Julanne Chidi Hill

Three young Black girls in 1940s Ohio strive to make sense of love, sisterhood, abuse and hate. A Noise Within opens its 2023-24 'Balancing Act' season with The Bluest Eye, adapted for the stage by Lydia R. Diamond from the novel by Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison and directed by Andi Chapman.

Carryl’s play is as tight as it is immediate, an inspired-by-the-headlines jolt of storytelling that cuts across racial unrest, the psyches of our men in blue and even the January 6 insurrection.

Next up for Rogue Machine, the world premiere of June Carryl’s Blue opening April 7, 2023 at The Matrix Theatre. Michael Matthews directs the cast of John Colella and Julanne Chidi Hill. John managed to find some time after returning from working out of the country to answer a few of my queries.

Next up at East West Players, playwright Inda Craig-Galván’s The Great Jheri Curl Debate opening September 17 (with previews beginning September 15). Scarlett Kim directs the cast of Julanne Chidi Hill, Ryun Yu, Ray Baker, Mildred Marie Langford and Bruce A. Lemon Jr. I got the chance to pepper Julanne, a frequent player in the Los Angeles theatre scene, with a few queries on Jheri Curl and her productive career.

East West Players will present the world premiere of The Great Jheri Curl Debate. Written by Inda Craig-Galván and directed by Scarlett Kim, The Great Jheri Curl Debate performs September 15 through October 9, press night is September 17. 

Live theater has not been killed off by the pandemic; it came roaring back Monday night during the inaugural OC Theatre Guild Awards ceremony at the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, which was nearly filled to capacity.

The Echo Theater Company has moved the previously announced Echo LABFest 2022, readings of seven new plays developed in the company's Playwright's Lab under the leadership of Brian Otaño and Hannah Wolf, online.

Nominees for the inaugural OC Theatre Awards were announced on Saturday, January 22, 2022 during OC Theatre Guild’s annual membership meeting. The awards ceremony has been scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, April 26, 2022 at the outdoor amphitheater of the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton.

A celebration of language and the human spirit, Yellowman is an exquisite and provocative exploration of the challenges of overcoming racism, class, biases, and prejudices inherited both from community and family.

Celebration presents the first show in its 2019 season, Drew Droege (Die, Mommie, Die!) and Matthew Wilkas starring in the Los Angeles premiere of BORN TO WIN, written by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock, choreography by Janet Roston and directed by Michael Matthews.

Celebration, under the artistic direction of Michael A. Shepperd, presents the first show in its 2019 season, Drew Droege (Die, Mommie, Die!) and Matthew Wilkas starring in the Los Angeles premiere of BORN TO WIN, written by Matthew Wilkas & Mark Setlock and directed by Michael Matthews. BORN TO WIN will begin previews on Wednesday, February 13 at 8pm; will open on Friday, February 15 at 8pm, with tickets on sale through Sunday, March 31 at Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles.

Celebration presents the first show in its 2019 season, Drew Droege (Die, Mommie, Die!) and Matthew Wilkas starring in the Los Angeles premiere of BORN TO WIN, written by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock, choreography by Janet Roston and directed by Michael Matthews.

Celebration presents the first show in its 2019 season, Drew Droege (Die, Mommie, Die!) and Matthew Wilkas starring in the Los Angeles premiere of BORN TO WIN, written by Matthew Wilkas and Mark Setlock, choreography by Janet Roston and directed by Michael Matthews.

DIE, MOMMIE, DIE! is a campy noir classic that follows the devious actions of fading Hollywood star Angela Arden, played to the hilt by Drew Droege in drag. Think of Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard" and throw in a bit of Joan Crawford's attitude and you get the idea of who Angela Arden is. And let me tell you, Droege is a wonder running across the stage in high heels, always dressed to feminine perfection by costumer Allison Dillard. But Angela is trapped in an unhappy marriage and plots to kill her husband, Hollywood producer Sol Sussman (Pat Towne) in order to be with her young, and very well-hung lover Tony Parker (Andrew Carter). His endowment is a running gag throughout the play, aimed at almost every other character at some point, a bit too suggestive and sexy for young audiences.

The Celebration Theatre production of "Die, Mommie, Die!," which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre, will open Saturday, May 12 at 8 p.m. Written by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann, "Die, Mommie, Die!" is currently in previews and will close May 20.

Casting is set for the Celebration Theatre production of 'Die, Mommie, Die!' which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre. Written by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann, 'Die, Mommie, Die!' will begin previews May 10, open May 12 and close May 20.

Casting is set for the Celebration Theatre production of 'Die, Mommie, Die!' which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre. Written by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann, 'Die, Mommie, Die!' will begin previews May 10, open May 12 and close May 20.

Casting is set for the Celebration Theatre production of 'Die, Mommie, Die!' which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the second annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre. Written by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann, 'Die, Mommie, Die!' will begin previews May 10, open May 12 and close May 20.

501 (see three) ARTS announces the triple premiere of Pang!, by Dan Froot and Company, three live radio plays based on the oral histories of families hungering for change. Pang! will be performed for theatre audiences in October, December, and January in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (10/20 & 10/21), Los Angeles, California (12/2 & 12/3), and Miami, Florida (1/25, 1/26 & 1/27/18), respectfully. Pang! aims to raise awareness, decrease stigma, and promote cross-class dialogue around circumstances faced by families living below the poverty line.

KILLER NEWS!  Celebration Theatre and JohnMichael Beck are thrilled to announce the final extension of their smash-hit, Ovation! Recommended, critically acclaimed second show in its 2016-2017 season, under the artistic direction of Michael Matthews & Michael A. Shepperd, Drew Droege starring in DIE, MOMMIE, DIE! by Charles Busch and directed by Ryan Bergmann is EXTENDING ONE LAST TIME through SATURDAY, APRIL 22 at Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre, 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles.