Richard Azurdia News

It feels like a slight to write about this piece as just another theatrical performance offered this time of year. The community clearly comes out in droves to hear the choral narrations, see the beautiful artistry of Vanessa M. Gomez’ tilmas, and celebrate a treasured story.

Atmosphere, this CAESAR has aplenty. What David Melville’s production does not have this time is particularly strong acting. Players in several key roles felt miscast, out of synch with their own characters, with fellow players or, in some cases, both. As a result, the production is not great at making us emotionally invest.

Given recent events and political drama, including propaganda used to sway the public, nothing should surprise modern audiences when it comes to politics. But perhaps the most well-known dramatic representation of political intrigue takes place in Shakespeare’s classic play Julius Caesar, which centers around the events that led to his assassination by Roman senators on the 'Ides of March' (March 15) 44 B.C.E.  I decided to speak with David Melville about how the production will differ from more traditional staging and why he decided it would be a good fit for audiences.

On March 15th, “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” opened at Center Theatre Group / Mark Taper Forum. Playwright Anna Deavere Smith attended and posed with the cast, along with director Gregg T. Daniel, creative team members and special guests. Check out photos from the opening here!

The Ghost Road Company will present the World premiere of The Dry Years, our first full production since 2019. Conceived by Ghost Road ensemble members John Guerra and Christine Breihan, the show is set to open on Saturday, February 4, 2023, 8PM at the Broadwater Main Stage in Hollywood, CA.

Latino Theater Company returns to downtown’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with the company’s signature holiday pageant, presented this year by El Gallo Giro. 

ISC’s unique brand of Shakespeare in the park has long been a summertime favorite for Angelenos of all ages. PESTLE is a work of Francis Beaumont, not the Bard, but as adapted and staged by director Melissa Chalsma, this loopy bit of play-within-a-play meta is every bit a comic winner.

John Guerra's new play brings Thornton Wilder's 'Our Town' up to date with its sensitive portrayal of two families - one white and one Latino - in modern-day Fillmore, California.

Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presents the world premiere of The Last, Best Small Town, a modern-day “Our Town” by L.A.-based Latinx playwright John Guerra. Performances begin Saturday, July 31 on Theatricum's beautiful outdoor stage in Topanga, where they continue through Nov. 7.

Award-winning theatre company Son of Semele Ensemble is announcing its departure from their Silver Lake home of 18 years. Led by Founding Artistic Director Matthew McCray since 2000, the company has been in residence at 3301 Beverly Boulevard in a black box theatre they created in 2003. 

Coeurage Ensemble, LA's Pay What You Want performance company, has announced the launch of its new initiative of immersive, location-specific storytelling experiences, The Nomad Project. The first endeavor under the new artistic leadership of Joseph V. Calarco and Amanda McRaven, The Nomad Project debuts with nine individual audio stories by 10 Los Angeles playwrights and screenwriters.

Celebrating 60 years as Los Angelesa?? oldest non-profit theater company, Company of Angels presents a live-streamed event Whata??s Going On? A Virtual Play Festival: Watch Whata??s Going On? live on Saturday, August 1 & 8 at 8 PM PST on Youtube at https://bit.ly/CoAWhatsGoingOn, Facebook Live at Facebook.com/CompanyofAngels or via their Website at companyofangels.org/whatsgoingon

This thought-provoking testament to the universal struggle of living day-to-day in a society whose apathy seems to know no bounds for the down-and-out will grab your attention and keep you at the edge of your seat as Jane Doe's story unfolds. Tanya Alexander's magnificent ability to morph herself from a homeless woman in dirty clothing, sitting on a park bench holding a sign stating a?oeI am NOT Invisiblea?? allows us to see where she has been and how much she really desires to pick herself up by her bootstraps and do whatever is necessary to survive. As she achieves celebrity status, Alexander opens to heart and soul and lets us see into Jane Doe's guilt of having survived when others have not. And as Jane Doe's fortunes rise, Alexander is costumed to perfection in lovely, form-fitting dresses designed by Shon LeBlanc that would allow Jane Doe to shine anywhere.

The Fountain Theatre presents the world premiere of a timely new play, written and directed by Stephen Sachs (Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric, Bakersfield Mist), about homelessness, celebrity worship and truth in American journalism. Human Interest Story opens at the Fountain on Feb. 15, where performances continue through April 5.

A stalwart member of the Los Angeles Theatre community, the multi-award-winning Rob Nagle will next be appearing on the Fountain Theatre stage in the world premiere of Stephen Sachs' HUMAN INTEREST STORY, opening February 15, 2020. Rob essays Andy Kramer, who just having been laid off, fabricates a letter to the editor; then, has to mastermind an elaborate charade to justify it. Rob's HUMAN INTEREST STORY onstage accomplices include: Tanya Alexander, Richard Azurdia, Aleisha Force, James Harper, Matt Kirkwood and Tarina Pouncy. The ever-busy Rob managed to find some time to answer a few of my queries.

a?oeThe line between where you are now and sleeping in your car is much thinner than you think.a?? The Fountain Theatre presents the world premiere of a timely new play, written and directed by Stephen Sachs (Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric, Bakersfield Mist), about homelessness, celebrity worship and the assault on American journalism. Human Interest Story opens at the Fountain on Feb. 15, where performances continue through April 5.

The Fountain Theatre is gearing up to present the world premiere of a new play written and directed by company co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric, Cyrano). Casting is now complete for Human Interest Story, a timely drama about homelessness, celebrity worship and the assault on American journalism, with the opening date set for Feb. 15, 2020.

Following its Tony-nominated hit Broadway run seen by tens of thousands, Tony Award winner John Leguizamo's one-man play “Latin History for Morons” will be presented by Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles from September 5 through October 20, 2019. See photos from opening night!

The First National Tour of "Come From Away" opened its Los Angeles engagement on Wednesday, November 28. The Tony Award-winning musical continues through January 6, 2019, at Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre.

Award-winning artists' collective Rogue Artists Ensemble takes over West Hollywood's Plummer Park through a commission from The City of West Hollywood's Arts Division for a site-specific immersive theater experience with Señor Plummer's Final Fiesta, celebrating the life of Eugene Plummer, a champion of community in early Los Angeles and a prominent figure in what is now West Hollywood. Closing November 18, Señor Plummer's Final Fiesta stirs up a merry band of ghosts and shadows who sweep you into a past filled with wild west duels, pirates, land-grabs, violent mobs, shark-riding, romances, epic court battles, and, of course, fiestas!