Sun-Up Photos - Broadway

Antaeus Theatre Company highlights the culture and history of six additional Los Angeles neighborhoods with Season Two of its popular 'The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles' podcast series, set to launch May 20. Here are my interviews with the four female directors who discuss their own personal histories within the Zip Code Plays they direct. (Gigi Bermingham, Jennifer Chang, Saundra McClain, and Bernadette Speakes)

For the past several summers, I have attended the Festival of Arts and The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach. But this year, I also decided to also visit two other art festivals along Laguna Canyon Road rather than spend any time cruising the town as I had done before. The full-day of exploring all the artistic delights on display this year at all three locations left me dazzled by all the talent on display, while wishing I had lot of extra income to purchase and bring home many of the awe-inspiring items that caught my fancy. But the real highlight of the day was viewing the abundance of 'local color' on display in this summer's 'Under the Sun' themed Pageant of the Masters.

ENGAGING SHAW begins in England in 1897 in a comfortable cottage in Stratford, England, where Shaw hopes to complete his new play. As he engages in conversation with his friends, the happily married cottage owners, Beatrice and Sidney Webb, we learn Shaw is a notorious flirt and heartbreaker who enjoys romancing women, attracting them to him "like a moth to the flame." But it is soon apparent he is not particularly interested in sex, a fact reflected in his real life where he remained a virgin until his 29th birthday. It's the thrill of the hunt that is the main attraction for Shaw, thoroughly enjoying the effect he has on women as he pursues them, not in the keeping of them. In present-day parlance, he'd be considered a sexist cad. Beatrice sees an opportunity to deflect Shaw's interest in her (and hers in him) by inviting their wealthy benefactor Charlotte to visit, knowing when she meets Shaw, the financially challenged but famous Irish playwright and political activist, that sparks will fly.

Merciful Father by Atar Hadari will open UP Theater's seventh season on November 1. The World Premiere of Merciful Father will run through November 12 with performances Tuesday through Saturday at 8pm. Merciful Father is a provocative new take on Sholem Asch's scandalous Yiddish play God of Vengeance.

Atar Hadari's penetrating new play, Merciful Father will open UP Theater's seventh season. The World Premiere of Merciful Father will runNovember 1st through November 12th in Northern Manhattan. The play is based on Sholem Asch's scandalous Yiddish play God of Vengeance which was the inspiration for Paula Vogel's new play, Indecent which premiered at the Vineyard Theatre last season. God of Vengeance premiered on Broadway at the Apollo Theatre in 1923 and featured Broadway's first lesbian kiss. The play was so far ahead of its time, the actors and producers were indicted for giving an immoral performance. Atar Hadari's, Merciful Father is a proactive new take on the story. The production is directed by UP's Artistic Director, James Bosley who has premiered three of his play with UP, including the critically acclaimed productions of Broad Channel, and Epic Poetry.

Prolific producer John Chatterton's MIDTOWN INTERNATIONAL THEATRE FESTIVAL is now a series of three lavish events every year - Autumn, Spring, and Summer - presenting powerful works from around the world. Scroll down for a sneak peek at some of the shows from this year's Autumn Edition, running November 2-22 at The Jewel Box Theater @ The Workshop (312 W 36th Street) in NYC!