Jessica Kubzansky

The first of playwright Lisa Sanaye Dring’s simultaneous world premieres in southern California Hungry Ghost opens August 26, 2023, at the Skylight Theatre, with the second SUMO starting September 26, 2023, at La Jolla Playhouse. The much-in-demand Lisa graciously made some time between pre-production meetings for Hungry Ghost and prepping her numerous upcoming projects to answer a few of my queries.

Boston Court world premieres Rosie Narasaki’s Unrivaled beginning March 16, 2023. Boston Court Associate Artistic Director Margaret Shigeko Starbuck directs this co-production with Playwrights’ Arena featuring: David Huynh, Katie Kitani, Cindy Nguyen and Chelsea Yakura-Kurtz. Rosie was most gracious in answering a few of my queries.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced the award recipients for 2020 and 2021. Poor Clare (The Echo Theater Company) and The Father (Pasadena Playhouse) received the prestigious Production award, with additional honorees named in 18 other categories.

Ovation Award-nominated director Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx will succeed Director of Cultural Arts Jon Imparato (set to retire June 30) as the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center’s new Artistic Director.  Besides overseeing the Center’s two live performance venues — the 200-seat Renberg Theatre and the 50-seat black box Davidson/Valentini Theatre, Jonathan’s other priorities are to engage communities through arts programming, bring emerging L.A. artists to the Center’s various locations, and to offer workshops and classes for free or at low cost. Jonathan opened up some from his final days at A Noise Within to address a few of my queries.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced the nominees for theatrical excellence for 2020 and 2021. This year's awards have been combined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Boston Court Pasadena has announced its first in-person, onstage production since early 2020, the world premiere of Both And (a play about laughing while black) by Carolyn Ratteray. Directed by Andi Chapman and performed by Ratteray, opening is set for Saturday, April 16, at 8pm and the run will continue through Sunday, May 15. The performance schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.

Boston Court Pasadena has announced its first in-person, onstage production since early 2020, the world premiere of Both And (a play about laughing while black) by Carolyn Ratteray. Directed by Andi Chapman and performed by Ratteray, previews will begin on Thursday, April 7 and continue through Friday, April 15. Opening is set for Saturday, April 16, at 8pm and the run will continue through Sunday, May 15. The performance schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.

Created in response to the sharp rise in hate directed toward the AAPI community over the past few years, Boston Court Pasadena, East West Players, and Pasadena Playhouse have joined forces to share a virtual reading of Jeanne Sakata's timely solo play Hold These Truths. 

Boston Court Pasadena is ready to brighten up 2022 with a spring season of live, in-person events and complementary virtual programming.

Rogue Machine brings Frank Capra’s iconic holiday film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” to the stage in this hilarious and heartwarming one-person show starring Leo Marks. Part fan frenzy and part tour-de-force, it’s a celebration of cinematic storytelling and the differences, big and small, that one person can make in the lives of others. 

Los Angeles New Play Project has released the names of the three playwrights who have each been awarded $20,000 grants for their original work. These plays will be presented on stages in Los Angeles County with an additional grant up to $20,000 to each of the producing entities in support of the productions. All three playwrights are based in Los Angeles.

Crimson Square Theatre Company presents Laura Eason’s SEX WITH STRANGERS opening September 24th at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. This two-hander, directed by Benjamin Burt, features Cameron Meyer and Casey King as the titular STRANGERS. Had the chance to question Cameron on SEX WITH STRANGERS as well as her extensive Los Angeles theatre background.

Each year a new class, comprised of one to two MFA Playwrights, will be given a commission through the partnership. Playwrights awarded The Finish Line Commission will be given a week-long workshop culminating in a public reading, a financial reward, and an assurance that the play will have an opportunity for a world premiere production at Cygnet.

Play On Shakespeare today announced their spring 2021 season. Play On Shakespeare’s mission is to enhance the understanding of Shakespeare’s plays in performance for theatre professionals, students, teachers, and audiences by engaging with contemporary translations and adaptations.

Center Theatre Group is expanding their Art Goes On project with L.A. Theatre Speaks, a biweekly series of live-streamed public discussions bringing together members of the local theatre community to discuss the issues and opportunities they are facing in this time of crisis.

Here's the third installment of responses from various Los Angeles Theatre heads on how their individual theatre families are holding up in these crazy, safe-distancing times. As with the first two batches of responses, these are just as amazing in their acknowledged realism and uniform positivity:

Pasadena Playhouse presents The Father, written by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Jessica Kubzansky, February 5 to March 1, 2020.

Florian Zeller's brilliant play THE FATHER plumbs the ideas of memory and self, starting off light-hearted and slowly, piece by piece, descending into a harrowing and devastating freefall.

Pasadena Playhouse presents The Father, written by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Jessica Kubzansky, February 5 to March 1, 2020.

Pasadena Playhouse, The State Theater of California, presents The Father, written by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton and directed by Jessica Kubzansky, now through March 1, 2020. The production stars Alfred Molina (Frieda, An Education, Enchanted April) in a tour-de-force role in perhaps one of the most awarded plays of recent times on two continents – winning the 2014 Molière Award, and nominations for the Evening Standard Theatre Award, Olivier Award for Best New Play, and Tony Award for Best Play.