Shari Barrett - Page 1

What does it mean to live as your true, authentic self? I spoke with Level Up! playwright Gabriel Rivas Gómez on blending live performance with projection and inventive design to explore identity, family, and transformation.

When Tony “accidentally” brings his conservative parents over for dinner a night too early, all hell breaks loose as the polished socialites clash with the chaos and disorder of the Sycamore clan, which raised the roof with laughter thanks to Cate Caplin’s spot-on direction and the impeccable comedic timing instilled in her perfectly-cast ensemble.    

Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, FAIRVIEW written by Jackie Sibblies Drury, makes its Los Angeles Premiere at Rogue Machine, directed by Oz Scott who I spoke with about his vision for the production.

In this next chapter, Sara takes on many personas who interact with her mother during her lifetime, each one a standout as an individual through unique voice and movement thanks to Sara's great skill with improvisation.

Veteran director Jack Heller returns to the Odyssey Theatre to helm a visiting production of Sex, Lies and Harold Pinter, an evening of two rarely staged Pinter one-acts—both darkly comic, both unmistakably unsettling. Opening night is set for March 20, with performances continuing through April 26.

Directed magnificently by Elijah Green, with energetic choreography by Katie Powers-Faulk and musical direction by Miki Yokomizo, the totally entertaining and artistically brilliant production pulled me in from the moment it started.

Pacific Opera Project’s production of Puccini’s final opera, Turandot features the husband and wife team of tenor Clay Hilley and soprano Sara Duchovnay in the roles of Calàf and Liù respectively. I spoke to them about peforming together onstage.

Boston-born Apollo Dukakis most important lifelong role has been as the adoring brother of his sister, Academy-Award winning actress Olympia Dukakis, who left us in 2021. To honor her memory, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is presenting OK, OLYMPIA, LET’S GO!, a multi-media celebration of her life that includes YOU AND ME, a one-act play written by Apollo.

Thanks to de Santos’ insightful direction, the on-going dialogues never seem to drag and the action flows at a pace which keeps the audience interested in just what happens between these well-written characters.

Director Max Mayer keeps the action authentic and story realistically contrite after helping execute the play’s workshop, making this production an especially meaningful return to the material.

Hilarity ensues as alcohol is consumed, leading to brilliant cat and mouse games during which laughs abound.

I really enjoyed the story, acting and staging, along with recognizing the Yiddish comments, behavior and attitudes from my own life being raised by a close-knit Jewish family.

Here's my interview with director Guillermo Cienfuegos and Richard III star Ann Noble about their vision for the production.

Here's my interview with Director Sabra Williams about directing the play, why it was selected to be presented at Little Fish, and how the intimate theater is a perfect setting for the play.

I spoke with Director Barry Pearl about taking on I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, his vision for the production, and how he plans to direct only four actors into 40 characters.

Bitterman’s script encompasses so many universal truths about the battle of the sexes in working out relationships that everyone will identify with the ups and downs that challenge even the closest couple to survive and stay together. The dialogue is fast-paced and delivered with the necessary emotional skill by James and Edwards.

Justin Tanner works as a creative consultant for numerous projects in theatre, film, and television and has credits including more than 20 produced plays as well as credits writing TV shows and web series. I decided to speak with him about the process of writing such a personal play.

What Opa Did is masterful and brutally honest storytelling at its best, with each actor dedicated to showing each person as a human being, not just either good or bad, while trying to cope with the reality of their lives in Germany in World War II.

How did Melissa Barak (Artistic Director) and Julia Rivera (Executive Director) decide on which three ballets to present and how is each representative of the work the group has done and plan to do in their future?

I spoke with playwright Catherine Butterfield about the development of her play BROWNSTONE, its structure and subject matter, and her fascination with brownstones.