A true Hawaiian story about a group of pre-World War Ii swimmers who trained for the Olympics in an irrigation ditch arrives on the mainland in the East West Players production of Lee Tonouchi’s The Three Year Swim Club. The author and director Keo Woolford discuss the play and its cast, who had to be somewhat proficient in both Hawaiian Pidgin and hula. READ MORE
Saracho’s Nogalar: Chekhovian Mexicans
Via Chicago
by Stephanie Jones | January 27, 2012
Tanya Saracho was born in Mexico, moved to Texas, went to college in Boston, settled in Chicago, and was inspired by a Russian play as she wrote El Nogalar, which is set in Mexico and is opening now in LA at the Fountain. She credits LA’s Luis Alfaro as helping her shape her writing, and he’s the dramaturg of the Fountain production, but the play was born in the supportive environment of the Chicago theater scene. READ MORE
Kurt Maxey’s Pity The Proud Ones Arises Out of Robey
by Stephanie Jones | October 24, 2011
Longtime Angeleno Kurt Maxey saw his first fully produced play, Pity the Proud Ones, open on Saturday at Los Angeles Theatre Center. Developed and produced by LATC-based Robey Theatre Company, it explores an Irish father and his half-black son — and creditor — who meet in a Florida bordello in 1915. The director, Robey’s Ben Guillory, discusses the importance of African American-specific play development programs. READ MORE
Boston Court Excavates John Walch’s The Dinosaur Within
by Stephanie Jones | October 7, 2011
Three stories intersect in John Walch’s The Dinosaur Within at the Boston Court. One is about an Aboriginal father and son from Australia, another is about a forgotten Hollywood star and the third is about a couple’s missing son, who is a junior paleontologist. Walch and director Michael Michetti discuss how these tales merge and the design challenges that the play’s structure raises. READ MORE
Poor Dog Group:
The Next Chapter in the Book of Theater
by Stephanie Jones | September 26, 2011
Poor Dog Group partners with The Last Bookstore in downtown LA to launch a on-site performance series called “Book-A-Month.” This Friday, September 30 marks the third and final weekly installment of Leroi Jones’ System of Dante’s Hell. Next month’s selection will be determined by audience members. READ MORE
A New Theater Form Takes to the Streets of LA –
Flash Mob Style
by Stephanie Jones | September 22, 2011
Why are the streets suddenly erupting with seemingly impromptu theater? It’s Flash Theater L.A. Don’t just sit there — tweet about it to your friends. READ MORE
Karen Sommers’ Long Awaited World Premiere at Fremont
by Stephanie Jones | May 17, 2011
Karen Sommers steps up to plate in her role as “creator/director” of the new play South of Delancey. Set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the piece is based on remnant stories from reel-to-reel tapes formerly destined for the dumpster. The tapes were found outside the House of Sages – an existing 1940s Jewish arbitration court – and become the topic of a segment that caught Sommers’ attention on NPR’s All Things Considered in 2002. READ MORE
Lights Up! – Spotlight on lighting designers behind Ovation nominated shows
by Stephanie Jones | January 11, 2011
This year’s seven Ovation Award nominees for Best Lighting Design in an Intimate Theatre are from productions at only three theaters- Theatre @ Boston Court, The Chance, and Antaeus. READ MORE
Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus el Rey:
Chicano Prison Twist Earns 7 Ovation Nominations
by Stephanie Jones | December 3, 2010
LA Stage Alliance recently announced its 2009-2010 Ovation Award nominees, bestowing seven nominations on The Theatre @ Boston Court’s world premiere of accomplished playwright Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus el Rey. READ MORE
