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Read more about the article Henry Ong: The Shyest Man in the Theater

Henry Ong: The Shyest Man in the Theater

“I have no idea how this came about,” Ong explains about his penchant to promote anybody but himself. “I’m a very, very shy person. I’m socially award, and very private. I always found myself among people who have tremendous credits and so, I find that when I discovered the iPhone, I would take pictures and post them and ask, who are these famous people? I don’t think I could ever be an actor because [I have] so much insecurity. When I say ‘famous,’ it’s tongue in cheek, but I feel that everybody deserves to be seen, and wants to be seen. So anybody who lets me post their picture, I post their picture. I’d rather not be in any of these pictures.” -- BY STEVEN LEIGH MORRIS

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Read more about the article Who’s the Most Popular Playwright in L.A.? Part One

Who’s the Most Popular Playwright in L.A.? Part One

"On the 400th anniversary of his death, what makes Shakespeare endure as a seminal artistic figure in a city thousands of miles from the land of his birth? What brings Angelinos back to Shakespeare summer after summer? Why has a Moliere summer festival never taken hold? Is 'The Imaginary Invalid' or 'Tartuffe' not as theatrical, and goofy, and accessible as 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' or 'Romeo and Juliet?'" --BY MAUREEN LENKER

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Read more about the article Rollout of Proposed Fix for the AEA/99-Seat Theater Dispute

Rollout of Proposed Fix for the AEA/99-Seat Theater Dispute

Talk about Community: Essentially all of Los Angeles’ small theater scene turned out Monday for the LA STAGE Alliance-hosted town hall at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, moderated by that organization’s Executive Director Steven Leigh Morris (also the Publisher of Stage Raw). In a nutshell, this was the heart and soul of LA theater, right here. Almost every intimate theater in the County was represented – and at the highest levels, too. --BY PAUL BIRCHALL

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Read more about the article What Now? AEA’s Promulgated Agreement Back in the Spotlight

What Now? AEA’s Promulgated Agreement Back in the Spotlight

At the Town Hall coming up, I think I am most interested to hear how Pro99 will respond to the new Equity Website, in particular its sweeping claims that the minimum wage demand will not affect the bottom line of any of the local theater companies, or that the notion of being “allowed” to work three weeks at some under-50-seat stage is somehow equivalent to the fecund cultural scene that is at risk here. --BY PAUL BIRCHALL

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