MOOSE ON THE LOOSE Opens April 14 At Theatre West

Moose on the Loose, a comedy about an Italian family and a Canadian moose, written by Dina Morrone, directed by Peter Flood and produced by Dina Morrone and Benjamin Scuglia tp play at Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. West, in Los Angeles, CA 90068. Running April 14- May 21, 2023. Fri. and Sat. at 8, Sun. at 2.

SPECIAL DATES: Sundays April 16 and 30: Talkbacks (Q&A) after the performances.

Friday, April 21: ASL (American Sign Language) interpreted performance.

Sunday, April 23: Sensory Friendly Relaxed Performance -- A Sensory Friendly performance is a theater production that welcomes individuals with sensory needs, including people on the autism spectrum, as well as first-time theatergoers and young children. The show is modified to allow for patron movement, staff and actors are trained to accommodate patron needs, and all patrons are welcome to experience theater in a safe, non-judgmental environment.

The Tappino family left their impoverished existence in Calabria, Italy, decades ago for America in search of a better life, like generations of immigrant families before them. They got as far as Way Up Bay, a remote little town somewhere in a frosty part of Ontario, Canada, and they stayed there. And they had kids. And then they had grandkids.

Daughter Gina left home to establish herself in the professional world of marketing and now she's coming home to Way Up Bay to take a year off from work. It's not a simple vacation. She has a hidden agenda. What could it be?

Ironically, the day she arrives, a moose wanders into the Tappinos' residential neighborhood, and in a town where the most popular television station is The Weather Channel, a moose on the loose is big news. This arouses some concern, as moose can be wild, unpredictable and are downright enormous. So Daddy Giuseppe decides to go after it with a gun. And the local police go after him.

Because this is a comedy about a large and loving albeit chaotic Italian extended family (sister Carmela has an Anglo husband, brother Bruno has an Indigenous girlfriend), the action will sooner or later wind up at the dinner table. What's Gina's big secret? What will happen to Giuseppe? What will happen to the moose? How long will it take the Tappinos to discover that the moose is not the only one who is displaced and confused?

So, are you a man or a moose?

While there are plenty of laughs in Moose on the Loose, the play has a bit more on its mind, as it touches on the immigrant experience, and the desire to preserve the traditions of the Old Country while colliding with (and sometimes melding with) those from other cultures. Can one preserve the heritage of the past while everyone around you is being propelled into a very different future? How does immigration affect the original inhabitants (in this case, the Ojibway) of the region?

Dina Morrone is the playwright. She states that Moose on the Loose is loosely based on true events. She previously wrote a successful solo show, The Italian in Me, which chronicled her adventures as an actress in Italy, culminating with her meeting with Federico Fellini. A busy actor and voice artist both in Europe and the U.S., you've heard her voice in many of your favorite films.

Peter Flood helms Moose. His previous directing credits include shows in New York at Lincoln Center, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theater Club and Playwright's Horizons and locally at the Odyssey Theatre and Globe Playhouse. He directed Dina Morrone's The Italian in Me in Los Angeles and Toronto

The cast of Moose on the Loose includes James Lemire, Stuart H. Howard, Constance Mellors, Richard Reich, Laura James, Erica Piccinini, Rick Simone, Deanna Gandy, Nick McDow-Musleh, Cecil Jennings, Darby Winn and Meg Lin.

Sound design David P. Johnson. Set design: Jeff G. Rack. Stage manager: Liv Denevi.

Moose on the Loose had its World Premiere at Theatre West in 2011, directed by Peter Flood. It was one of the theatre's most Popular Productions in its long history. The play was subsequently produced in Canada, and was a hit there.

Covid-19 safety protocols at Theatre West: As of this writing, we are requiring audience members to wear masks inside the auditorium.

Established in 1962, Theatre West is celebrating its 60th year as the oldest continually running professional theatre company in the city of Los Angeles. It is a membership collective of actors, playwrights, directors, and technicians. Theatre West's alumni members include Ray Bradbury, Beau Bridges, Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, Betty Garrett, Martin Landau, Lee Meriwether, Jack Nicholson, Carroll O'Connor, Sherwood Schwartz, Joyce Van Patton, and Paul Winfield. Theatre West has produced more than 300 plays and musicals. Of these plays, nearly 70% are original works developed in its workshops and many have led to Broadway, regional tours, and feature films including A Bronx Tale by Chazz Palminteri, A Very Brady Musical by Lloyd Schwartz and Hope Juber, and Our Man in Santiago by Mark Wilding that transferred to Off-Broadway in the Fall. Theatre West is supported in part by The Ahmanson Foundation, California Arts Council, Peter Glenville Foundation, The Green Foundation, Kaplan-Loring Foundation, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawrence E. Deutsch Foundation, and Sidney Stern Memorial Trust.

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