For the fourth year, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) presents A Week of French Language Cinema in Los Angeles, with FREE nightly screenings of award-winning Francophonic films, from Monday, March 18 to Friday, March 22, 2013. The program includes notable films Sister from Switzerland (3/18), Seducing Doctor Lewis from Canada (3/19), The Snows of Kilimanjaro from France (3/20), On the Sly from Belgium (3/21), and Laurence Anyways from Quebec (3/22). All films include subtitles in English. Monday and Friday night screenings are at 7:45pm, preceded by receptions with wine and hors d’oeuvres at 7:00pm. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night screenings start at 7:30pm. Admission is FREE! Read the rest of this entry »

Respected New York-based Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is coming to LA!  Its first Los Angeles production, Slipping, will start previews on Thursday, April 4th and run through Sunday, May 5th at Elephant Stage’s Lillian Theatre.  Written and directed by Daniel Talbott, Slipping follows the emotional trajectory of 17-year old Eli (Seth Numrich [Golden Boy, War Horse]), after the violent suicide of his beloved father.  Seeking a fresh start, he and his mother move from San Francisco to Iowa, where a new relationship with a boy at school exposes Eli again to the possibility of closeness and the danger of being swallowed by it.  The New York production of Slipping was named one of the top ten plays of 2009 by The Advocate. Read the rest of this entry »

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz presents Traverse, an inventive dance, live music and theatre mash-up from the French performance company Arcosm, on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 7:30pm.  The physical and musical production takes one man’s boring daily household routine and explodes it into a magnificent spectacle of choreography and percussion, suitable for audiences of all ages.  Traverse was created in 2011 by Thomas Guerry, a dancer and choreographer, in collaboration with Camille Rocailleux, a percussionist, pianist, and composer.  All ages are welcome.  The event is supported by FLAX (France Los Angeles Exchange). Read the rest of this entry »

Tears of Joy Theatre will perform The Ugliest Duckling, a puppet theatre version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale, at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles, on Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 7:30pm.  Set in Australia and starring a cast of colorful creatures in tabletop rod puppet form, The Ugliest Duckling adds a new twist to the beloved story.  Written by playwright Marc Dunworth, The Ugliest Duckling features a baby platypus that will never grow into a graceful swan. The story is one of self-acceptance and will be performed by Tears of Joy Theatre, known internationally for bringing amazing puppet theatre to audiences young and old.  Read the rest of this entry »

Bootleg Theater announces the world premiere of Death of a Salesgirl, an absurdist tragicomedy with integrated media, about one woman’s struggle to free herself from her past, opening in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 13, 2012 and running through Saturday, November 17, 2012.  Written by Patricia Scanlon, Death of a Salesgirl is a dark and humorous parable of a salesgirl breaking in new territory.  This intensely creative interdisciplinary performance piece, directed by Matthew McCray, incorporates video projections, animation and a uniquely crafted set by the award-winning Francois-Pierre Couture.  Death of a Salesgirl stars Patricia Scanlon and Paul Dillon.
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U-N-M-A-R-K-E-D and Highways Performance Space present the world premiere of PATTY!, a PoP! Music Religious Revival inspired by the mythic histories of Patty Duke and Patty Hearst, with seven performances running May 18 to 20 and May 23 to 26, 2012.  In conjunction with a full album release, the project includes a two-week run of live, 360-degree, outerdisciplinary performances (equal parts dance-pop concert, fashion show and new media installation), created, produced and directed by Patrick Kennelly.  PATTY! features 15 female performers and choreography by Marina Magalhães (of Contra-Tiempo) with additional choreography by Jmy James Kidd (of MGM) and Kennelly.  Opening music acts for the run include Actually Huizenga, IE, Bai Ling, Kristin “Kevin Blechdom” Erickson and the M.T. Brain, Wet Mango, Maxi Wild, and more.
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Earlier this month, Re-Animator™ The Musical won six LA Weekly Theater Awards including “Musical Of The Year.” It also won: “Original Music” – Mark Nutter, “Direction of a Musical” – Stuart Gordon, “Musical Ensemble” – The Cast, “Adaptation” – Dennis Paoli/William J. Norris/Stuart Gordon, and “Blood Effects” – Stuart Gordon! Now Re-Animator The Musical re-opens at a new location – The Hayworth Theatre – for a limited ten-week engagement, prior to its performance dates in New York and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.  http://www.reanimatorthemusical.com/

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The Industry presents the world premiere of Crescent City, a hyperopera by composer Anne LeBaron and librettist Douglas Kearney, under the direction of Yuval Sharon, from Thursday, May 10 to Sunday, May 27, 2012 at Atwater Crossing in Los Angeles.  The massive new site-specific production, which audiences will experience in 360-degrees, is set in a mythical cityscape with abstract sets by an extraordinary group of six installation artists.  Collaborating visual artists include Mason Cooley, Brianna Gorton, Katie Grinnan, Alice Könitz, Jeff Kopp, and Olga Koumoundouros – all notable members of the vibrant Los Angeles art scene.  The installations will be on view on select days for the run of the production, then transformed in the evening with performances of the opera.

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Photo credit Jeff Woodward.

501 (see three) ARTS and Highways Performance Space present Who’s Hungry -Santa Monica, part of an ongoing series of experimental tabletop puppet plays that give a voice and face to hunger, with four performances on Fridays and Saturdays from January 27 to February 4, 2012.  The plays, produced and written by Dan Froot, designed and directed by Dan Hurlin, with music by Amy Denio (a Meet The Composer commission), aim to raise awareness of the lives of those of us who, on a daily basis, must choose between life’s basic necessities – food or rent, food or medicine, food or bus fare. The upcoming production weaves together the stories of five homeless and/or hungry residents of Santa Monica, California, incorporating puppetry, dance, music, and text.

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Photo credit: Jeff Woodward

501 (see three) ARTS and Highways Performance Space present Who’s Hungry – Santa Monica, part of an ongoing series of experimental tabletop puppet plays that give a voice and face to hunger, with four performances on Fridays and Saturdays from January 27 to February 4, 2012.  The plays, produced and written by Dan Froot, designed and directed by Dan Hurlin, with music by Amy Denio (a Meet The Composer commission), aim to raise awareness of the lives of those of us who, on a daily basis, must choose between life’s basic necessities – food or rent, food or medicine, food or bus fare. The upcoming production weaves together the stories of five homeless and/or hungry residents of Santa Monica, California, incorporating puppetry, dance, music, and text. Read the rest of this entry »