Review: STALIN'S MASTER CLASS at Odyssey Theatre
by Amanda Callas - Apr 19, 2024
Stalin’s Master Class is enthralling, darkly funny, awkward, and thought-provoking about the eternal tension of politics vs art, censorship vs thought, modern art vs people’s tastes, groupthink vs ingenuity, and popularity vs quality.
Photos: STALIN'S MASTER CLASS Begins This Saturday At The Odyssey Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Apr 10, 2024
Politics collide with art when “Father of the People” Joseph Stalin and Soviet cultural minister Andrei Zhdanov summon composers Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich to the Kremlin for a vodka-fueled “music lesson” in “Stalin’s Master Class.” The wildly comic, music-filled ride by British playwright David Pownall opens this weekend at the Odyssey Theatre. Check out the photos.
Interview: Director Halena Kays FEELS Amazing Collaboration With This ANGER
by Gil Kaan - Jan 10, 2023
Circle X Theatre Company starts off their new season with the west coast premiere of Mara Nelson-Greenberg’s Do You Feel Anger? opening January 21, 2023 at Atwater Village Theatre. Halena Kays directs the cast of Tasha Ames, Charlotte Gulezian, Rich Liccardo, Paula Rebelo, Casey Smith and Napoleon Tavale
West Coast Premiere Of Absurdly Hilarious DO YOU FEEL ANGER? Will Make You Squirm At Circle X
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 16, 2022
Circle X Theatre Company kicks off the New Year with the West Coast premiere of a truly outrageous comedy Do You Feel Anger?, written by Mara Nelson-Greenberg and directed by Halena Kays, opens January 21 for a six-week run at Atwater Village Theatre. Performances continue through February 25, with two Pay-What-You-Can previews set for January 19 and January 20.
Interview: Writer/Director Catherine Butterfield on the World Premiere of TO THE BONE Presented by Open Fist Theatre Company
by Shari Barrett - Sep 26, 2022
Open Fist Theatre Company is presenting the world premiere of To the Bone, a darkly funny comedy about family, baseball, and genetics, written and directed by Catherine Butterfield. The play centers on sisters Kelly Moran and Maureen Dugan from the 'Irish Riviera' south of Boston, where they were known as 'hard girls' back in high school. And since the adage says that it's better to write about the things you know, I decided to ask Catherine Butterfield about how much of her own personal life is reflected in the play and what it's like to write and direct it herself.
BWW Interview: Playwright France-Luce Benson on the World Premiere of DETAINED at the Fountain Theatre
by Shari Barrett - Feb 18, 2022
Certainly, almost every American can talk about how we are descendants of immigrants who dreamed of living in a free country and did whatever was necessary to arrive on our shores. As a direct descendant of four grandparents and one parent who escaped from Eastern Europe in the early 20th Century, when I read about the Fountain Theatre presenting the world premiere of DETAINED, written by The Lily's 2021 Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright France-Luce Benson, 'a gripping new docudrama composed of a compilation of true stories that explores the rippling impact of mass deportations on families,' I knew I wanted to speak with her about her inspiration and vision for the play.
IN THE NEXT ROOM, OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY By Sarah Ruhl Opens This March At Open Fist
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 18, 2022
Open Fist Theatre Company returns to in-person performances with a funny, intriguing and highly entertaining comedy about sex, intimacy and equality. Lane Allison directs the provocatively titled In the Next Room, or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl for a March 18 opening at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances continue through April 23.
World Premiere of DETAINED Announced At The Fountain Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 21, 2022
How do families stay together, even when they are kept apart? The Fountain Theatre presents a gripping new docudrama, a compilation of true stories that explores the rippling impact of mass deportations on families. The world premiere of Detained, written by 2021 Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright France-Luce Benson and directed by Mark Valdez, winner of the 2021 Zelda Fichandler Award, opens February 19 at the Fountain Theatre.