Los Angeles Premiere of LIFE SUCKS. by Aaron Posner Comes to The Broadwater Main Stage

INTERACT THEATRE COMPANY (ITC) invites you to laugh, reflect, and explore the universal quest for a fulfilling existence as it presents the Los Angeles premiere of LIFE SUCKS., written by Aaron Posner (Stupid F*#king Bird) and directed by ITC Artistic Director, Barry Heins. The cast includes John Ross Bowie (“The Big Bang Theory,” “Speechless”), Los Angeles theatre icon Anne Gee Byrd, and Broadway veteran Steve Vinovich. LIFE SUCKS. will begin previews on Friday, September 22; will open on Saturday, September 30 at 8pm and perform through Sunday, October 29 at 3pm at The Broadwater Main Stage, 1076 Lillian Way in Los Angeles.

In LIFE SUCKS., a bold and inventive reimagining of Anton Chekhov's classic play, Uncle Vanya, Aaron Posner plumbs the quiet chaos of seven people locked together in the bonds of friendship and family as they wrestle with the ridiculous, humiliating vagaries life imposes: unrequited love, the indignities of aging, the insult of mortality, and the eternally flummoxing quest for a meaningful, satisfying existence. Amidst their irrepressible desires and lingering dissatisfactions, this troupe of hapless yet hopeful souls embark on a comedic, heartfelt, and sometimes tumultuous quest, stumbling upon new perspectives that challenge their core beliefs. Winner of the 2020 Theatre Alliance Award for Best Play, and praised by audiences  and critics alike.                

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM AND CAST

Aaron Posner (Playwright) is a theatre director, playwright, teacher, former Artistic Director of two major regional theatres, and a tenured Professor in the Department of Performing Arts at American University. He was the founding Artistic Director of Philadelphia’s Arden Theatre Company, and ran Two River Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. He has directed nearly 200 productions at major regional theaters across the country, including Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, American Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare, The Folger, Ford’s Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Round House, Seattle Rep, Signature Theatre, South Coast Rep, Studio Theatre, and many more. As a playwright, his re-imaging of Chekhov’s The Seagull, entitled Stupid F*#king Bird, was one of the ten most produced plays in the country in 2015 and has had more than 250 productions worldwide including productions in Australia, Canada, England, Luxembourg, Romania, Sweden and more. His other widely produced and published plays include JQA, No Sisters, District Merchants, Who Am I This Time? (& Other Conundrums of Love), The Chosen, and My Name Is Asher Lev. He has won 20 regional theatre awards, including Helen Hayes Awards, Barrymore Awards, The Outer Circle Critics Award, and the John Gassner Prize. 

Barry Heins (Director/Producer) is the Artistic Director of Interact Theatre Company (ITC). A graduate of The Juilliard School and alumnus of The Acting Company, Heins has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, at leading regional theaters across America, and in film and TV. Los Angeles stage credits include Much Ado About Nothing at the Ford Theater (Drama-Logue Award, Outstanding Performance) and the critically acclaimed ITC productions of Counsellor-At-Law (Ovation Award, Best Ensemble), Other People's Money, and Nice Fish.  He has worked extensively as a voice-over artist, lending his talents to everything from film trailers to political ads, and has been a dialect consultant on Broadway and for PBS. Heins has served on the faculties of several professional actor training conservatories, including NYU Tisch School of the Arts/Playwright's Horizons Theater School and SUNY Purchase College.  His producing credits include two series of ITC staged readings for the Los Angeles Public Library's LA Made cultural enrichment program: "The Tony Award® Winners," which was seen worldwide on BroadwayOnDemand.com during the pandemic, and "The Pulitzer Prize Winners: Ten Plays from Ten Decades" (dir: You Can't Take It With You and The Great White Hope). Heins produced and directed two impactful short films for ITC (Faultless and Just Another Birthday in Bedlam), which garnered international recognition and received multiple honors at prestigious film festivals, including a 2021 Bronze and 2022 Gold Telly Award. Both films can be enjoyed on ITC's official YouTube channel, @InteractTheatreCompanyLosAngeles.

The Cast of LIFE SUCKS. features (in alphabetical order): John Ross Bowie as “Vanya,” Anne Gee Byrd as “Babs,” Olivia Castanho as “Sonia,” Erin Pineda as “Ella,” Lily Rains as “Pickles,” Marc Valera as “Dr. Aster,” and Steve Vinovich as “The Professor.”

The Design Team for LIFE SUCKS. is as follows: Scenic Design by Evan Bartoletti; Lighting Design by Carol Doehring; Sound Design by Joseph “Sloe” Slawinski; Costume Design by Michael Mullen, and the Prop Master is Eric Babb. The Production Stage Manager is Gina DeLuca.

This production is supported in part by grants from The California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant Program and by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, administered through Community Partners, and funded by the LA County Board of Supervisors through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act.

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