The Fountain Theatre News

The Normal Heart/by Larry Kramer/directed by Simon Levy/Fountain Theatre/through November 3

Using its signature, award-winning combination of signed and voiced theater to bring new perspective to a modern American classic, Deaf West Theatre presents Flowers for Algernon at the Whitefire Theatre, now through Nov. 3.

Forever Flamenco! presents Antonio Triana & Company on Sunday, October 13, 2013 at 8 p.m. The October edition of the Fountain Theatre's acclaimed series brings performances by dancers Fanny Ara, Misuda Cohen and Manuel Gutierrez; singers Jose Cortes and Antonio De Jerez; and guitarists Alfredo Caceres and Antonio Triana - all under the artistic direction of Triana.

Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, a circle of friends struggles to contain a mysterious disease ravaging New York's gay community. Simon Levy directs the exclusive Los Angeles revival of Larry Kramer's groundbreaking drama about public and private indifference to the onset of the AIDS crisis, and one man's fight to awaken the world to its urgency. The Normal Heart opens Sept. 21 at the Fountain Theatre. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Nominees for the 2013 LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on the evening of Monday, September 16 at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Los Angeles, which is owned and operated by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs Community Service Division. The nominations were revealed by past Ovation Award recipients Susanne Blakeslee, Shirley Jo Finney, Ryan Johnson, Michael Matthews, Gregory Nabours, Janet Roston, and John Sloan, along with LA STAGE Alliance Chief Executive Officer Terence McFarland.

About to costar at the Fountain in The Normal Heart, opening September 21, actor Tim Cummings discusses his role in the play and his award-winning role in The New Electric Ballroom at the Rogue Machine, as well as other theatrical interests.

Using its signature, award-winning combination of signed and voiced theater to bring new perspective to a modern American classic, Deaf West Theatre presents Flowers for Algernon at the Whitefire Theatre, opening Sept. 28.

Fueled by love, anger, hope and pride, a circle of friends struggles to contain a mysterious disease ravaging New York's gay community. Simon Levy directs the exclusive Los Angeles revival of Larry Kramer's groundbreaking drama about public and private indifference to the onset of the AIDS crisis, and one man's fight to awaken the world to its urgency. The Normal Heart opens Sept. 21 at the Fountain Theatre.

After a four month hiatus following its enormously popular runs in both Berkeley and San Francisco,The Marsh is delighted to announce that Lynne Kaufman's critically acclaimed play ACID TEST: The Many Incarnations Of Ram Dass will return to The Marsh San Francisco September 6 - October 12, 2013. The show will play on Fridays at 8:00pm and Saturdays at 8:30pm. For tickets, the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 between 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

The Katrina Comedy Fest - Experience the heartbreak, humanity and, yes, comedy of Hurricane Katrina through the words of five New Orleanians who rode out the storm. Winner of 'Best of the Festival' at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival, and a recent hit at the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

The Fountain Theatre and Forever Flamenco!, present 'Celebraciones Flamencas' (Flamenco Celebrations): two weekends of flamenco performances, classes and a documentary screening, today, July 19-27 at the Fountain Theatre.

The Fountain Theatre and Forever Flamenco!, present 'Celebraciones Flamencas' (Flamenco Celebrations): two weekends of flamenco performances, classes and a documentary screening, July 19-27 at the Fountain Theatre.

The Katrina Comedy Fest - Experience the heartbreak, humanity and, yes, comedy of Hurricane Katrina through the words of five New Orleanians who rode out the storm. Winner of 'Best of the Festival' at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival, and a recent hit at the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival.

Heart Song, the newest comedy/drama from Stephen Sachs (Bakersfield Mist, Cyrano), will extend at the Fountain Theatre through August 25.

On June 18 at 8pm, Eve Brandstein will play host to award winning writers, actors and musicians performing original work at The Cutting Room located at 44 E. 32nd Street in New York.

In a quite extraordinary way Stephen Sachs' world premiere comedy/drama Heart Song tears down barriers separating life and death across many cultures. There is no finer celebration of the joys and pains of life than performing flamenco dance, which is gut wrenching and intensely theatrical. Boasting top-notch direction from Shirley Jo Finney and a resplendent cast, Heart Song is a life-affirming poem that must be experienced at the Fountain Theatre through July 14.

Three friends embark on a joyous journey of sisterhood, discovering their inner 'duende' through a flamenco class for middle-aged women. Heart Song, the newest comedy/drama from Stephen Sachs (Bakersfield Mist, Cyrano), opens at The Fountain Theatre on May 25with Shirley Jo Finney (In the Red and Brown Water) directing and choreography by internationally renowned flamenco dancer Maria 'Cha Cha' Bermudez. Check out a first look below!

Rogue Machine presents Los Angeles Premiere of DYING CITY by Christopher Shinn, opening tonight,, May 18, 2013 with reception to follow. The production runs 5pm Saturdays, 7pm Sundays, and 8pm Mondays through July 8, 2013, with Memorial weekend performances on May 23rd at 8pm and Sunday, May 26th at 7pm (No performance on June 24th).

The Fountain Theatre presents an all-star line-up of local, national and international flamenco artists to celebrate Forever Flamenco! founder Deborah Lawlor's 20-year dedication to producing, nurturing and broadening the art form in Los Angeles. Forever Flamenco! at the Ford, under the artistic direction of internationally renowned flamenco dancer Maria Bermudez, takes place on Saturday, June 15 at 8:30 pm at the Ford Theatres in Hollywood. Since 1990, the dancers, musicians and singers of Forever Flamenco! have been delighting Fountain Theatre audiences with the intensity, precision and exhilaration for which flamenco is known. Now Forever Flamenco! returns to the outdoor stage at the Ford Theatres with this passionate expression of Spanish culture in a tribute to Lawlor. "Forever Flamenco! was born out of Deborah's love and total immersion into flamenco," says Bermudez. "Young dancers, up-and-coming dancers, seasoned professionals and international dancers - all of us have all come through Forever Flamenco! at the Fountain. I took my first baby steps there." Forever Flamenco! at the Ford will be a once-in-a-lifetime gala event gathering some of flamenco's finest artists together on stage for the first time, including dancers Fanny Ara, Maria Bermudez, Alejandro Granados (from Spain), Manuel Gutierrrez, Timo Nuñez, Linda Vega and Yaelisa; singer/dancer Roberto Amaral; singers Jose Cortez, Ana de los Reyes (from Spain) and Jesus Montoya; singer/composer Pele de los Reyes (from Spain) of the Grammy-nominated group Navajita Platea; guitarists Adam del Monte, Jason Maguire, Antonio Triana and Ben Woods; and percussionist Joey Heredia. Watch for more surprise artists, as well as a few guests from Bermudez' flamenco puro company Sonidos Gitanos, which has been presented at the Ford by Lawlor and the Fountain eight times since 1995. Deborah Lawlor's Forever Flamenco! series plays monthly to enthusiastic crowds at the Fountain Theatre. She and the Fountain have presented Bermudez and her Sonidos Gitanos/Gypsy Flamenco Company from Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, for eight summer engagements at the Ford - including, in 2010, its new off-shoot, The Chicana Gypsy Project - and in 2007 at the Japan American Theatre. The 2009 Ford season included Forever Flamenco!: LA Ole featuring an all-star cast assembled from Forever Flamenco! at the Fountain. Lawlor began her career as a dancer, choreographer and actor in New York's "downtown" scene. After living in South India for five years, where she was involved in the initial development of the international township of Auroville, she created two full-length outdoor dance/theater pieces celebrating the community. She spent the next 10 years in Australia and France studying ancient cultures of India and Egypt and translating several books in these fields from French into English. Returning to the U.S. in 1986, she became deeply involved in the intimate theater scene and, in 1990, she and Stephen Sachs co-founded the Fountain Theatre, which is now in its 23rd season of theatrical and dance events. Lawlor is responsible for the Fountain's extensive dance involvement. The 1995 season included The Women of Guernica, Lawlor's flamenco-based adaptation of Euripides' The Trojan Women, which she also directed. She directed two one-act plays by Tennessee Williams and created and directed three full-evening dance-theater pieces for the Fountain: Declarations: Love Letters of the Great Romantics; The Path of Love, which she also directed in South India; and the dance opera, The Song of Songs, with music by Al Carmines. Actors Equity Association honored Lawlor with its Diversity Award, for her dedication to presenting work at the Fountain that is culturally diverse. Considered to be one of the foremost international flamenco artists in the world today, Bermudez resides in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, the "birthplace" of flamenco. There, she has worked with renowned artists such as Juana del Pipa, Andres Peña, Antonio El Pipa, Alejandro Granados, Navajita Platea, El Capullo and many others. She was honored by the artists of the city for her relentless dedication in exposing the artistry of this region. Bermudez' outstanding and critically acclaimed performances include the Hollywood Bowl, Ford Amphitheatre, Fountain Theater and the Music Center in Los Angeles; Central Park, Lincoln Center and the Joyce Theater in New York City; the Teatro Palacio das Artes in Brazil; Peña Cernicalos, Los Gallos and Teatro Lope de Vega and Festival de Jerez in Spain; guest appearances with the Santa Cecilia California; and numerous venues throughout the world. Most recently she formed Chicana Gypsy Project which draws on her Mexican-American heritage and her immersion into Adulucian Gypsy culture. Her life and career have inspired the award-winning documentary film, Streets of Flamenco. Forever Flamenco! at the Ford takes place on Saturday, June 15. Doors open for picnicking at 6:30 pm and the show starts at 8:30 pm. Reserved seating is $50 and $75; VIP tickets, which include preferred seating, pre-concert private VIP catered party with artists and a gift bag, are available for $100. Purchase tickets on or before June 8 and save $5. Tickets are available at www.FordTheatres.org or 323 461-3673 (for non-visual media 323 GO 1-FORD). To learn about discounts for groups of 8 or more, please call 323 769-2147.

Rogue Machine presents Los Angeles Premiere of DYING CITY by Christopher Shinn, opening May 18, 2013 with reception to follow. The production runs 5pm Saturdays, 7pm Sundays, and 8pm Mondays through July 8, 2013, with Memorial weekend performances on May 23rd at 8pm and Sunday, May 26th at 7pm (No performance on June 24th).