Sharron Shayne

'Strangers on a Train' opens January 18 at Theatre 40, Beverly Hills, CA. Written by Craig Warner, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Directed by Jules Aaron.

The one act comedy Flesh and Blood is set in a Jewish cemetery in Queens, N.Y. It is pre-dawn. Three headstones have been marked with swastikas. Shelia Krickstein appears and crosses to the desecrated grave of her mother. She's looking for the caretaker who called her with the news, but instead, encounters an older grieving woman in 50s attire and, later, a judgmental Rabbi.

A BINTEL BRIEF, comprised of a selection of sixty years of letters from the lower East Side of New York to The Jewish Daily Forward, a popular local paper among the Yiddish speaking immigrants, is being presented online by Pacific Resident Theatre, I wanted to find out more about how the production was conceived, directed and produced to find out if anyone on the team also shares a family story similar to mine. Here is what producer Marilyn Fox shared with me.

At the center of his play is the Matera family, soon to get together for a very special SUNDAY DINNER in that their son Michael (James Tabeek), a young priest in the Chicago Archdiocese, is returning to his parents' home in the Bronx after his grandfather dies. And just as Jewish mother would “qvell” about her son being a doctor, no doubt a Catholic mother would love to brag about her son being a priest. So of course when we first meet the family's matriarch Rose (Sharron Shayne) and her sister Margaret (Michele Schultz) as they are preparing the table for what they expect will be an interesting gathering, we soon learn because so many family members will be there with lots of past history, emotional reactions are bound to be ignited.

Michael Matera, a young priest in the Chicago Archdiocese, returns to his parents' home in the Bronx after his grandfather dies. The Matera clan is gathering at the family home for Sunday dinner. Soon after Michael arrives, his retired working-class father Eddie confesses a sin (more like a felony, really) to Michael. It's a misdeed which could have serious consequences for other members of the family. To Eddie's dismay, Michael refuses to grant him absolution. There are reasons for this (which won't be given away here; You'll have to see the play to find out).

Norm Foster has written over sixty plays which have been produced all over the world. Selections from this most-produced Canadian playwright have been included at Theatre 40 for many years, but this time the group is excited to present the U.S. Premiere of his appropriately titled new play SCREWBALL COMEDY which pays homage to this classic genre of entertainment. Emerging in the 1930s, screwball comedies were a wild new strain of fast-talking farces involving battles of the sexes and a world forever on the brink of chaos. The elements included a male and female who may be adversarial at first but are ultimately ideal for each other. Think of the classic films It Happened One Night, His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby and My Man Godfrey during which some farcical or slapstick action occurs, including snappy patter and crackling dialogue with bits of off-color humor thrown in, with the plot ultimately leading to the female gaining the upper hand in the relationship.

As you age, every wrinkle and liver spot on your face tells a story, and there are some stories you would rather just forget.

It's been said the bond between sisters goes beyond what words can express. Thank goodness British playwright Gail Louw has managed to overcome any restrictions to that rule and written an exquisite play called TWO SISTERS now enjoying its U.S. Premiere at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills. It centers on Jewish sisters Edith and Rika who are celebrating Edith's 75th birthday on the Israeli kibbutz where she has lived since age 18, one of the early pioneering kibbutznik collective farmers who became a Socialist and stayed.

Members of the 'Pro99' movement of Actors' Equity Association have issued an open letter to AEA's newly elected president, Kate Shindle, in response to her victory and to her inaugural address as president of the national union for actors and stage managers. The open letter is signed by over 400 Equity members (listed below), including such notable names as Ed Asner, Francis Fisher, Sally Kirkland and Alfred Molina. The 'Pro99' movement formed in late 2014 in opposition to AEA's rollout of a new plan that will effectively force 'intimate theaters' in Los Angeles to pay Equity actors minimum wage, go 'non-union' or even close - despite an overwhelming vote against the plan by 66% of the Los Angeles membership on an advisory referendum. 'Pro99' members around the nation, who take their name from the current AEA '99 Seat Plan' that allows members to volunteer in smaller venues, oppose AEA's new promulgated plan. They are requesting that Equity leadership put a moratorium on the plan until local members' voices can be heard, and that the union work with its members to develop an alternative plan that will more realistically address the needs of the Los Angeles theater community.

Written by James Reach, adapted from the 1955 teleplay by Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame, PATTERNS, takes an insightful look at corporate politics, examining just how much it takes for an individual to crack in order to succeed financially. Directed with great skill and insight into human foibles and behavior by Jules Aaron (one of Los Angeles' most honored directors, the recipient of over thirty awards for his work, directing over 250 stage and television productions), with a brilliant cast and design team at Theatre 40, the play depicts the emotional wreckage that corporate culture can inflict on individuals to bring them into the fold.

Rogue Machine presents the World Premiere of NICE THINGS by Vince Melocchi opening tonight, October 4, 2014 with reception to follow 8pm Fridays and Todays, 3pm on Sundays through November 23, 2014 5041 W. Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90019

Rogue Machine presents the World Premiere of NICE THINGS by Vince Melocchi Opening October 4, 2014 with reception to follow 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, 3pm on Sundays through November 23, 2014 5041 W. Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90019

Rogue Machine's ‘Off the Clock' series launches its first 2010 season show into prime time to accommodate audience demand.

Rogue Machine's ‘Off the Clock' series launches its first 2010 season show into prime time to accommodate audience demand.

Rogue Machine's ‘Off the Clock' late night series launched its first 2010 season show last month and will now extend the performance schedule to accommodate audience demand.

Rogue Machine's ‘Off the Clock' late night series launched its first 2010 season show last month and will now extend the performance schedule to accommodate audience demand.