Wrestling was Kristoffer Diaz’ first entree into the world of theatrics. He grew up a half hour from Manhattan and was frequently taken to see wrestling live at Madison Square Gardens, where he soon began to figure out that it was staged. “Even at an early age, you start to get a sense that there are certain physical things in wrestling that wouldn’t happen in real life.  If you pull the back of a guy’s head and walk down the aisle he doesn’t have to go with you.” His West Coast premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity opens September 7 at the Geffen Playhouse. READ MORE

Playwright Steve Yockey and director Abigail Deser discuss the art of their recent collaboration on the premiere of his Heavier Than…, a play based on the Theseus and the Minotaur myth, opening at Boston Court. READ MORE

In conversation, playwright and screenwriter Gary Lennon speaks softly and philosophically, with tremendous insight into the human condition. He speaks of a spiritual growth and a journey toward inner peace. But this journey has been extremely rough going, and his dramatic writing reflects the pain of his life experience with a tone that sounds diametrically opposed to his speaking voice.  READ MORE

Over the past decade, Geffen Playhouse artistic director Randall Arney hasn’t tried to create an LA version of his Chicago alma mater, Steppenwolf Theatre, at the Geffen. But his latest Geffen staging is the West Coast premiere of one of Steppenwolf’s greatest hits, Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts.READ MORE

East West Players has kept its thematic promise of “Shake It Up” this season and celebrates with the grand finale of an original concept musical combining the talents of youthful urban artists into a coming-of-age love story set in Brooklyn’s Chinatown against a backdrop of hip-hop. Krunk Fu Battle Battle is the dream child of producing artistic director Tim Dang who has spent three years culling these raw talents, inculcating them with theatrical tradition and creating a fresh new form of entertainment.  READ MORE

The premiere of Lynn Manning’s The Unrequited (Between Two Worlds) marks the 15^th anniversary of the extraordinary Watts Village Theater Company, and Cornerstone Theater, which was the parent company of Watts Village in 1995, is co-producing the event.  Playwright and Watts Village board chair Manning discusses the production, the company’s partnership with Cornerstone, and his life as a blind playwright. READ MORE

The old man and old woman, who have lived together seemingly forever, prepare for the onslaught of visitors they have invited to hear the old man’s ultimate discovery. Empty chairs appear and the couple converse with invisible guests as more and more arrive. Eugene Ionesco’s The Chairs is a disturbingly absurdist mid-20th century play about long-lived relationships and unseen audiences. It is a bittersweet celebration for A Noise Within, as it closes its 19th and last season in Glendale before moving to a new, permanent home in Pasadena. READ MORE

The devastating and untimely death of Lanford Wilson earlier this month turned the Mark Taper Forum’s highly anticipated revival of Burn This into a de facto memorial for this extraordinary champion of the theater. Directing the production is Nicholas Martin, whose long stage career had often coincided with Wilson’s. READ MORE

What’s a magic mirror to do? Once every century, the mirror is responsible for choosing which “hero’s quest” is to become the next classic fairy tale. A perfect handsome prince, Copernicus, is selected. His only mission is to rescue his true love from a fire-breathing dragon.  READ MORE

Of the professionals who have turned Los Angeles small theater into a living laboratory of artistic and even commercial success, few have had the impact of uber-publicist and award-winning producer David Elzer. Yet ”for the most part,” he says, “the shows I produce begin on an Equity contract as opposed to the 99-seat plan.”  Just a handful of producers choose the same option while operating in an intimate theater space of fewer than 100 seats.  READ MORE

In Southern California the Phantom Projects Theatre Group has a long history of touring schools with important issue-driven productions. Over the past decade Phantom has developed a solid relationship with the La Mirada Theatre of the Performing Arts. The company has created youth programming while also building a broader based season to appeal to all ages.  READ MORE

This year, the LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards celebrate both Sweeney Todd’s longevity and its surprising malleability with an even dozen nominations (six each) between two very different productions. The two stagings were so dramatically diverse that they were more complementary than competitive. READ MORE