Martha Demson News

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced the award recipients for 2022. See the full list here!

The Stage Raw Theater Awards celebrate excellence on Los Angeles-area stages. This year's Stage Raw “I'm Still Here” Theater Awards Party will recognize productions that opened in the calendar year 2022.

A little Daily Show, a little SNL... a lot of fun! Live on stage at Atwater Village Theatre, This Week This Week is Open Fist Theatre Company's weekly comic newscast, featuring a revolving cast of actors and special guest stars at every performance.

Founding Artistic Director of Ophelia's Jump Productions (OJP) Beatrice Casagrán, will receive the Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community as part of the SB1116 California Coalition along with Martha Demson (Open Fist Theatre Company), Vanessa Stewart (writer, producer, actor), Emmanuel Deleage (Casa0101), Teri Ball (Center Stage Theater), and Leo Marks (actor, activist). 

Founding Artistic Director of Ophelia's Jump Productions (OJP) Beatrice Casagrán, will receive the Gordon Davidson Award for distinguished contribution to the Los Angeles theatrical community as part of the SB1116 California Coalition along with Martha Demson (Open Fist Theatre Company), Vanessa Stewart (writer, producer, actor), Emmanuel Deleage (Casa0101), Teri Ball (Center Stage Theater), and Leo Marks (actor, activist).

The Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced its 2022 nominees for theatrical excellence. See the full list of nominees!

An unusual coalition of management and labor launched a kick-off event on Friday, January 27 to secure budgeting for SB 1116, the groundbreaking arts funding bill that passed the state legislature and was signed into law last year, but remains unfunded in the most recent budget. See photos from the event.

Jim Leonard has published eight plays, including The Diviners, And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson, and Battle Hymn, with his theatrical honors including the Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ovation Award, the Dramatists Guild Award, and an LA Weekly Award for best play.

Directed by Ben Martin (Open Fist’s Under Milk Wood), the LA premiere of Anatomy of Gray is set for a November 19, 2022 opening at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances continue through January 21, 2023.

Senate Bill 1116, a measure introduced by Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) which seeks to create a payroll fund to support small nonprofit performing arts venues (SNPAOs), was signed into law September 29, 2022 by Governor Newsom. 

Open Fist Theatre Company extends its critically acclaimed production of In the Next Room, or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl through May 7. 

Open Fist Theatre Company returns to live performances with Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room, or the vibrator play opening March 18th at Atwater Village Theatre. Lane Allison directs the cast of Bryan Robert Bertone, Spencer Cantrell, Stephanie Crothers, Monazia Smith, Dionna Veremis, Alex Wells and Jennifer Zorbalas. I had the opportunity to toss out a few queries to Lane on her vibrator play, her back story with Open Fist and her history with L.A. Theatre.  

Award-winning theatre company Son of Semele Ensemble is announcing its departure from their Silver Lake home of 18 years. Led by Founding Artistic Director Matthew McCray since 2000, the company has been in residence at 3301 Beverly Boulevard in a black box theatre they created in 2003. 

Artists throughout the state of California are uniting for the passage of Senate Bill 805 (SB 805), titled, “The Performing Arts Relief Act,” which the Senate Labor Committee will vote on Wednesday, April 19, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. in Sacramento, CA.   A Coalition of 36 small 99-seat non-profit theaters and freelance performers are banding together to make theater accessible to all.  

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:

Perception is everything. Open Fist Theatre Company opens its 30th anniversary season with three programs of short works, performed in rotating repertory, by playwrights renowned for pushing the boundaries of theatrical invention. Rorschach Fest, featuring seminal work by John O'Keefe, Daniel MacIvor, Harold Pinter and Caryl Churchill, opened Feb. 14 at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances continue through April 5.

Perception is everything. Open Fist Theatre Company opens its 30th anniversary season with three programs of short works, performed in rotating repertory, by playwrights renowned for pushing the boundaries of theatrical invention. Rorshach Fest, featuring seminal work by John O'Keefe, Daniel MacIvor, Harold Pinter and Caryl Churchill, opens Feb. 14 at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances continue through April 5. Pay-What-You-Want previews begin Feb. 11.

Open Fist's clever, hilarious World Premiere musical adaptation of Neil Simon's MUSICAL FOOLS is a hilarious musical adaptation of his play, Fools, with book and lyrics by Simon, and music and lyrics by Phil Swann and Ron West, a veteran comedy genius from Chicago's Second City, who has directed the laugh fest like a Monty Python version of Fiddler on the Roof performed by the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Off-the-wall hysterical choreography by Louisa Kendrick Burton greatly enhances the comedy, with musical direction by Jan Roper often adding in the flavor of Eastern European Klezmer music.

Dumba?? dumbera?? dumbest? Open Fist Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Neil Simon's Musical Fools, an adaptation of the Simon play Fools, with book and lyrics by Neil Simon and music and lyrics by Phil Swann and Ron West (deLEARious, The People Vs Friar Laurence). West also directs, with music direction by Jan Roper and choreography by Louisa Kendrick Burton. Neil Simon's Musical Fools opens Oct. 12 at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances will continue through Nov. 17; pay-what-you-want previews begin Oct. 4.

Dumb... dumber... dumbest? Open Fist Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Neil Simon's Musical Fools, an adaptation of the Simon play Fools, with book and lyrics by Neil Simon and music and lyrics by Phil Swann and Ron West (deLEARious, The People Vs Friar Laurence). West also directs, with music direction by Jan Roper and choreography by Louisa Kendrick Burton. Neil Simon's Musical Fools opens Oct. 12 at Atwater Village Theatre, where performances will continue through Nov. 17; pay-what-you-want previews begin Oct. 4.