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Paul Birchall’s Got It Covered

This Week’s  Roundup: More Dishing On Community Forums and Arts Neighborhoods, Cabrillo Musical Theatre Lives Again, ISC Gets New Board Members, Watch Out For Those Props, Actors

By Paul Birchall

Report On the Community Forums

LASA Forum at the Theatre of NOTE (photo by Paul Birchall)

Whilst eating a sandwich on my lunch hour, I found myself perusing Steven Leigh Morris’s letter for @ This Stage summarizing the six community forums he conducted throughout the city last month. I attended one of them at Theater of NOTE, while my Stage Raw colleague Vanessa Cate attended the one at the NOHO Arts Center.

It was interesting to read Morris’s takeaways. Two ideas stood out:  The first was the notion of “branding” L.A. Theater. “If we don’t eat each other alive in a dogfight over how we should be ‘branded,’ over who should be included and who not, this could be a significant step forward,” Morris writes.  

Now just how would you brand L.A. theater? I think this is an extremely difficult concept to wrap one’s mind around. I myself have covered shows in Los Angeles for about 25 years and I would not even want to begin describing the theater scene here to a casual outsider in one sentence. Indeed, one is forced to fight the impression that the great unwashed general public already has branded us — and that the brand is one of those nasty red hot poker-y things that sizzle on the flesh and burn.  

The other evening, I was at a dinner party where a couple of wealthy folks were talking about the theater they’d been to see. They were both avowed subscribers to the Ahmanson and the Pantages, and spoke in great detail about Kinky Boots and A Gentleman’s Guide To Murder. When I tried to open up the discussion to more original fare, not the bus and truck iterations of the Broadway tentpoles, I got one of those glassy stares that civilians reserve for geeks who are too close to a subject. It was as though they were saying, “Oh, I know you see many shows, but when I go to the theater, I see only the gold standard stuff that gets written up in the New York Times.”

I think that sums up what we in the local theater community are fighting against.

Another portion of Morris’s article was devoted to further explicating his idea of creating arts neighborhoods in different areas of Los Angeles. Morris’s apologia (in response to Complex Theatre owner Matt Chait’s comment that L.A. theater would be better served by supporting existing companies) turned on “a call for rent-subsidized arts districts for organizations willing to commit to youth engagement and diversity.”   

While some object to the plan as unfeasible, as a model it makes more sense as a means of “growing” shows (from small to mid-size to suitable for national export) than the lame notion offered by Actors Equity, which holds that if you shut down all small theaters, big theaters will appear out of nowhere to take up the slack.  

Morris’s model is founded on the idea of functions generated to enhance communities. One unique aspect of Los Angeles County is that it is home to many small cities, each with their own municipality.  These cities have their own city councils, schools, libraries, and firehouses.  Why shouldn’t they also have their own theater communities?  

One can broadly compare Morris’s concept to our library system.  There’s a library in each of these communities, sometimes several. Each serves its own area and population with specific, regionally appropriate programs. The notion of theater districts strikes me as somewhat similar: They need to be end user responsive, like other public services.

And that is at least part of the idea Morris is proposing.  If it works out, it will take years to accomplish.  But it will be worth it.  

Once I got this point, I finished my sandwich, and my lunch hour was over.

Cabrillo Theatre Update:  Good News

Cabrillo Music Theatre Production of ‘Oklahoma’ (photo by Ed Krieger)

So we have an update on our story from a couple of weeks ago about Cabrillo Musical Theatre and their decision to suspend their 2016-2017 season. The original announcement sent shockwaves through the artistic community: Our own Jenny Lower was downright heartbroken, and went on the record to say so. The reason: Cabrillo is known for the size and scope of its production; no other producing entity in Thousand Oaks or Ventura County comes close.  

While reporting the story, I chatted with Cabrillo Musical Theater director Lewis Wilkenfeld, who explained that the issues initially stemmed from a conflict with the theater’s landlord, the City of Thousand Oaks. The City not only controlled the company’s box office, it also decided whether shows were to be presented in the massive Kavli Theatre, or in the much smaller Scherr Forum.   

Well, I am pleased to report that the suspension has been reversed and Cabrillo Theatre has raised enough money from members of the community to continue production for the next season. The press release touting the announcement explains that these generous contributions will allow the company to “retool the organization, engage in a new focus and strategy, and move into the future in a fiscally responsible way.”  

In a statement sent to Stage Raw, Board Chairman of Cabrillo Musical Theatre Bart Leininger notes, “Many of our issues with the box office have been largely ironed out thanks to Lewis and the staff.  The City is our partner in this endeavor and we need to continue to work together to be successful. I am grateful for the community’s outpouring of love and support for Cabrillo.  I am particularly grateful to the benefactors that came forward to allow us to responsibly move forward into the next season.”  

According to the press release, the production of Tarzan, which was to be presented in the smaller space, has been cancelled. However, plans continue for the two shows remaining, Children of Eden and The Little Mermaid, as well as for next year’s productions, which include Evita, Sister Act, and Peter Pan. All of them will be presented in the larger space.    

The release goes on: “The streamlined production schedule will allow the Board and Staff of Cabrillo to build on a strategy of engaging new community support for the organization in both fundraising and marketing of this professional, non-profit community-based theatre group.” 

Now, when I interviewed Wilkenfeld last month, it seemed to me that the days were very dark indeed for this company. So I think it’s quite wonderful that they’ve managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and have been able to secure the larger of the two theater spaces for their productions in the near future.  Good news indeed for lovers of musicals!  

New Board Members for Independent Shakespeare:  Hamlet Out, Iago In.

David Melville as Dr. Pinch

Also this week: The Independent Shakespeare Company has appointed three new members to its board of directors, including a new chairman of the board, Eduardo A. Braniff, who wins kudos from me for his comment in the press release, “It is a privilege to be leading Independent Shakespeare Company as we answer two exciting questions: ‘How will Los Angeles benefit by ISC providing Shakespeare free year round?’ and ‘What would Joseph Papp have created were he living in Los Angeles today?’”  

Braniff, a branding expert for corporations such as Ford and Coke, with connections to YoYo Ma’s music and culture foundation Silkroad, is joined on the board by community volunteer Tiffany Barnes and Warner Bros. executive Jack Horner.  

ISC Artistic Director Melissa Chalsma said, “One of the most difficult aspects of running a theater in the U.S. is that you must balance the demands of art-making with the incredible challenges of running a non-profit organization. We were fortunate to have our new members join. They bring an energy that is spring-boarding us into the next part of our story. They challenge me and my staff, asking hard questions, and offering real insights. They are my collaborators in every sense of the word.”

Unless you are a member of the Independent Shakespeare Company, I am not sure that changes to their governing board are as earthshattering as, say, predicting when Donald Trump is going to implode. But I have to confess, I went to see the ISC’s production of Othello last week and I thought it was quite delightful, with a particularly luscious performance by David Melville, whose Iago sent up shivers that reminding one of an unholy stepchild of Huge Laurie and Alan Rickman.  

And — as you may or may not know — Melville and ISC will be hosting our upcoming Stage Raw Awards on April 25th, with Melville donning his hilarious and rather spooky musician alter ego, Dr. Pinch.

“Running the burgeoning Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival is quite a commitment and we are grateful to our new board directors who are joining us in this next chapter of ISC’s growth,” Melville told us. “Pinch and the band are a good way for us to cut loose as we roll into another season of free Shakespeare and continue our plans towards expanding to better serve our community by building both outdoor and indoor theaters.”  

Swing That Razor High, Sweeney

Straight Edged Razor photo credit: Creative Commons

And, finally, just when you thought Los Angeles theater had troubles, here comes this dreadful story out of New Zealand.  According to the BBC, which is supposedly a reputable news source, two 16 year-old students, performing in the Kentigern College production of Sweeney Todd, had to be rushed to the hospital on opening night with neck wounds, which they received during the show.  There’s not much else to be said here, though I suspect we can safely assume the incident occurred when evil Sweeney, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, “swung his razor high” on a couple of his victims.

The BBC quotes the school headmaster as saying, that “it was an unfortunate and isolated incident” involving “a prop that was covered in all sorts of duct tape and silver paper.” Both boys were rushed to the hospital and are in stable condition. The police are not investigating the incident as criminal activity — “in this instance, the play is not the reality,” notes the police spokesman. 

The New Zealand Herald actually went farther, and interviewed the knick-knack store owner who sold the acting teacher the straight-edged razors, which were used in the ill-fated production. “I know they discussed the safety element and maybe covering up the blade,” the owner reports. “You can sell someone a brick and if they drop it on their foot, you would still feel sorry for them.”

So the moral of the story is:  People, watch your props!  

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This Week’s Roundup: The AEA/Pro-99 War of Words Continues; Cabrillo Music Theater the Latest Casualty for Southern California Theater

By Paul Birchall

Pro-99 Plaintiffs Respond to Kate Shindle

Kate Shindle being interviewed in her New York AEA office (video screen capture courtesy of Broadway World)

The fallout following AEA President Kate Shindle’s comments on two podcasts continues this week.

If you recall, last week Shindle made an appearance first on Ken Davenport’s “Producer’s Perspective,” and then on the NY-centric Broadway Bullet podcast. The specific purpose of these interviews was not, it seems, specifically to discuss the Pro-99 movement – but the topic came up, and Shindle ended up trying to justify Equity’s attempts to shut down equity-waiver.

Dakin Matthews, in an article in Footlights, offered a masterful riposte to Shindle’s first interview. Matthews took particular umbrage at Shindle’s notion that the abundance of small 99-seat theaters are somehow responsible for smothering attempts to create more lucrative mid-size theaters — an illogical premise that Matthews noted didn’t hold water. 

“I suspect that it is not the existence of intimate theatres that precludes midsize or smallish theatres in LA,” Matthews opined, “but the impossible economics of such theaters in a geographically spread and industry-dominated city like Los Angeles, which has neither a strong theatre-going tradition, nor scores of super wealthy people interested in theatre, nor a reputation as a tourist destination for theatre-goers, nor the kind of weather that makes indoor arts activities desirable many months of the year, nor actors willing to preclude their screen work by acting in low-paying contract work.”

LA Stage Alliance executive director and Stage Raw publisher Steven Leigh Morris offered his take in an article in LA Stage, in which he agreed with Matthews that the idea of small theaters squeezing out larger theaters is unproven at best, irrational at worst. 

“If those larger theaters have faced financial challenges, the place to look for blame is the shifting ratio between earned income and contributed income,” explained Morris. “In short, for the past two decades, contributed income for many of Southern California mid-size theaters has shriveled. The smaller theaters have nothing to do with that stark reality.”

Morris favors establishing scattered arts communities throughout Los Angeles, a setup that would afford Equity an opportunity to pair with diverse factions within the performance community. “If Equity could help us advocate for arts districts that include theaters large and small, commercial and not, with a diversity of artistic expression and financial models — as well as ethnicity — the end result would be far more fruitful for our union actors and for our city than pointing a flame-thrower at a 99-seat theater scene that’s been steadily evolving for decades,” Morris writes. 

One wonders what prompted Shindle to break the informal gag order that both sides had essentially agreed to. Perhaps she thought it was safe to test the waters to advance an opinion to the membership at large, in hopes of manipulating them into supporting the union side. 

Now that she’s spoken out, the Pro-99 plaintiffs have released their own statement, a letter in two parts aimed to counter the misinformation in Shindle’s remarks. The first part, published in Footlights, directly addresses her contention that producers and actors in small theater are (as she put it) “looking for different things.”

“We are not disparate participants looking for different things. We are looking to do what we dreamed we might do with our lives. We are looking to make art,” note the letter writers. “The theater community is an incubator. It is not self-serving. We know of 127 shows incubated here under the 99-seat plan that went to a larger contract that paid more than minimum wage. At least 909 jobs were created from these shows.”

Last Monday, the plaintiffs released the second part of their rebuttal — which, like Morris, dismisses the notion that small theaters are somehow squeezing out the growth of midsize theaters. The problem, note the plaintiffs, is that the arts are simply not well funded by government agencies or charities — and in California, the situation is even more dire. It’s really a miracle that any theater puts on a show at all.

“The idea that more funding would be available for mid-sized houses if there were fewer intimate theatres is just wrong,” the plaintiffs explain. “The idea that a mid-sized theatre can’t flourish in this community because there are too many intimate theatres is wrong. We won’t get more apples if we have less oranges.”

The article goes on to note, “Closing a number of intimate theatres isn’t going to make funding happen or create “producers” who will find the funding on their own.” It then poses the crucal question. “What will happen if these theatres close is [that] Equity members will be denied an opportunity to pursue what they love in life; what gives them identity in spite of a clear majority’s expressed wishes. What will also happen is [that] Los Angeles will be denied this diverse and thriving arts community, a community that could, if nurtured, generate the kind of excitement that might help create more midsized theatres.

Cabrillo Music Theatre Suspends Production

Cabrillo Music Theatre’s production of “Memphis” (Courtesy Cabrillo Theatre)

Dismaying news out of Thousand Oaks, as the venerable Cabrillo Music Theatre, a stalwart of local productions of grand musicals, announced its plan to “suspend production at the conclusion of their 2015-2016 season.”

 The company released a statement Monday, declaring that “escalating theater costs, unmet commitments by the Civic Arts Plaza box office, a reduction in essential grant income from key funders, and a decline in ticket sales have created an insurmountable challenge.”

The statement goes on to say, “Continuing to produce musicals at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, under the terms and conditions mandated by the City of Thousand Oaks, (is) fiscally irresponsible.” Although productions of the Children of Eden and the Little Mermaid will proceed as planned, other productions, including Evita, Tarzan, Sister Act, and Peter Pan, already scheduled and selling subscription series tickets, have been cancelled. Refunds can be arranged with the City of Thousand Oaks-operated box office. 

“Unfortunately, the absence of Cabrillo Music Theatre will result in a significant loss of income to local businesses, restaurants, and stores, who benefitted by Cabrillo’s direct investments in the community,” the release adds, underscoring the fallout from the closure in unusual detail.

Although I must confess that I have rarely ventured as far as Thousand Oaks to attend a show at Cabrillo, the company’s estimable reputation for staging lavish, family friendly musicals extends far beyond its local area. My colleague, Stage Raw critic Jenny Lower, expressed shock at learning of the company’s close. “I am heartbroken over the announcement of Cabrillo’s closure,” she told me. “I have vivid memories driving home from the Civic Arts Plaza with my parents and sister as we discussed the casting, costuming, choreography, and staging of various productions. It’s fair to say that I became a theater critic because of those early experiences attending Cabrillo musicals.”

I was curious about the decision to close, and so I reached out to Cabrillo’s artistic director Lewis Wilkenfeld. He graciously assented to a quick interview, held over the phone as he drove to rehearsal for Children of Eden. As I suspected, the key to the closure was in the phrase “unmet commitments by the Civic Arts Plaza box office.” 

Wilkenfeld noted that the Civic Arts Plaza, the local government-owned complex from which Cabrillo rented their space, had been operating at a deficit for some time. The complex had not only doubled the company’s rent; they were also pressuring them to move all their productions out of their traditional larger theater space, the Kavli. “They forced us to move into the much smaller Scherr (Forum Theater),” Wilkenfeld explained. The reason: The city wanted to use the larger space for rentals of touring concerts, shows, and events. 

The lack of a stable residence created further financial issues for Cabrillo: “This year’s show in the Scherr Forum was an optional show for the subscription season, and most of our subscribers weren’t even aware that [it] was part of the package,” Wilkenfeld noted in frustration. “We lost $120,000 just in subscriber tickets — and that doesn’t even include the money from single ticket purchases.”

There have also been ongoing run-ins between Cabrillo producers and the box office staff, which is hired and controlled by the City. “The city holds all the box office receipts until after the show is over,” Wilkenfeld told me. “We’re spending a fortune on shows like Little Mermaid, but we have no cash back yet.”

Many customers also had problems with the city’s staff. “People hate dealing with them,” Wilkenfeld told me. He added, “We had so many complaints about the ushers. We wanted a personal relationship with our customers. When you can’t guarantee treatment of them….” 

Wilkenfeld did say that relations with the city staff have gotten better over the last year, and ascribed most of the problems to a “previous management.” Still, costs have continued to rise and rise. For the company, the situation finally reached a breaking point. 

Although the company’s future is uncertain, Wilkenfeld doubts that Cabrillo will rise again. “The board would like to see it reinvented,” he says. “But these productions…I want to do in the way I want to do them” he says, speaking for himself.” My personal journey with Cabrillo is certainly ending.”

Stage Raw’s Lower put the end of the company into a critical context. “Cabrillo presented a rare blend of Equity and professional performers, alongside talented driven youngsters,” she says. “There’s no obvious local professional alternative for the scale and caliber of shows Cabrillo puts on. Its absence is going to leave a huge void in the Ventura County theater scene.”

Before heading into rehearsal, Wilkenfeld added a final note, “If people have sympathy for us, they should come and see Children of Heaven! If they do that, they’ll send the message that you support locally produced live theater.”

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This Week’s Roundup: Award Shows Galore; Sacred Fools Stalwart Brandon Clark in ICU; More on the Actor’s Equity-Pro-99 Battle

By Paul Birchall

LADCC Awards Finery

Justin Huen, left, and Sabina Zuniga in LADCC winner “Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles” (photo by Craig Schwartz)

At the March 14^th Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards celebration, it was Hit the Wall that came away the biggest winner, with a veritable slew of honors, including awards for outstanding ensemble, direction (Ken Sawyer), lighting (Matt Richter), supporting performer (Charlotte Gulezian), and lead performer (Matthew Hancock). The ensemble made a stylish appearance, arriving (and departing) in a glamorous neon-festooned Party Bus, which almost certainly allowed the winners to hit the open bar even before they hit the wall. Judging from the ensemble’s gleeful mood, it sounds like they were having a party that everyone wished they could attend.

Other big winners of the evening included Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, a joint production of the Theatre at Boston Court and the Getty Museum. Mojada collected accolades for lead performer (Sabina Zuniga Varela), direction (borderline genius Jessica Kubzansky), and adaptation (Luis Alfaro).  Alfaro, a longtime local and national theatrical treasure, offered a genuine moment of passion, when, eschewing a microphone for his acceptance speech, he walked downstage to address the audience directly about the horrid options this election year, and evangelizing “if you have the power of the pen, you must use it – now is the time!” 

Major prizes also went to Kulunko Teatro’s luscious Andre and Dorrine at LATC (ensemble, special design, and featured performer), and the Odyssey’s ferocious staging of Anna Christie (production, Kim Rubinstein’s powerful direction, and Zoe Perry’ for her luminous turn as the lead). 

Although many awards shows can plod — and in fact this one didn’t end until 10:50 after starting at 7:30 — the celebratory atmosphere was moving and upbeat throughout, with awardee after awardee emphasizing the community aspect of our theater world. The show also had its lovely sentimental moments, as when the frail but determined Shirle Gottlieb’s presented the Polly Warfield Award to her local Long Beach-based International City Theatre.  During her thanks, artistic director Caryn Desai channeled her husband, former company founder Shashin Desai, who has shifted to a career in photography.  “Remember that retirement from one passion is just opening a door to another passion,” she noted. 

One highlight was the heartfelt acceptance speech from lighting and visual designer Aviva Pressman, who won for her work on Sacred Fools’ Astro Boy and the God of Comics. She joyously received her award, and cheerily thanked producer Brian Wallis “for tricking me into doing it!”

Jake Broder of “Louis and Keely” and “Miravel” fame proved an adroit host (though LADCC critic Bob Verini’s rendering of “Shows that Make You Go ‘Oy Vey’,” gave Broder’s singing a run for its money). Brief performances by the casts from Celebration Theater’s Bootycandy and Deaf West’s American Buffalo illustrated just how vital and splendid our local theater can be. The awards were held at the Moss Theatre at the New Roads School in Santa Monica, a welcome and intimate new venue for LADCC (though the lobby’s acoustics did make the pre-show schmoozing a tad difficult). 

The list of awards follows: 

Production

Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa. 

McCulloh Award for Revival (plays written between 1920 and 1980)

Anna Christie, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre. (previously announced)

Lead Performance

Mary Beth Fisher in Luna Gale, Goodman Theatre’s World Premiere Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Matthew Hancock in Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Emily Lopez in Carrie the Musical, Bruce Robert Harris and Jack W. Batman, The Transfer Group, Michael T. Cohen/Robin Reinach, Kraige Block and Joe Everett Michaels, in association with La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts and The Los Angeles Theatre.

Zoe Perry in Anna Christie, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.

Jimmi Simpson in Trevor, Circle X Theatre Co. at Atwater Village Theatre.

Sabina Zuniga Varela in Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.                                                 

Featured Performance

Richard Fancy in Awake and Sing!, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.

Charlotte Gulezian in Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Charlie Hofheimer in Bent, Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum.

Tracie Lockwood in A Permanent Image, & Dorine.

Ensemble Performance            

André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at Los Angeles Theatre Center.

Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Solo Performance

Orson Bean in Safe at Home: An Evening With Orson Bean, Pacific Resident Theatre.

Direction

Jessica Kubzansky, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.

Kim Rubinstein, Anna Christie, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble at Odyssey Theatre.

Ken Sawyer, Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Writing

Rebecca Gilman, Luna Gale, Goodman Theatre’s World Premiere Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Nick Jones, Trevor, Circle X Theatre Co. at Atwater Village Theatre.

Writing (Adaptation)

Luis Alfaro, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum and The Theatre @ Boston Court at Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa. (previously announced)

Musical Score

Jake Broder, Miravel, Sacred Fools Theater Company at Sacred Fools Theater.

Tim Minchin, Matilda the Musical, Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.

Music Direction

Abdul Hamid Royal, The Gospel at Colonus, Ebony Repertory Theatre at Nate Holden Performing Arts Center.

Julie Wolf, Girlfriend, The Actors Theatre of Louisville Production, Center Theatre Group at Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Choreography

Josh Rhodes, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Koos, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Carola Productions, Roy Furman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, James Spry, Eric Schmidt, and Blanket Fort Productions, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.

Angela Todaro, American Idiot, DOMA Theatre Company at The MET Theatre.

Set Design

Tom Buderwitz, The Whipping Man, South Coast Repertory and The Pasadena Playhouse.

Mimi Lien, Appropriate, Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum.

Lighting Design

Tom Ontiveros, My Barking Dog, The Theatre @ Boston Court.

Matt Richter, Hit the Wall, The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center and Sixth Avenue at The Los Angeles LGBT Center.

Costume Design

Jessica Ford, These Paper Bullets!, Geffen Playhouse in association with Atlantic Theater Company presents the Yale Repertory Theatre Production at Geffen Playhouse.

William Ivey Long, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Koos, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Carola Productions, Roy Furman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, James Spry, Eric Schmidt, and Blanket Fort Productions, Center Theatre Group at Ahmanson Theatre.

Sound Design

John Zalewski, My Barking Dog, The Theatre @ Boston Court.

CGI/Video Design

Anthony Backman and Jim Pierce, Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools Theatre Company at Sacred Fools Theatre.

Nicholas Santiago, A Permanent Image, Rogue Machine Theatre at Theatre/Theater.

Specialty 

Garbiñe Insausti, André & Dorine, Kulunka Teatro at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. (Masks)

Aviva Pressman, Astro Boy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools Theatre Company at Sacred Fools Theatre. (Live art direction)

Brandon Clark in ICU

Brandon Clark of Sacred Fools

At the LADCC Awards last week, I was disturbed to learn that Sacred Fools stalwart Brandon Clark is in critical condition following an accident last month. 

Clark is one of the grand Old Fools of Sacred Fools; he’s been with the company for over a decade, not just as a performer in such plays as Beneath the Lintel and the Serial Killers-generated Magnum Opus Theater. Much of his work has been as a producer. Amongst his over two dozen production credits was last year’s There is a Happiness That Morning Is. He is listed as prop master for the Fools’ next show, A Gulag Mouse. 

I reached out to some of the Fools crew for more information. Production manager Heatherlynn Gonzalez told me, “Brandon was crossing Lake Street in Pasadena on February 28th and was struck by a car. Since that time he has been in the ICU at Huntington Hospital. He has had multiple surgeries and is likely to have several more to repair damage to his leg. The extent of brain damage is at this point unknown.  He has regained some level of consciousness, but is unable to communicate as of yet. He is likely to be in the hospital for quite some time, followed by extensive rehabilitation.”

Bruno Oliver, President of the Sacred Fools governing board, adds, “Brandon’s accident has been a real blow to the Fools family, to say the least. His presence is truly missed as we work to make our new home a ‘home’, and especially as we prepare for the Hollywood Fringe Festival, where we were looking forward to Brandon’s HFF experience and perspective.” 

The company has set up a gofundme page to assist with his expenses as he recovers. Explains Gonzalez, “The page is to help Brandon and his husband pay for whatever doctors and hospital bills they will be responsible for, as well as help cover day to day expenses… Brandon’s income was mostly as a stand-in, so there is no vacation or sick pay to cover them.” 

If you’ve ever loved a Sacred Fools show, and feel inclined to help one of the central members of the group, you should think about making a donation. The page is at https://www.gofundme.com/4nszp88k. 

Pro99 Negotiations Continue; Kate Shindle and Dakin Matthews Weigh In

Writer-producer-director-performer Dakin Matthews

It’s been rather quiet on the Pro99 front the last couple of months. That said, early last week the publicists for the plaintiffs dropped a press release, announcing that talks will continue. According to Stephen Kaplan, although agreement has yet to be reached, both sides have consented to “continue discussion in the near future.” The release reiterates the joint agreement made when the talks started: “While the discussions are ongoing, the plaintiffs will not serve the complaint in the Asner litigation.“ And “in the meantime…. Equity agree(s) to extend the use of the Transitional 99 Seat Code for a period of time commensurate with the duration of the continuing discussions.”

A day or two after the press release, AEA President Kate Shindle, who actively courted the Pro99 seat movement during her electoral campaign a year ago, addressed the Pro99 case during an appearance on Broadway producer Ken Davenport’s podcast, “The Producer’s Perspective.” 

The podcast itself makes for incredibly interesting listening beyond what Shindle has to say about the Equity-Pro99 dispute.  For one thing, it is useful to realize that what happens in Los Angeles is just one of the things the union has to consider. And while Shindle’s attempts to frame the argument in the context of a national debate do border on propaganda, it is a genuine concern. 

 Shindle also mentioned her background. I enjoyed learning about her life — how she was Miss America but also loved acting and, when she was in college, acquired the skills for “making good theater with nothing.”  

 Listening to her opine on our local issues, however, I couldn’t help but feel that she was misinformed, or that the talking points she wanted to adhere to were rigid and illogically structured. Certainly she does not appear to understand the unique system of small theater that exists in Los Angeles. 

“I think lost in the passion out in Los Angeles was the fact that our members are looking for certain things and people who produce these shows are looking for different things,” notes Shindle, once again recasting the local situation as one in which there are poor, starving actors battling greedy, plump producers who are out to exploit them — which may be true if we’re talking about Pantages touring productions, but it’s hardly common with companies like Sacred Fools, where it is the actors who produce most of the shows.  

Elsewhere in the conversation, Shindle conflates the conflict surrounding equity-waiver with attempts to re-negotiate LORT regional contracts.  “How can we sit down across the table from LORT theaters in San Diego or San Francisco or whatever and argue with a straight fact that our members need a pay raise (when Los Angeles actors are willing to work for free)?  You just can’t,” she claims, in a mistakenly false comparison. 

The other talking point that Shindle repeats, in lockstep with the AEA dogma, is the idea that if a number of the small theaters are shut down or perish, it will clear the way for a legion of mid-size theaters to grow like proverbial mushrooms.

 Although I can see how this might work if you’re pruning a rose bush, there’s no hard evidence whatsoever that the premise holds true for theater companies.  The notion that small theaters are somehow smothering large theaters, and mid-size theaters will grow from nowhere, is illogical enough to make Mr. Spock’s ears spin.  

Meanwhile, Footlights has released a wise response to Shindle’s generalizations by acclaimed performer Dakin Matthews, formerly a writer-producer-actor-director at the Andak Stage Company in North Hollywood and currently scheduled to appear on Broadway in the musical Waitress next month.

Matthews breaks down Shindle’s arguments, taking particular umbrage at the high-handed way  that AEA has tried to dismantle the 99 Seat program from the start, then criticizing the logic underlying its premise for taking action. 

Matthews heaps particular scorn on Shindle’s argument that the willingness of Los Angeles actors to work for free undercuts negotiations in other markets.  “(This sounds) like some tactical bullshit some producer’s representative might throw into the mix to muddy the negotiating waters. All negotiations are based on the potential income of the producer, not on the willingness of the actor to take less. All negotiations take into primary consideration what the producer can earn and what the producer can pay, not what the actor would accept. Can we bury that bullshit argument once and for all.”

Last week Shindle emerged again, this time on the Broadway Bullet podcast where she attempted to further clarify the union’s position with regard to clearing out the clutter of small venues in Los Angeles.  Without mentioning Matthews’ counter-argument, which one suspects she probably hasn’t read, Shindle discusses how New York’s Showcase code differs from the L.A. 99-seat contract.   “….there are so many different levels of contracts and there are so many performing opportunities available here,  everything from Broadway to . . . regional shows . . we could make a list,” she notes, implying that none of these options exist here in Los Angeles. 

Elsewhere, she suggests that there are “those actors who say, ‘Hey we want to get paid, we want to be able to make a living at this, and not just do it in our free time for the exposure, but we actually don’t think that there’s any way a real commercial or non-profit theater can get even get started here because they have this business model that has grown into almost the only game in town.’ “

But nowhere have I heard what I suspect is the real issue – and that is that Equity simply doesn’t want to have anything to do with the small theaters.  They’re just using the minimum wage thing to muster popular opinion, in precisely the same way that President Bush bandied about the threat of weapons of mass destruction when, for other reasons, he wanted to invade Iraq.  The money issue is just a canard:  It’s about not wanting to oversee the program — it’s about wanting to close down 99 seat theaters.

The Second Annual Stage Raw Awards

The Stage Raw award nominations are out!  It’s year two of the Rawies, which took over for the late lamented LA Weekly Awards after that ridiculous paper abruptly decided to drastically curtail their commitment to local theater.  The first year, Stage Raw took over the voting and the awards out of necessity; now it’s about sustaining an honorable tradition.  Over the last few years, we’ve watched the number of outlets which report on theater diminish in both scope and quality.  Stage Raw is carrying on, however, with a commitment to focus on the more intimate, experimental shows. 

And it’s a great party!   The awards show will be held on April 25^th at the Los Angeles Theater Center downtown, the same venue as last year, and will be hosted by the droll and witty Dr. Pinch and the Pinchtones, aka David Melville and his Independent Shakespeare Company troupe of edgy artisans. 

I was especially delighted at the selection of producer Gary Grossman — one of the Pro99 plaintiffs as well as one of the town’s great artisans — for the Career Achievement Award.  The Skylight has steadfastly remained one of the city’s great wellsprings for brilliant theatrical productions — helping to set the aesthetic tone for the city and making the Pro99 argument worth having, really. 

I was also pleased by the unexpected choice of the wonderful Leo Garcia, Artistic Director of the Highways Performance Space.  It is high time that Highways got some attention!  There are so few places where exciting, unadulterated, and couldn’t-care-less-about-the-showcase element of art takes place, and Garcia is one of its great oracles.

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Paul Birchall’s Got It Covered  

This Week’s Roundup: Grand Opening of the New Sacred Fools Complex; West Hollywood Backs the Fringe; Censoring a Production in Miami Affects Us All

Partying with The Fools

Patrick Duffy. his wife Carlyn and L.A. councilman Mitch O’Farrell at Sacred Fools’ grand opening celebration (photo by Paul Birchall)

Times are tough, but who doesn’t like to take a break and go to a party?  Particularly when the party turns out to be the gala opening celebration for the new Sacred Fools Complex.  

You know me, I’ll go to the opening of a clam shell, but this was a particularly delightful party.  Yes, there were tasty chicken satays, and piles of scrumptious cakes, and a hosted bar serving delicious opening night plonk.  There was also a mix of celebrities and public officials, and even a journalist or two as well.  The atmosphere was heady with optimism — and the lovely, renovated theater complex all but glittered.

Thanks to patrons Patrick Duffy and his wife Carlyn, not only has Sacred Fools swooped in to save the site from the wrecking ball (or perhaps from becoming a tire store), they have also made space available for a virtual logarithmic increase in programming in the area. 

As the preshow crowd mingled in the former Elephant Space, now wonderfully redesigned (and, most importantly, cleaned!), I chatted with Sacred Fools Board President Bruno Oliver, who gave me a quick rundown of the new names of the separate stages.

What was formerly known as the Lillian Theatre is now called the Mainstage.  The company’s next show, A Gulag Mouse, will open in the black box stage that used to be the Asylum; for now, it will be referred to as the Sacred Fools 2nd Stage. The Elephant will become the Black Box, and there will be one more venue, called the Studio. 

The space that old-timers (well, perhaps not so old, since there were shows there during the Hollywood Fringe about a year ago) remember as the Asylum Lab is being shuttered as a performance space, at least for the near future.  No one is saying why. I saw several perfectly good plays at the Lab back in the day, although I admit there were often more cockroaches in the audience than people {which may have something to do with it being taken out of service). Oliver notes that the company is reserving the right to rename the theaters something more idiosyncratic later on, but these transitional ones will do for the short term as we head into Hollywood Fringe Season.

Ushering the entire first night audience into the newly restored Mainstage where the performance of Padraic Duffy’s Past Time was slated to take place, Oliver continued his official welcome.  “It’s been only 63 days since we closed our last show at the old Sacred Fool space on Heliotrope,” noted Oliver.  “And yet, here we are:  In this radically reconfigured space, there is a new electrical system!  The bathrooms have been totally redone!  The paint job is… incredibly new…” 

And then, to the folks in the audience who had perhaps worked in the old Elephant before, Oliver joked, “The dressing rooms, um, have not been touched.  At all.”  

To thunderous applause, Oliver went on to say that, after Gulag Mouse closes, the Sacred Fools theaters will be available for the Hollywood Fringe Festival. He concluded by thanking the “incomparable” generosity of company benefactors Patrick and Carlyn Duffy for the wonderful opportunity, and graciously honored the previous management of the complex, “for creating theater out of the heart of L.A.”   

Los Angeles City Councilman Mitch O’Farrell delivered a proclamation honoring the event, his comments crackling with a most non-bureaucratic idealism.  “I’m here to make sure theater expands and prospers and grows.  Because where there’s theater, there is vibrancy, and where there is vibrancy there’s a great city,” he stated.  “We have plans to do more.  Soon people will be able to come to Theater Row and spend the whole evening:  Good civic life is all about this and art is going to anchor all of that.” 

Me, I’m just looking forward to seeing some great shows in this newly revitalized neighborhood!

Fringe Partners with One City One Pride.

“Queen of Crayola” Rubella Spreads at 2015’s One City One Pride arts festival (photo courtesy of WeHo Arts & Cultural Affairs Commission)

Speaking of the Hollywood Fringe, I was intrigued to receive an e-mail from the Hollywood Fringe organizers about a fascinating new partnership they’re embarking on with the City of West Hollywood’s One City One Pride Festival.   

If you are planning to produce a play with a LGBT theme — and if you book at least one of your performances at a West Hollywood Fringe venue like the Actors Company or Macha Theatre — you are eligible for a waiver of the Hollywood Fringe fee, a savings of $250.  Additionally, you have the option of staging your play in a non-traditional venue — for example, a bar or club or any of the abandoned pop-ups on Melrose Ave might be good candidates. To take advantage of the waiver, you need only use a WeHo venue for one performance; other performances can be held elsewhere. You do have to pay your fee up front, but it’s refunded if you’re a participant in this program.

At the very least, this opportunity will insure that the festival includes some extraordinary gay, lesbian, and transgender-themed productions. It also opens the door for producers to come up with imaginative staging options.  Almost any WeHo restaurant or storefront might count as a local venue — or, provided one gets a permit, shows could even be staged in the street.

I love how the City of West Hollywood has crafted a partnership with the Fringe, and I only wish that other groups would also step forward to do likewise.   Imagine if other entities with bucks promoted diversity by bankrolling fringe productions for other underrepresented groups. If West Hollywood can do it, why can’t other organizations and municipalities? 

Censorship in Miami

Playwright Julia Pascal (photo courtesy of the playwright)

I wanted to say a little something about this story from Howard Sherman’s blog about the cancellation of British playwright Julia Pascal’s drama, Crossing Jerusalem, at the Cultural Arts Theatre at the Michael-Ann Russell Jewish Community Center in North Miami.  I first heard about this story from my esteemed colleague Myron Meisel, who is as wise as the sages. 

Pascal is an internationally reputable author and director and the first woman director at the National Theatre of Great Britain. This production of Crossing Jerusalem, was closed down midway through its run.

It’s a thorny story to wade into, and it certainly isn’t a local story — but any story in which productions seem to have been shut down on ideological grounds is worth attention. 

According to Sherman and his sources, Pascal’s drama centers on a Jewish Israeli couple’s night out at a restaurant run by an Arab Christian and staffed with a pair of Muslim Palestinians.  Copies of the play are difficult to locate in Los Angeles, but by the sound of I the work is an attempt to frame a debate on the Israeli-Palestinian question.  I have a feeling it was an attempt at impartiality, or at least an effort to show different sides of the issue, a la David Hare’s Via Delarosa.

In a statement released through her production company, Pascal claims, “The debate and self-criticism in modern Israeli theatre is far fiercer than anything in my text. In Crossing Jerusalem, I have written complex Jews who express several generations’ lives and experiences. The play also reveals women’s lives as multi-layered. I am the only British Jewish woman playwright writing roles that reflect the diversity of Jewish experience and of Jewish women’s experience.” 

And, in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle (quoted in Sherman’s blog), Pascal notes, “Because of who is allowed to write about Israel and who is commissioned to write about Israel, you only get the simplistic Israel-bad/Palestinian-good points of view through the plays we have seen. I feel it’s my duty to show all sides. Whether that’s comfortable or not is another question.”

By contrast, Gary Bomzer, chairman of the Jewish Community Center who produced the play, commented, “We have heard the voices of many in our community advocating passionately to put an end to the show because they feel the message is inappropriate and troublesome. Please know that our intentions in presenting Crossing Jerusalem are good ones, and yet we realize that we have unintentionally caused pain to many in the audience; for this we are sincerely sorry.”

What we see here is clear evidence of what happens when producers knuckle under to pressure — in this case, not from outside but from their own subscription base.  No one forced the Miami company to produce the play in the first place. But cancelling it, for whatever reason, sends a clear message that debate and conversation on the topic are not welcomed.  It would have been better to have kept doing the show, even if it was offensive to some. 

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Paul Birchall’s Got It Covered  

This Week’s Roundup: L.A. Theatrical Think Tanks; Antaeus Does Kickstarter; Will WeHo Breathe New Life into the Coast Theatre?

By Paul Birchall 

Report from the Latest LA Stage Alliance Forum.

Steven Leigh Morris, far right, presides over last week’s LASA forum at Theatre of NOTE (photo by Paul Birchall)

Over the past year or so, we’ve witnessed a rather intriguing phenomenon: the rise of the theatrical think tank.

I don’t think theater folks have ever been reluctant to engage in profound naval gazing, but nowadays the discussion has become codified and sanctioned. If there is one good thing to have come out of the entire AEA/Pro-99 debacle, it’s this: The folks who live and do their art here are now more united than ever before. Last year, the topic “Which way for L.A. Theater” was addressed in a surprising number of venues and settings. During the summer, it took place within the scrappy, practitioner-based Los Angeles theatre network; then, in the fall and through December, it manifested in Stage Raw’s “Visualizing the Invisible” arts coverage symposia.

And over the last couple of weeks LASA executive director Steven Leigh Morris has been conducting a series of talkbacks at various theaters around the city. The purpose of the listening tour is to gain feedback for Morris’s plan for a series of arts districts in different regions of the city. My Stage Raw colleague Vanessa Cate covered the first of these meetings, which was held at the NoHo Arts Center, while I was pleased to attend the second one at Hollywood’s Theatre of NOTE.

From reading Cate’s coverage, it would seem that the mood at the first event was resigned and a little downbeat, with speakers bemoaning theater’s aging audience demographic. By contrast, the second forum appeared to take a more upbeat tone. There were about 20 attendees, including some theatrical high flyers, who offered a surprisingly proactive take on the issues confronting Los Angeles theater artists.

Matt Chait, owner of the Complex Theatres, expressed doubt about Morris’s plan to create several different theatrical hubs around the city. “We already have a hub,” Chait noted. “And it could use some good will and attention — we’re really struggling.” Chait pragmatically noted that his concerns were related to concrete issues such as escalating rents, greedy local developers and parking. 

Chil Kong — former co-artistic director of the now-shuttered Lodestone Theatre Ensemble and a member of the LA Stage Alliance’s Ovation committee — commented in like vein, “We have an infrastructure problem. It’s not just the theaters — we have people managing these theaters who simply should not be managing them.”

“We must be careful of an us-against -them mentality,” responded Morris. “If you want to create longstanding relationships with the community, you have to think about the future.” 

Los Angeles director Diana Wyenn agreed, “We need people who can think outside of the box.” 

Kickstarting Antaeus

Armin Shimerman, right, as William Shakespeare in Antaeus’ Kickstarter video (photo: Kickstarter screen capture) 

Enjoying a fine ride on the crowdfunding train is the Antaeus Theater Company, whose Kickstarter campaign video launched last Wednesday with an extremely engaging pitch by co-artistic director Armin Shimerman.

In the video, Shimmerman and a number of Antaeus fellow legends, including Bill Brochtrup, Gregory Itzin and Linda Park, showcase themselves in an attempt to raise money for their newly leased space in Glendale. 

I have to confess I was surprised to learn that Antaeus is leaving their longtime digs in North Hollywood to move to Glendale. It seems to me that Antaeus is as much a staple of the North Hollywood scene as Universal Studios, and that their departure to points further east represents a massive sea change. 

Still, I adore their fundraising campaign. According to their press release, the company has already raised over a million dollars, much of it in donations from some of the company’s more illustrious celebrity participants.

To reach their final goal of $1.7 million, however, the company has turned to Kickstarter. For a comparatively modest fifty bucks, a veteran Antaeus performer will tweet a bona fide Shakespearean curse to the friend (or more likely enemy) of your choice. While there are material incentives available for bigger donations, it would be hard to pass up an insult from Armin Shimerman or Gregory Itzin. Really, if you could choose between the one hundred-buck tote bag or two fifty-buck insults, I know which I’d go for.  

New Life for the Coast?  

Photo courtesy of the Coast Playhouse

Big news from West Hollywood, where the City Council is poised to consider purchasing the long vacant Coast Playhouse, which is for sale for $2.4 million.

Wehoville is reporting that consideration of the purchase was on the City Council’s agenda last Tuesday evening. “The Coast Playhouse redevelopment and activation will anchor a potential center city arts district in the City,” Wehoville quotes the staff report.

The Coast is one of the area’s great small theater venues, and I cannot count the number of shows I‘ve seen there — some amazing, some less so. I could not be more excited at the thought of the city coming together to give this venerable spot a new lease on life.

On Wednesday West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran posted on Facebook the City’s official plans regarding the theater: “For years now I have been arguing that the City must subsidize the arts. The performing arts cannot exist on just ticket sales. This means that the City has to step into the market forces and bootstrap the arts in order for them to exist. With the opening of the new automated parking garage behind City Hall, this area could become an arts district with the Coast, the Macha and yes — even Hamburger Mary’s!”

Duran concluded by hinting, “Now to get the Celebration Theater back in WeHo ASAP!” Sharing this Facebook post on his own page, Celebration Theater Co-Artistic Director Michael Shepperd’s response was an understandable “Well, ain’t this something.”