The Fountain Theatre News

RUBICON THEATRE COMPANY, Ventura's non-profit professional theatre company, opens the company's 2022-2023 Season on April 29 with an exclusive engagement of TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 by Anna Deveare Smith.

Rogue Machine announces an extended run for the American premiere of Daf James' On the Other Hand, We're Happy, at the Matrix Theatre in Los Angeles.

Paul Sand Projects has announced that it will present a workshop production of THE PILOT WHO CRASHED THE PARTY: A Dangerous Satire in Two Acts, a new play written and directed by Tony and two-time Drama Desk Award winner Paul Sand.

The Fountain Theatre extends its world premiere production of Detained through May 15. Written by France-Luce Benson, conceived and co-created by immigration attorney Judy Rabinovitz, this gripping new docudrama is based on interviews with longtime U.S. residents held in immigration detention, and with their family members, advocates, attorneys and representatives of ICE.

Vendôme Pictures and Pathé Films has announced they are partnering with Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre (DJ Kurs, Artistic Director) to develop the stage musical adaptation of the Academy Award-nominated, smash hit film CODA. The film also made history being the first predominantly deaf cast to win the coveted ensemble prize at the SAG Awards.

 How do families stay together, even when they are kept apart? Performances of Detained at Fountain Theatre will continue through April 10.

Certainly, almost every American can talk about how we are descendants of immigrants who dreamed of living in a free country and did whatever was necessary to arrive on our shores. As a direct descendant of four grandparents and one parent who escaped from Eastern Europe in the early 20th Century, when I read about the Fountain Theatre presenting the world premiere of DETAINED, written by The Lily's 2021 Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright France-Luce Benson, 'a gripping new docudrama composed of a compilation of true stories that explores the rippling impact of mass deportations on families,' I knew I wanted to speak with her about her inspiration and vision for the play.

Award winning Welsh playwright Daf James has crafted a story around a young couple's dreams of adopting. When an unforeseen turn of events upends their goals, plans must be adjusted. Life is tough, but even the worst of it can be laugh out loud funny.

This month, Theatre Now is producing staged readings of new musicals Fountain of You and The Pelican, presented in repertory with their full developmental production of The Jury now running at the Jeffrey & Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres.

How do families stay together, even when they are kept apart? The Fountain Theatre presents a gripping new docudrama, a compilation of true stories that explores the rippling impact of mass deportations on families. The world premiere of Detained, written by 2021 Lorraine Hansberry Award-winning playwright France-Luce Benson and directed by Mark Valdez, winner of the 2021 Zelda Fichandler Award, opens February 19 at the Fountain Theatre.

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY has announced its return to live performances with three plays performing in repertory. THE PLAY YOU WANT, written by Bernardo Cubria and directed by Michael John Garcés, will begin previews on Tuesday, February 8; will open on Friday, February 11 at 8pm and run through Sunday, March 27.

Kenneth Danziger, the British actor whose humor and intelligence charmed audiences in London and regional theaters across the United States for decades, died on December 12, 2021. He was 76.

Photographer Ed Krieger captured hundreds of L.A. theater productions over the course of 40 years before his death on December 16, 2020. Now, the Fountain Theatre has arranged for his large collection of photos, negatives, slides and digital files to be permanently housed at the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles.

Palm Beach Dramaworks, unable to perform onstage for audiences for 21 months due to the pandemic, begins its season of renewal on December 3 (8pm) with the world premiere of Michael McKeever’s The People Downstairs, a commissioned play that tells the story of the courageous souls who hid Anne Frank and seven others during the Holocaust.

Here's my interview with director Simon Levy on Lucy Kirkwood's funny and astonishing Tony-nominated play is a taut and disquieting thriller about responsibility, reparation and what one generation owes the next. With the outside world in chaos following a devastating environmental disaster, two retired nuclear engineers live a quiet life in a remote cottage on the lonely British coast - until a surprise visit from a former colleague upends the couple's equilibrium and trust. LA. premiere at the Fountain Theatre from Saturday, November 6 through January 23. Featured in the cast are Ron Bottitta, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, and Lily Knight, all three well known around the L.A. theatre scene.

What is our responsibility to the future? What legacy do we want to leave? The Los Angeles premiere of The Children, written by Lucy Kirkwood and directed by Simon Levy, asks those questions and more in its Los Angeles premiere at the Fountain Theatre.

September 28, 2021 The evening was quite lovely in temperature and there was excitement in the air for this performance to mark the beginning of coming back after so very long. There were many eager Flamenco fans in attendance, for a sold out performance. After their ceremonious entrances, they each began to solo with Cantinas that were festive and engaging to watch. Lakshmi Basile, a nimble and persuading dancer who is much revered in Spain for all of her accomplishments, as well as being a sought-after teacher in the art of Flamenco, excited the crowd with her stylized rendition. Tito Nunez blended in but initiated his own rhythms, aided by the guitarists, Juan Moro and Kambiz Pakan, who skillfully guided his timing as he delighted the audience with his attitude, his stance and his demanding footwork. Reyes Barrios is the symbol of authentic, historic Flamenco dance and all its many facets. Her timing and build-up of dramatic intensity while performing is masterful. The respect among the performers is clearly seen, and is part of the character and respect assumed in Flamenco dancing.

Performance artist John Fleck will present four live, work-in-progress performances of his musical cabaret/special event it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE! at the Odyssey Theatre starting September 18th. Had the chance to chat up this infamous NEA FOUR artist on his creativity, his patience in the makeup chair and his creative history with David Schweizer.

East West Players, in partnership with San Francisco’s EnActe Arts and New York City’s Hypokrit Productions, presents the virtual world premiere of Lavina Jadhwani’s THE SITAYANA (OR HOW TO MAKE AN EXIT) beginning September 25, 2021. Lavina’s updated, upending take on the Hindu epic The Ramayana recounts the story through Sita’s eyes, rather than Ram’s eyes as in the original. Audiences attending the livestreams will be given a choice to one of the three unique incarnations of Sita. Had the chance to pose a few questions to THE SITAYANA’s director Reena Dutt on her history with THE SITAYANA and what she’s been doing the last pandemic months to keep creatively sane.  

Ophelia's Jump Productions will present Espiritu Flamenco, an evening of exquisite Spanish food and virtuosic Flamenco performance on Friday, October 15, 2021 and Saturday, October 16, under the stars at a private residence in Claremont.