Theatricum Botanicum Presents BACKYARD FRUIT, 11/20-21

Theatricum's play development program, Botanicum Seedlings, continues to foster its relationship with local playwrights by producing its first ever festival of new short plays. The Fall (short) Playreading Festival features the works of emerging and award-winning writers based in the L.A. area, all of whom have been involved with Seedlings.  A harvest of eight short plays based on the theme "backyard fruit," along with gourmet seasonal refreshments, The Fall (short) Playreading Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, November 20 & 21, at 2 pm. Admission is Free; donations gratefully accepted.

"Although our program supports the work of playwrights from across the country, we're always on the lookout for 'locally grown' writers we can nurture in new ways," says Seedlings literary manager Julie Retzlaff.  "With this festival, we wanted to reach out to LA-area writers we've worked with in the past, and at the same time plan an event that would bring together the community of Topanga and Theatricum artists. The summer season of classics is over, so we're offering something fresh and different to our audiences."  Retzlaff is producing the Festival together with Theatricum playwright-in-residence Jennie Webb.

The plays composing "Backyard Fruit" on both performance dates are:

"Night" by Ella Martin - Bathed in moonlight, a garden is full of possibilities. Especially to a young, impressionable radish. Ella Martin is a writer, director and actor whose plays have been devel­oped by Rubicon InterNational Theatre Festival, Theater Charity, and PianoFight LA. She is founder and artistic director of Theatre Mab.

"Apple Season" by EM Lewis - Lissie has no problem selling the family farm she's inherited.  But Billy hadn't bargained on her asking price.  EM Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards including the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, Francesca Primus Prize and LADCC Ted Schmitt Award. She is currently a Hodder Fellow at Princeton University.

"The Fruits of Their Labor" by Michael Premsriart - Not everyone in Russia is ready to turn their piece of the motherland over to an American real estate speculator. Michael Premsriart has had plays presented at The Public Theatre, Asian American Theater Company and the Asian American Repertory Theatre in San Diego. He's a member of LA's Playwrights Arena.
"Trick Ride" by Mary F. Casey - Life is like a rodeo. The saddle gets harder, the competition gets younger and your memory starts to play tricks on you. But what a ride. Mary F. Casey's plays, includ­ing Unspeakable Acts, have won the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award and Zane Gray Playwriting Contest. She received the Butcher Scholar Award from the Autry National Center.
"The Ladder" by Damon Chua - A married couple deals with the loss of gravity, and the gravity of loss, all in their own backyard. Damon Chua is the author of numerous plays including the Ovation Award-winning Film Chinois (published by Samuel French). His pieces have been  presented in Los Angeles New York, Boston, Alaska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, London and Singapore.
"Community Property" by Tira Palmquist - Even in the perfect neighborhood, a good fence doesn't make for good neighbors when a property dispute turns sour. The author of full-length plays featured on stages and in festivals across the country, Tira Palmquist is a writer, director and teacher. Her short plays have recently been produced in Los Angeles, Chicago and Virginia.
"A Strawberry for Your Thoughts" by Shannon Lee Clair - A tender look at young love and what flavors the future may hold on the eve of a backyard wedding.  Shannon Lee Clair is a graduate of Princeton University, where she wrote and directed her first play. She has studied abroad at LAMDA and worked locally with the La Mirada Theatre's Young Artist Project.
"Sour Fruit" by Tiffany Antone - A play about politics, double standards and the cost of getting elected... particularly if the candidate is a woman who's got a choice to make. Tiffany Antone's award-winning plays have been presented in Los Angeles, New York, D.C. and Minneapolis, and published by Samuel French. She is the literary manager for LATE.

The Festival features the work of five directors working collaboratively with the playwrights, and and an ensemble cast that features members of Theatricum's company along with new actors brought in specifically for the Festival.  The "Backyard Fruit" directors are Jen Bloom, who developed the Performing Arts Program at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and has extensive credits on the East Coast and in L.A. (Rogue Machine Theatre, Chalk Rep and the Playwrights Union); Katherine James, a playwright, artistic director of Free Association Theatre, and frequent Seedlings collaborator; Julie Retzlaff, who works on primarily new works, as a producer and director, in N.Y. (Ensemble Studio Theatre and ArcLight Theatre Company) and California (Pacific Repertory Theatre and Seedlings); Ann-Giselle Spiegler, an award-winning director for theater, film and music video based in Los Angeles; and Joy Howard, artistic director of LA's critically-acclaimed LOFT ensemble.

Initiated in 2002, the Botanicum Seedlings series acts as an adjunct to the Theatricum Botanicum's Summer Repertory Season, mounting spring playreadings as the season opens, and culminating after the season winds down with a fall workshop production or playreadings. Throughout the calendar year, plays are also selected to receive GreenReads, providing an unrehearsed, fresh look at scripts in various stages of development.

"Backyard Fruit," Botanicum Seedlings Fall (short) Playreading Festival takes place Saturday, November 20 and Sunday, November 21 at 2 pm. Admission to the festival is free and open to the public; gourmet refreshments will be served and donations to support this series will be gratefully accepted. The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley. For further information, the public should call (310) 455-2322 or visit www.theatricum.com. The theater is outdoors; dress warmly and please call the theater in case of inclement weather.

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