December | 2013 | Intimate Excellent

Dan Shaked in On the Spectrum

The Fountain Theatre’s West Coast Premiere of On the Spectrum has been named a Highlight of 2013 Theater by  writer Don Shirley in LA Stage Times. Written by Ken LaZebnik and directed by Jacqueline Schultz, the funny and poignant play dramatized the relationship between two young people with autism.    

Hailed as “a brilliant, flawless masterpiece”, the acclaimed Fountain production starred Jeanie Hackett, Virginia Newcomb and Dan Shaked. 

Earlier this year, video designer Jeff Teeter was honored with a special Ovation Award for his compelling video projections in On the Spectrum. 

Posted in Acting, actors, arts organizations, Aspergers, Autism, director, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, Asperger’s, autism, Dan Shaked, Don Shirley, Fountain Theatre, Jacqueline Schultz, Jeanie Hackett, Jeff Teeter, Ken LaZebnik, LA Stage Times, Los Angeles, new plays, On the Spectrum, performing arts, plays, playwriting, theater, theatre, video design, Virginia Newcomb, West Coast Premiere

Posted in actors, Arts, arts organizations, Deaf, designers, director, Drama, flamenco, new plays, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged 2013, actors, Deborah Lawlor, Flamenco, flamenco dancing, Forever Flamenco, Fountain Theatre, Heart Song, In The Red and Brown Water, Ken LaZebnik, Larry Kramer, Los Angeles, new plays, On the Spectrum, performing arts, plays, playwriting, Season of the Heart, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Normal Heart, theater, theatre, Troy Kotsur, world premiere

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

Stephen O’Mahoney, Tim Cummings

Dear Fountain Theatre,

I was going to write a hardcopy letter but decided to use this route instead. Please, if you think it appropriate, pass my comments along to all of the cast members.

As you know, I was in the audience last Friday. Somehow or other I had missed seeing this play up until now. It was and is a very important play in the history of g/l/b/t rights and the AIDS epidemic. As someone who joined his local gay rights organization in Seattle one week to the day after the beginning of the Stonewall riots, I have been very involved with the movement since then. However, given the passage of time, some of my memories of that awful period in my life and the life of this country had dimmed. The superb job you did on the play brought that whole awful period back to me with stunning clarity. I left the theater an emotional mess.

While I am sure that I took away a different experience from others in the audience last Friday, I was happy to see younger people there. Hopefully they came away with some inkling of what we went through then. I had forgotten, over time, the maddening denial of governmental officials as well as members of the press that anything was going on that needed attention. One of the important aspects of that period that the play brought to life was the pain we all felt as our friends died with frightening suddenness. All of these emotions were brought to the audience in a very palpable way.

Tim Cummings and Bill Brochtrup

I do not want to single out any performer more than another for praise as everyone contributed to the effectiveness of the evening. I must say though that Tim Cummings certainly brought all the passion and anger of his character to life very effectively. Bill Brochtrup was a great foil to that anger. His progression in the disease was very effective, especially the makeup he wore at the end of the play. Having had several close friends die of the disease, when he appeared towards the end his appearance caused me to suddenly remember that yes, that was exactly what my friends looked like. Stephen O’Mahoney’s portrayal of a closeted gay person wanting to come out but unable to because of his job and background hit the right note. Matt Gottlieb’s portrayal of a man trying to be supportive of his brother but also constrained by his professional responsibilities also rang true. Fred Koehler’s anguish at the end over his job as well as what was happening in his life as part of the GMHC was heartbreaking. Lisa Pelikan’s anger at what was happening and her inability to get anyone to do anything about it rang true. Dan and Jeff and Verton’s rolls as important supporting characters were just right for their roles. In short I want to say thank you to all of you. The cast of course are deserving on praise but also the director and the rest of the crew for provided me with one of the most important evenings of theater I’ve had in many, many years.

I come in to Los Angeles frequently for cultural events as there is nothing here in the desert to equal the quality of what I can see in Los Angeles. This evening was well worth the late-night drive back to Palm Springs. You all are to be commended for doing an outstanding job.

Thank you.

Andrew F. Johnson, Palm Springs, CA 

The Normal Heart Now to Dec 15th (323) 663-1525 MORE 

Posted in Acting, actors, AIDS, Arts, arts organizations, designers, director, Fountain Theatre, Gay, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, AIDS, AIDS crisis, Andrew F. Johnson, Bill Brochtrup, Dan Shaked, Fountain Theatre, Fred Koehler, gay, Gay community, gay rights, Jeff Witzke, Larry Kramer, LGBT, Lisa Pelikan, Los Angeles, Matt Gottlieb, new plays, Palm Springs, performing arts, Simon Levy, Stephen O’Mahoney, The Normal Heart, theater, theatre, Tim Cummings, Verton R. Banks

The Fountain Theatre is now casting the Los Angeles Premiere of the acclaimed new play, MY NAME IS ASHER LEV by Aaron Posner, adapted from the beloved best-selling novel by Chaim Potok (The Chosen). Winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play and the John Gassner Award. The LA Premiere runs February 15 – April 20, 2014, at the Fountain Theatre,  directed by Stephen Sachs. 

STORYLINE: Set in post-war Brooklyn, the powerful coming-of-age story of a Jewish boy’s struggle to become an artist against the will of his Orthodox parents, community and tradition. Asher Lev could be the next Picasso. But as the son of devout Hasidic parents who struggle to understand the value of his art, Asher Lev is torn apart. He knows he is commanded to honor his parents, but he must also be true to himself. As we glimpse the pieces of Asher’s painful past, we witness events that climax in his most famous work and the decision that will change his life forever.

SEEKING:

[RIVKEH LEV/OTHERS] – 35-45, versatile actress to play multiple roles: RIVKEH, Asher’s mother. A caring, broken woman torn between her husband and her son. Shattered by the sudden death of her brother, she becomes Asher’s tragic muse. ANNA, a gallery owner and talent seeker. RACHEL, a model.

[ARYEH LEV/OTHERS]– 40 – 55, versatile actor to play multiple roles: ARYEH, Asher’s father. A dedicated, well-respected man and stern father. Stubborn, close-minded, he struggles to understand how painting could be important to his son. YITZCHOK, Rivkeh’s warm-hearted, gregarious brother. REBBE, the wise leader of the Hasidic community. JACOB KAHN, a fiery older man and well-known artist, who becomes Asher’s blunt, life-affirming mentor.

[ASHER LEV] 20’s-30 (ages from 12 – 30). Sensitive, intelligent, aware. Wise beyond his years. A highly gifted painter, an observant Jew. Fiercely determined to discover his true self. Seeking strong actor with deep emotional well and stage command, speaks directly to audience.

Auditions: Dec 17 – Dec 20, 1pm – 5pm. By appointment only. 

Send pic & resume to: Fountain Theatre,  Attn: MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, 5060 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre

Tagged Aaron Posner, actors, audition, casting, Chaim Potok, Deborah Lawlor, Fountain Theatre, John Gassner Award, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, My Name Is Asher Lev, new plays, Outer Critics Circle Award, performing arts, plays, playwriting, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, The Chosen, theater, theatre