Fountain audiences know Tim Cummings as an impassioned actor who brings gritty depth and honesty to every role he undertakes. From his searing work as political activist Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart (2013), to his heart-wrenching portrayal of Mitchell, devoted and loving partner to the suddenly-stricken Daniel in Daniel’s Husband (2019), Cummings never fails to impress.
Now he has taken on a new role – that of published author. His debut young adult novel, Alice the Cat, is being celebrated at the Fountain Theatre (indoor stage) with a book signing and conversation moderated by acclaimed author Meg Howrey (They’re Going to Love You) at 7pm on Tuesday, June 27.
What was the inspiration for Alice the Cat? What was so appealing about a suicidal cat, her pre-pubescent owner and a haunted house?
I lost my mother to cancer when I was a teenager, and the family cat fell into an intense depression afterward. I came home from school one day to discover she’d been running into the street, attempting to get run over. I had terrible fights with my dad about this; I wanted him to do something, but he wasn’t able to. Eventually, the cat disappeared. I never knew what happened. One day in grad school, earning my MFA in Writing, a question detonated above my head, “What happened to the cat?” I went home and wrote the first sentence of this book.
From there, it took on a life of its own. It felt like Tess, her friends, and the ghost girl, Francine, were waiting for someone to materialize as a vessel to tell their story. It’s a really wild tale, original and strange, emotional, and intensely goofy, too. I think Tess saw in me a writer who could bring her to life based on my great admiration of so many other strong tween female protagonists, like Meg Murry, Fern Arable, Cassie Logan, Lyra Silvertongue, Chihiro Ogino (AKA Sen), Coraline, Malú (María Luisa O’Neill-Morales), and ‘Eleven.’
Tell us a bit about your writing process.
In grad school, I felt safe and sequestered away from life. I’d spent over 35 years as an actor. I wanted to evolve as a storyteller. Writing has always felt private and intimate and open and free to me. I felt it was time to bring it into the light.
In school I just needed to write a book that I needed to read, that I needed to feel, that allowed me to insert all my wackiness, goofiness, darkness, mysticism, and spirituality into a kind of old-fashioned coming-of-age adventure with some really interesting kids who kept surprising me as I wrote them.
I never felt that Alice the Cat would put me on the map. I did it for me. I broke a lot of rules and took a lot risks, but I’m someone who doesn’t play it safe. And a mentor of mine (the astonishing Gayle Brandeis) in my final semester fell hard for the book and assisted me in purring it into the world. And here we are.
What attracts you to writing for the YA crowd?
Those formative years maintain their power over our lives forever. Adults love reading YA and middle-grade, so the readership is vast. There’s a kind of wild freedom when writing into the emotional and psychological states of tweens and teens. I think back to that age and I remember the feelings. It’s a seminal time, rife with hormonal snakings and expressive utterances. It’s great for writing!
The characters in Alice the Cat are delightfully unique, vivid and offbeat. Are any of them based on any real people in your life, or were they completely created from your imagination?
It’s a bit of both, honestly. I grew up outside Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, with mixed-race kids and vivid personalities. I always loved the girls who were tough and strong, but quiet, fighters when they needed to be. Tess is like that. She’s also based on cool female characters from other middle-grade and YA books I love.
I was goth as a teen (still am in many ways) and I love the misfit feeling of being goth. The mystery, creativity, theatricality of it. The love of the music. Lunar Velvet and Dami Tross were always meant to end up in this story. They’re a very real extension of my own innerness. And I adore Eddie and Cotter. They were a little unwieldy to write because they are so singular, so real, so messy, so expressive, but both care about Tess and Alice so much.
You deal with some very real, very difficult situations faced by many young people: loss of a parent/loved one, depression, suicidal ideation, difficulty fitting in, etc. Did you face any of these issues growing up? How did you deal with them?
In my childhood, I was pretty mercilessly bullied for being different. I had to learn to fight back, to find my voice. Theatre and writing did that for me. And at 16, when I lost my mom…I’ve been trying to figure out what to say about that for a long time. In that respect, Alice the Cat is a gateway.
I didn’t want to play it safe with this book. Most middle-grade books play it safe. You need only see what middle-schoolers are actually facing these days to feel inspired to go a little deeper. This is a story about grief, but it also offers levity in its goofiness. And it has a hopeful, responsible ending.
Which character(s) do you personally identify with most in the book?
All of them, for different reasons, but mostly Francine. The ghost. She’s been lingering in purgatory for eons and finally finds a way out, an absolution, through Tess and Alice. She reaches across dimensions to shudder the borders of these worlds and acquire what she needs to move on. And also allows Tess and Alice to remain together in this weird kind of way. I love her. I love that she and Tess share this penchant for anger and how it manifests.
How does your work as an actor inform your writing?
I always go deep into the characters I play. This book is written in first-person—meaning, I inhabited her the way I would inhabit any character I play. I wanted it visceral, embodied, and expressive. Being an actor helps with voice, the ever-elusive magical element to writing that no one seems to be able to put their finger on. Voice in writing is so mercurial. Thankfully, so is my protagonist.
How has reader response been to Alice the Cat?
Wacky, loving, enthusiastic, powerful. Also critical, whiny, and cruel. In other words: 100% normal. It’s what happens when you brave the deep waters of life by putting something into the world. But if you’re an artist, you’re gonna ‘art’ no matter what people have to say about it. It brings me such joy. And the truth is, true joy is impenetrable. At least for me.
Outside of your signing event at the Fountain on Tuesday, June 27, where can folks purchase Alice the Cat?
My website has all the ways you can buy it! www.timcummings.ink
What’s up next for you? Another book? Another show?
Yes, a few more books are already written, and I’m settling in to get that going. Book # 2 is about theatre kids—and epilepsy. It’s deep, magical, funny, heartbreaking, mysterious, and it features a dog. (And it has some Alice characters in it.) Not sure about the acting. Scattered tiny things here and there, but nothing major. The actor is sleeping. The actor will wake up when the actor feels rested and refreshed; we’ll see if it wants to stay in bed or for me to hand it a cup of coffee, its robe and slippers, see if it rouses and moves about.
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Fountain Theatre, 2023.
by Stephen Sachs
“Isn’t that the theatre where they did Last Summer at Bluefish Cove?” It was 1990, and I heard that a lot. My business partner, Deborah Lawlor, and I had just acquired the Fountain Theatre in East Hollywood. We had only an empty building and the dream of transforming it into an energetic artistic home that produced high-quality, meaningful theatre. As it turned out, we also took over a stage where a ground-breaking play ran for two sold-out years just a short while before.
Jean Smart, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, 1983
After an 80-performance run Off-Broadway, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers opened at the Fountain Theatre in 1983, with Jean Smart reprising the role of Lil. The ensemble, directed by Hilary Moshereece, also included Camilla Carr, Dianne Turley Travis, Shannon Kriska, Linda Cohen, Sandra J. Marshall, Nora Heflin, and Lee Carlington. Jean Smart was honored with the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. The Fountain production also received a Certificate of Outstanding Theatre from the City of Los Angeles.
That twenty-four-month run of Bluefish Cove at the Fountain Theatre was a turning point for the lesbian community in Los Angeles at the time, a benchmark achievement in L.A. theater, and a milestone in the history of the Fountain. For many queer women, it was the first time they saw themselves on stage in a play written by a lesbian. For straight audiences, it was an entertaining glimpse into a world that held many of the same needs and fears as their own. It was exhilarating.
We now live in dangerous, disturbing times. At least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the start of the year — a new record. People around the country face violence and inequality because of who they love, how they look, or who they are.
The Fountain Theatre offers this play as public affirmation that we all ache for the same human connection, we all seek love and friendship, no matter our differences. Many who were here forty years ago have never forgotten how this funny, tender play changed their lives. Generations of young queer women today, born after the play was produced here on Fountain Avenue, will visit Bluefish Cove for the first time this summer and discover for themselves what all the joy and excitement was about.
INFO/TICKETS
Stephen Sachs is the Artistic Director of the Fountain Theatre.
This entry was posted in Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, theatre and tagged actors, Fountain Avenue, Fountain Theatre, Jane Chambers, Jean Smart, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Los Angeles, performing arts, plays, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre. Bookmark the permalink.
Welcome to Bluefish Cove. The Fountain Theatre will transform the parking lot surrounding the set on its outdoor stage to create an oceanfront experience for its 40th-anniversary production of the groundbreaking comedy/drama, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers. Directed by Hannah Wolf, performances take place June 17 through August 27, with low-priced previews beginning June 14.Set in 1974, a group of queer women spend their summers together in a remote oceanfront town on Long Island. Their lesbian enclave is disrupted when Eva, a naïve straight woman recently separated from her husband, stumbles unaware into their circle and falls for the charming, tough-talking Lil. This heartfelt play, a landmark in lesbian history, is bursting with friendship, laughter, love and hope, bringing well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that transcend stereotypes and preconceptions to the stage.
“The play ran for two years, from 1981-1983, at the Fountain Theatre 40 years ago starring Jean Smart, before Deborah Lawlor and I acquired the building and established our company,” says Fountain artistic director Stephen Sachs. “It was a benchmark achievement in L.A. theater, a turning point for L.A.’s queer community, and a milestone in the history of our building. Many women saw and remember it. Now its time for generations of young gay women born after the play was produced here to experience it for themselves.”
The all female–identifying and non–binary cast and creative team includes actors Sarah Scott Davis, Allison Husko, Tamika Katon–Donegal, Lindsay LaVanchy, Noelle Messier, Stephanie Pardi, Ann Sonneville, Stasha Surdyke and Ellen D. Williams, as well as scenic designer Desma Murphy; lighting designer R. S. Buck, sound designer Andrea Allmond, costume designer Halei Parker, prop master Rebecca Carr and intimacy director Savanah Knechel. The production stage manager is Chloe Willey, and Gina DeLuca is assistant stage manager.
One of the first playwrights to depict love between women as happy, healthy, and well-adjusted, Jane Chambers (1937-1983) changed the course of American drama with works informed by second-wave feminism and the burgeoning gay rights movement, including A Late Snow (1974), Last Summer at Bluefish Cove (1980) and My Blue Heaven (1981). A prolific writer, Chambers also authored novels, poetry, and essays in addition to penning scripts for film and television. She trained as an actress at Rollins College and the Pasadena Playhouse because female students were not admitted to writing classes, and enjoyed success as an off-Broadway performer.
“(Bluefish Cove) was a benchmark achievement in L.A. theater, a turning point for L.A.’s queer community, and a milestone in the history of our building. … Now its time for generations of young gay women born after the play was produced here to experience it for themselves.”
–Stephen Sachs
In 1964, Chambers moved to Maine where she worked for MWTW-TV as a content producer and on-air personality. During President Johnson’s War on Poverty, Chambers took a position as arts coordinator with Jobs Corp, creating theater with inner-city youths. While earning a bachelor’s degree at Goddard College, Chambers returned to New York, co-founded Women’s Interart Theatre with Margot Lewitin, and met her life partner, talent agent Beth Allen. Chambers was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died in 1983. Her pioneering spirit is honored by an annual prize given in her name: The Jane Chambers Award for Playwriting is administered by The Women and Theatre Program. Chambers’ impact on American drama is also celebrated by a reading series at TOSOS (The Other Side of Silence) Theatre.
Check out this short new video of Hannah Wolf, fabulous director of Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, as she discusses how love and friendship are core themes of this iconic, funny, and poignant play.
Set in 1974, Bluefish concerns a group of queer women who spend their summers together in a remote seaside town. Their enclave is disrupted when Eva, a naïve straight woman separated from her husband, stumbles unaware into their circle and falls for the charming, tough-talking Lil. This iconic lesbian play bursts with heartfelt friendship, laughter, and love.
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove plays on our Outdoor Stage at 7pm Fridays – Mondays beginning next week. Low-priced previews begin Wednesday, June 14. Opening Night is Saturday, June 17, with a dessert reception to follow. The show runs through Sunday, August 27. TICKETS/MORE INFO.
Posted in Anniversary, Arts, comedy/drama, director, Diversity, Fountain Theatre, Gay, Gender issues, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Los Angeles, Outdoor Stage, performing arts, Queer, stage, Theater, theatre
Tagged Allison Husko, Ann Sonneville, Ellen D. Williams, Fountain Theatre, Hannah Wolf, Lindsay LaVanchy, Los Angeles, Noelle Messier, performing arts, plays, Sarah Scott Davis, Stasha Surdyke, Stephanie Pardi, Tamika Katon-Donegal, theater, theatre
Check out this short new video of Hannah Wolf, fabulous director of Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, as she discusses how love and friendship are core themes of this iconic, funny, and poignant play.
Set in 1974, Bluefish concerns a group of queer women who spend their summers together in a remote seaside town. Their enclave is disrupted when Eva, a naïve straight woman separated from her husband, stumbles unaware into their circle and falls for the charming, tough-talking Lil. This iconic lesbian play bursts with heartfelt friendship, laughter, and love.
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove plays on our Outdoor Stage at 7pm Fridays – Mondays beginning next week. Low-priced previews begin Wednesday, June 14. Opening Night is Saturday, June 17, with a dessert reception to follow. The show runs through Sunday, August 27. TICKETS/MORE INFO.
Set in 1974, a group of queer women spend their summers together in a remote oceanfront town on Long Island. Their lesbian enclave is disrupted when Eva, a naïve straight woman recently separated from her husband, stumbles unaware into their circle and falls for the charming, tough-talking Lil. This heartfelt play, a landmark in lesbian history, is bursting with friendship, laughter, love and hope, bringing well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that transcend stereotypes and preconceptions to the stage.
Check out this short video to meet the cast of our hot new summer production, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, opening June 17 on our Outdoor Stage.
This Saturday on Saturday Matinees, we’ll be joined by award winning playwright and poet Kit Yan, whose musical Interstate won “Best Lyrics” at the 2018 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Born in Enping, China, Yan’s family immigrated to Hawaii where they were raised. Yan describes their work as “a dream space where I witness, remember, and reflect on my queer and trans herstories.” I met Yan at the Playwright’s Center in Minneapolis where they were beginning their residency as a 2020 fellow. I was charmed by their warmth, and flattered by their generous support of my work. Since then, I’ve remained intrigued by their uniquely vibrant work – a combination of ancestral reverence, queer pride, and lots of pop culture fun. In this interview, we talk about inspirations, cultural traditions, and our shared love of aerobics.
France-Luce Benson – What were some of your favorite musicals growing up?
Kit Yan. – I love Disney lol.
Was there one in particular that left an imprint on you?
I love In the Heights. I have always felt inspired by family, community, neighborhoods, and relationships.
You say “writing is a spaceship into the borderless ancestral past…” I love that because I feel a strong connection to my ancestors whenever I’m creating. Is this true for you as well?
Absolutely. I carry with me all who have come before and all who are coming ahead in all my work. Writing is a dream space for me, to reimagine, retell, remember, and rewrite time and time again. I am only who I am because of the stories, and work of the ancestors. I never take for granted that I stand on shoulders and that gratefulness holds me accountable to telling stories that matter to me.
In another life I was a step aerobics instructor. I still love Step. So naturally, I’m intrigued by your musical MISS STEP. What was the inspiration?
WTF this is amazing about you! I was taking a step aerobics class in Long Island and getting really into it. It helped me feel free in my body as a trans person. Then Melissa (Yan’s collaborator) and I went down a rabbit hole of watching competitive aerobics for 8 hours straight one night while working on Interstate and just fell in love with it! When we dove deeper, we actually found the world of competitive aerobics to have some problems. There were misogynistic rules and expectations embedded in the rules in this sport that is supposed to be a ground for self- expression and frankly is pretty amazingly gay. So we set out to tell a story about trans people challenging these rules in order to feel free in their bodies and connect to something within themselves.
In your short film TO DO, there is a beautiful shot of the protagonist making an offering of flowers and cookies to the ocean? What is the significance? Is it based on any Asian tradition?
Yes! this is a food offering to the person who has moved onto their next life. I’m a buddhist and grew up with kind of a mish mash of buddhist, doaist, and feng shui practices. When we visit our ancestors’ graves we always bring food to nourish their spirits.
During these last 6 months, what has been keeping you sane?
I have been spending more time outside and in nature than ever before. It has been grounding to witness animals returning to their homes, plants growing in places they did not grow before, and people in relationship to the land in respectful and harmonious ways.
What is bringing you hope?
The above is bringing me hope and all this silence is bringing me hope. People helping other people. Collective work towards safety and wellness.
Learn more about Kit Yan
Kit Yan will be Saturday Matinee’s featured guest this week: Saturday Sep 5 at 5pm PT. MORE INFO.
Posted in Arts, arts organizations, Asian, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Korean, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, poetry, Theater, theatre
Tagged film, Fountain Theatre, France-Luce Benson, Interstate, Kit Yan, Los Angeles, Melissa Li, New York Theatre festival, playwright, Playwrights’ Center, poet, poetry, Saturday Matinees, theater, theatre
Jimmy Stewart, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)
by Stephen Sachs
Toward the end of the 1946 film classic It’s A Wonderful Life, when George Bailey is in the throes of an existential crisis, fearing his life has no value or meaning, the angel Clarence tells him, “You’ve been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you.”
After two months under stay-at-home orders and my theatre temporarily closed, I’m beginning to feel the same gift has been given to me by COVID-19.
Every theatre in our nation is now dark. For now, theatre as an art form performed on a stage for a live audience, does not exist. And no matter which epidemiological model you look at, theatres won’t be reopening in this country any time soon. For those of us who create theatre, the coronavirus is giving the public the chance to see what the world would be like without us.
That is why, like George Bailey haunting his hometown, I now find myself thrown into the same kind of twilight zone, an alternative reality—an upside-down world I no longer recognize, discombobulated. How did things change so quickly? One day my theatre is full, earning rave reviews, selling out. The next day it is closed. On Thursday we’re winning awards, delighting donors and board members. On Friday I am furloughing my staff and applying for unemployment.
Do you know the actor’s nightmare? Ever had it? The one where you’re suddenly thrown onstage into a play in front of an audience, but you don’t know your lines, you can’t find your script, and you don’t even know what play you’re supposed to be doing? That is how life feels to me now: a COVID nightmare. But I never wake up.
If I don’t have a theatre, who am I? Sometimes the most forceful way to discover your place in a culture or a community is to find yourself suddenly yanked from it. All I know is that a world without live theatre is a world I don’t want to live in.
Clicking on a play reading on Zoom is no substitute. Maybe you feel differently, but I personally feel glutted with Zoom meetings and online theatre events by now. My idea of well used stay-at-home time is not watching another online festival of hastily written five-minute plays streamed by a struggling theatre company. Though novel at first, the relentless onslaught of online content by terrified theatres has spread as widely and aggressively as the virus itself. Don’t get me wrong: I love National Theatre Live. Who doesn’t? But who has the millions of dollars to produce and promote at that level? Call me old-fashioned, but I still find the difference between watching a play online vs. experiencing it live in a theatre like the difference between watching porn on your laptop and actually making love.
All the Broadway tributes now streaming online during this shutdown do prove one thing: Theatre people are well-suited to rise above an emergency. Disaster is part of our DNA. Crisis is status quo in the theatre. Calamity is business as usual. We live and breathe uncertainty and panic. Philip Henslowe, the beleaguered and always-in-debt theatre owner in Shakespeare in Love (screenplay written by playwright Tom Stoppard) aptly sums up our philosophy:
Henslowe: Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster.
Fennyman: So, what do we do?
Henslowe: Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Fennyman: How?
Henslowe: I don’t know. It’s a mystery.
How will this horrific pandemic turn out well for me and my theatre? It would help to have a guardian angel. I don’t mean a corporate sponsor or a high-level donor—I mean like Clarence. My own personal celestial bodyguard to protect me from both spiritual and physical harm. Instead, I see only the Angel of Death. COVID-19 is killing people. Loss is everywhere. We are losing our jobs, our theatres, our audiences, our homes. Our loved ones. Our art form, not to mention our species, is under threat. There is a general, base-level sadness lurking inside all of us like a contagion. Laughter will come when it comes. But it just might be harder, and take a while longer, to get there.
Stephen Sachs
We are all George Bailey. We have dreams unrealized. We are stressed by daily life. We don’t fully appreciate what we have or what we’ve managed to accomplish. We focus on what serves ourselves and ignore what really matters. We get caught up in achieving “great things” instead of appreciating the value of doing small things in a great way. And we are closer than we realize to a huge, catastrophic meltdown triggered by a single financial calamity.
Theatre is community, the intertwining of human lives. And community is infectious, transmitted from person to person. The ripple effect of the stories we tell in a theatre spreads from one human being to another, and then emanates outward, forever. That is why, to me, to have our theatres silenced by a virus, is like a crime against humanity. Our humanity.But, as Clarence tells George, “Each man’s life touches so many other lives.”
My hope for myself is to emerge from this pandemic with a heightened sense of purpose. The great plays have shown me that a person with a strong central purpose can overcome any obstacle. To paraphrase Nietzsche, when you have a why to live for, you can bear any how. Theatre is one of my whys.
After two months holed up at home, I am starting to experience what the ancient Greeks called anagnorisis: a sudden realization of truth about myself and the true nature of my current situation. Before the pandemic, I would sometimes complain about running a theatre: the paperwork, the endless meetings, the donor parties. The season budgets and the hustling for money to pay for them. The long hours, the low pay, the constant pressure to achieve. After 30 years I felt old, overworked, exhausted. Now I want it all back. All I want now is what I had all along.
My wake-up call is the same as George Bailey’s epiphany, as he pleads to Clarence to end his never-been-born nightmare. Like George, I just want to return to the things and the work and the people I love. Like George, I just want what I already had. I miss the magic. The truth is that even when facing catastrophe, the life that I have in the theatre is wonderful.
Like George Bailey, I want to live again.
Stephen Sachs is a playwright, director, and the artistic director of the award-winning Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles.
This post originally appeared in American Theatre Magazine.
Posted in Art, Arts, arts organizations, COVID-19, Drama, film, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, movies, performing arts, Theater, theatre
Tagged Clarence, coronavirus, COVID-19, film, Fountain Theatre, George Bailey, Guardian Angel, It’s a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart, Los Angeles, movie, National Theatre Live, online streaming, Shakespeare in Love, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Tom Stoppard, Zoom
Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in “Brief Encounter”
The Fountain is presenting a free screening of the 1945 classic romantic film, Brief Encounter on Saturday, September 22 at 4:30pm. The screening is in conjunction with the Fountain’s current hit production, Arrival & Departure, which was inspired by the Noel Coward screenplay of the movie. Playwright/Director Stephen Sachs will introduce the film.
The screening will be fully captioned, accessible to all audiences.
When Time Out London recently polled 101 motion picture experts to select the 100 Best Romantic Films of all time, the panel voted Brief Encounter as #1, declaring it “the most romantic film ever made.” They’re not the only ones who think so. The Film Society of Lincoln Center named it “one of the most achingly romantic films ever made.”
Directed by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, Brief Encounter is a passionate film about a chance meeting, forbidden love, and finding one’s soul mate.
Brief Encounter is set during WWII in and around a London railway station. A married woman, with children, Laura (Celia Johnson), meets a stranger, a doctor (Trevor Howard) named Alec in the train station’s tea room, who kindly removes a piece of grit from her eye then leaves to catch his train. During her subsequent shopping trips every Thursday, Laura bumps into Alec and a friendship develops. Soon, the weekly meetings become an arranged rendezvous. Finally, they confess that they are deeply, overwhelmingly in love.
With its evocatively fog-enshrouded setting, swooning Rachmaninoff score, and pair of remarkable performances (Johnson was nominated for an Oscar), the film explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance, and has influenced many a cinematic brief encounter since its release.
“I was looking for a love story to inspire my new play,” explains Sachs, describing the origin of Arrival & Departure. “When I thought of Brief Encounter, with its journey of two strangers travelling from friendship into love, I knew I had found what I was looking for.”
Posted in arts organizations, Drama, film, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, love, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, stage, Theater, theatre
Tagged Arrival & Departure, Brief Encounter, Celia Johnson, David Lean, film, Fountain Theatre, love story, movie, new play, Noel Coward, romantic, screening, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Trevor Howard
The Fountain Theatre believes young people need access to the arts. Teens need to not only see art, they benefit from actively creating art themselves. That’s why the Fountain Theatre partnered with The Bresee Foundation to welcome three young women into the backstage rehearsal process for our acclaimed world premiere, Arrival & Departure. The result is this short film chronicling how the innovative hearing/Deaf production was created, told by the artists who created it.
The Bresee Foundation was founded in 1982, and has been providing quality after-school programs and family services to the public ever since. It battles poverty by empowering youth and families in Los Angeles with the skills, resources, and relationships necessary to thrive. In Bresee’s Best Buy Teen Tech Center, students experiment, innovate, and create in their own time, on their own terms.
Film makers Ariejoyee Carianga, Xeyla Huinac, and Ashley Polanco
This short film on Arrival & Departure was created by Ariejoyee Carianga, Xeyla Huinac, and Ashley Polanco. We enjoyed having these wonderful young women with us and are very proud of their short film. Enjoy!
Posted in actors, Arts, Arts education, arts organizations, Drama, Education, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Sometimes the most important things in our lives aren’t singular, momentous events of shattering spontaneity, but instead, slow burns that steadily coalesce into an unstoppable force; such is the case in the smoldering romance depicted in Noël Coward and David Lean’s masterpiece Brief Encounter. The film deposits us into a beautifully shot noir-esque chiaroscuro world where the contrasts painted on the silver screen mirror the push of the social norms expected of our upstanding subjects and the pull of their desperate, hopelessly contained passion.
As with Brief Encounter, our couples in the world premiere of Stephen Sachs’ new play Arrival & Departure meet in a train station, (theirs the kind that churns coal and grinds steel, ours the kind that surges below the earth.) Brief Encounter’s couple’s first rendezvous transpires in a tidy and charming tea shop, ours in a gritty Dunkin’ Donuts. Over the course of the production, fans of the classic may notice some deviations, updates, and modifications – but none of them alter the thrust of this timeless piece. The heart of yesterday beats with the same rhythm as the heart of today.
Brief Encounter, based on Coward’s one-act play Still Life, is just one of Lean and Coward’s many collaborations, and remains a beacon that has gone on to inform the genre and influence many cinematic brief encounters since. Coward, never married and secretly gay, adapted his one-act with such skill as to retain all the desire and simmering torment he felt in his heart, and that drove his protagonists toward their scintillating, but ultimately doomed affair.
Today, our world is fraught with global geopolitical distress, corruption, panic, and cruelty emanating from the highest offices in our land. Speed of light communication allows us the privilege of experiencing first hand the acute crises of people the world over. Everything is immediate, huge, and of dire importance – this is not the case with Brief Encounter. Lean, who later would become known for his epics (Lawrence of Arabia, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Doctor Zhivago) instead delivers to us a simple, clean, purely shot film that takes us deep into the hearts of humankind, and shows us that something close, something intimate, something that slyly unfurls in our psyche can become powerful enough to overcome a lifetime of repression. Perhaps it was only someone who could see things so large, could so beautifully show us something so small.
Posted in actors, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, love, movies, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged Arrival & Departure, Brief Encounter, David Lean, Dunkin Donuts, film, James Bennett, love story, movie, new play, Noel Coward, romance, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre
Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson in ‘Brief Encounter.’
Everyone has their most-cherished romantic movie. Even the professionals who make movies. When Time Out London recently polled 101 motion picture experts to select the 100 Best Romantic Films of all time, the panel voted the 1945 classic film Brief Encounter as #1, declaring it “the most romantic film ever made.” They’re not the only ones who think so. The Film Society of Lincoln Center named it “one of the most achingly romantic films ever made.”
What makes Brief Encounter so beloved and unforgettable? Have you seen it? No?
Directed by David Lean with a screenplay by Noël Coward and starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, Brief Encounter is a passionate film about a chance meeting, forbidden love, and finding one’s soul mate.
Now, seventy-three years after the release of the romantic masterpiece, Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs has been awarded exclusive permission by the Noel Coward Estate to transform the film Brief Encounter into his innovative new play, Arrival & Departure, opening July 14.
Brief Encounter is a classic romantic drama set in 1945 during WWII in and around a London railway station. A married woman, with children, Laura (Celia Johnson), meets a stranger, a doctor (Trevor Howard) named Alec in the train station’s tea room, who kindly removes a piece of grit from her eye then leaves to catch his train. During her subsequent shopping trips every Thursday, Laura bumps into Alec and a friendship develops. Soon, the weekly meetings become an arranged rendezvous. Finally, they confess that they are deeply, overwhelmingly in love.
With its evocatively fog-enshrouded setting, swooning Rachmaninoff score, and pair of remarkable performances (Johnson was nominated for an Oscar), the film explores the thrill, pain, and tenderness of an illicit romance, and has influenced many a cinematic brief encounter since its release.
The screenplay was adapted and based on playwright Noel Coward’s 1935 short one-act (half-hour) stage play Still Life. It was expanded from five short scenes in a train station to include action in other settings (Laura’s house, the apartment of the married man’s friend, restaurants, parks, train compartments, shops, a car, a boating lake and at the cinema).
The central action of the film, the romance, takes place entirely in flashback, confessed via Laura’s voice-over narration, within Laura’s mind. She simultaneously recounts the story and lives it.
Brief Encounter is unlike other films of this era in its treatment of love and adultery. The honest portrayal of Laura and Alec make them both sympathetic. The two characters, both well-meaning commuters thrown into the rush of wrongful temptation, remain unpunished for their sins. Although Brief Encounter has been labeled as “the British Casablanca”, the two masterpieces have different views of adultery. Casablanca carefully sides against it, the two lovers acknowledging that in times of war the needs of two people “don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.” Brief Encounter is far more ambiguous,offering both empathy to the characters’ plight and no clear conclusion on the morality of love and passion. They are just two ordinary people who live ordinary lives, but for a brief span of Thursdays, stand on the edge of something extraordinary.
Deanne Bray and Troy Kotsur in ‘Arrival & Departure.’
In Sachs’ new theatrical spin, Arrival & Departure, a Deaf man and a hard-of-hearing woman, two married strangers, meet accidentally in a New York City subway station. As their casual friendship develops into something deeper, each is forced to confront how their simmering relationship could forever change their lives and the lives of those they love.
The play is performed simultaneously in spoken English and American Sign Language with additional use of open captioning, so that both Deaf and hearing audiences can enjoy the production. Proving that whether it’s a movie transformed into a stage play, a screenplay adapted into a theatre script, or spoken English translated into American Sign Language, in matters of the heart, love is a universal language.
To watch David Lean’s classic romantic film, Brief Encounter, click here. To experience Stephen Sachs’ funny and heart-rending stage adaptation, Arrival & Departure, click here and come to the Fountain Theatre.
For both, bring a box of tissues and someone you love.
Posted in actors, arts organizations, Deaf, film, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, love, movies, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre
Tagged Arrival & Departure, ASL, Brief Encounter, Casablanca, Celia Johnson, David Lean, deaf, Deanne Bray, film, love story, movie, Noel Coward, romantic, sign language, Stephen Sachs, Still Life, theater, theatre, Trevor Howard, Troy Kotsur
Freddie Herko
The Fountain Theatre is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in the amount of $10,000 to support the creation, development and presentation of Freddie, an original new play utilizing a collaborative fusion of music, video, dance and drama. The world premiere project created by Fountain Co-Artistic Director Deborah Lawlor will be a thrilling hybrid of performance and video art forms to tell the unforgettable true story of Frederick Herko, the young avant garde dancer who galvanized audiences and those who knew him in New York’s East Village during the turbulent 1960’s.
Andy Warhol
A dazzling storm of charisma, beauty and artistic passion, Herko was a brilliant 28 year-old dancer of extraordinary talent haunted by dark self-destructive demons. A fiery denizen of Andy Warhol’s Factory and the experimental scene in Greenwich Village, Herko became more eccentric, unpredictable and self-destructive. In 1964, while dancing in his apartment to Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Herko leapt out the window and fell to his death five stories down. Created by Deborah Lawlor, who was a close friend of Herko in the final year of his life, the project chronicles the blazing comet of the Icarus-like Freddie and the explosive creative energy of the 1960’s. By fusing theatre, music, dance and video collage, the project will capture the explosive spirit of a passionate artist and a turbulent era.
Freddie Herko
Deborah Lawlor
The biography of Freddie Herko is currently being researched and written by Gerard Forde, a friend of Deborah Lawlor. Forde is now hosting a screening at the Museum of Modern Art in New York of Andy Warhol films featuring Herko.
The world premiere of Deborah Lawlor’s exciting Freddie project will be presented at the Fountain in 2015.
Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, Dance, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, grants, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre
Tagged actors, Andy Warhol, Dance, Deborah Lawlor, film, Fountain Theatre, Freddy Herko, grant, Los Angeles, Museum of Modern Art, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, new plays, New York, performing arts, plays, playwriting, The Factory, theater, theatre, world premiere
Katina Dunn and Jose Tanaka
By Mikey Hirano Culross
A new documentary, exploring the reach of flamenco music and dance into Los Angeles, screens Friday at the Fountain Theatre.
Conventional wisdom would have us assume that anyone directing a documentary has at least scant knowledge of the subject being explored.
Asked how much she knew about flamenco music before beginning her film project, Katina Dunn was pretty forthcomng about it.
“Nothing. Not a thing,” she said.
A journalist by trade, the Chicago native happened into a small club in Hollywood in 2010, and was instantly enchanted by a group of flamenco musicians and dancer Mizuho Sato.
“After I saw these guys playing, I went home and searched for them on Google, and there was nothing,” Dunn recalled at the Rafu Shimpo offices last week. “I knew I had to do something on them, because their performance was so moving. I knew what they were creating was incredible.”
Dunn’s directorial debut is the film “Kumpanía: Flamenco Los Angeles,” which will have a screening this Friday, at the Fountain Theatre in Hollywood. Showing as part of the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles, the film will be followed by a live concert by flamenco guitar virtuoso Jose Tanaka, who is among the artists profiled in “Kumpanía”.
Dunn’s film explores the reach of flamenco into cultures outside of its birthplace in the Andalusia region of southern Spain. The folk music – whose name translates roughly to “the folklore of the flame” – has enjoyed great popularity in Japan, where it is said there are more flamenco schools than in Spain.
Mizuho Sato
Tanaka, 44, said his parents were part of the generation that first embraced flamenco, and his given name is a direct result of their enthusiasm. He endured endless lessons, and when he was 18, his mother suggested he go study guitar in Spain.
Young Jose had other ideas.
“I said, ‘Screw that, I’m going to Hollywood!’ I wanted to be a rock star,” he explained.
Tanaka was working as a guitar instructor at a small music school shortly after arriving in L.A. in 1987. He said he soon became disillusioned with the monotony of his job.
“At the time, hard rock bands like Metallica and Pearl Jam were very popular, and I was teaching these kids that kind of stuff,” he said. “I found that they picked it up so quickly and I felt like I wasn’t much better than those kids. I didn’t feel like I was special, and all this time I was avoiding flamenco.”
All the while, his mother back in his hometown of Kyoto continued to send news of up-and-coming flamenco artists. But it wasn’t until the renowned Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía came to L.A. for a concert that the flamenco fire was rekindled in Tanaka’s heart.
“All the memories started to come back. There were a lot of mixed feelings, but I realized how much I missed flamenco. I was really brought to tears,” he said.
“Kumpanía” also features Sato, a native of Iwate Prefecture who teaches dance and has been performing with Tanaka’s group since 2004.
Jose Tanaka will perform a live solo concert immediately following the screening of ‘Kumpania’ on Friday night, July 19 at 8pm at the Fountain Theatre.
Mikey Hirano Culross isArts & Entertainment Editor for Rafu Shimpo
Kumpania & Jose Tanaka Friday, July 19 (323) 663-1525 MORE
Posted in Arts, arts organizations, Dance, dancer, director, Drama, film, flamenco, Fountain Theatre, movies, Music, new plays, performing arts, singer, Theater, theatre
Tagged Briseyda Zarate, Bruce Bisenz, Dance, Deborah Lawlor, documentary, Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles, film, Flamenco, flamenco dance, flamenco dancing, flamenco guitar, flamenco music, Forever Flamenco, Fountain Theatre, guitar, Iwate Prefecture, Jose Tanaka, Katina Dunn, Kumpania, Los Angeles, Mizuho Sato, Paco de Lucía, performing arts, Rafu Shimpo, theater, theatre, Timo Nunez
Maya Lynne Robinson
Actress Maya Lynne Robinson moved from New York City to Los Angeles in May, 2012. Two months later, she booked her first play in LA. And what a play and production it turned out to be! To her (and our) good fortune, Maya was cast in the ensemble as the gossipy Nia in our Los Angeles Premiere of In the Red and Brown Water. The production has drawn critical acclaim, been named “Best in Theater 2012” by the Los Angeles Times, and has been extended to Feb 24th.
I wanted a change. I was living in NYC, but working regionally and I wanted to move somewhere where I could live and work. I also came to focus more on film and television. I have an extensive theatre background and wanted to broaden my options.
Any preconceptions about LA being a “theater town”? The Hollywood Industry?
I didn’t know that LA was a theater town! I thought my focus immediately would be on film and television and “networking.” That’s the Hollywood Industry perception I was told about. LA has been much more than networking for me. It’s helped me create a little family, a sense of community and belonging that I hadn’t felt in a long time, professionally and personally. I moved here knowing only three people.
I knew the acting talent pool would be fierce, but I didn’t have any thoughts, one way or the other, on if the actors would be great. All I thought about was becoming a part of that acting pool.
Maya Lynne Robinson (right) as Nia, Simone Missick (left) as Shun, in “In the Red and Brown Water” at the Fountain Theatre.
‘In the Red and Brown Water’ is your first play in LA.
Yes, it’s is my first play here. I moved here in the middle of May and by August 2nd was cast in this fabulous production. I feel really blessed. Thank you Shirley Jo Finney and Erinn Anova for believing in my talent, with no one knowing anything about me. I was fresh off the boat! And thank you to Stephen Sachs, Simon Levy and Deborah Lawlor for allowing me to be a part of the Fountain family.
What has the ‘Red/Brown’ experience been like for you?
This experience has been very interesting for me. Extremely emotional; taking me out of a comfort zone that I didn’t know I had. I expected it to be professional. I never expected the personal bonds to be so strong with the rest of the cast and crew. We’ve become a family. I’ve also grown up a bit and learned a lot about who I am. I felt very “East Coast” when I moved here. Now I just feel like me. It’s hard to put into words, you know? I’m still transitioning.
The Fountain Theatre
How has your experience been working at the Fountain?
The Fountain has been fabulous. I love the fact it looks like a home. Theatre should feel like coming home. It’s been a great experience. I didn’t have expectations of what LA theatre companies would be. I just dove in.
How do you like living in Los Angeles?
It’s winter time! 70 degrees! How do YOU think I like LA?! I love the snow, I’m originally from Cleveland, but a snow less winter hasn’t been that bad. The traffic though… I can do without the traffic.
Is it different being an actor in New York versus being an actor in LA?
I’m not sure I’ve processed the differences yet. I’ve just been blessed to meet people and work immediately. I spent one week performing ‘Red/Brown’ at night and shuttling to San Diego to be on set during the day. It was a very different experience for me; exhausting and fulfilling.
What are your plans after ‘Red/Brown’ closes?
To keep acting, finish my one woman show, introduce LA to me. I’m also looking for representation. I booked this show on my own, but some help, would be fantastic. Oh, and go on vacation!
In the Red and Brown Water Now – Feb 24 (323) 663-1525More
Posted in actors, Arts, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged acting pool, actors, Best in Theater 2012, Deborah Lawlor, Erinn Anova, film, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Hollywood Industry, In The Red and Brown Water, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Los Angeles Times, Maya Lynne Robinson, motion picture, new plays, New York, performing arts, plays, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Tarell Alvin McCraney, theater, theatre community, TV
As we prepare our upcoming new signed/spoken version of Cyrano, enjoy this scene from the 1950 movie version of the original classic, “Cyrano de Bergerac“, starring Jose Ferrer.
In our funny, romantic and imaginative new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is a brilliant deaf poet hopelessly in love with Roxy, a beautiful hearing woman. But she doesn’t understand sign language and instead loves Chris, his hearing brother. Can Cyrano express his love to Roxy with his hands? Or must he teach Chris to woo her, to “speak his words” for him? A new Sign Language spin on a classic love story.
Cyrano April 28 -June 10 (323) 663-1525More InfoBuy Tickets
Posted in actors, Arts, Deaf, Fountain Theatre, movies, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, theatre
Tagged 1950, American Sign Language, Cyrano, Cyrano de Bergerac, deaf, Deaf West Theatre, film, Fountain Theatre, Jose Ferrer, Los Angeles, movie, National Endowment for the Arts, new plays, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Troy Kotsur, world premiere
Troy Kotsur and Erinn Anova in “Cyrano” at the Fountain Theatre (2012).
Just announced: The Fountain Theatre has earned 6 LA Drama Critics Circle Award nominations for its acclaimed 2012 productions of Cyrano and In the Red and Brown Water. In addition, the Fountain has also been honored by the LADCC with the Polly Warfield Award for Best Overall Season in 2012.
The 2012 LADCC Award nonminations for the Fountain:
Best Production – Cyrano
Best Director – Simon Levy, Cyrano
Best Director – Shirley Jo Finney, In the Red and Brown Water
Best Lead Performance – Troy Kotsur, Cyrano
Best Ensemble – In the Red and Brown Water
Best Writing (Adaptation) – Stephen Sachs, Cyrano
The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater will be awarded to The Fountain Theatre. The 2012 Fountain season included the west coast premiere of El Nogalar by Tanya Saracho, the world premiere of Cyrano by Stephen Sachs, the United States Premiere of The Blue Iris by Athol Fugard, and the Los Angeles Premiere of In the Red and Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney. The award is accompanied by an honorarium funded by the Nederlander Organization.
The Fountain/Deaf West Theatre world premiere co-production of Cyrano ran for 4 sold-out months in 2012 and drew much critical acclaim. In the Red and Brown Water opened in October to rave reviews including being heralded as “Best in Theater 2012” by the Los Angeles Times. The acclaimed production has been extended and is still running at the Fountain to Feb 24th.
“In the Red and Brown Water” at the Fountain Theatre
photos by Ed Krieger
More Info on the 2012 LADCC Award Nominations
Posted in actors, Arts, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre
Tagged 2012 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, American Sign Language, ASL, Athol Fugard, Best in Theater 2012, Cyrano, Cyrano de Bergerac, deaf, deaf actor, Deaf West Theatre, director, El Nogalar, Erinn Anova, Fountain Theatre, In The Red and Brown Water, LADCC, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Los Angeles Times, Nederlander Organization, new plays, nominations, performing arts, plays, playwriting, Polly Warfield, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Tanya Saracho, Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Blue Iris, theater, Troy Kotsur, West Coast Premiere, world premiere
Maya Lynne Robinson
Actress Maya Lynne Robinson moved from New York City to Los Angeles in May, 2012. Two months later, she booked her first play in LA. And what a play and production it turned out to be! To her (and our) good fortune, Maya was cast in the ensemble as the gossipy Nia in our Los Angeles Premiere of In the Red and Brown Water. The production has drawn critical acclaim, been named “Best in Theater 2012” by the Los Angeles Times, and has been extended to Feb 24th.
I wanted a change. I was living in NYC, but working regionally and I wanted to move somewhere where I could live and work. I also came to focus more on film and television. I have an extensive theatre background and wanted to broaden my options.
Any preconceptions about LA being a “theater town”? The Hollywood Industry?
I didn’t know that LA was a theater town! I thought my focus immediately would be on film and television and “networking.” That’s the Hollywood Industry perception I was told about. LA has been much more than networking for me. It’s helped me create a little family, a sense of community and belonging that I hadn’t felt in a long time, professionally and personally. I moved here knowing only three people.
I knew the acting talent pool would be fierce, but I didn’t have any thoughts, one way or the other, on if the actors would be great. All I thought about was becoming a part of that acting pool.
Maya Lynne Robinson (right) as Nia, Simone Missick (left) as Shun, in “In the Red and Brown Water” at the Fountain Theatre.
‘In the Red and Brown Water’ is your first play in LA.
Yes, it’s is my first play here. I moved here in the middle of May and by August 2nd was cast in this fabulous production. I feel really blessed. Thank you Shirley Jo Finney and Erinn Anova for believing in my talent, with no one knowing anything about me. I was fresh off the boat! And thank you to Stephen Sachs, Simon Levy and Deborah Lawlor for allowing me to be a part of the Fountain family.
What has the ‘Red/Brown’ experience been like for you?
This experience has been very interesting for me. Extremely emotional; taking me out of a comfort zone that I didn’t know I had. I expected it to be professional. I never expected the personal bonds to be so strong with the rest of the cast and crew. We’ve become a family. I’ve also grown up a bit and learned a lot about who I am. I felt very “East Coast” when I moved here. Now I just feel like me. It’s hard to put into words, you know? I’m still transitioning.
The Fountain Theatre
How has your experience been working at the Fountain?
The Fountain has been fabulous. I love the fact it looks like a home. Theatre should feel like coming home. It’s been a great experience. I didn’t have expectations of what LA theatre companies would be. I just dove in.
How do you like living in Los Angeles?
It’s winter time! 70 degrees! How do YOU think I like LA?! I love the snow, I’m originally from Cleveland, but a snow less winter hasn’t been that bad. The traffic though… I can do without the traffic.
Is it different being an actor in New York versus being an actor in LA?
I’m not sure I’ve processed the differences yet. I’ve just been blessed to meet people and work immediately. I spent one week performing ‘Red/Brown’ at night and shuttling to San Diego to be on set during the day. It was a very different experience for me; exhausting and fulfilling.
What are your plans after ‘Red/Brown’ closes?
To keep acting, finish my one woman show, introduce LA to me. I’m also looking for representation. I booked this show on my own, but some help, would be fantastic. Oh, and go on vacation!
In the Red and Brown Water Now – Feb 24 (323) 663-1525More
Posted in actors, Arts, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged acting pool, actors, Best in Theater 2012, Deborah Lawlor, Erinn Anova, film, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Hollywood Industry, In The Red and Brown Water, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Los Angeles Times, Maya Lynne Robinson, motion picture, new plays, New York, performing arts, plays, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Tarell Alvin McCraney, theater, theatre community, TV
Actress Maya Lynne Robinson moved from New York City to Los Angeles in May, 2012. Two months later, she booked her first play in LA. And what a play and production it turned out to be! To her (and our) good fortune, Maya was cast in the ensemble as the gossipy Nia in our Los Angeles Premiere of In the Red and Brown Water. The production has drawn critical acclaim, been named “Best in Theater 2012” by the Los Angeles Times, and has been extended to Feb 24th.
I wanted a change. I was living in NYC, but working regionally and I wanted to move somewhere where I could live and work. I also came to focus more on film and television. I have an extensive theatre background and wanted to broaden my options.
Any preconceptions about LA being a “theater town”? The Hollywood Industry?
I didn’t know that LA was a theater town! I thought my focus immediately would be on film and television and “networking.” That’s the Hollywood Industry perception I was told about. LA has been much more than networking for me. It’s helped me create a little family, a sense of community and belonging that I hadn’t felt in a long time, professionally and personally. I moved here knowing only three people.
I knew the acting talent pool would be fierce, but I didn’t have any thoughts, one way or the other, on if the actors would be great. All I thought about was becoming a part of that acting pool.
Maya Lynne Robinson (right) as Nia, Simone Missick (left) as Shun, in “In the Red and Brown Water” at the Fountain Theatre.
‘In the Red and Brown Water’ is your first play in LA.
Yes, it’s is my first play here. I moved here in the middle of May and by August 2nd was cast in this fabulous production. I feel really blessed. Thank you Shirley Jo Finney and Erinn Anova for believing in my talent, with no one knowing anything about me. I was fresh off the boat! And thank you to Stephen Sachs, Simon Levy and Deborah Lawlor for allowing me to be a part of the Fountain family.
What has the ‘Red/Brown’ experience been like for you?
This experience has been very interesting for me. Extremely emotional; taking me out of a comfort zone that I didn’t know I had. I expected it to be professional. I never expected the personal bonds to be so strong with the rest of the cast and crew. We’ve become a family. I’ve also grown up a bit and learned a lot about who I am. I felt very “East Coast” when I moved here. Now I just feel like me. It’s hard to put into words, you know? I’m still transitioning.
The Fountain Theatre
How has your experience been working at the Fountain?
The Fountain has been fabulous. I love the fact it looks like a home. Theatre should feel like coming home. It’s been a great experience. I didn’t have expectations of what LA theatre companies would be. I just dove in.
How do you like living in Los Angeles?
It’s winter time! 70 degrees! How do YOU think I like LA?! I love the snow, I’m originally from Cleveland, but a snow less winter hasn’t been that bad. The traffic though… I can do without the traffic.
Is it different being an actor in New York versus being an actor in LA?
I’m not sure I’ve processed the differences yet. I’ve just been blessed to meet people and work immediately. I spent one week performing ‘Red/Brown’ at night and shuttling to San Diego to be on set during the day. It was a very different experience for me; exhausting and fulfilling.
What are your plans after ‘Red/Brown’ closes?
To keep acting, finish my one woman show, introduce LA to me. I’m also looking for representation. I booked this show on my own, but some help, would be fantastic. Oh, and go on vacation!
In the Red and Brown Water Now – Feb 24 (323) 663-1525More
Posted in actors, Arts, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged acting pool, actors, Best in Theater 2012, Deborah Lawlor, Erinn Anova, film, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Hollywood Industry, In The Red and Brown Water, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Los Angeles Times, Maya Lynne Robinson, motion picture, new plays, New York, performing arts, plays, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Tarell Alvin McCraney, theater, theatre community, TV
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, Fountain Theatre, 2023.
Jean Smart, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, 1983
Playwright/Poet Kit Yan.
In our funny, romantic and imaginative new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano is a brilliant deaf poet hopelessly in love with Roxy, a beautiful hearing woman. But she doesn’t understand sign language and instead loves Chris, his hearing brother. Can Cyrano express his love to Roxy with his hands? Or must he teach Chris to woo her, to “speak his words” for him? A new Sign Language spin on a classic love story.
