The playwright shares about the premiere of his play at Theatricum Botanicum.
Photo by Rebecca Aranda
Playwright John Guerra is set to have the world-premiere of his play The Last, Best Small Town at Theatricum Botanicum, opening this Saturday, July 31.
The Last, Best Small Town — which is a modern-day adaptation of the American classic Our Town by Thornton Wilder — tells the tale of two families, as they navigate personal, emotional, and financial difficulties.
Guerra took time to share with Players, Performers, & Portrayers a bit about his play, what inspired it, and why he thinks it will resonate with audiences today.
Can you tell us a bit about your play The Last, Best Small Town?
At its core, The Last, Best Small Town is about the limitations…
The actress and playwright talks about her playwriting debut, as well as her journey into television.
Actress-writer-comedian Kimrie Lewis is adding one more title to her name — playwright!
Lewis is making her playwriting debut with 8 for 16, one of five short audio dramas for Chalk Repertory Theatre’s Chalk Lines. The audio drama takes place on the Expo Metro line from Vermont to Crenshaw.
“8 for 16 is a glimpse of two women from very different socioeconomic backgrounds who navigate feminism, privilege and high heels during an Expo Metro train ride.”
Below, Lewis shares about her play, her journey as an actress, and how she made her way in Hollywood.
Congrats on your playwriting premiere with Chalk Repertory Theatre! Can you tell us a bit about your audio play 8 for 16?
Thank you! 8 for 16…
Meet the stars of International City Theatre’s production of ‘The Last Five Years’.
Photo by Jessie Vacchiano
On June 3rd, International City Theatre will begin their streaming-on-demand run of Robert Jason Brown’s The Last Five Years. The story follows the rise and fall of the relationship between Cathy, a struggling actress, and Jamie, a writer who has just hit it big.
John Battagliese and Gabriela Carrillo, the stars of this two-person musical, share a bit about the process of recording a virtual musical, and what they’re looking forward most about the return of live theatre.
Why The ‘Last Five Years,’ and why now?
JB: This is one of my all time favorite shows. It sheds a light on all the complexities of two people in…
Pacific Opera Project is back!
Oh, how I have missed live entertainment.
Thankfully, we are starting to see a return to in-person — if, outdoor — theatrical performances. This past weekend, Pacific Opera Project kicked off their 2021 season with their in-person, COVID-safe, English production of Trouble in Tahiti.
A superb cast of five tells the story of Dinah (Megan Potter) and Sam (Andrew Potter), whose boredom with suburbia causes them to drift apart from one another. …
The singer shares how the band has continued to create.
Meet Finn Bell, front man and lead vocalist for Love Ghost. Together with Ryan Stevens (Bass & Backing Vocals), Daniel Alcala (Guitar), Samson Young (Drums), and Cory Batchler (Keyboard), the group has remained busy creating music this past year, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Below, Bell shares a bit about the band’s sound, musical influences, and just how much they were able to produce during these crazy times.
Who are you, and how did you get to where you are today?
My name’s Finn, but you probably know me as the lead singer of “Love Ghost.” …
The actress and writer on the creation of her new solo show, “The Oxy Complex.”
If there is one thing this pandemic has exposed in many of us, it’s the need for some self-reflection.
In the new dark comedy, The Oxy Complex — written and performed by Anna LaMadrid and directed by Michelle Bossy — LaMadrid explores love and loneliness, and how one woman copes when cut off from the distractions of her everyday life.
Below, LaMadrid shares about some of the research that went into creating this timely and introspective piece.
Can you tell us a bit about your new solo show, ‘The Oxy Complex’?
The show opens up on the 500th day of quarantine with Viviana, who has been in isolation the entire time. She hasn’t been…
The actress and writer talks identity and storytelling.
In the new solo show, Anyone But Me — written and performed by Sheila Carrasco, directed by Margaux Susi — Carrasco is taking a deep dive into the nuances of identity:
“In Anyone But Me, Carrasco dissects the psyches of women who struggle with self-identity, exploring the personas we create in order to get by. From the local grocery clerk, to your neighbor’s teenage daughter, to that lady from the cult — this play is about women who want to be someone they’re not. Someone better, easier, stronger… anyone but them.”
From Zoom rehearsals to opening night, Carrasco shares a…
The playwright shares about her new revenge-comedy.
Next week, I have the honor of being in Ophelia Jump’s production of A Wilderness of Monkeys by Carol Sorgenfrei. The story is a revenge comedy sequel to Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, and explores the characters of Jessica (played by yours truly!) and Shylock, and how they right the wrongs enacted against them.
Your new play, ‘A Wilderness of Monkeys,’ is having its premiere with Ophelia’s Jump Productions. Can you tell us a bit about the show, which is described as a revenge comedy sequel to ‘The Merchant of Venice’?
It’s actually a kind of wish-fulfilment, because Shakespeare’s original is billed as a comedy, but for people today, it’s deeply troubling. That’s because his supposedly fun, charming, clever Venetians are so casually anti-Semitic (something Elizabethans found normal). They bamboozle the court into cruelly punishing the Jewish…
The actress on playing 20 different characters in her solo show.
Juliette Jeffers is bringing her important and illuminating solo show Judgement Day to the Whitefire Theatre for a specially scheduled presentation for Black History Month on February 28th.
Jeffers, who produces and directs in addition to writing and acting, is the curator for the Black Voices Solo Theatre Festival at the Whitefire Theatre.
Her play Judgement Day — which originally premiered as a full-length production in Atlanta in 2017 — asks the question: What if God were held responsible for all of the atrocities committed against Black people?
Ja’Quon Johnson believes he is being brought to the courthouse to be…
Cinelounge is bringing back the big screen.
“Spent my evenin’s down at the drive-in,
And that’s when I met you, ya” — Bryan Adams
The last time I went to a drive-in movie, I was in elementary school, and was sneakily watching Austin Powers. I was supposed to sleep through the second feature — my parents had originally only wanted to stay for the first, kid-friendly movie –but there was no way I was missing out on my chance to watch a PG-13 movie!
Even though I was young, I remember loving the experience. The novelty of it, feeling like I had stepped back in time. For years afterwards, I wanted to go again, but when that drive-in closed, we couldn’t find another one.
Since the opening of the first drive-in movie theatre, the outdoor venues have served as date and hang out spots for teens and young couples. Drive-ins have been referenced in songs, movies, and books, and by the 1950s, were a major icon of American pop culture.
Julia Stier
Julia Stier is an LA-based actress and playwright. She is also the creator and editor of Players, Performers, & Portrayers. juliastier.com
