Fountain Theatre Announces Remainder Of 2025 Season Under New Artistic Director Raymond O. Caldwell

The Fountain Theatre has announced the remainder of the 2025 season under the leadership of new artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell. Three fresh, thought-provoking new plays, each of which touches on timely social and cultural issues, are set to follow the Fountain's currently running production of Alabaster.

“Our 35th season is built around work that explores healing, authoritarianism, immigration and collective liberation,” says Caldwell. “I'm excited to share my vision of community-based artistic engagement and activism with Los Angeles, building upon the legacy of bold politically centered work that audiences have come to expect and love at The Fountain Theatre.”

First up will be the Los Angeles premiere of White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, the global sensation by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour that explores the restrictions, censorship and denial of individual choice faced under a harsh regime. In this theater experience like no other, a different person will perform the show each night for the first time. No rehearsal. No director. Happening live with the audience. May 11-June 22; previews begin May 7.

Next, Caldwell will direct the West Coast premiere of Fly Me to the Sun, written by two-time Jeff Award-winner and two-time Drama Desk nominated playwright Brian Quijada and featuring remixes and beats by Marvin Quijada. Producing and recording a late night variety show, two brothers discover the beauty and flaws of the American dream through the eyes of their Salvadoran grandmother. Puppets, music and live cameras create a unique and timely theatrical adventure. July 13 – Aug. 24; previews begin July 9.

Closing out the season, an ensemble of women will celebrate the life of noted writer June Jordan, known for her fierce commitment to human rights and political activism, in the Los Angeles premiere of Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience. Devised by Caldwell and world renowned composer Adrienne Torf, directed by Caldwell, and featuring original music and live accompaniment by Torf along with selections by John Adams and Sweet Honey in the Rock, the Fountain production will travel to Berkeley for encore performances following its L.A. run. Recipient of the 2023 Helen Hayes Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play, Poetry for the People will bolster your sense of individual responsibility as we each do the work to build a more just and loving world. October 12 – November 23; previews begin October 8.

This month, the Fountain's Los Angeles premiere of Alabaster continues performances through March 30. A darkly comic southern drama by Audrey Cefaly about love, art and the power of women, Stage Raw calls Alabaster “a psychological and emotional thriller… deeply poignant” and the Hollywood Progressive writes, “A rewarding theatrical experience… alternately scathing and deeply poignant.” WFMU radio says, “Not to be missed… I was incredibly moved.”

Caldwell took over leadership of the Fountain in January, following a nationwide search by the board of directors to replace retiring founding artistic director Stephen Sachs. Now living in Los Angeles, Caldwell has spent the last 16 years in Washington, DC as a director, writer, producer, and educator, and he was artistic director at Washington DC's Theater Alliance for six seasons.

The Fountain Theatre creates, develops, and produces new plays that bring to life the urgent social, political, and cultural issues of our time, reflecting the vibrant diversity of Los Angeles and the nation. Its educational outreach programs inspire young people to become engaged citizens and leaders of tomorrow. The L.A. City Council commended the Fountain for “achieving a position of leadership in the Los Angeles theatre community… producing meaningful new plays of social and political importance that enrich the lives of the citizens of Los Angeles.”

The Fountain is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle's Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater, presented for “outstanding productions of meaningful new plays and first-class performances spanning three decades.” Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty hailed the Fountain, stating, “No L.A. theater has done a better job of asking us to reexamine our lives through the lens of acute contemporary drama.” The Fountain Theatre's most recent world premiere, Fatherland, conceived and directed by Sachs, ran off-Broadway last fall at Manhattan Theatre Club (New York City Center) with the original cast, where it received rave reviews as well as national and international coverage including from The New York Times, MSNBC, NPR and PBS.

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