John Iacovelli News

International City Theatre has been honored with three wins and 20 additional nominations for four different productions by longtime theater reviewer Rob Stevens, who has announced his 35th annual “Robby Awards for Excellence in Southern California Theatre.”

The Matrix Theatre Company's award-winning production of Scraps by Geraldine Inoa is now available for viewing on the company's Youtube page.

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced the nominees for theatrical excellence for the year 2019. This year they are forgoing their annual event ceremony and will instead post the award recipients online in the upcoming weeks: 

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT are thrilled to present the third show of their 2019-2020 season, the hilariously dark comedy, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, written by Joseph Kesselring and directed by Casey Stangl. ARSENIC AND OLD LACE will preview on Friday, January 24, 2020 (with a press opening on Saturday, January 25 at 8pm) and run through Sunday, February 16, 2020 at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd in La Mirada.  

David Mamet's new play, THE CHRISTOPHER BOY'S COMMUNION, will be staged for the first time, for a limited time only. Featuring a cast, that includes Rebecca Pidgeon, William H. Macy, Clark Gregg and recent Tony Award nominated Fionnula Flanagan, the story follows a grisly murder that has taken place in Central Park. It runs February 13 - 23, 2020 as a guest production at the Odyssey Theatre, for 10 performances only.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & McCOY RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT are thrilled to present the third show of their 2019-2020 season, the hilariously dark comedy, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, written by Joseph Kesselring and directed by Casey Stangl. 

Pure Imagination Projects will present a workshop production of a world premiere play, MARVELS OF MAGIC, written by Andrew Simmons and directed by Enrico De La Vega. MARVELS OF MAGIC will perform on Friday, December 13 & Saturday, December 14 at 8pm and Sunday, December 15 at 3pm at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood.

A limited 'sneak peek' run of Gentleman-George Production's ORRY will begin November 1, 2019 at The Lee Strasberg Theatre. Writer/performer Nick Hardcastle has adapted Oscar-winning costume designer Orry-Kelly's memoirs Women I've Dressed for a ninety-minute stage production (directed by Wayne Harrison) incorporating music, dance, vaudeville, puppetry, special effects and some of Orry-Kelly's award--winning creations. I had the chance to ask a few questions of Nick, in between his many, many responsibilities - theatrical and otherwise.

The multi-award-winning team that brought you When Jazz Had the Blues returns with Playwright Carole Eglash-Kosoff's new original play, The Double V at the Matrix Theatre. Directed by Michael Arabian with set design by John Iacovelli. Nic Few leads a dynamic cast!

Orry a?" You're invited to the funeral of three-time Oscar winner and Hollywood legend, costume designer Orry-Kelly. Don't expect a little thing like death to stop the whip tongue and quick wit of the unapologetically gay Australian rascal who dressed and heard the secrets of stars like Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Merle Oberon, Ingrid Bergman and Mae West a?" just to name a few. Fearless, funny and outspoken, Orry-Kelly lived life to the fullest, from his childhood in Kiama, to reveling in Sydney's underworld nightlife, to chasing his dreams of acting in New York, to Hollywood. Based on his memoir a?oeWomen I've Undresseda?? a?" found in a pillowcase in suburban Sydney nearly 51 years after his death a?" Orry incorporates music, dance, vaudeville routines, puppetry, digital art, special effects and a taste of those incredible gowns to share his irresistible story. Anyone who loves classic movies, fashion, gossip and Cary Grant will love Orry.

The multi-award-winning team that brought you When Jazz Had the Blues returns with Playwright Carole Eglash-Kosoff's new original play, The Double V at the Matrix Theatre starring Brie Eley, Nicholas (Nic) Few and an ensemble cast. Produced by Leigh Fortier, The Double V is about activism, a dramatization of true events. How a simple letter to a newspaper initiated a series of changes that gave black Americans their first taste of equality in a society that had always denigrated them. The Double V campaign, early in the years of World War II, campaigned for both Victory in the war and Victory in the battles for racial equality in the United States.

The 2019 Stage Raw Theater Awards celebrate excellence on the Los Angeles stages in venues of 99-seats or under. This fifth annual celebration included productions that opened between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019. Stage Raw is a community funded professional journalism website that was created in response to the decline of arts coverage in local mainstream and alternative media.The Awards ceremony was held Monday night, September 9, at Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles, and was co-hosted by IAMA Theatre Company and Ammunition Theatre Company (a?oeAmmoa??).

Digital arts journal Stage Raw announces the nominees for its fifth annual Stage Raw Theater Awards, to be held Monday night September 9, 2019, at Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday August 7, 2019. The Stage Raw Theater Awards honor the finest work performed on Los Angeles area stages of 99-seats or fewer, and are selected by a jury of Stage Raw critics. This year's awards celebrate work performed between June 1, 2018 and May 31, 2019.

MOVING ARTS is delighted to announce the world premiere of EARLY BIRDS, written by Dana Schwartz and directed by Elizabeth Swain. EARLY BIRDS will preview Friday, August 16 at 8pm; will open on Saturday, August 17 at 4:00pm & 8:00pm and will run through Monday, September 7, 2019 at the Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave. in Los Angeles, 90039.   

The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) Film Society's 2019 Screening Series will conclude with the classic The Purple Rose of Cairo(1985). It will be a tribute to its Emmy®-winning and Oscar®-nominated Production Designer Stuart Wurtzel, ADG, at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on Sunday, August 4 at 5:30 pm. Following the screening, Mr. Wurtzel will explore the making of The Purple Rose of Cairo, moderated by John Iacovelli, ADG, Production Designer and ADG Film Society Co-chair.  The annual 2019 Screening series “Production Design: Designers On Design,” highlights the work of renowned Production Designers and their creative collaborations, and is in association with American Cinematheque. 

The opening prologue of SCRAPS, masterfully performed by Tyrin Niles as Jean-Baptiste Delacroix sitting on the front stoop of his Brooklyn brownstone, captured my attention and took me inside his close-knit neighborhood three months after the fatal shooting of black teenager by a white police officer. The ramifications of that event, told through a provocative mash up of poetry, realism and expressionism, reverberated among his friends, lover, and most importantly, his young son, the real focus of the West Coast premiere of this daring new play, written by Geraldine Inoa and directed with attention-grabbing flair by 2019 Obie Award winner Stevie Walker-Webb.

We are not alone. The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) Film Society's 2019 Screening Series will present the Oscar -winning classic CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) and pay tribute to its Oscar-nominated Production Designer Joe Alves, ADG, at the Egyptian Theatre on Sunday, June 23 at 5:30 pm. Following the screening, Mr. Alves will explore the making of Close Encounters and behind-the-scenes challenges including creating the massive alien ships, moderated by Thomas A. Walsh, ADG, Production Designer and ADG Film Society Co-chair. The annual 2019 Screening Series Production Design: Designers On Design, highlighting the work of renowned Production Designers and their creative collaborations, is in association with American Cinematheque.

What we always hear: "Black Male Shot by White Police Officer." What we never see - how loved ones struggle to cope in the aftermath.The Matrix Theatre Company presents theWest Coast premiere of a daring new play from a significant emerging voice in theater. Scraps, written by Geraldine Inoa and directed by 2019 Obie Award winner Stevie Walker-Webb, opens at the Matrix Theatre onJuly 6, with previews beginning June 27. 

A stunning, visionary, and thought-provoking production of Jason Robert Brown's Drama Desk Award-winning musical, The Last 5 Years, is now delighting audiences at Syracuse Stage. The production is directed by none other than Jason Alexander, who is, of course, best known for his role in the television series Seinfeld. Alexander's vision results in a production that is refreshing, captivating, and brilliant. This production stands out from others because Alexander cast four actors rather than the traditional two. There is also the incomparable score by the brilliant Jason Robert Brown that is a delight to the ears.