The important issues of climate change and global warming dramatized in our hit new play Dream Catcher will be igniting a fascinating Q&A Discussion immediately following the performance this Saturday night, March 5th, at 8pm. Special guest panelists are Sabina Virgo from 350.0rg, Mark Morris from Save Porter Ranch, and Ross Berman of Solar City.
In the critically acclaimed new drama, Roy is an engineer on a billion-dollar solar energy plant being built in the Mojave Desert. Construction is threatened to come to a halt when Roy is confronted by Opal, his Mojave Indian lover, who claims the plant is being built on the site of ancient tribal burial grounds. Solar power confronts spirit power as the two issues of climate change versus cultural preservation collide.
Sabina Virgo
Sabina Virgo is an acclaimed speaker, writer and political analyst. Her presentations are dynamic, creative and thought provoking. Along with her facilitation and mediation skills, Sabina’s written work has been published in the The Nation, The Guardian, Crossroads, and Peaceworks. Her essays have been published by South End press under the title of Criminal Injustice.
Ms Virgo holds a degree from UCLA, and has a long history of work in the field of human rights, disability rights and diversity training.
For the last twenty years, Sabina has been a community activist and leader in the labor movement. While employed as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of California, Ms. Virgo organized the first union of state social service professionals – and became the founding president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2620, which now represents over 5,000 state employees.
For the last several years, Sabina has focused her work on climate change and environmental justice. Understanding the critical and immediate threat of climate disruption, Sabina is a member of the steering committee of SoCal 350 Climate Action, and is a facilitator of their Labor Outreach group.
Mark Morris
Mark Morris is from Porter Ranch and a native Los Angelino. Along with being an active union member he also sits on the board of the Valley Interfaith Council and serves as co chair of their social justice committee. About one year ago he became vice president of the non profit Save Porter Ranch, a community organization addressing fracking in the hills of North San Fernando Valley.
He currently is working on making others aware of the dark history of man made environmental disasters that have plagued the San Fernando Valley from the Saint Francis Dam disaster of 1928 to the most recent disaster in Aliso Canyon releasing tons of methane gas into the atmosphere for almost four months.
Ross Berman is an engineer from Solar City, America’s largest solar power provider. Solar City makes clean energy available to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
The panelists will be joined by Dream Catcher actors Elizabeth Frances and Brian Tichnell and playwright Stephen Sachs immediately after the performance this Saturday, March 5th.
Join us this Saturday night for a powerful new play and thought-provoking discussion. More Info/Get Tickets
Posted in actors, arts organizations, Climate Change, Fountain Theatre, Global warming, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged 350.org, Brian Tichnell, climate change, Dream Catcher, Elizabeth Frances, Fountain Theatre, global warming, Los Angeles, Mark Morris, Mojave desert, Mojave Indian, new plays, performing arts, plays, Ross Berman, Sabina Virgo, Save Porter Ranch, Solar City, solar energy, solar power, Stephen Sachs, theatre
Solar power confronts spirit power in a new drama by Stephen Sachs about climate change, cultural change and the moral consequences of personal choice. Cameron Watson directs Elizabeth Frances and Brian Tichnell in the world premiere of Dream Catcher, opening January 30 at the Fountain Theatre.
Roy is the youngest member on a team of high-level engineers brought in to launch the most important project of his career — the construction of a solar energy plant in the middle of the Mojave Desert — when the sudden discovery of long-buried Native American artifacts threatens to bring the billion-dollar operation to a halt. The disaster gets deeply personal when the whistle-blower turns out to be Opal, the fiery and unpredictable young Mojave Indian woman with whom Roy has been having an affair.
More Info/Get Tickets
This entry was posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Global warming, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwriting, stage, Theater, theatre and tagged Actors Equity Association, Brian Tichnell, Cameron Watson, climate change, Dream Catcher, Elizabeth Frances, Fountain Theatre, global warming, Los Angeles, Mojave Indian, Native American, new play, plays, solar energy, solar power, Stephen Sachs, theater, world premiere. Bookmark the permalink.
Our critically acclaimed Los Angeles Premiere of In the Red and Brown Waterby Tarell Alvin McCraney recently won two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for Best Director (Shirley Jo Finney) and Best Ensemble. Enjoy this new short video clip of the opening sequence and see why!
‘In the Red and Brown Water’ – Opening Sequence
This entry was posted in Acting, actors, Arts, designers, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre and tagged Diarra Kilpatrick, Dorian Baucum, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, In The Red and Brown Water, Iona Morris, Justin Chu Cary, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Maya Lynne Robinson, new plays, Peggy Blow, performing arts, plays, Shirley Jo Finney, Simone Missick, Stephen Marshall, Tarell Alvin McCraney, theater, theatre, Theodore Perkins. Bookmark the permalink.
The important issues of climate change and global warming dramatized in our hit new play Dream Catcher will be igniting a fascinating Q&A Discussion immediately following the performance this Saturday night, March 5th, at 8pm. Special guest panelists are Sabina Virgo from 350.0rg, Mark Morris from Save Porter Ranch, and Ross Berman of Solar City.
In the critically acclaimed new drama, Roy is an engineer on a billion-dollar solar energy plant being built in the Mojave Desert. Construction is threatened to come to a halt when Roy is confronted by Opal, his Mojave Indian lover, who claims the plant is being built on the site of ancient tribal burial grounds. Solar power confronts spirit power as the two issues of climate change versus cultural preservation collide.
Sabina Virgo
Sabina Virgo is an acclaimed speaker, writer and political analyst. Her presentations are dynamic, creative and thought provoking. Along with her facilitation and mediation skills, Sabina’s written work has been published in the The Nation, The Guardian, Crossroads, and Peaceworks. Her essays have been published by South End press under the title of Criminal Injustice.
Ms Virgo holds a degree from UCLA, and has a long history of work in the field of human rights, disability rights and diversity training.
For the last twenty years, Sabina has been a community activist and leader in the labor movement. While employed as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of California, Ms. Virgo organized the first union of state social service professionals – and became the founding president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2620, which now represents over 5,000 state employees.
For the last several years, Sabina has focused her work on climate change and environmental justice. Understanding the critical and immediate threat of climate disruption, Sabina is a member of the steering committee of SoCal 350 Climate Action, and is a facilitator of their Labor Outreach group.
Mark Morris
Mark Morris is from Porter Ranch and a native Los Angelino. Along with being an active union member he also sits on the board of the Valley Interfaith Council and serves as co chair of their social justice committee. About one year ago he became vice president of the non profit Save Porter Ranch, a community organization addressing fracking in the hills of North San Fernando Valley.
He currently is working on making others aware of the dark history of man made environmental disasters that have plagued the San Fernando Valley from the Saint Francis Dam disaster of 1928 to the most recent disaster in Aliso Canyon releasing tons of methane gas into the atmosphere for almost four months.
Ross Berman is an engineer from Solar City, America’s largest solar power provider. Solar City makes clean energy available to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
The panelists will be joined by Dream Catcher actors Elizabeth Frances and Brian Tichnell and playwright Stephen Sachs immediately after the performance this Saturday, March 5th.
Join us this Saturday night for a powerful new play and thought-provoking discussion. More Info/Get Tickets
Posted in actors, arts organizations, Climate Change, Fountain Theatre, Global warming, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged 350.org, Brian Tichnell, climate change, Dream Catcher, Elizabeth Frances, Fountain Theatre, global warming, Los Angeles, Mark Morris, Mojave desert, Mojave Indian, new plays, performing arts, plays, Ross Berman, Sabina Virgo, Save Porter Ranch, Solar City, solar energy, solar power, Stephen Sachs, theatre
The important issues of climate change and global warming dramatized in our hit new play Dream Catcher will be igniting a fascinating Q&A Discussion immediately following the performance this Saturday night, March 5th, at 8pm. Special guest panelists are Sabina Virgo from 350.0rg, Mark Morris from Save Porter Ranch, and Ross Berman of Solar City.
In the critically acclaimed new drama, Roy is an engineer on a billion-dollar solar energy plant being built in the Mojave Desert. Construction is threatened to come to a halt when Roy is confronted by Opal, his Mojave Indian lover, who claims the plant is being built on the site of ancient tribal burial grounds. Solar power confronts spirit power as the two issues of climate change versus cultural preservation collide.
Sabina Virgo
Sabina Virgo is an acclaimed speaker, writer and political analyst. Her presentations are dynamic, creative and thought provoking. Along with her facilitation and mediation skills, Sabina’s written work has been published in the The Nation, The Guardian, Crossroads, and Peaceworks. Her essays have been published by South End press under the title of Criminal Injustice.
Ms Virgo holds a degree from UCLA, and has a long history of work in the field of human rights, disability rights and diversity training.
For the last twenty years, Sabina has been a community activist and leader in the labor movement. While employed as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of California, Ms. Virgo organized the first union of state social service professionals – and became the founding president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2620, which now represents over 5,000 state employees.
For the last several years, Sabina has focused her work on climate change and environmental justice. Understanding the critical and immediate threat of climate disruption, Sabina is a member of the steering committee of SoCal 350 Climate Action, and is a facilitator of their Labor Outreach group.
Mark Morris
Mark Morris is from Porter Ranch and a native Los Angelino. Along with being an active union member he also sits on the board of the Valley Interfaith Council and serves as co chair of their social justice committee. About one year ago he became vice president of the non profit Save Porter Ranch, a community organization addressing fracking in the hills of North San Fernando Valley.
He currently is working on making others aware of the dark history of man made environmental disasters that have plagued the San Fernando Valley from the Saint Francis Dam disaster of 1928 to the most recent disaster in Aliso Canyon releasing tons of methane gas into the atmosphere for almost four months.
Ross Berman is an engineer from Solar City, America’s largest solar power provider. Solar City makes clean energy available to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
The panelists will be joined by Dream Catcher actors Elizabeth Frances and Brian Tichnell and playwright Stephen Sachs immediately after the performance this Saturday, March 5th.
Join us this Saturday night for a powerful new play and thought-provoking discussion. More Info/Get Tickets
Posted in actors, arts organizations, Climate Change, Fountain Theatre, Global warming, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged 350.org, Brian Tichnell, climate change, Dream Catcher, Elizabeth Frances, Fountain Theatre, global warming, Los Angeles, Mark Morris, Mojave desert, Mojave Indian, new plays, performing arts, plays, Ross Berman, Sabina Virgo, Save Porter Ranch, Solar City, solar energy, solar power, Stephen Sachs, theatre
Final Performance, Set Strike, Closing Party and Thai Food
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This entry was posted in actors, Arts, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre and tagged closing party, Deborah Lawlor, Diarra Kilpatrick, Dorian Baucum, final performance, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, In The Red and Brown Water, Iona Morris, Justin Chu Cary, Kathleen Jaffe, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Maya Lynne Robinson, Miles Orion Feld, Misty Carlisle, new plays, Peggy Blow, performing arts, plays, playwriting, Shawna Voragen, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Simone Missick, Stephen Marshall, Stephen Sachs, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Terri Roberts, theater, theatre, Theodore Perkins. Bookmark the permalink.
The important issues of climate change and global warming dramatized in our hit new play Dream Catcher will be igniting a fascinating Q&A Discussion immediately following the performance this Saturday night, March 5th, at 8pm. Special guest panelists are Sabina Virgo from 350.0rg, Mark Morris from Save Porter Ranch, and Ross Berman of Solar City.
In the critically acclaimed new drama, Roy is an engineer on a billion-dollar solar energy plant being built in the Mojave Desert. Construction is threatened to come to a halt when Roy is confronted by Opal, his Mojave Indian lover, who claims the plant is being built on the site of ancient tribal burial grounds. Solar power confronts spirit power as the two issues of climate change versus cultural preservation collide.
Sabina Virgo
Sabina Virgo is an acclaimed speaker, writer and political analyst. Her presentations are dynamic, creative and thought provoking. Along with her facilitation and mediation skills, Sabina’s written work has been published in the The Nation, The Guardian, Crossroads, and Peaceworks. Her essays have been published by South End press under the title of Criminal Injustice.
Ms Virgo holds a degree from UCLA, and has a long history of work in the field of human rights, disability rights and diversity training.
For the last twenty years, Sabina has been a community activist and leader in the labor movement. While employed as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of California, Ms. Virgo organized the first union of state social service professionals – and became the founding president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2620, which now represents over 5,000 state employees.
For the last several years, Sabina has focused her work on climate change and environmental justice. Understanding the critical and immediate threat of climate disruption, Sabina is a member of the steering committee of SoCal 350 Climate Action, and is a facilitator of their Labor Outreach group.
Mark Morris
Mark Morris is from Porter Ranch and a native Los Angelino. Along with being an active union member he also sits on the board of the Valley Interfaith Council and serves as co chair of their social justice committee. About one year ago he became vice president of the non profit Save Porter Ranch, a community organization addressing fracking in the hills of North San Fernando Valley.
He currently is working on making others aware of the dark history of man made environmental disasters that have plagued the San Fernando Valley from the Saint Francis Dam disaster of 1928 to the most recent disaster in Aliso Canyon releasing tons of methane gas into the atmosphere for almost four months.
Ross Berman is an engineer from Solar City, America’s largest solar power provider. Solar City makes clean energy available to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
The panelists will be joined by Dream Catcher actors Elizabeth Frances and Brian Tichnell and playwright Stephen Sachs immediately after the performance this Saturday, March 5th.
Join us this Saturday night for a powerful new play and thought-provoking discussion. More Info/Get Tickets
Posted in actors, arts organizations, Climate Change, Fountain Theatre, Global warming, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged 350.org, Brian Tichnell, climate change, Dream Catcher, Elizabeth Frances, Fountain Theatre, global warming, Los Angeles, Mark Morris, Mojave desert, Mojave Indian, new plays, performing arts, plays, Ross Berman, Sabina Virgo, Save Porter Ranch, Solar City, solar energy, solar power, Stephen Sachs, theatre
One of the great things about working in a theatre is you get the opportunity to bring people together.
Theater starts the minute the lights go down and the outside world stops. In the darkened theater, the to-do lists and personal hardships fade into a different world that will be yours for the next two hours. In the dark, we are no longer different people but a collective group sharing the same experience. We taste the love Romeo has for Juliet, cry with John Proctor as he asks for forgiveness, and laugh with Eliza Doolittle as she dances all night. Theatre lets us reexperience first kisses, our first heartaches. It evens the playing field so we all can experience the same thing regardless of how different we are. As we experienced it with our last production, Citizen: An American Lyric. In the dark we were the oppressed and the oppressor. We became a collective unit attempting to understand racism.
But Friday, we got to experience a very different type of unifying. Friday we were able to have Eric Arboleda’s third grade class from Ramona Elementary School come to our theatre. And we stopped being actors and children and started becoming one collective unit.
Lexi Lallatin holding photo of Nukain Mabuza to students.
We started the day with a tour of the theatre which ended on the stage set up for our show The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek. There, surrounded by intricately designed rocks, sand, and a set we were able to discuss found art- particularly relating to Nukain Mabuza (The subject of the play). The children were able to see through the eyes of someone who lived during the apartheid. They talked about how they would have wanted to “express their emotions”. And once again, it testified to the unifying power of theatre. Where else would third grade children and theatre artists be able to bond over the artistic genius of an untrained artist during apartheid in South Africa? In the end, the kids were able to express themselves independently by painting their own rocks.
Lexi lallatin with Ramona School student on the set of ‘Painted Rocks”.
I speak for the Fountain Theatre when I say that this experience spoke to us on why we do theater. Theatre has the power to unify. To bring together. Every child was different. Some were too shy to speak and others couldn’t wait to tell you every detail of their day. Some spent the whole time making sure their rock was perfect, while others were more eager to get to the doughnut and play “duck, duck, goose”. Every rock came out different. Some were intricate, with dots and swirls. Some were blobs of a color the child swore was “marbled.” But in the end, all of the students were so excited to share and talk about their rocks.
I am so thankful for the wonderful Ramona Elementary School, to Eric Arboleda and his wonderful class, to American Builders Supply in Pacoima who donated the rocks, to Stan’s Doughnuts, and to all the people at the theatre who helped make this possible. This is the epitome of bringing people together. We are so thankful to be part of this community, and we are proud to say this is the type of thing we strive for.
Students from Ramona Elementary School.
Come to the Fountain Theatre and see The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek. Be part of the shared experience. See the children’s rocks in our lobby. Hear about Nukain Mabuza. On Friday, as the sun set on our collection of wet rocks drying in the sun, each with its own story behind it, I wondered what Nukain would have thought if he knew all the different people he brought together, on Friday and throughout therun of this play, to pay homage to his memory and his work.
Lexi Lallatin is from Portland, Oregon, and now an intern at the Fountain Theatre.The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creekruns to December 14th. Info/Tickets
This entry was posted in Art, artist, Arts, arts organizations, creativity, Fountain Theatre, non-profit organization, Outsider Art, Theater, theatre and tagged art, arts organizations, Athol Fugard, Fountain Theatre, Lexi Lallatin, Los Angeles, Nukain Mabuza, Outsider Art, performing arts, plays, Ramona Elementary School, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek, theater, theatre, West Coast Premiere. Bookmark the permalink.
Matthew Hancock and Jennifer Finch in “I and You”.
The Fountain Theatre’s acclaimed 2015 productions of Lauren Gunderson’s I and You and Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine have earned four NAACP Theatre Award nominations for productions presented between January – December, 2015.
The NAACP Theatre Awards is presented by the Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Branch in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles City Council President/Councilmember District 10 Herb Wesson, Jr. and co-chaired by Byron K. Reed, Senior Vice President of Wells Fargo-West Region Community Relations, and Jeffrey Rush of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
“We’re always pleased to be acknowledged by the NAACP theatre committee,” says Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “We have a long and successful history of supporting and presenting the work of a rich variety of artists on our stage. Diversity and inclusion is at the core of our artistic mission.”
‘Citizen: An American Lyric’ at the Fountain Theatre
The mission of the NAACP Theatre Awards is to entertain, educate, and inspire the community and create diversity in the arts and entertainment industry. To honor LA theatre artists and celebrate live theatre in Los Angeles.
This year, the Fountain Theatre has received the following nominations:
Best Lead Male – Matthew Hancock, I and You
Best Choreography – Anastasia Coon, Citizen: An American Lyric
Best Lighting – Jeremy Pivnick, I and You
Best Set Design – Tom Buderwitz, I and You
The awards show will be held on Monday, November 21, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. More info.
Posted in African American, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Tennessee Williams, The Train Driver, theatre
Tagged Anastasia Coon, award, Beverly Hills, Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine, Fountain Theatre, Herb Wesson, I and You, Jennifer Finch, Jeremy Pivnick, Lauren Gunderson, Los Angeles, Matthew Hancock, NAACP Theater Awards, nominations, Saban Theatre, Stephen Sachs, Tom Buderwitz
The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
As the year draws to an end, the Fountain Theatre is delighted to be highlighted on many of the annual “Best of 2015” lists that are starting to appear.
Los Angeles Times theatre critic Charles McNulty selected our west coast premiere of Athol Fugard’s The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek to his Best Theater of 2015, hailing it as “Another in the Fountain Theatre’s series of expertly acted productions of the great South African playwright.”
The LA Theatre website Bitter Lemons named The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek as its Top Rated Production of 2015.
And critic Travis Michael Holder honored the Fountain Theatre with several of his TicketHolder Awards for 2015:
BEST PRODUCTION OF 2015
The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
RUNNERS-UP: Citizen: An American Lyric
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A PLAY
Gilbert Glenn Brown, Thomas Silcott, Phillip Solomon, Suanne Spoke, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
RUNNERS-UP: Bernard K. Addison, Leith Burke, Tina Lifford, Tony Maggio, Simone Missick, Lisa Pescia, Citizen: An American Lyric
Citizen: An American Lyric
NEW DISCOVERY 2015
Phillip Solomon, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
BEST PLAYWRIGHT
Athol Fugard, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
BEST ADAPTATION
RUNNERS-UP: Stephen Sachs, Citizen: An American Lyric
BEST DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Simon Levy, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
RUNNERS-UP: Shirley Jo Finney, Citizen: An American Lyric
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
RUNNERS-UP: Naila Aladdin-Sanders, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
BEST SOUND DESIGN
RUNNERS-UP: Peter Bayne, Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek
BEST VIDEO DESIGN
RUNNERS-UP: Yee Eun Nam, Citizen: An American Lyric
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Anastasia Coon, Movement, Citizen: An American Lyric
A marvelous end to a memorable year marking our 25th Anniversary season. More “best” lists will be appearing.
Posted in Fountain Theatre
Tagged Anastasia Coon, Athol Fugard, Bernard K. Addison, Charles McNulty, Citizen: An American Lyric, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Leith Burke, Lisa Pescia, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Times, Naila Aladdin-Sanders, Peter Bayne, Philip Solomon, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Simone Missick, Stephen Sachs, Suanne Spoke, The Painted Rocks at Revolver Creek, theater, theatre, Thomas Silcott, Tina Lifford, Tony Maggio, Travis Michael Holder, West Coast Premiere, world premiere, Yee Eun Nam
Cast of ‘Citizen’ have table talk.
Rehearsals are now underway for our exciting world premiere stage adaptation of Claudia Rankine‘s acclaimed book about race in America, Citizen: An American Lyric. Only a few days into rehearsal , the new play has already inspired an honest, open and insightful dialogue between the actors, sharing thoughts and feelings about race, identity, human connection, self-awareness and what it means to be a citizen in this country.
Adapted for the stage by Stephen Sachs and directed by Shirley Jo Finney, the free-flowing and fast-moving theatre piece opens August 1st.
The talented ensemble cast includes Bernard K. Addison, Leith Burke, Tina Lifford, Tony Maggio, Simone Missick, and Lisa Pescia.
Before the cast was permitted to turn to page one of the script and begin the painstaking process of exploring and analyzing the text, it was essential to Director Finney that the actors have a frank conversation with each other about their own life experiences concerning race, social/cultural interaction and human relationships. To get to the heart of the issues exposed in this play, Finney insisted, it must be personal. The result was a spirited dialogue at the rehearsal table that was raw, insightful, painful, funny and enlightening.
Actor Tony Maggio and company discuss the play.
This powerful and thought-provoking stage adaptation fuses theatre, music, sound, movement, and video imagery. Snapshots, vignettes, a meditation on the acts of everyday racism. Remarks, glances, seeming slips of the tongue. Those did-that-really-just-happen-did-they-really-just say-that slurs that happen every day. And the larger incidents that become national firestorms. As Rankine writes, “This is how you are a citizen.”
Rankine’s acclaimed book is the Winner of the 2015 National Book Award, the 2015 Los Angeles Book Award, and the PEN Award.
At Monday night’s first rehearsal, producer Simon Levy guided the company through production business, scheduling and paperwork. Costume designer Naila Aladdin Sanders took measurements of the actors. Director Shirley Jo Finney spoke about her vision for the play. The script was then read aloud by the cast. Also present were Co-Artistic Director Deborah Lawlor, Director of Devlopment Barbara Goodhill, designers Yee Eun Nam, and Dillon Nelson, movement director Anastasia Coon, publicist Lucy Pollak, and intern Isabel Espy.
The meditation on race and truthful questioning of social interaction dramatized in this new work is timely for our city and our country. Our world premiere stage adaptation of Citizen: An American Lyric promises to be the theatrical event of the summer and will certainly generate much-needed conversation. We urge all citizens to join us for this illuminating and important ride! Opens August 1st.
Photo Slideshow: Table Talk
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Get Tickets/More Info
Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged actors, Anastasia Coon, Bernard K. Addison, Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine, Deborah Lawlor, Dillon Nelson, Fountain Theatre, Isabel Espy, Leith Burke, Lisa Pescia, Los Angeles, Lucy Pollak, Naila Aladdin-Sanders, National Book Award, new plays, performing arts, plays, poetry, race, racial prejudice, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Simone Missick, stage adaptation, theater, theatre, Tina Lifford, Tony Maggio, world premiere, Yee Eun Nam
The important issues of climate change and global warming dramatized in our hit new play Dream Catcher will be igniting a fascinating Q&A Discussion immediately following the performance this Saturday night, March 5th, at 8pm. Special guest panelists are Sabina Virgo from 350.0rg, Mark Morris from Save Porter Ranch, and Ross Berman of Solar City.
In the critically acclaimed new drama, Roy is an engineer on a billion-dollar solar energy plant being built in the Mojave Desert. Construction is threatened to come to a halt when Roy is confronted by Opal, his Mojave Indian lover, who claims the plant is being built on the site of ancient tribal burial grounds. Solar power confronts spirit power as the two issues of climate change versus cultural preservation collide.
Sabina Virgo
Sabina Virgo is an acclaimed speaker, writer and political analyst. Her presentations are dynamic, creative and thought provoking. Along with her facilitation and mediation skills, Sabina’s written work has been published in the The Nation, The Guardian, Crossroads, and Peaceworks. Her essays have been published by South End press under the title of Criminal Injustice.
Ms Virgo holds a degree from UCLA, and has a long history of work in the field of human rights, disability rights and diversity training.
For the last twenty years, Sabina has been a community activist and leader in the labor movement. While employed as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the State of California, Ms. Virgo organized the first union of state social service professionals – and became the founding president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2620, which now represents over 5,000 state employees.
For the last several years, Sabina has focused her work on climate change and environmental justice. Understanding the critical and immediate threat of climate disruption, Sabina is a member of the steering committee of SoCal 350 Climate Action, and is a facilitator of their Labor Outreach group.
Mark Morris
Mark Morris is from Porter Ranch and a native Los Angelino. Along with being an active union member he also sits on the board of the Valley Interfaith Council and serves as co chair of their social justice committee. About one year ago he became vice president of the non profit Save Porter Ranch, a community organization addressing fracking in the hills of North San Fernando Valley.
He currently is working on making others aware of the dark history of man made environmental disasters that have plagued the San Fernando Valley from the Saint Francis Dam disaster of 1928 to the most recent disaster in Aliso Canyon releasing tons of methane gas into the atmosphere for almost four months.
Ross Berman is an engineer from Solar City, America’s largest solar power provider. Solar City makes clean energy available to homeowners, businesses, schools, non-profits and government organizations at a lower cost than they pay for energy generated by burning fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas.
The panelists will be joined by Dream Catcher actors Elizabeth Frances and Brian Tichnell and playwright Stephen Sachs immediately after the performance this Saturday, March 5th.
Join us this Saturday night for a powerful new play and thought-provoking discussion. More Info/Get Tickets This entry was posted in actors, arts organizations, Climate Change, Fountain Theatre, Global warming, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre and tagged 350.org, Brian Tichnell, climate change, Dream Catcher, Elizabeth Frances, Fountain Theatre, global warming, Los Angeles, Mark Morris, Mojave desert, Mojave Indian, new plays, performing arts, plays, Ross Berman, Sabina Virgo, Save Porter Ranch, Solar City, solar energy, solar power, Stephen Sachs, theatre. Bookmark the permalink.
