Rodney Gardiner News

Those who attend the Hollywood Fringe Festival (HFF) surely know the married couple, Matthew Quinn and Bertha Rodriguez, producers and venue managers who have been putting together many selections since HFF began in 2010 via their company Combined Artform and Asylum venues. Continuing the celebration of independent plays, the duo has created the Hollywood Independent Theater Festival (HITFEST) https://hitfest.stagey.net/ opening in September featuring encore performances from this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival. I interviewed the power couple to find out more about the new HITF.

SMOTE THIS, A Comedy About God and Other Serious $h*t, is being extended by the Hollywood Independent Theater Festival on September 17 and 27, at Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave. SMOTE THIS is an entertaining web of stories and tangents that explores one black man’s reckoning with tradition, legacy, and religion.

After the excitement of the participatory pre-show, we are sat down in a hodgepodge of rickety, old chairs and spoon-fed a mediocre staging of The Tempest. The whole evening takes on a feeling that Beil warns against in her program note; the immersive elements become a gimmick, a brief reward for taking our medicine.

As a fan of Shakespeare and immersive theatre productions, I was intrigued when I heard that The Shakespeare Center LA and After Hours Theatre Company were set to present the premiere of The Tempest: An Immersive Experience, a fully reimagined audience-participation performance based on William Shakespeare's tale of family members caught up in a storm and shipwrecked on an isolated Mediterranean island. So I decided to speak with the production's director Ben Donenberg, Shakespeare Center LA Artistic Director, Graham Wetterhahn, the Producing Artistic Director at After Hours Theatre Company, and Sara Beil one of the producers for After Hours who created the immersive design, about their vision for an immersive way to include audience members in the experience of Shakespeare's tempestuous play.

The Shakespeare Center LA and After Hours Theatre Company announce the premiere of The Tempest: An Immersive Experience, a fully reimagined immersive performance based on William Shakespeare's The Tempest.  The director is Ben Donenberg, Shakespeare Center LA Artistic Director; Graham Wetterhahn is the Producing Artistic Director at After Hours Theatre Company. 

Getty Villa Museum presents Seven Loves, a Valentine's cabaret that brings together award-winning performers singing songs from Broadway, based on Greek and Roman myths, to explore the full range and complexities of love.

Building upon Play On Shakespeare's mission to enhance the understanding of Shakespeare's plays in performance, Play On Podcasts bring timeless tales directly to modern audiences.

It was announced today the Parent Artist Advocacy League for Performing Arts and Media will present a virtual concert showcasing the original work of mom-composers/lyricists, brought to life by mom-singers and musicians (and a couple of dads!) from Broadway stages and beyond, to stream on International Mother Artist Day, Monday, August 2 at 7 PM.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival is offering its 2014 production of William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, directed by Kent Gash and choreographed by Byron Easley for on-demand streaming on the Festival’s website, June 1-26.

Award-winning actor, director and writer Arian Moayed (Succession, Inventing Anna) wrote and directed an Original Christmas Radio Play  “THE MAN IN RED” with original music by Butch Phelps, now available free on all audio streaming platforms.

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network announced today the addition of ten new recurring roles plus directors Kiel Adrian Scott and Erica Watson for the second season of 'David Makes Man,' the Peabody Award-winning and critically acclaimed drama from Academy Award(R) winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and Warner Bros. Television.

This past Friday evening, Oregon Shakespeare Festival artists, supporters, patrons and arts supporters from around the world gathered for a virtual, fun and inspiring live stream event focused on supporting both OSF and the Rogue Valley communities it serves.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which is entering its 85th year, today announced the casts for the 2020 season, featuring some of the most beloved performers from OSF's history alongside newcomers from around the country. OSF is one of the most prominent theatre companies across the nation that have joined the Jubilee, a yearlong nationwide commitment by theatres to feature work generated by those who have traditionally been excluded from or marginalized by the theatre industry. Five Shakespeare plays staged as four productions, alongside two new plays inspired by him, take the Festival's stages in 2020. Two more commissions from OSF's multi-decade commissioning program American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle will also premiere.

While there is much to praise, the stand-out amongst the talented GUYS AND DOLLS cast is Kirsten Wyatt, making her debut at the Guthrie as Miss Adelaide. Read this 6 Questions & a Plug to learn more from Wyatt about what makes this Guthrie show special.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Metamorphoses is now on stage. This co-production with the Guthrie Theater is led by nationally and internationally renowned writer and director Mary Zimmerman. 

Following an overwhelmingly positive response from audiences and critics alike, Berkeley Rep has announced that Metamorphoses, directed by Mary Zimmerman, will extend for an additional two weeks. The popular show will now run through Sunday, March 24.

BroadwayWorld has a first look at Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Metamorphoses. This co-production with the Guthrie Theater is led by nationally and internationally renowned writer and director Mary Zimmerman. Check out the photos below!

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Metamorphoses. This co-production with the Guthrie Theater is led by nationally and internationally renowned writer and director Mary Zimmerman.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced the full cast and creative team for Metamorphoses. This co-production with the Guthrie Theater is led by nationally and internationally renowned writer and director Mary Zimmerman.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival opened Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, directed by OSF Artistic Director Bill Rauch, on April 22 in the Angus Bowmer Theatre. Preview performances were April 18, 20 and 21, and the musical runs through Oct. 27.