Michael Shepperd News

Now celebrating its 32nd anniversary year, The Blank Theatre’s Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival (YPF) has chosen 12 plays by playwrights aged 15–19 from nine different states.

Join Playwrights' Arena for their Annual Gala on April 28, 2024. Celebrate the art of playwriting and support the development of new plays in this festive event.

All Roads Theatre Company (ARTCO), LA’s new Equity company, premiered its inaugural production, a fully staged and choreographed “in concert” presentation of Mack & Mabel. Check out photos here!

All Roads Theatre Company has announced its inaugural production, a fully staged and choreographed “in concert” presentation of the beloved and rarely produced Broadway musical Mack & Mabel, starring Dermot Mulroney, Jenna Lea Rosen, and Caroline O’Connor. 

Caroline O'Connor, star of stage and screen, joins the cast of ALL ROADS THEATRE COMPANY's fully staged and choreographed presentation of Jerry Herman's and Michael Stewart's beloved musical, MACK & MABEL In Concert, starring Dermot Mulroney and Jenna Lea Rosen.

Casting has been announced for week two of The Blank Theatre’s 31st Annual Young Playwrights Festival. The next three of 12 winning plays by young playwrights aged 15–19 will be presented, for the first time since 2019, live on stage July 13–16.

VALLEY SONG by South African master playwright Athol Fugard is two-actor, three-character play in which Michael A. Shepperd takes on the roles of Abraam Jonkers, a mixed- race old man who has been a pumpkin farmer his entire life, and The Author, a White man who wants to buy the land where Abraam lives and works, potentially leaving him homeless. And since these roles were originally doubled by Fugard himself, I decided to speak with Michael A. Shepperd about preparing for such a challenging artistic endeavor.

Casting has been announced for week three of The Blank Theatre's 30th Annual Young Playwrights Festival. Being presented as digital shorts, the next three of 12 winning plays by young playwrights aged 15–19 will be available to stream on Vimeo July 22–28.

The plays are divided up into weekly offerings of three plays and, for only the second time, an additional fifth week offering — a feature called YPF Plus (YPF+). The play Venus, and What Else is Nocturnal is nearly ready for professional production and will bridge The Blank’s YPF and Living Room Series programs.

Alabama Shakespeare Festival to present Little Shop of Horrors, March. 4 - April 3 on the Octagon Stage.

Los Angeles' Celebration Theatre has fired Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd following allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Celebration Theatre Artistic Director Michael A. Shepperd has been set to host the 31st Annual LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards Ceremony, this year to be presented in a virtual format, on Tuesday, March 30, at 8pm.

Broadway might be dark, but that doesn't mean that theatre isn't happening everywhere! Below, check out where you can get your daily fix of Broadway this weekend, October 231-November 1, 2020.

Los Angeles-based theatre company Lower Depth Theatre has announced dates and artists for their upcoming virtual festival, 'The BIPOC Voting Plays: A Second Wave 'Pandemic Plays' Shorts Festival.' The festival will feature six short plays by LA-based playwrights that merge the genre of science fiction with the imminence of the November 2020 election.

As part of the official kick-off to West Hollywood's 'One City One Pride,' West Hollywood's Art Division (in collaboration with the Celebration Theatre) presents a free live-stream reading of Patricia Loughrey's DEAR HARVEY on Harvey Milk Day, May 22, 2020. Produced and directed by Celebration Theatre's artistic director Michael A. Shepperd, DEAR HARVEY recalls the too-short political career and the lasting impacting of the first openly gay elected politician, as told through the eyes of those who had the privilege of knowing him.

A creative staple of the Los Angeles Theatre community, director/actor Michael A. Shepperd will next be exhibiting his directorial talents in the world premiere of playwright Penelope Lowder's WEST ADAMS, opening February 1, 2020 at the Skylight Theatre. This dark comedy on race, class, and a bouncy house in the West Adams neighborhood features Andrés M. Bagg, Allison Blaize, Clayton Farris and Jenny Soo. Michael managed to find a spare moment between his multi-tasking to answer a few of my inquisitive queries.

On this episode of West of Broadway, Will and Lara speak with Michael A. Shepperd who is currently starring as 'Miss Trunchbull,' in the La Mirada production of Matilda the Musical.

Skylight Theatre Company's 2017 production of ROTTERDAM has been chosen to be remounted at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of Center Theatre Group's third annual BLOCK PARTY. The talented cast of four (under the very able direction of Michael A. Shepperd) have already begun reprising their respective roles. I grabbed the opportunity to chat with Miranda Wynne who essayed Alice at Skylight.

Sacred Fools Theater Company is excited to continue its 22st season with the West Coast Premiere of Too Heavy for Your Pocket written by Jireh Breon Holder and directed by Michael Shepperd. "We have been tracking Too Heavy For Your Pocket since its world premiere, and were deeply affected by the poetry and humanity on display in Jiren's work," former Artistic Director Bryan Bellomo says. "We are honored to bring a west coast premiere to Los Angeles, and thrilled to finally have the opportunity to partner with Michael A. Shepperd, the perfect director to tell this delicate story of aspiration and familial love."

The 28th Annual LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards, celebrating theatrical excellence and achievement throughout Los Angeles, were presented on Monday, January 29, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown LA.