Drama

SHAKE is a dramatic/comedic exploration of deeply troubled people struggling to survive an unfamiliar, sorrowful and shaken world. Set in post-9/11 Manhattan, the play happens backwards over 12 months, starting in August, 2002 and going back to September, 2001.

Sex, drugs and chamber music! Talent and temperaments collide in this amusing and compelling behind-the-scenes look at a "high-strung" string quartet. A world-famous ensemble threatens to unravel as it prepares for a high-profile performance at the White House when its most talented member goes missing and a young woman is hired to take his place. Smart, funny, entertaining and insightful - you'll never listen to a string quartet the same way again. In conjunction with the Los Angeles premiere of Opus, The Fountain Theater will present live concerts by Los Angeles-based string quartets at 8 pm on Sunday, June 27 and Sunday, July 11. June 19-July 25; Thurs, Fri, Sat at 8 pm and Sun at 2 pm; $15-$30; The Fountain Theatre , 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie), Los Angeles, CA 90029. (323) 663-1525 www.FountainTheatre.com.

A little known chapter in American history comes to life with suspense, humor, rage and hope in Jon Tuttle's WWII-era drama HOLY GHOST. The piece closely examines the sometimes horrifying and occasionally hilarious tensions that erupt when African American soldiers are assigned to guard enemy prisoners at a stateside POW camp where prisoners are, in many ways, treated better than the guards.

It's 1980 and Reagan has just been elected. On a secluded Greek island, an American ex-pat pursues his passions: wine making and his breathtaking young bride. On the eve of his first tasting, an old lover reappears, and with her, a wild and violent past.

A Play by Toni Press-Coffman about the majesty of love’s uniting bond,
from the earth, to the night sky, and far, far into the cosmos...

Science and spirit entwine when Kyle, a reserved young astronomer, and Zoe, his flamboyant, faithful soul mate, recklessly fall in love. When something as profoundly dark, random and chaotic as the night sky tears them apart, Kyle traces through his past as he struggles to reconnect to the world instead of retreating to the cosmos. Touch is a tender reminder that time and space are wondrous, miraculous healers, and that within even the most sheltered parts of the heart there exists a bright flash of hope.

“A gripping, heart-wrenching, tender drama whose scenes shift seamlessly, character to character, past to present.” —The New York Times

“A deeply touching play.”—The Miami Herald

WHO: Written by Toni Press-Coffman. Ms. Press-Coffman is a Bronx-born playwright who has authored more than 15 plays; they include “CHILDREN OF THE LAND”, “DEAN THE SUBLIME,” “THE FEAST,” and “TRUCKER RHAPSODY.” “TOUCH” was produced at the 2000 Humana Festival and later produced in 2003 at the Women’s Project.

Directed by Bryan Bellomo. Mr. Bellomo has performed in theatres throughout Los Angeles and New York. He is the former Artistic Director of The Sacred Fools Theater Company and was a producer/director of their long-running late-night comedy smash, “CRIME SCENE.” Acting highlights include: “VIEW OF THE DOME” (Garland Award, Best Comedy Ensemble); “WANT'S UNWISHED WORK” (LA Weekly Nom, Best Comedy Ensemble); “SHE LOVES ME” (Irene Ryan Nomination); “HENRY IV 1&2” (American Globe Theatre); “AS YOU LIKE IT” (Touchstone); and “DANCING AT LUGHNASA” (Michael). Film credits include the feature “ENEMY EMPIRE” and the shorts “BLOOD & WATER,” “WHITE SCREEN” and “AFTER HEAVEN FALLS.” Bellomo was named the 2009 Valedictorian of the prestigious two-year Meisner training program at the Joanne Baron / D.W. Brown studio. Following this production he will enter production on his original web series,” ROOMIES,” and begin pre-production to direct his first screenplay, “REBOUND.

Produced by Dig Theater Group (DTG) (www.digtheater.org) a not-for-profit theater ensemble that aims to combine true naturalism with sensitive theatricality. Founded in 2010 its mission is to produce new and classic works that lighten and embolden the spirit, revel in the poetry of language, and create theatrical experiences through distinct and human portraits.
DTG believes that theater is elevated to an art form through a relentless pursuit into text and craft, by exploring and sharing meaningful events, real emotions, honest behaviors, hidden cultures, and questioned philosophies. DTG commits to the reverent act of digging, digging, and digging deeper still. Plainly and simply, Dig Theater Group just digs theater and it is grown from, and nurtured and supported by, a community of those who also dig theater.

The Fountain Theatre opens its 20th Anniversary Season with the West Coast premiere of Ifa Bayeza's daring, folk and gospel-infused "The Ballad of Emmett Till" in celebration of Black History Month. Part history, part mystery and part ghost story, Bayeza's jazz/gospel/folk integration of past, present, fact and legend turns the story of the 1955 murder of 14-year old Emmett Till, whose shocking death helped spark the nascent civil rights movement, into a soaring work of music, poetic language and riveting theatricality. February 11-March 20; Thurs, Fri, Sat at 8 pm and Sun at 2 pm; $15-$28; The Fountain Theatre , 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie), Los Angeles, CA 90029. (323) 663-1525 www.FountainTheatre.com.

SON OF SEMELE ENSEMBLE PRESENTS
THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
"SLAUGHTER CITY" BY NAOMI WALLACE

Los Angeles, CA: Award-winning theatre company Son of Semele Ensemble (SOSE) is presenting the Los Angeles premiere of SLAUGHTER CITY by Naomi Wallace, a political fairytale about race, gender and class. SLAUGHTER CITy will run at Son of Semele Theater in Silver Lake from February 19th to March 21st 2010.

Set in a rural meat factory where management is trying to break the union, SLAUGHTER CITY explores the struggle to remain human in a mechanized, profit-driven culture. The play examines the interpersonal relationships between labor and management, as it focuses on the lives of four workers struggling to earn a living under hellish conditions. Roach and Maggot are childhood best friends, who have worked in the slaughterhouse their entire adult lives. Brandon is a smooth-talking kid who is quickly working his way up the factory ladder, and Cod is a relative new-comer, a non-union worker whom the others resent for crossing their pickets. Alliances shift when Maggot falls in love with Cod, and the labor situation heats up to the boiling point.

SLAUGHTER CITY was awarded the 1995 Mobil Prize and received its world premiere in January 1996 at the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1999, Wallace received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

The production is directed by Barbara Kallir, with set design by Sarah Krainin, sound design by 2009 Ovation Award-nominee Joseph “Sloe“ Slawinski, costumes by Laura Wong, lighting by Barbara Kallir and Jonathan Williams, original music by Andrew Ingkavet, fight choreography by Edgar Landa and musical direction by Matthew McCray. The production stage manager is Flor San Roman and with production management by Ashley Steed. The cast of SLAUGHER CITY includes William Lewis Baker, Sarah Boughton, Elizabeth Clemmons, Christopher Emerson, Noelle Messier, Christina Ogunade, Bart Petty and LA Weekly Award-winner Alexander Wells.