Elan Ensemble Will Present SEVEN At Atwater Village Theatre

ELAN Ensemble has announced its upcoming production of Seven, a new adaptation of the documentary play. Under the direction of Natsuko Ohama with movement direction by Stephanie Shroyer, the production is set to open on Saturday, November 23, at 8pm and run through December 16 only at the Atwater Village Theatre.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Claudia Elmore, Amaka Izuchi, Wonjung Kim, Mehrnaz Mohammadi, Yelena Podkolzina, Tarah Pollock, Elmira Rahim, and Danielle Reynolds. Scenic design is by Amanda Knehans, lighting design is by Derek Christiansen, and sound design is by Stephen George.

Seven acclaimed playwrights (Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Carol K. Mack, Ruth Margraff, Anna Deavere Smith, and Susan Yankowitz) collaborated to create this compelling tapestry of stories, weaving together the words of seven remarkable women who faced life-threatening obstacles to bring about major improvements in the lives of women and girls in their home countries. ELAN Ensemble, using its signature physical theatre techniques, brings these unforgettable stories to life.

Director Natsuko Ohama trained under Kristin Linklater at the Working Theatre in New York and is a founding member of Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, MA. She was the Director of Training at National Arts Center of Canada and taught in Turkey, Italy, China, and at the Linklater Voice Center in Scotland. A Drama Desk Award nominee, she has portrayed roles ranging from Juliet to Lady Macbeth and Hamlet to Prospero (LA Women's Shakespeare Company) to Winnie in Happy Days. She has worked at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Pan Asian Repertory, and Mark Taper Forum, among many others. Recipient of Playwright's Arena Outstanding Contribution to LA Theatre Award. She has taught and coached in various capacities, and she heads Voice for the MFA Acting Program at USC.

Movement Director Stephanie Shroyer is the former Artistic Director of Pacific Resident Theatre and Founding Artistic Director of the 24th Street Theatre, and is the current Artistic Director at USC's School of Dramatic Arts. Additional work includes projects at Pasadena Playhouse, Disney Hall/LA Philharmonic Youth Concert Series, A Noise Within, Antaeus, Matrix Theatre, Alliance Repertory, Stages, South Coast Repertory's New Play Reading Series, and Showtime's Act One series. She has been a company member, actor, choreographer and/or faculty member at American Conservatory Theatre, Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts, and the Denver Center and she has been guest faculty at Cal Arts, Cal Poly Pomona and Whitman College. She is currently an Associate Professor of Practice and Director of BFA Programs at USC's School of Dramatic Arts. Additional choreography/movement direction has been seen at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, A Noise Within, Odyssey Theatre, Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, and Laguna Playhouse.

ELAN is a deeply diverse ensemble of actors rooted in the innovative physical approach to theatrical creation taught in the Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at USC. The company always begins work from a state of alive readiness (élan) and then brings itself, body-and-soul, to the collaborative process of devising theatrical works and adaptations. Rooted in Los Angeles, ELAN pushes the limits of naturalism and brings text to life through the human body to create a surprising and deeply felt collective experience. The mission is to create innovative theatrical productions based in a physical approach to text in order to provide LA audiences with a deep collective experience that reflects us as a community.

The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. There will be added performances on Monday 11/25 and Monday 12/16 at 8pm. No performances Thanksgiving weekend. General admission seating is $25 and $35. Tickets may be purchased online at https://seven.brownpapertickets.com or by calling (310) 990-2023. Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue in Los Angeles, 90039.

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