Hostage at Skylight Theatre

Worlds collide in this human drama about the backlash one family must endure when it has the courage to make the political very, very personal. Based on true events, a mother deals with the aftermath of traveling to Tehran to gain the release of her son, a marine held captive during the Iran hostage crisis.

In our increasingly polarized society, perhaps there is inspiration to be gathered from the idealism of an everyday person,” says playwright Michelle Kholos Brooks. “A mother, having the courage to stand outside politics for the love of her son.”

Michelle Kholos Brooks is an award-winning playwright whose work is currently being staged across the U.S. and Canada. Hostage was a finalist for the Woodward/Newman Drama Award, the Fratti Newman Political Play Contest, and was a Showcase finalist for the National New Play Network.

Director Elina de Santos is the Co-Artistic Director of Rogue Machine Theatre and has helmed five world premieres there, including In the Valley of the Shadow by Katherine Cortez (winner of the Diversity in American Theatre Award in the 2017 Hollywood Fringe), Dirty Filthy Love Story, by Rob Mersola, featured in American Theatre Magazine, and Razorback by the multi-award winning resident playwright John Pollono (screenwriter “Stronger”). Elina is a recipient of the LADCC Career Achievement Award in Directing.

The cast includes Vaneh Assadourian (Tehran Mary), Jack Clinton (Kenny), Zachary Grant (Kevin), Christopher Hoffman (Richard), Tracie Lockwood (Barbara), and Satiar Pourvasei (Ebrahim)

Skylight Theatre Company won three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards this year, including the award for Best Production for their West Coast Premiere staging of Rotterdam by Jon Brittain. Additional LADCC awards for Rotterdam were for Writing and Lead Actress, garnering the most nominations by a single production in 2018, and sharing that title with three other productions including Hamilton. Skylight Theatre Company discovers, develops and produces new, compelling works that expand mainstream theatre while nurturing and educating the people who create them: http://SkylightTix.com

During the run of HOSTAGE, Skylight continues their popular series, “Beyond Conversation.” These weekly, post Sunday matinee discussion panels allow audiences to gain deeper insights into the contemporary themes of the play. Curated by Josh Gershick, scheduled topics include: Women of the Revolution: 40 Years Later, How Hollywood Affects Our Perception of Muslims, Tehrangeles: Iranians in Los Angeles, and more. A full list of guest speakers, dates and topics will be posted on Skylight’s website: www.skylighttheatre.org

HOSTAGE opens at 8:30pm on Saturday, May 26th and continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8:30pm; 2:00pm on Sundays; and 8:00pm on Mondays through June 24, 2018. Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave, LA, 90027. Tickets are $15 - $39.99. Reservations: 213-761-7061 or 866-811-4111. Online at http://SkylightTix.com