Ken Sawyer News

The answer to last year's question of whether the digital arts venture STAGE RAW could bring back its awards ceremony celebrating the best of LA's up-to-99-seat theaters, the answer is YES. STAGE RAW is pleased to announce the SECOND ANNUAL STAGE RAW LOS ANGELES THEATER AWARDS, championing the best work of 2015 in L.A.'s still-embattled theaters of up to 99-seats.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) has announced its nominations and special awards for excellence in Los Angeles and Orange County theatre for the year 2015 (Dec. 1, 2014 - Nov. 30, 2015).

In his early days circa 1984, when he won 13 consecutive weeks on TV's Star Search, Sam Harris was flatly denied work on TV and in film because he was labeled 'too theatrical'. This quality - and I say quality - is what makes a performer exceptional; it sets him apart from the crowd, separating the men from the boys, so to speak. But casting people and agents frankly did not know what to do with him; his enormous talent defied categorization. He can sing, he can dance, he can act the bejesus out of a piece, injecting so much raw energy and passion into it that its substance literally leaps off the stage, directly into our hearts. Well, times did change. He has worked on television and on Broadway to great acclaim, and now he is back onstage once more with his autobiographical show HAM: A Musical Memoir for a limited run at the Renberg Theatre of LGBT, Hollywood through February 7 only.

There are undoubtedly other productions worthy of merit in 2015 which I did not cover. This list is based only on what I saw and reviewed. (alphabetical listings; Equity, Equity-waiver & Non-Equity productions are mixed) (artists performing outside LA may be included in performance categories) No set, costume, or technical awards. I leave that to the bigger awards and to the expertise of those who really know those fields inside out.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the final nine performances of the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. Directed by Ken Sawyer, Hit the Wall has been playing to sold-out houses since opening on September 18. Now extended for the second time, the run must end December 13.

Nominees for the 2015 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on Thursday, September 24 on @ This Stage Magazine [ThisStage.la]. This year's Ovation Awards ceremony will take place Monday, November 9 at the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center. The curtain will rise at7:30pm.

The West Coast premiere of Ike Holter's HIT THE WALL vividly illustrates what might have happened that fateful night in 1969  when Stonewall became the flashpoint for what many consider the start of the gay liberation movement. With director Ken Sawyer's inventive staging, the audience becomes almost fully immersed in the play's actions. The stage seems to be every available space where an audience member's not physically sitting.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. This acclaimed play brings audiences into the famed 1969 Stonewall riots, credited historically as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. Directed by Ken Sawyer with a cast of 10, a live three-piece band, and original music by Anna Waronker (former singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (guitarist for The Go-Go's), Hit the Wall will play three previews on September 15, 16, and 17, and opening is set for Today, September 18 at 8pm. Hit the Wall will run through October 25 in the Davidson/Valentini Theatre.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. This acclaimed play brings audiences into the famed 1969 Stonewall riots, credited historically as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. Directed by Ken Sawyer with a cast of 10, a live three-piece band, and original music by Anna Waronker (former singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (guitarist for The Go-Go's), Hit the Wall will play three previews on September 15, 16, and 17, and opening is set for Friday, September 18 at 8pm. Hit the Wall will run through October 25 in the Davidson/Valentini Theatre.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center and Sixth Avenue have announced the West Coast premiere of Hit the Wall by Ike Holter. This acclaimed play brings audiences into the famed 1969 Stonewall riots, credited historically as the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement. Directed by Ken Sawyer with a cast of 10, a live three-piece band, and original music by Anna Waronker (former singer for That Dog) and Charlotte Caffey (guitarist for The Go-Go's), Hit the Wall will play three previews on September 15, 16, and 17, and opening is set for Friday, September 18 at 8pm. Hit the Wall will run through October 25 in the Davidson/Valentini Theatre.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center has announced the LA premiere of D'Lo in D'FunQT (pronounced Defunct) at the Davidson/Valentini Theatre. Written and performed by acclaimed political theatre artist, writer, director, comedian, music producer, and queer transgender Sri Lankan-American D'Lo, and helmed by award-winning director Ken Sawyer (The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later/The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?), D'FunQT will play two preview performances on April 1 and 2 at 8pm. Opening is set for Friday, April 3 at 8pm.

It's your last week to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 26th. Voting closes at the end of the year, in under one week!

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 4th.

Voting has now opened for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Los Angeles Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of November 25th.

Nothing like an idyllic family portrait (at left): father Martin (Paul Witten), mother Stevie (Ann Noble), son Billy (Spencer Morrissey) and close family friend Ross (Matt Kirkwood). They are what one might call perfect. They have everything and adore one another. Martin is a prize-winning architect, Stevie is his loyal, devoted mate, Billy, although a teenager and gay, is a good kid, who is encouraged by his parents to be who he is and to embrace it. Ross, a TV interviewer, is about to interview Martin about his recent award and turning 50, when the taping is botched by Martin's sudden inability to remember anything or to put a few words together intelligibly. He has a problem and who should he turn to but his best friend Ross. When Martin confides that he is having an 'affair' of sorts, Ross is shocked not only by the fact that Martin has always been completely faithful to Stevie, but by the new object of his affection. Martin is in love with a goat named Sylvia.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center is set to present Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?, with opening set for tonight, September 19 at 8pm. (There will be two preview performances on September 17 and 18 at 8pm.) Directed by Ken Sawyer, the production will run through November 23.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center's Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center is set to present Edward Albee's The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?, with opening set for Friday, September 19 at 8pm. (There will be two preview performances on September 17 and 18 at 8pm.) Directed by Ken Sawyer, the production will run through November 23.

Voting is now underway for Los Angeles! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.

Voting is now underway for Los Angeles! We have a record number of votes in already, but if you haven't voted yet, click here to vote! If you have voted already, tell your friends.