NCo Creations Launches Playing Pretend Theatrics in Los Angeles

NCo Creations has announced the launch of Playing Pretend Theatrics, a new Los Angeles-based venture dedicated to live theatrical productions, immersive experiences, musicals and original stage works.

Founded by theatre director, educator and creator Nathan Cohen, Playing Pretend Theatrics will serve as the live-performance arm of NCo Creations, giving the organization's theatrical work a distinct identity while remaining part of its larger creative family.

The company is built around the idea that imagination is something worth actively exercising. Its productions will seek to recreate the sense of possibility associated with childhood play, inviting both artists and audiences to enter theatrical worlds rather than simply observe them.

“I wanted to create a space where imagination is at the forefront,” Cohen said. “Imagination is a muscle we use so naturally as kids, but somewhere along the way, as we get older, we stop exercising it.”

Cohen added that the company will explore whimsy through both fantasy and real-life stories while emphasizing the communal nature of live performance.

“Theatre is the one art form that can't exist without human connection,” Cohen said. “Technology can enhance it, transform it, and help us create incredible things, but at its core, theatre only works when people are in a room together, playing pretend. That's the magic I want us to hold onto.”

Playing Pretend Theatrics' programming will range from intimate performances and immersive experiences to musicals and original works. Productions will incorporate performance, music, movement and design while emphasizing play and audience immersion.

The launch represents a new chapter for NCo Creations, which Cohen founded in 2016 as a home for original artistic projects, performance, film, education and community-centered creative work. The new venture allows its theatrical programming to develop under a brand created specifically for live performance.

Playing Pretend will also emphasize the ephemeral nature of theatre, with its work centered on artists and audiences gathering together for an experience that exists only in a particular room and moment.