LOOT Comes to Desert Ensemble Theatre Next Month

Tickets are now available for Desert Ensemble Theatre’s (DET)  production of Loot, by Joe Orton (1965). The genre-changing black comedy runs from November 15–24 In Theatre 3 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. Visit www.desertensembletheatre.org for ticket information.  

A masterpiece of black farce, Loot follows the fortunes of Dennis and Hal, two young thieves who hide money from a bank robbery in the coffin of Hal’s recently deceased Mum. Written in Orton’s inimitable style, eventually dubbed “Ortonesque,” Loot focuses on characters that behave with no respect for conventional decency. It premiered in Cambridge, England in 1965, played on Broadway in 1968, and remains one of the most potent works from this master of the macabre. Award winning-director Michael Pacas (Do Not Remove Label, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf) will helm DET’s production.

DET Artistic Director Jerome Elliott Moskowitz stated: “Our 14th season consists of iconic works by playwrights who paved the way for today’s writers to take bold risks when writing for the stage. When crafting the season, Joe Orton was the foremost figure in my mind. From a working class background and—unique for his time—an openly gay man, he infused theatre with his unique, blatantly cynical and savagely funny point of view. In the rapidly paced Loot he takes on, in no particular order: attitudes toward death, middle class values, organized religion, police and government corruption, and sexual fluidity. Viewers are likely to leave the theatre breathless from laughter.”

The cast includes Alex Price (Hal), Tessa Gregory-Walker (Nurse Fay), Jason Reale (Dennis), Shel Safir (McLeavy), Charles Harvey (Truscott), and Larry Martin (the late Mrs. McLeavy). Award-winning designer Tom Valach leads the design team.

Tony Padilla, Artistic Director Emeritus, founded DET in 2011 with a vision of a small repertory company that allowed theatre artists to participate fully in the realization of their creative vision both onstage and off. DET is committed to growing the art of theatre by producing innovative plays that underscore the complexity of human interaction. The company’s theatre internships give high school students the on-the-job experience of working in professional productions. Since 2012, DET has awarded almost $33,000 in scholarship to graduating interns.