Loft Ensemble has announced its eighth anniversary season, the first in its new North Hollywood location. The slate of plays will feature four world premieres, a holiday comedy, and five productions in Sawyer's Playhouse, the company's 40-seat space upstairs from the main stage.
The season will open with Our Lady of 121st Street by
Stephen Adly Guirgis in which a diverse group of people return to New York to mourn and celebrate the life of their mentor only to find that her body is missing. Directed by Adam Chambers, opening is August 10. Next up is the world premiere of Art is Useless When You're Being Mauled by a Bear by Alisa Tangredi in which a woman is accompanied by a menagerie of creatures and a bear as she takes a fantastical journey through grief and madness after losing a loved one. Co-directed by
Bree Pavey and JJ Mayes, opening is on October 5. Loft will celebrate the holidays with The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever! by
Joe Marshall. In the play, a theatre company in West Hollywood stages their annual Christmas Pageant but this time there are some special guests. Directed by
Bree Pavey, the show will run November 29 through December 22.
The new year will begin with The Little Match Girl, a world premiere by Elizabeth Suzanne. A young girl learns the hardships of life and the blessings of giving in this new play inspired by the Hans
Christian Anderson short story. Under the direction of Tor Brown, opening is set for January 4. Next is the world premiere of Death and Other Girly Things by RJ Fontaine in which a young woman takes a road trip with her new ... baby ... learning about life, death, and everything in between. Co-directed by Mitch Rosander and Madylin Sweeten Durrie, opening is set for March 7. The season will close with the world premiere of Try Not to Think About It,
Alice Childress by Chris Haas. A series of miscommunications turn into a night of survival when natural disaster strikes the Hollywood Hills. Directed by Mitch Rosander, opening is set for May 9.
The premiere season in Sawyer's Playhouse, a 40-seat theatre space upstairs from Loft's main stage, will feature limited runs of five plays: Sound of Silence by Travis Snyder-Eaton, Growing Gills to Breathe in the Desert by Zeb Elliot, Birthday Wish by Victoria Anne Greenwood, Just One Moment by
David Evan Stolworthy, and Branwell & the Other Brontës by
Stephen Kaplan. Directors and run dates for these shows will be announced soon.
Loft Ensemble is located at 11031 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood, 91602. For more, visit
www.loftensemble.org.
