civic and moved to the state of Washington.

Jared Taylor Wilson and Lauren Sperling. Photo by Bree Pavey.

After the move, I got my act together and cleaned up. That’s when it happened — my good friend, Josh Sharp, called and asked how things were going and if I’d been working on the show. Naturally, I lied and said yes, but it got me thinking; could I actually write the show into a full length? Eight months later, I moved back to San Diego and had written the show. With some help from friends, I soon had the means to stage the show and it was welcomed with a warm reception. I thought I’d made it.

Flash forward another six months: I had auditioned and gotten accepted to AMDA, a performing arts school, here in Los Angeles. Throughout the course of my first semester, I had become roommates with a Mr. Tor Jenson Brown. He would later be the key to getting The Princes’ Charming produced yet again, only this time at a growing theater company here in Los Angeles – Loft Ensemble. It would be another two years before we started production at Loft, and without Mr. Brown, this would not have been possible.

Jared Taylor Wilson and John Sperry Sisk. Photo by Tor Jensen Brown

The Princes’ Charming is a show that speaks to my inner child. I say this because I grew up watching and being infatuated with Disney films and the enduring works of Mel Brooks. It reminds me of a time when it was okay to not understand the seriousness of issues because they were in some way funny, and because everything always worked out in the end, a time when my imagination could counteract any injustice the world could throw at me. I believe it’s that sense of naivete that makes The Princes’ Charming so close to me.

Something about comedy speaks to all of us – a sense of pure entertainment that I believe we all need in order to maintain an even balance in our expanding lives. That being said, The Princes’ Charming is, at its core, a true satire. It’s an homage to the stories and films that influenced the way that I thought things should be, when I was a child. As an adult, I realized that things can’t always be the way they are in fairy tales, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still hope.

Bree Pavey. Photo by Tor Jensen Brown.

All in all, my wish for this show is that it brings you joy, laughter, and entertainment. This show has saved my life, my sense of spirit, and my hope. Without people like Josh Sharp, Tor Jenson Brown, Adam Chambers, my cast, and everyone at Loft who has made this dream a reality, it wouldn’t be possible. And I wouldn’t have the honor of sharing it with you — I’d be dead in a ditch somewhere.

The Princes’ Charming, Loft Ensemble, 929 E. 2nd St. LA 90012. Opens May 25. Sat 8 pm, Sun 7 pm. Through June 30. Tickets: $20. www.loftensemble.com. 213-680-0392.

Mitch Rosander was born in White Salmon, WA and grew up in San Diego. He graduated AMDA’s Studio conservatory in 2011. Credits include: Jeff in The Homecoming written and directed by Joseph Konigsberg, Dr. Scott in The Rocky Horror Picture Show directed by John Tirado, and John Lennon and Me directed by Luke Benning. The Princes’ Charming is Mitch’s directorial debut. He lives in North Hollywood.

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LA STAGE Times Nominated for Two SoCal Journalism Awards

by LA Stage Alliance | May 21, 2013

LA STAGE Times garnered two nominations today for the 55th annual Southern California Journalism Awards sponsored by the Los Angeles Press Club. The awards will be presented at the club’s centennial celebration gala held June 23 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel.

Columnist Don Shirley was cited in the category of best online entertainment commentary/review for his weekly LA STAGE Watch column. Other entries nominated in that category include commentary or reviews from The Hollywood Reporter, The Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Reason.

Contributor Jessica Koslow was nominated in the best online personality profile category for her “Mikhail Baryshnikov: A Russian in Paris,” in which the dance icon discusses the US premiere of In Paris at Broad Stage as well as what his 64-year-old body wants to express now. Other nominees include articles from The Hollywood Reporter, People.com, 89.3 FM-KPCC and Streetsblog.com.

The SoCal Journalism Awards recognize Los Angeles-based journalists in print, television and radio while promoting excellence in new and emerging media. This year’s President’s Award will be presented to Hollywood legend Carl Reiner.

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Diversity Dilemmas at LA STAGE Day

by Don Shirley | May 20, 2013

LA Stage Day – Terence McFarland. Photo by Katie Gould

Does LA have one “theater community” or many? Often the latter notion seems more plausible. When we define communities within an area as far-flung as Greater LA, geography or ethnicity or race can create boundaries. So can the many varieties of theater and the sizes and budgets of theater companies.

Often, theater practitioners are likely to meet some of their colleagues who work outside their particular spheres of interest only by attending awards events. Of course, on these occasions, most of the time isn’t spent talking to each other but rather in wondering whether you or your own particular theater tribe will win. And most of those who attend theater awards ceremonies don’t win those awards, so potential disappointment is always waiting in the wings.

LA STAGE Alliance has recently been sponsoring one-night panel discussions on various subjects, in various locations, under the LA STAGE Talks banner. But this year it also decided to revive a former tradition of holding an annual one-day gathering for extended talk about LA theater, with no awards distractions. The result, LA STAGE Day, was on display Saturday at Cal State Los Angeles.

Let’s get this out of the way at first — a lot of the major players within LA theater did not attend LA STAGE Day. I spotted no more than a handful of artistic directors of high-profile companies, mostly on the 99-seat level. I certainly can’t say that every subset of LA theater was represented.

LA Stage Day – Anna B. Scott, Ph.D. Photo by Katie Gould

Panel discussions, which might have attracted some of those absent artistic directors as participants, weren’t the chosen format at LA STAGE Day. Instead, the day began and ended with short Ted Talks-like presentations by individuals, usually abetted by visual aids. In between these were concurrent small-group presentations and discussions on a wide range of subjects.

Total attendance was between 350 and 400 — which seemed somewhat more manageable and intimate than a larger conference. Enough people attended to fill the house at the final session of the day, but more people might have required extra seating outside the room. Enough points of view were represented to instigate some lively conversations.

That final session was not only the best-attended but also the most provocative session I attended. Essentially, most of the speakers — except one — were making the case that certain groups aren’t visible enough on the stages of our remarkably diverse city.

LA Stage Day – Evelina Fernandez. Photo by Katie Gould

First up was Evelina Fernandez representing Latino Theater Company and the complex it manages, Los Angeles Theatre Center. Of course, she was primarily there to argue that in a city that is likely to eventually become majority-Latino, the number of Latino faces and stories on most of our stages is still strikingly small.

However, in a conversation with me before she spoke, Fernandez said that members and supporters of Latino Theater Company also hold discussions about its own diversity. It recently presented a Canadian play, Habitat, which didn’t do well at the box office, at least in part because a lot of the company’s usual Latino supporters didn’t show up.

The subject of diversity in our theaters is wide open to the possibility of paradox. If every theater company in LA followed Fernandez’s advice and started programming more Latino material and using more Latino talent, would the loyal Latino audience start diversifying too, going to other theaters so much that there would eventually be less of a reason for the ethnically-specific Latino Theater Company to exist?

Among those who followed Fernandez, also representing particular constituencies, were DJ Kurs of Deaf West Theatre and Tim Carpenter of the EngAGE nonprofit, which develops arts programs at senior housing communities.

Then there were two speakers from the world of opera, defying the stereotype that opera is stuffy and ossified. Opera director and sometime arts administrator Thor Steingraber argued for reaching younger and less conventional audiences — “we have to be willing to meet our users where they’re at” and “expand our idea of who our supporters are” through unorthodox technology, among other avenues.

Yuval Sharon of the experimental opera company The Industry said “LA has the most open-minded audiences in the country” and advocated for every company to get “a brand-new point of view.”

LA Stage Day – Erin Quill. Photo by Katie Gould

The parade of appeals to open the doors for more participation by underrepresented groups culminated with lacerating remarks from Erin Quill about the “theatrical ethnic cleansing” she discerns in recent controversies over the casting of some Asian roles with non-Asians, at La Jolla Playhouse and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She mixed mordant humor — “Maybe I’m being too polite…damn those genes!” — with statistics on underrepresentation of Asian Americans in American theater with ringing rallying cries such as “yellowface is off the table!” and “there’s no reason to skin us and wear us culturally like a coat.” In her closing moments, she became visibly choked up in her fervor. It was LA STAGE Day’s most striking display of raw emotion.

Then there was Mark Seldis, Ghost Road Company’s producing director, who — alone among the speakers — spoke not about reaching wider audiences by opening up theater to new players or new methods. Instead, he spoke about the “pure artistic impulse” that his seven-member ensemble tries to honor, about the importance of the “process” more than the product. The company decided not to worry about establishing a home base at a theater, because it considers itself “more like an indie rock band than a theater company…the rock band doesn’t think about how to attract people who don’t like rock music or how to change the industry.” They and the members of Ghost Road “just do the art.”

LA Stage Day – Mark Seldis. Photo by Katie Gould

In the context of this program of speakers, Seldis sounded like an outlier — someone whose company probably wouldn’t do well in the competition for grants that are based on sociological as well as artistic factors and the ability to reach wider audiences. On the other hand, you’ve probably heard that creating “devised theater” is actually quite fashionable these days, and Ghost Road certainly falls into most definitions of that phrase. Yet Ghost Road — and many of these “devised” companies — are fairly homogeneous, at least by the standards of race, ethnicity, age and disability that are also sometimes factored into grants decisions.

Will grants givers have to choose between these two impulses? Will audiences? Or are audiences primarily interested in who’s going to get them to laugh, cry and/or think – more or less in that order?

LA Stage Day – Outdoor bazaar. Photo by Katie Gould

Every resident of LA should be able to find at least one theater company (and preferably more than one) that engages him or her on a very personal level. For many people, that is more easily achieved if at least some of the people on stage look or sound more like themselves than many of the actors currently occupying the stage. On the other hand, a much smaller group of people is at least occasionally interested in examining characters or milieus that do not remind them of home, that introduce them to others.

I wonder if LA is diverse enough that it can be the home for both extremely diverse companies and for companies such as Ghost Road that appear to have little interest in the usual definitions of diversity. A city as big and as eclectic and with as much talent as LA should be able to accommodate all theatrical tastes. But not every company should have to serve every taste.

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Directors Lab West Diaries: Opening Weekend

by Cindy Marie Jenkins, Megan Kosmoski and John R. Lacey | May 20, 2013

Fresh labbies – Sheldon Epps session. Photo by Evita Castine

LA STAGE Times will run several dispatches from the annual Directors Lab West Lab, which began Saturday and will continue until next Saturday. On the first day, after gathering at the Lab’s home base at Pasadena Playhouse, most of the Lab participants joined other theater practitioners at LA STAGE Day, sponsored by LA STAGE Alliance on the campus of Cal State LA. Today’s report includes two perspectives on that event. But the activities moved back to Pasadena Playhouse on Sunday, and those activities are also covered today.

Saturday, May 18

Check-in and Orientation, by Cindy Marie Jenkins

Kappy Kilburn, Sheldon Epps. Photo by Evita Castine

“I don’t know any theater that does anything new without the hope that it has a future life” — Pasadena Playhouse artistic director Sheldon Epps.

A quiet morning greeted us in the courtyard of the Pasadena Playhouse. It’s rare to see so many directors and choreographers in the same place at the same time. We usually work as the only person in our specific role. It’s also rare that strangers strike up conversation so early in the lab, but that’s what happened. Steering committee members Kappy Kilburn, Che’Rae Adams, Jessica Bard, Ernest Figueroa and I gave the basic information on signing up for shows, how we communicate during the lab and a little history. Erny encouraged everyone to make the lab their lab. Even though the steering committee and alumni curated these sessions around a theme (2013 is “Diverge and Converge”), the participants steer the conversations.

Directors Lab West is hosted most years by the Pasadena Playhouse. This year the Playhouse grounds are exceptionally busy — 30 directors and choreographers travel in packs while staff simultaneously runs technical rehearsals for Sleepless in Seattle, the musical that opens at the playhouse on June 2. The theater’s artistic director (and Sleepless director) Sheldon Epps took time to greet the lab and offer his perspective on the playhouse’s recent history. It did seem funny at first to begin a week of inspiration with a tale of the playhouse’s recent but brief bankruptcy, but ultimately we all found lessons to learn from the journey. Epps is always very candid with the lab, giving professionals insight into how an artistic director makes decisions.

LA STAGE Day by Megan Kosmoski

LA STAGE Day. Photo by Evita Castine

“Now that you know better, do better” — Erin Quill

Fresh and new to LA, I got out of the cab to Cal State LA and followed the black and silver balloons into a small world of artists. Everyone seemed to know each other, buzzing around asking each other about upcoming projects, laughing about longstanding jokes. Through the day we scattered into dark lobbies, fluorescent classrooms, and large theaters. Every event seemed to focus on one thing — approach theater better.

The opening session, before we split into smaller groups, was filled with ideas and inspirational thoughts to get the ‘do theater better’ conversation started. Michelle Ramos-Burkhart brought up the need for change in how we approach and represent theater, citing the common stereotype that “theater is elite. Theater is culture…. And [that perception] is just not working for us anymore.” Tomas Benitez asked for a revolution within Western theater to expand beyond the traditional canon. Yosi Sergant opened our eyes to new ways to engage and involve the community.

LA STAGE Day – Craig Fleming. Photo by Katie Gould

My first small-group session was “Spreading the Love: How to Convince Anyone to Support the Arts” hosted by Arts For LA. It was about arming an artist on how to change misconceptions when involved in discussions about the importance of the arts. Next session was “Unpacking Engagement.” After briefly introducing ourselves we started a roundtable discussion around what the buzz word “engagement” means and how it’s utilized by theaters and artists. My last session was “Writing is Hard and Other Excuses,” in which Che’Rae Adams gave useful tips on dealing with writers block as well as a standard language when talking to playwrights in play development.

In the closing session, as the entire group re-united, we heard Deaf West Theatre’s DJ Kurs pledge, via signing and with a voice interpreter, “My goal is to bring together people from different cultures, different languages and see what happens.” Mark Seldis of Ghost Road Company reminded us to “just do the art.” Finally Erin Quill stole the show with an unbelievably powerful speech on the recent controversies over the lack of Asian-American actors in plays focusing on Asian stories.

Every room was a safe space, an environment excited and interested in discussion and feedback. Every session seemed to start with who are we, what are we doing, and how can it be better! It was a great way to kick off the lab.

LA STAGE Day by John R. Lacey

Upon arrival at the Cal State LA campus, we were greeted by volunteers from the LA STAGE Alliance, which did a wonderful job organizing the event under the leadership of Terence McFarland.

LA STAGE Day – Jonathan Dorf. Photo by Katie Gould

There were simultaneous seminars around topics such as diversity on the LA stage, support for the arts, dialects, artistic disciplines, writing and marketing plays, acting, community, new media, puppetry, engagement, jazz dance, “Blue Sky” sessions (articulate your biggest hopes), social selling, grand guignol, Shakespeare, African dance, stage management and house dance.

I was instantly attracted by the Alliance of LA Playwrights’ “PLAY!” session (the 60 minute-everything-you-need-to-know-about-playwriting-in-L.A.-marathon) moderated by Jonathan Dorf and Dan Berkowitz with presentations from Ron House and my friend Dale Griffith Stamos.

I also attended an informative discussion on our “Community and Big Data” moderated by IT wizard Mark Doerr (who is responsible for LA STAGE’s Arts census), who recommended Theatre Bay Area’s book Counting New Beans, edited by Clayton Lord, which presented the findings of the 2012 report on the two-year WolfBrown study about how to measure the intrinsic impact of theater on audiences, by Alan Brown and Rebecca Ratzkin.

From there it was on to Cindy Marie Jenkins’ “The Social Sell: 10 Ways We Can Use Social Media for Audience Development” — and who doesn’t need a larger audience in LA? If you get a chance to participate in one of her seminars next year, don’t miss it- even if it’s to promote yourself!

LA STAGE Day – Erin Quill. Photo by Katie Gould

Then I ran down to “Writing is Hard and Other Excuses” by Che’Rae Adams, producing artistic director of the LA Writers Center, who has a great back-to-basics approach on author intent, concept sentences and character development — invaluable for any writer at any stage of their development.

The day culminated in the final large-group session, with inspirational remarks by Evelina Fernandez of Latino Theater Company, DJ Kurs of Deaf West, Tim Carpenter on revitalizing art for the aging, Yuval Sharon on re-imagining the opera industry, Thor Steingraber on reaching new audiences through new media, Mark Seldis of Ghost Theatre Co. on respecting the “pure artistic impulse” and Erin Quill — who gave us all a real lesson on diversity and made anyone who was ever in a production of South Pacific, Flower Drum Song or The King and I think again about Asian American casting.

LA STAGE Day. Photo by Evita Castine

And, as if that weren’t enough, there was an outdoor bazaar with tables where we could meet representatives of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, Sacred Fools Theater, Theatre of NOTE, LA Writers Center, Rogue Machine Theatre, Road Theatre, Actors’ Gang, Theatre @Boston Court, A Noise Within, Ghost Road, Loft Ensemble, Skypilot Theatre, Son of Semele Ensemble, 24th St. Theatre, LA Theatre Works, DOMA Theatre Co., Contra-Tiempo Dance Theatre, Cornerstone Theater, Emerging Arts Leaders, East West Players, Bootleg Theater, the great guys from Company of Angels, Center Theatre Group, Santa Monica Playhouse, Edgemar Center, Pacific Resident Theatre, La Mirada Theatre, Musical Theatre West, 2Cent Theatre Group, Theatre West Arts for L.A., California Lawyers for the Arts.

Even my union — Stage Directors & Choreographers Society — sent out the contract folks Mauro Melleno and Randy Anderson from New York. They don’t mess around when you need help!

Sunday, May 19

Bagels, Coffee & Contracts with SDC (Stage Directors & Choreographers Union) by John R. Lacey

SDC – Randy Anderson, Mauro Melleno. Photo by Evita Castine

Day two started with a one-on-one conversation with Mauro Melleno and Randy Anderson from the Stage Directors & Choreographers Society on compensation, subsidiary rights and collaborative agreements, right of first refusal, dispute resolution, arbitration and property rights (with some great true stories where the names had been changed to protect the innocent!) These guys mean business!

Dreamscape in KRUMP by Cindy Marie Jenkins

“I create theater for people who don’t go to the theater….I create theater because I want to change the world” — Rickerby Hinds

Alum Carrie Klewin Lawrence suggested that we listen to Rickerby Hinds and his KRUMP dance theater. A professor at UC Riverside, Hinds integrated hip hop into his work at first to encourage friends and non-practictioners to consider theater a viable form of entertainment. He dissected four performative hip hop elements (the DJ, MC, break dancers and graffiti) plus one informative element (knowledge) and how their origins in the culture sparked a theme to explore in performance. Hinds explained how hip hop informed culture and vice-versa. But what is KRUMP dancing? It began in the hip hop culture with people simply “releasing frustration creatively”, and evolved into an acronym, standing for “Kingdom radically uplifting mighty praise”. They demonstrated Dreamscape, a work in progress, which begins with a coroner’s report of the multiple bullet wounds inflicted by police on a 19-year-old African-American girl while asleep in her car. We journey through parts of her body as she gets shot with just the aid of voice, beat box and movement.. An astonishing meld of organic and trained movement not only attracts new audiences to theater, but opens the eyes of seasoned artists — that is, if the enthusiastic reaction of the lab is any indication.

Krump - John "Faahz" Merchant, Rhaechyl I. Walker. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins
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Krump - John "Faahz" Merchant, Rhaechyl I. Walker. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins
Krump - John "Faahz" Merchant, Rhaechyl I. Walker. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins
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Krump - John "Faahz" Merchant, Rhaechyl I. Walker. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins
Krump - Carrie Mikuls. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkin
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Krump - Carrie Mikuls. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkin
Krump - Carrie Mikuls, Rickerby Hinds. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins
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Krump - Carrie Mikuls, Rickerby Hinds. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins
Krump - Carrie Mikuls, Rhaechyl I. Walker, John "Faahz" Merchant. Photo by Evita Castine
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Krump - Carrie Mikuls, Rhaechyl I. Walker, John "Faahz" Merchant. Photo by Evita Castine

So, the Stones Could Talk? by Cindy Marie Jenkins

“Nothing builds community like rep” – Julia Rodriguez-Elliott

A Noise Within Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins

After seeing the last performance of Eurydice at A Noise Within, we had a talkback with artistic directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. While we started, Geoff Elliott (who directed Eurydice) was pulled aside by an audience member who thought casting an African-American man as the “villain” perpetuated a stereotype. They left on good terms, but it sparked an interesting conversation about diversity (still on our minds from LA STAGE Day), not only on stages but in artistic leadership. Why aren’t there more non-white faces at A Noise Within? Beyond race and ethnicity, how does a married couple co-direct? How do they give notes to guest directors and how can directors collaborate without losing their vision? Most of us left with more questions than answers. A Noise Within’s dedication to perform shows in repertory, which Elliott believes is part of the company’s DNA, allows much more time (eleven months) for word of mouth to build. And we were told that when three companies create different material at the same time, it feeds the energy of the building as well, including the theater’s welcoming house staff.

How Do You.. Part 1

“We are ‘othering’ this person” – Mary Spence, DLW ’13

Round Table Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins

Round-tables are scattered throughout the week for unpacking the lab’s theme and questions that arise from sessions. It was no surprise that on Sunday, diversity was topic number one. During dinner, most groups large and small had discussed it, and all the ideas converged in one room for a rousing two-hour conversation on diversity, responsibility, and audience development. This session also marked the first time that all the lab participants — also known as “labbies” — got a chance to really talk to one another. Once we started, the questions flew. What do you need for authentic story-telling? Is it color-blind or color-intentional casting? How can we be aware of blind spots that unexpectedly create barriers to entry? Know why you seek diversity; don’t just do it out of obligation. We all agreed the topic can be tricky, but we simply made a pact that we would listen to understand and not listen just to reply. We all firmly believe there is a bigger danger in not talking about it.

Round Table Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins

There are many different ways to welcome diversity, too. One labbie told of her Othello with a Desmond instead of a Desdemona — and how the switch to a gay couple offended a lot of people, resulting in that theater losing its space. Others recounted tales of new audience members who were energized to see characters who look like themselves on stage. The question became: do we care about those people who are offended or focus on welcoming the new faces?

Later I saw that intern Allegra Breedlove had tweeted “Feeling very hopeful about the future of American theater after today’s round table discussion on diversity”

To which Kara Goldberg replied “We ARE the future of American theatre!”

And it’s only Day 2!

Directors Lab West is modeled after the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab in New York City. Like its NY counterpart, the Lab is a series of discussions, working sessions, panels and symposia with some of the nation’s and region’s leading directors, playwrights, designers and other theater practitioners. DirectorsLabWest.com . Follow #dirlabw

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Features

Jackie Robinson Enters the Cooperstown Hall of Fame, and Then…?

by Robin Migdol | May 17, 2013

Cecil Burroughs, TJ McNeill and Alexa Shoemaker in “Cooperstown.” Photo by Deverill Weekes.

Playwright Brian Golden may have set his play Cooperstown on the day when Jackie Robinson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but his inspiration came from a decidedly un-sentimental source.

Golden participated in a Chicago Dramatists workshop in early 2009 in which each playwright would write a play for five provided actors, he says. During one early class, Golden was chatting with one of the actors, Cecil Burroughs, whom he had previously met. When he realized that Burroughs was from Los Angeles and a Dodgers fan, Golden commented on his own admiration for Jackie Robinson. Burroughs’ response, however, was less than enthusiastic.

Brian Golden

“It was something like, ‘Eh, what’s the big deal?’” Golden remembers. “Here was me, on some level, as a white guy trying to connect with an African American and being like, ‘Certainly we will share the same opinion on this crucial historical figure’ — and we couldn’t.”

Golden says now that it was “dumb of him” to assume that he and Burroughs would be able to connect over Jackie Robinson, but out of that interaction was born an idea to write a play examining why someone like Burroughs might feel indifferent toward Robinson, and how those feelings could be justified.

That play became Cooperstown, which premiered in December 2009 at Theatre Seven of Chicago, where Golden is managing artistic director. Cooperstown will make its West Coast debut with Road Theatre Company beginning Friday at the new NoHo Senior Arts Colony, directed by Darryl Johnson.

The play is set in a diner in Cooperstown, New York, in 1962, when Robinson is about to become the first black man to enter the Hall of Fame. The historic moment and other civil rights issues of the day underscore the trials of each of the five characters: Junior, the diner’s hardworking manager who can’t get a promotion; Sharree, his activist-leaning little sister; Dylan, a waitress obsessed with Bob Dylan; the diner owner’s wife Grace; and Huck, an Ohio minor league pitcher who comes into town for the induction ceremony.

Burroughs played Junior in the original Chicago production and will reprise the role for Road’s production.

Golden says Cooperstown is more of an exploration of the characters and how their lives are affected — or not affected — by Robinson’s achievement than a rigidly historical piece. As with many watershed moments in history, Robinson’s induction into the Hall of Fame may not have had as much of an immediate, positive influence on people’s lives as we might assume, Golden says.

“There’s certainly a historical moment that has happened but that doesn’t necessarily make Junior and Sharree’s lives any better,” Golden says. “Those things are really monumental and should be celebrated, but it’s kind of folly to think that, in itself, makes everything better.”

Jackie Robinson, c. 1945.

Johnson, the director, says he immediately connected to Golden’s writing style when Road company member Alexa Shoemaker gave him Cooperstown to potentially include in the company’s annual Summer Playwrights Festival. The response to the staged reading of Cooperstown was so positive at the festival that it turned into a full-fledged production.

Although Johnson held an open casting after the reading, all five actors who performed the reading ended up keeping their roles for the play.

Cooperstown is “old-fashioned” storytelling, Johnson says, which he appreciates. “There’s just about every kind of love relationship in the story — a great brother-sister relationship, a budding young romance between two young people that are just cute as all get-out together, and then there’s a more bittersweet, deep love affair at the heart of it,” Johnson says. “Junior’s ultimate choice at the end of the day, with all the things he’s trying to do and all the ambitions he has, is ‘My place in the world is making sure my family is taken care of and that’s where I belong.’ I love that about it.”

The opening night of Cooperstown will mark the official gala opening of NoHo Senior Arts Colony’s new theater (although The Baby Project was the first professional production in the space, last February). Johnson excitedly points out the detail currently being put into Cooperstown’s set. A neon sign, jukebox and pastel-colored booths help to create an authentic ‘60s diner atmosphere, and the walls will soon be covered with baseball memorabilia. Johnson credits the design team, including set designer Desma Murphy, with bringing all the small details to life.

Cecil Burroughs and Ann Hu.

“By the time [Murphy] is done, I really think people are going to walk in here and ask for a menu,” Johnson says. “We want to brew coffee backstage so the room has a little of that scent of a diner when you walk in.”

Though Johnson and Golden have yet to meet in person, they’ve already bonded over baseball — Johnson is an Angels and Dodgers fan, Golden is a Reds fan — and Johnson thinks Golden will be pleased with the production when he comes to see it.

Johnson agrees that Cooperstown raises important questions about how much these great historical moments really affect people’s everyday lives. It also speaks to contemporary themes of race and the definition of family, he points out.

And it’s just a good story, told in a refreshingly simple and honest way, he adds.

“It’s just people with integrity,” he says. “Trying to figure it out and trying to work with each other and do their best.”

Cooperstown, The Road on Magnolia, NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, 91601. Opens tonight. Fri-Sat 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. Through July 20. Tickets $34. www.roadtheatre.org. 818-761-8838.

**All Cooperstown photos by Deverill Weekes.

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First Person

Fitting a Fried Octopus and Its Legs Into a Bootleg

by Justin Zsebe | May 17, 2013

Ensemble of “A Fried Octopus.” Photo by Justin Zsebe.

A Fried Octopus is about to open — an abstract dream that tries to tangle up the artistic minds of the present with those of the past, within a surreal night at the Bootleg Theater. Inspired by the women dancing in the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec and other performers of the time, A Fried Octopus leaps into a pool of absinthe to find the divine feminine bubbling up. The male ideal of art surrenders. It’s an assemblage of text and movement that serves as a canvas, reminding us all of the beauty that can be found in ugly places.

Collaboration. Union. I am asked to describe my process in the first person and I instantly stumble for words. The team creating A Fried Octopus is in its final push toward opening night. We are short on sleep and constantly juggling schedules to find time where we can all meet and fall into a dream that welcomes the artists of the past into our current world.

Justin Zsebe. Photo by CURAphotography.com.

However, this process is far from a first person-narrative. This play is a dream slipping into and out of shared realities, realities formed and expanded by surrealists and performers — who, over decades and decades, slowly found partnerships next to each other, within one another’s writing. Those of the present day welcomed those of the past. And then they asked for more. They asked for actors and performers, dreamers and singers. This nascent Octopus wanted another arm.

So now there was a dream and actors meeting to play and imagine. Games. Jokes. Songs. Dances. Stories. Emotions. Images of the past reminded us about our current time and place, our moment of now…. Moments spent at the Bootleg Theater. And now… And now the words started to swirl and the actors took on greater and greater challenges and then there was something more. The young Octopus again asked for another arm.

It asked for space. Then light. It wanted clothes. It asked for sound. All swirling around a dream that was inspired by a painting, which was painted by a man who was inspired by a woman, who was actually a girl who simply wanted to dance and feel free. Freedom inspires love. And again we arrive at our moment of now and if ears perk up perhaps there is one last ask… the ask for an audience to come and share this surreal wild dream bent on absinthe and love.

That’s the amazing thing about theater, I think. So many arms coming together to create a wiggly living thing that is fascinating to watch. However, to avoid sentimentality, let’s cook that baby up and see what we’ve got. And after so much asking, A Fried Octopus just might have something to give.

Please join us at the Bootleg Theater during the limited run of A Fried Octopus.

A Fried Octopus, Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd, LA 90057. Opens tonight. Plays Thurs-Sat. 7:30 pm. Through June 8. Tickets: $20. www.bootlegtheater.org.

Justin Zsebe lives in Los Angeles and enjoys telling stories with passionate artists. He holds an MFA from UCLA’s department of theater, film and television. Zsebe’s past productions at the Bootleg include Nine Circles, The Fun Family Festival of Tragedy and the annual Janky Christmas Spectacular.

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LA STAGE INSIDER

by Julio Martinez | May 16, 2013

Annette Bening

PREMIERES…Geffen Playhouse in Westwood is completing its 2013-2014 season with the debut of a solo work starring Annette Bening, performing a selection of monologues created and first performed by solo performance pioneer Ruth Draper, opening Apr 16, 2014. The title and director are yet to be revealed. This completes the previously announced nine-play Geffen season, performing in the Gil Cates and Audrey Skirball Kenis Theaters…Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles is offering A Fried Octopus, “an original dream play that links the world of women in Toulouse-Lautrec‘s paintings to the men who loved them,” conceived and helmed by Justin Zsebe, based on research by artistic director Alicia Adams, created by the Bootleg ensemble, opening tomorrow…Also debuting Friday, at Celebration Theatre in Hollywood, is the LA premiere of At the Flash, “a fast-paced journey that juxtaposes five different decades whose stories collide and blend, bringing them all together on one night,” scripted by Sean Chandler and David Leeper, helmed by David Zak…Valley Village-based Luminario Ballet is highlighting its fourth rep season with two premieres, performing May 31-June 2 at El Portal in NoHo. The new works include Brace…yourself, “an unforgettable travel dance theatre trip,” choreographed by Debra Lynne Brown; and Firebird Rising, a Stravinsky/electronica ballet/aerial multimedia showcase, helmed by Stephen Hues…

Lillias White

TUNER FARE…Broad Stage and LA Opera have united to co-produce the premiere of Dulce Rosa, wrought by composer Lee Holdridge and librettist Richard Sparks, based on the Isabel Allende short story “Una Venganza” (“An Act of Vengeance”). With LA Opera general director Plácido Domingo conducting, the production opens tomorrow at Broad. It’s the inaugural project of the LA Opera Off Grand series, “devoted to new and eclectic operatic works presented in venues away from the company’s home at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.”…Tony winner Lillias White (The Life), currently co-starring in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come And Gone at the Mark Taper Forum, is debuting her new cabaret show, A Woman On Love, at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood, Mondays only, June 3 and 10, joined by power tenor Jake Simpson, accompanied by music director Abdul Hamid…While we’re focusing on cabaret, singer/dancer/thesp Neile Adams premieres her new song-and-story-fest, One Hell of a Ride, June 11, at Upstairs at Vitello’s in Studio City, helmed by Ted Sprague, accompanied by pianist/music director Andy Howe…2Cents Theatre Group is offering Jonathan Larson’s landmark rock tuner, Rent, in celebration of its 20^th anniversary, helmed by Kristen Boulé, with musical direction by Morgan Fitch, opening May 24. It will run in repertory with Private Eyes by Steven Dietz, helmed by Shaunessy Quinn, opening May 30, running through June 30 at the Hudson Theatre Mainstage in Hollywood…

Ian Ruskin as Thomas Paine On Religion

AROUND TOWN… Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica is hosting two performances only of Amy Tofte’s FleshEatingTiger, helmed by director/choreographer Vincent Paterson, June 21 and 22. The surrealistic two-hander, featuring Sam Breen and Gabriela Trigo, “chronicles an affair under the influence.”…In Pasadena, A Noise Within (ANW) continues this season’s Words Within Wednesday night play reading series with four free, one-night-only readings this summer: The Heiress by Ruth and Augustus Goetz (June 5); August Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata (June 17); Bertolt Brecht’s Galileo, which originally premiered in 1947 at the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles, starring Charles Laughton (July 24); and Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill (Aug 14)…Long Beach Playhouse is offering Vigils, focusing on a widow’s reluctance to let go of her deceased husband’s soul, scripted by Noah Haidle, helmed by Olivia Trevino , opening June 15…Scripter/thesp Ian Ruskin is offering a pair of biographical solo outings at a pair of spaces. Ruskin’s From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks — inspired by the life of labor leader Harry Bridges – opens May 23 at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, closing May 30. Then it moves to Electric Lodge in Venice, opening June 20, closing June 27. His second bio spotlight, To Begin The World Over Again: The Life Of Thomas Paine, opens May 24 at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, closing June 2. Then it re-opens at Electric Lodge in Venice on June 21, closing June 30…

EXTENDING…No sooner had Burbank-based Colony Theatre confirmed the May 19 closing of its successful Rodgers and Hart bio tuner, Falling For Make Believe — book by Mark Saltzman, helmed by Jim Fall – than it announced that it is bringing it back, re-opening June 6, reaching out until June 30…Do Lord Remember Me, a look at the past through the words of ex-slaves, scripted by James de Jongh, helmed by Wilson Bell, continues at Chromolume Theatre on Washington Blvd, through May 26…In Hollywood, Blank Theatre is extending Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers, based on Peter and Wendy by JM Barrie and scripted by Michael Lluberes, helmed by Michael Matthews, through June 16…

Ann Corio

INSIDE LA STAGE HISTORY…On July 20, 1945, I celebrate my seventh birthday by attending the matinee show at the Gayety Theatre, located at 523 S. Main Street in downtown LA. The Gayety is a dedicated burlesque house, headlining stripper Ann Corio and featuring actor/baggy pants comic Joe Yule, father of Joe Yule Jr (also known as Mickey Rooney). I am sitting in the first row, a guest of Mr. Yule, who is a friend of my dad. I don’t quite get the relevance of Miss Corio’s talents but I think Joe Yule is the funniest man on earth. After the show, Yule escorts me back to my dad’s restaurant, located a half block away in the Pacific Electric Building at 6^th and Main. Along the way, Yule spouts, “The Gayety has been called a lot of names over the years and I’ve worked every one of them.” Indeed. When it is constructed in 1905 as the main floor of the Waldorf Hotel, the theater is called the Novelty, changing to New Peoples in 1906 and just Peoples by 1909. It features second-tier vaudeville acts and silent film shorts. In 1913, it is operated by Charles Alphin who renames it the Olympic, then changing it to the Alphin in 1914. Later that year, it is taken over by Mr. J.A. Quinn who titles it Quinn’s Century. It continues as the Century after Quinn’s tenure until 1916, evolving away from vaudeville and into burlesque, while continuing to have a matinee and evening slate of films, mostly lighthearted comedies. Over the years the name changes continue, from the Omar (1917-22) to the Moon (1923-36). It becomes the Gayety from 1938 onward, featuring the country’s most famed strippers and burlesque acts. By 1960, the Waldorf Hotel continues to operate, but the Gayety closes. In 1980, Mickey Rooney reveals, “If you want to see me dad’s routines, you’re going to have to catch Sugar Babies on Broadway. Ann (Miller) and I do ‘em all.”…

Julio Martinez-produced and hosted Arts in Review celebrates the best in LA-area theater and cabaret, Fridays (2 to 2:30 pm) on KPFK Radio (90.7FM).

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Peretzian Directs Dying City — and a Post-Agency Life

by Julio Martinez | May 16, 2013

Michael Peretzian directs Laurie Okin in “Dying City.” Photo by John Flynn.

Award-winning stage director Michael Peretzian is happily giving his undivided attention to staging the LA premiere of Obie winner Christopher Shinn’s two-character Dying City, starring Burt Grinstead and Laurie Okin, opening Saturday at Rogue Machine on Pico Boulevard. Taking a break in Rogue’s prop-littered lobby prior to resuming rehearsals, Peretzian remarks, with an accompanying chuckle, “I don’t have a day job I have to go back to anymore. This is great.”

Although few audience members who might have attended a Peretzian-directed play during the last 30-plus years and looked up his bio in a theater program would have known it, Peretzian was one of the most successful literary agents in the US, rising to the position of senior vice president at William Morris before moving to Creative Artists Agency in 2000. “I’ve always kept the agency career out of my bios and credits,” he affirms. “I didn’t want that stereotype of agent as flesh peddler to any way be influencing peoples’ feelings about my work. So, I’ve always kept that to the side.”

Peretzian does admit that the huge plus side of his agency career was the company he kept. During his agency tenures he has represented such notable playwrights as Mark Medoff, Beth Henley, Terrence McNally, Christopher Hampton, Michael Cristofer, Hugh Leonard, Steven Sater, Zach Helm, John Madden, Alexander Dinelaris, Christopher Shinn and many more. “Of course, I loved working with some of the most talented writers in the world. But by 2008, I knew it was time for me to leave.

Laurie Okin and Burt Grinstead in “Dying City.”

“The agency business had changed so completely. When you work at a big talent agency, eight hours of your work week are spent in these very big meetings. I remember one meeting focused on the idea that if we could represent the writers who write the sequel to the movie Transformers, we could make a lot of money. I realized that after 38 years, I didn’t care. I was getting bored and feeling restless and I left. I had a successful career for over three decades. I did very well and I felt I could afford it. And now, I can do the things I want to do, direct the plays I want to direct. I am really looking forward to living out this next chapter in my life.”

At this moment, he is happily wrapped around Dying City, which came to him — as did many of his past directorial efforts — because of his agency connections. “When I was still an agent, CAA asked me to become involved with Christopher Shinn’s career, in terms of film and television. So, I went to see this play, Dying City, at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in New York [in 2007]. It made such an impression on me, I thought, ‘Wow’.”

According to the program, this one-act work plays out “as a psychological showdown of wits when, unannounced, Peter [Grinstead] shows up at the apartment of his sister-in-law [Okin]. Having not spoken since the funeral of her husband, Peter’s twin brother, the two now face-off as more questions surrounding the suspicious death resurface through flashbacks and old letters.”

“It was one of those situations where, after the play was over, I just thought about it for days. It offers no easy answers but it just resonates. And a lot of it is — the text is not the play. The dialogue is not the play. It is what they’re not talking about that makes the play. Christopher is a great student of psychology, having gone to psychotherapy five times a week. But this is not a psychological study. It is very natural, very real, but it has all these implications. It is like a mystery that plays out in the conversation between these two people who know each other well — intensely revealing as it goes but never indicating or relying on exposition. Their degree of empathy and sensitivity to one another is so strong, they see each other in three dimensions.”

Christopher Shinn

Once Shinn gave Peretzian the go-ahead to stage his work (subject to casting), the director began his journey to find a house in which to stage it. “I wanted to try the Mark Taper Forum, but that wasn’t available. So, I went to Gil Cates at the Geffen and they had it for about six months. When I hadn’t heard anything from Gil, I decided to do a reading of the play at Pacific Resident Theatre. It was a nice reading and they were kind of interested in producing it. So, I wrote to Gil Cates, informing him that I had interest from another theater and I’d like to pursue it. Well, Gil called a couple of days later and left a message on my voicemail, stating he wanted to meet me for a drink. He wanted to talk about the play. Then, a few days after that, he died suddenly of a heart attack.

“Then I found Rogue Machine. In this production, I am coming out of the agency closet, because it is really those clients I’ve worked with who have won Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards and Oscars — being with them and watch their process and read their scripts – that has taught me a lot. I owe them thanks for letting me be part of their wonderful careers and for leading me to being a stage director.”

Peretzian didn’t become a literary agent so he could abscond with his clients’ literary goodies, but he certainly let many know he was available and quite able to represent their work on stage. “When I first launched myself into directing, Michael Cristofer was a very important client of mine. After The Shadow Box — which was originally produced by the CTG in 1975 — won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award [1977], I asked Michael if I could direct the first Equity Waiver production of the play and bring it back to Los Angeles. He said OK and I staged it at Theatre 40 [in 1979].

“Happily, we got some really nice reviews. Michael, who wasn’t in LA at the time, read the reviews and asked Gordon Davidson to check out the production. Gordon came with Madeline Puzo to see it. Later, out in the parking lot, Gordon — God bless him — said, ‘You know, you had something we didn’t have in our production [which Davidson had directed]. How would you like to start directing some stuff at the Mark Taper Forum?’ My first job for Gordon was A Christmas Memory at the Itchey Foot — a CTG developmental outlet [in the recently demolished restaurant on the northwest corner of Temple and Figueroa]. That led [in 1984] to Talking With by Jane Martin at Taper Too [which occupied what is now Inside the Ford, in Hollywood] That was a very important nod and it encouraged me to do more of this.”

Laurie Okin and Burt Grinstead.

Peretzian continued to balance his enormous responsibilities as a literary agent for some of the world’s most talented writing talent with his increasing desire to direct worthy stage works. For his 1983 staging of Hugh Leonard’s A Life at Theatre 40, he received a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. He had earlier staged Leonard’s Summer there. “Sylvie Drake of the Los Angeles Times was most supportive, suggesting I stage both Leonard plays in repertory. I would love to do that.”

Peretzian feels he got his love for the theater organically, since his father was an actor in Armenian theater in New York. The Peretzian family moved to New Jersey when he was six months old. His father died of a heart attack when Michael was 15. Since his mother’s two daughters from a previous marriage were living in Hollywood, California, Michael soon found himself on the West Coast. “I went to Le Conte Junior High, Hollywood High and then UCLA for seven years. I got a bachelor’s degree in motion picture production because I thought I wanted to be an actor. This was in 1959. Then I got a masters degree in the history of theater. During this time, I was acting a lot in school productions. Then I got an MFA in directing for the theater. I subsequently taught at Pasadena Playhouse while it still had a credited conservatory. Of course, the Playhouse went bankrupt and I had to get a job.

“That’s when I landed in the mailroom at the William Morris Agency. I fantasized I could then leap to a job at one of the studios like Warner Brothers or Columbia, working in the story department. One day, I saw Steve McQueen walking down a hall at William Morris. I was surprised how short he was. Shortly after that, a check arrived in the mailroom for McQueen. It was his profits from the film Bullitt in the second year. Now, the procedure was to get the check to Mr. McQueen’s accountant, because William Morris couldn’t take its 10 percent directly from McQueen’s check. The accountant got the check and then issued the agency its check.

“So, my supervisor told me to take McQueen’s check in this envelope and walk it to his accountant’s office down Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills and then come back. I got about two blocks before I carefully peeled back the scotch tape that was loosely holding the envelope closed so I could see how much it was. It was a check for $1,200,000. Here I was, 28 years old, walking down Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills with over a million dollars in a pocket next to my heart, which started to beat very fast now. That’s when the penny dropped and I thought, ‘Maybe I should stick around here.’ And because I was interested in writers and not glamorous movie stars, I was promoted very quickly and that’s how it all started.”

Burt Grinstead and Laurie Okin.

Peretzian has no complaints about William Morris or CAA, which he feels were always appreciative of his efforts as an agent. “Creative Artists Agency was very generous when I left and paid for me to travel to New York and London so I could have one-on-one dinners and lunches with each one of the clients I was involved with, so I could tell them personally. So, at the Palm in New York, I was having drinks with Alex Dinelaris and told him I wanted to leave and direct plays. He told me I had to direct Red Dog Howl — centered on the Armenian genocide. Within 15 minutes, I had the job directing Red Dog Howl with Kathleen Chalfant, which we ended up staging at El Portal in North Hollywood.

“I know the world of theater is not the same as it was 38 years ago,” Peretzian affirms. “But during that time I endeavored to elevate the craft of playwriting in the minds of my clients. Anytime I signed a playwright, I would always say, ‘I’ll represent you and try to get you work writing for film and television, but you must write at least one play a year.’ I also worked worked very hard to establish some rapport with literary agents in New York and to give them a sense that Los Angeles has some small theaters that are worth their clients’ while, maybe not in terms of money but in terms of exposing the work to people who potentially might want to hire them for film or television.

“I know it is not easy. I am on the advisory board of the Ojai Playwrights Conference and I volunteered to be on the reading committee. We read over 500 plays for this next festival. I discovered a lot of emerging playwrights are writing about the internet. There is also a lot of whining about aging parents and Alzheimer’s. Many of these plays read as if they were showcases for getting a job writing for Lifetime TV. Dying City is not one of those plays. I am proud to be able to bring it to LA.”

Dying City, Rogue Machine, 5041 Pico Blvd., LA 90019. Opens Saturday at 5 pm. Sat 5 pm, Sun 7 pm, Mon 8 pm, through July 8. Memorial Day weekend schedule: Thu May 23 8 pm, Sun May 26 7 pm. Dark on June 24. Tickets: $30. www.roguemachinetheatre.com. 855-585-5185.

All Dying City production photos by John Flynn.

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Krump - John "Faahz" Merchant, Rhaechyl I. Walker. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins

Krump - John "Faahz" Merchant, Rhaechyl I. Walker. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins

Krump - Carrie Mikuls. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkin

Krump - Carrie Mikuls, Rickerby Hinds. Photo by Cindy Marie Jenkins

Krump - Carrie Mikuls, Rhaechyl I. Walker, John "Faahz" Merchant. Photo by Evita Castine

LA Stage Times

LA Stage Times

LA Stage Times

LA Stage Times

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