Photo Flash: First Look at Ensemble Theatre Company's THE WATER TRIBE

Ensemble Studio Theatre/Los Angeles in association with VS. Theatre Company has announced the world premiere production of The Water Tribe, a new play by Don Cummings. Under the direction of Tricia Small, opening is set for Friday, January 17, at 8pm. The engagement will run through February 9 at VS. Theatre.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Alexandra Daniels, Jon Joseph Gentry, Hannah Prichard, Christopher Reiling, and Jayne Taini. Scenic design is by Adam Glover, lighting design is by Shara Abvabi, costume design is by Ovation Award-winner Michael Mullen, and sound design is by Bella Vita Entertainment. The stage manager is Maya Braunwarth. The Water Tribe is produced for EST/LA and VS. Theatre Company by Lizzy Ross and Crystal Jackson along with associate producer Adam Glover (who also serves as assistant director).

Claudia is young, parentless, minimally employed, and almost without family or friends but she remains upbeat about her future and confident in her quest to form a personal tribe for herself and her boyfriend Johnny. But Johnny has problems of his own. He has launched into adulthood but still struggles to cut the cord from his concerned mother while searching for a connection to his long-absent father. As the few people Claudia has in her life begin to fall away and the problems in her relationship are laid bare, she teeters on the brink of catastrophe in this searing, darkly funny tragicomedy about the critical importance of community, identity, and home.

The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. General admission seating is $25 online and $30 at the door. For students and seniors, $20 online and $25 at the door. Tickets may be purchased online at www.estlosangeles.org or by calling (818) 839-1197. VS. Theatre is located at 5453 W. Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, 90019.