Review: KING HEDLEY II at A Noise Within
KING HEDLEY II is the eighth and quite possibly bleakest play of August Wilson’s Century Cycle. Pasadena’s A Noise Within is committed to producing the entire cycle, and ANW’s production, under the direction of frequent Wilson helmsman Gregg T. Daniel, wrestles with it valiantly.
Interview: Playwright Catya McMullen on the World Premiere of ARROWHEAD produced by IAMA Theatre Company
Catya McMullen (pictured), a native New Yorker, now finds herself at home in Los Angeles. While working in film and television, her life-long love of theater inspired her to write plays. The world premiere of Arrowhead is her first being presented here, produced by IAMA at Atwater Village Theatre, directed by Jenna Worsham. I decided to speak with Catya about her journey to writing the play, why she set it in Arrowhead, its themes, and how it speaks to different generations of women about love and sexual identity.
Toni Morrison's THE BLUEST EYE Opens 'Balancing Act' Season at A Noise Within
Three young Black girls in 1940s Ohio strive to make sense of love, sisterhood, abuse and hate. A Noise Within opens its 2023-24 'Balancing Act' season with The Bluest Eye, adapted for the stage by Lydia R. Diamond from the novel by Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and directed by Andi Chapman.
7TH ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL to Play Greenway Court Theatre in April
Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors), in association with Da Poetry Lounge (DPL), will present THE 7th ANNUAL LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL, celebrating hip-hop and spoken word. DPL Co-Founder Shihan Van Clief (Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry Jam International Tour) and Arianna Lady Basco (The Fabulous Filipino Brothers) returns as Festival Directors.
BWW Review: BRIGHT HALF LIFE at The Road Theatre On Magnolia
Pulitzer Prize nominee Tanya Barfield’s brilliant BRIGHT HALF LIFE is smartly and artfully realized by director Amy K. Harmon, adding up to another solid project from The Road Theatre, which consistently stages challenging and rewarding productions.
BRIGHT HALF LIFE Runs Now Through May 22nd at The Road Theatre Company
THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, Founder/Artistic Director together with Sam Anderson, Artistic Director, announce the second show of its 30th Anniversary Repertory Season, the Los Angeles premiere of BRIGHT HALF LIFE, written by Pulitzer Prize nominee Tanya Barfield and directed by Amy K. Harmon. BRIGHT HALF LIFE will begin previews on Monday, April 4; will open on Friday, April 8 at 8pm and run through Sunday, May 22 at the Road Theatre, located in The NoHo Senior Arts Colony, 10747 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood.
BWW Review: CELESTIAL EVENTS Lights Up IAMA Theatre Company
The script is amusing, moving with sparkling briskness. The characters are defined and distinct, and the performers bring them to life in energetic and well-modulated ways. And while the meaning of life isn’t necessarily unveiled, it is sought and the intertwining relationships do find both unique destinations and common ground.
IAMA's CELESTIAL EVENTS Now Opening March 5
IAMA Theatre Company returns to in-person theater with the world premiere of a new, ensemble-inspired comedy that offers a modern and very fun escape from our never-ending pandemic reality.