Shari Barrett

On October 19, Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills is presenting a reading of All These Women, written and directed by Melanie MacQueen. Centering on the newly elected president Woodrow Wilson, the story delves into how the Women’s Suffrage Parade pushed him to finally agree to Voting Rights for All. I decided to speak with Melanie about how the play came into being, her plans to present it as a reading, and how she plans to keep presenting it in the future.

Given the divisive political climate in our country right now, when I heard about the new play TH IR DS being presented at the Zephyr Theatre, I decided to speak with Co-Story Creator/Playwright/Actor Ben Edlin and Co-Story Creator and Multi-award-winning Casting Director Deborah Aquila about the creation of such a timely piece of theatre.

Dennis Mashevsky (pictured) is producing the premiere of Completeness at Los Angeles’ brand new Eastwood Performing Arts Center, opening Friday, September 20, 2024. Read our interview!

The Colony Theatre in association with producers Christine Russell (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Head Over Heels), Robert Ulrich and Jay Paul Deratany are presenting the Reel Red Entertainment production of The Civility of Albert Cashier, a new musical about notable queer history figure Albert Cashier, born Jennie Hodgers, who served alongside the men of the 95th Illinois Volunteer Infantry with distinction throughout some of the fiercest fighting of the Civil War. While not alone as a woman serving on the battlefield during the war, Cashier never revealed himself as anyone other than a man dedicated to serving his country on the battlefields during its greatest time of need. He was recognized as such by his comrades in arms and those surrounding him and retained his identity as a man throughout his later life. Transgender musician and actor Cidny Bullens (Pictured) portrays the older Cashier in the play with Dani Shay taking on the role of the younger Cashier. I decided to speak with Cid about his own road to self-discovery and what led him to the role of a transgender man.

When I heard about the West Coast premiere of Abby Rosebrock’s Dido of Idaho by The Echo Theater Company at Atwater Village Theatre starring Alana Dietze (pictured), I knew I had to speak with her about the “wonderfully off-beat, darkly hilarious (in a truly cringeworthy way) comedy about female identity and the lengths to which some women will go for the love of a man.”  

Produced by Klutzy Dragon and Paper Starship Studios, Expatriated is a poignant new play written and performed by Dominique Roberts and Candace Leung that explores contrasting experiences of migration, centered around the stories of an LA lawyer who finds herself in the vibrant city of Hong Kong, while on the other side of the world a Hong Kong lawyer faces the crushing reality of starting a new life in Los Angeles. I decided to speak with them about the decision to create the play, how it reflects their own experiences, their experience presenting it before and at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and what plans they have for its future.

In May 2014, I heard about the new solo show Coming Out Kinky written and performed by Jean Franzblau in which she related her personal journey to sexual self-acceptance. In it, she portrayed 20 characters in her sexual memoir adventure story for curious and open-minded adults to enjoy. So when I heard Jean was bringing her updated play My Mother Doesn’t Know I’m Kinky to the Hollywood Fringe Festival this month, I decided to speak with her about how it’s has been updated, how much her mother really does know, and her plans for taking it around the world as a way to spread the word about how important it is to “know thyself.”

Every so often, a new play or musical being done in Los Angeles catches my eye with a big dose of curiosity. Such is the case with the musical The Translucent Frogs of Quuup with Book by Chris Larner and Music by Mark Stevens, produced by Alchemy Theatre Company and directed by Brian Pirnat with music direction by Brigitte Bellavoine at the Westchester Playhouse from June 14-22. Since I had never heard of it, I decided to speak with the director about the musical and his interest in directing it.

ArtsUP! LA is presenting Broadway Bound: Songs & Scenes from Tony Award-Winning Musicals, a new jukebox musical created and directed by Laurie Grant, featuring Rex & Friends, all extraordinary musicians with different disabilities and perfect pitch. Rex & Friends will take you on a fantastic trip of a young man hearing Broadway music for the first time, featuring songs and scenes from acclaimed musicals that you know and love. The show opens May 3rd and runs through May 18th at The Blue Door in Culver City, CA. I decided to speak with Laurie about the creation and history of Rex & Friends, her experience working with people with disabilities, what motivated her to create this new jukebox musical, and the format for the show.

Dr. Noreen Green, the Founding Artistic Director and Conductor of the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony has spent 30 years presenting music of the Jewish experience. I decided to speak with Maestra Green on her history with the LAJS, conducting past concerts, and the group’s recent 30th Anniversary celebration on Sunday, April 14 at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Brentwood.

For over a decade, The Getty has hosted its Villa Theater Lab series, an exciting forum for reinterpreting classical theater. These workshops feature new translations of Greek and Roman plays and contemporary works inspired by ancient literature. Their latest offering, Aristotle/Alexander, explores the real-life relationship between Aristotle and a teenaged Alexander the Great in 342 BC. As a former teacher of Greek Mythology and history, I could not resist asking Alex Lyras, the play’s writer and director, about his background studying the two great men, the play’s creation, and what audiences can expect to discover about these two ancient heroes.

Founded in 1993 by Adilah Barnes and Miriam Reed, the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival holds the distinction of being the oldest Annual Solo Festival in Los Angeles celebrating powerful women performers. The 31st annual Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival, directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson, has a roster of accomplished co-hosts as well as performers during its six programs March 28-31, beginning with a Gala on Thursday night. I decided to speak with Jessica to find out more about the event and the honor being bestowed upon her at the event’s Gala.

Leo Frank led a comfortable life as a Jewish American in New York City who transferred to Marietta, Georgia to manage his wife’s uncle’s pencil factory. In 1912, he was accused of raping and murdering one of the young factory girls during the town’s July 4th parade, and was brought to trial where he was unjustly convicted. I decided to speak with actor Aaron Ellis on what it means to him to be taking on the role of Leo Frank, especially since the resurgence of racism and antisemitism are running rampant in the world today.

Catya McMullen (pictured), a native New Yorker, now finds herself at home in Los Angeles. While working in film and television, her life-long love of theater inspired her to write plays. The world premiere of Arrowhead is her first being presented here, produced by IAMA at Atwater Village Theatre, directed by Jenna Worsham. I decided to speak with Catya about her journey to writing the play, why she set it in Arrowhead, its themes, and how it speaks to different generations of women about love and sexual identity.

Renee O’Connor is perhaps best known as Gabrielle from the popular TV Show Xena Warrior Princess. Along with her roles in many movies, she is now stepping into the role of director for Encore Production’s Matilda, a musical extravaganza featuring cast members of all ages and backgrounds at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center on Friday, January 19 at 7:30pm, Saturday, January 20 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm, and Sunday, January 21 at 2:00pm. I decided to speak with Renee about directing the production, her search for the young performers needed in it, and to find out more about her other entertainment ventures.

The Verdi Chorus, the only choral group in Southern California that focuses primarily on the dramatic and diverse music for opera chorus, continues to celebrate its 40th Anniversary season by presenting its first full-length opera, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana for one performance only at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica on January 20, 2024, followed by a wine and dessert reception. I decided to speak with Audrey Babcock about taking on the challenging role of Santuzza as well as her history of performing opera around the world.

During the Hollywood Fringe Festival this past June, I twice attended the award-winning The Collective, the first Last Call Theatre immersive production directed by Riley Cole who is also directing the group’s upcoming immersive production called The Harvest, opening this December in downtown Los Angeles. I decided to speak with them about the show as well as how its creation compares to the other.

Zachary Reeve Davidson is the Founding Artistic Director of Coin & Ghost, the group presenting Mama Mama Can’t You See, an explosive new play about human connection and the mythology of war written by ex-Marine Stan Mayer and Cecilia Fairchild. Davidson is directing and choreographing, opening November 10 at Studio/Stage. Since the new play tells the story of being involved in a war from the viewpoint of a Marine, I decided to speak with Zachary about its creation and relevancy to our world today in which wars seem to be constantly in the news.

Each Halloween Season, many horror and science fiction offerings hit our stages. This year, David P. Johnson is bringing his Sally Spectre: The Musical back to Theatre West weekends through October 29. A combination horror and morality play, it centers around the ghost of a 5-year-old girl trying to escape from her locked bedroom where she was brutally murdered. But is this musical really for children? To find out, I decided to speak with David P. Johnson who not only wrote the book, music, and lyrics but also directs and co-produces it, and appears onstage accompanying the cast on keyboard during every performance.

Their 2023/2024 season opens on October 28, 2023, with A Beatles Celebration featuring the Classical Mystery Tour band who will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the first Beatles U.S. tour in 1964 as well as the Beatlemania they inspired. I spoke with the group's president Kelly Ruggirello about the upcoming season.