Interview: Director Susan Leslie on Martyna Majok's IRONBOUND at the Broadwater Second Stage July 14-16
Writer and performer Susan Leslie is probably best known in the theatre world for her long association with writer/director, Del Shores, having appeared in six of his plays. And this month, she will be directing Martyna Majok’s play Ironbound, with three performances July 14-16 at The Broadwater Second Stage. I decided to speak with Susan about her decision to direct this play and why the short run is being presented as a benefit for WomenShelter of Long Beach.
THE ARSONIST OF VENICE Comes to the Hollywood Fringe
Just out of prison for a string of inexplicable arsons, a celebrated novelist returns home to Venice, California with a dark and singular goal. Set against the splendor and privation of modern Los Angeles, this dark, poetic drama excavates painful human truths, exploring how early violence and unresolved loss can lead to addiction and madness. Hollow Visions Productions will bring The Arsonist of Venice to the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Interview: Meg Lin on Developing Her Solo Show WHAT AM I, CHOP SUEY?
Prior to pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an actor, Meg Lin was a former K-12 teacher, school principal, college professor, and non-profit CEO. But along the way, she struggled finding her true identity as a Chinese American as the first in her family born in the U.S. In her original solo play What am I, Chopped Suey? Meg shares how she struggled to defy cultural norms to 'save face' while coping with challenges she went through to overcome stereotypes and redefine what it means to be Asian in America. I decided to speak with Meg about how universal her first-generation American tale will resonate with so many, as well as her plans to continue presenting it as an Encore selection from this year's Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Owl & Pussycat Theatre Company Presents THE ECSTASY OF VICTORIA WOODHULL
Reach across the mortal plane to meet the brazen and irrepressible Suffragette (whom you probably have never heard of) who was the First Woman to run for President of the United States in 1872 in The Ecstasy of Victoria Woodhull. Join our modern clairvoyant, Celeste, in an immersive seance where she endeavors to bring back Victoria's spirit to learn her full story.
Arena Stage Announces Playwrights' Arena for the 2020/21 Season
Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater has announced that the 2020/21 Season of Playwrightsa?? Arena will be in partnership with Georgetown and Howard Universities. Originally launched in 2013, Playwrightsa?? Arena has empowered local professional playwrights to fully examine their artistic and dramaturgical practice.
BWW Interview: Mona Golabek of THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Helps Us Find Our Common Humanity by Telling Her Mother's Story
Mona Golabek, the sole performer of a?oeThe Pianist of Willesden Lanea?? at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, has truly followed a singular path, both in her career and in her life. She first came to prominence as a virtuoso concert pianist appearing with major orchestras around the world. In 1998, she began hosting her own successful syndicated radio show, a?oeThe Romantic Hour,a?? which combined romantic poetry and classical music. Her life took another unexpected turn in 2002 when she co-wrote the best-seller a?oeThe Children of Willesden Lanea?? which tells the story of her mother, Lisa Jura, whose life was saved as a young girl by the Kindertransport which took her away from her family in Nazi-occupied Austria to safety in London. In 2012, Ms. Golabek collaborated with Hershey Felder to create the stage adaptation a?oeThe Pianist of Willesden Lane.a?? She has since taken the show across the country and toured internationally, and now makes it her mission to use her mother's story as a catalyst to bring reconciliation in our divisive world. BroadwayWorld recently spoke with Ms. Golabek from her home in Los Angeles. In conversation, she exhibits the natural warmth and ease of an accomplished radio host and has just the barest hint of a sort of pan-European accent, perhaps another sign of the enduring influence of her mother.