Theatre Unleashed to Present PASSAGES, 5/14-23

Coming off the recent success of its first two 2015 Main Stage shows Ligature Marks and Boy Gets Girl,Theatre Unleashed is excited to bring back its original series Passages, running May 14-23 at The Belfry Stage in North Hollywood.

Passages is a one-act play festival of original works written and directed by Theatre Unleashed members that feature independent actors and theatre artists from other companies in the roles. It's just one example of how Theatre Unleashed works toward its pledge of supporting and growing the L.A. theatre community as a whole. In this time of disarray and controversy surrounding the future of independent theatre, this type of collaboration is vitally important.

"I wanted to give the extremely talented actors outside our company a chance to perform with us on our stage. I personally like to collaborate with people as I feel I can learn from them, which I think makes me a better actor. I think all actors can benefit from that and should be given the opportunity to do so," said Ann Hurd, the show's creator.

This year's version, which features five vignettes, focuses on the company's 2015 theme of "Love. Obsession. Death."

"The plays I chose for this year's return of Passages all touch on these subjects," Hurd said. "And the writing ranges from obscure hilarity to downright dramatic. I also wanted something that posed more of a challenge for our company directors as well as the actors we cast. I just wanted to do it better than the last year, which I believe should always be the goal."