Best Season | Intimate Excellent

Stephen Sachs accepts Ovation Award for Best Production of a Play for “Cost of Living”

The Fountain Theatre dominated the 2020 LA Ovation Awards Monday night, January 13th, by winning six awards, including the prestigious Best Season and Best Production of a Play.  The LA Times has referred to the Ovation Awards as the “highest-profile contest for local theatre.”

Hosted by LA Stage Alliance, The Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles, created to recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production and design in the Greater Los Angeles area. Over 300 theatrical productions have competed each year in 35 different categories to be recognized as Ovation Awards recipients. These productions are evaluated by a pool of 250 vetted Ovation voters, all of whom are working theatre professionals of Greater LA.

The Fountain Theatre was honored with the following Ovation Awards:

Best Season
Fountain Theatre — Cost of Living, Daniel’s Husband, Hype Man: A Break Beat Play

Best Production of a Play — Intimate Theater
Cost of Living, Fountain Theatre

Acting Ensemble of a Play
Cost of Living, Fountain Theatre

Featured Actress in a Play
Xochitl Romero, Cost of Living,  Fountain Theatre

Video/Projection Design — Intimate Theater
Nicholas Santiago, Cost of Living, Fountain Theatre

Ovations Honors Recipient
Music Composition for a Play – Romero Mosley, Hype Man, Fountain Theatre

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Full list of Ovation Award nominees and winners.

Posted in actors, arts organizations, designers, disability, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, Ovation Awards, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged Best Production, Best Season, Cost of Living, Daniel’s Husband, Felix Solis, Fountain Theatre, Hype Man, Katy Sullivan, LA Stage Alliance, Los Angeles, Nicholas Santiago, ovation award, Romero Mosley, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Tobias Forrest, Xochitl Romero

Actors Jenny O’Hara and Tim Cummings after a performance of ‘Broomstick’ at the Fountain.

2014 was truly another unforgettable year for the Fountain Theatre.  It was a year of extraordinary growth and achievement.  

All three 2014 productions were honored as Critic’s Choice in the Los Angeles Times, our Forever Flamenco at the Ford gala was a sold-out success, and The Fountain was once again awarded the preeminent Ovation Award for Best Season in 2014. And the London production of Bakersfield Mist on the West End starring Kathleen Turner brought us international attention.

The year also brought the shadow of sadness with the loss of our longtime Subscriptions Director Diana Gibson. Her legacy lives on in the vivid memories she leaves behind, and in the Diana Gibson Subscriber Fund we created. 

Here are some of the highlights:

My Name is Asher Lev – Los Angeles Premiere. ‘Critic’s Choice’  Los Angeles Times. Extended sold out run. 

Forever Flamenco @ The Ford – Sold-out gala concert at the 1200-seat Ford Theatre.

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The Brothers Size – Los Angeles Premiere. ‘Critic’s Choice’ Los Angeles Times. Extended run. 

Playwright Tarell McCraney –  Discusses his play, The Brothers Size, at the Fountain Theatre.

Tarell McCraney and the company of The Brothers Size.

Bakersfield Mist – opens on the West End in London starring Kathleen Turner and Ian McDiarmid.

Stephen Sachs and Deborah Lawlor outside The Duchess Theatre, London.

Gabby Lamm and Alice Kors – our two fabulous summer interns were terrific and helpful and launched our first Student Night at the Fountain.

Gabby Lamm and Alice Kors

Diana Gibson – The Fountain grieved the loss of our longtime Subscriptions Director, who passed away after a long illness.

Diana Gibson

Fountain Theatre wins BEST Award from the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.

Fountain Theatre wins the preeminent Ovation Award for BEST SEASON for overall excellence in 2014. 

Next year in 2015, we launch our 25th Anniversary Season. Join us as we continue on this remarkable journey together. 

Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, flamenco, Fountain Theatre, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, arts organizations, Bakersfield Mist, Best Season, Broomstick, Critic’s Choice, Deborah Lawlor, Diana Gibson, Flamenco, flamenco dancing, Forever Flamenco at the Ford, Fountain Theatre, Ian McDiarmid, Jenny O’Hara, Kathleen Turner, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Los Angeles Times, My Name Is Asher Lev, New Year, ovation award, performing arts, plays, playwriting, Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, Stephen Sachs, Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Brothers Size, theater, theatre, Tim Cummings, West Coast Premiere

Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs waves from the stage at the Ovation Awards.

It was a memorable evening for the Fountain Theatre Sunday night, November 2nd,  at the 2014 Ovation Awards hosted by LA Stage Alliance and held at the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in San Gabriel. The Fountain was honored with the prestigious Best Season Award (“The Normal Heart”, “My Name is Asher Lev”, and “The Brothers Size”) for overall excellence and received the 2014 BEST Award from the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation recognizing exceptional theatre organizations that contribute to the cultural vibrancy of Los Angeles.

Often hailed as LA’s version of the Tony Awards, the peer-judged Ovation Awards recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production and design in the Greater Los Angeles area. The LA Times has referred to the Ovation Awards as the “highest-profile contest for local theatre.”

Stephen Sachs

The Best Season Award is the preeminent Ovation honor. It recognizes a theatre company’s overall excellence throughout an entire season. Over the years, The Fountain has received more nominations for the Best Season category than any other theatre in Los Angeles. This year marks the 5th time that The Fountain Theatre has been nominated for Best Season since the category was created 6 years ago. The Fountain has now won the award twice.  

“Being honored with the Best Season Award is particularly meaningful to us because it doesn’t go to one person,” said Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “It celebrates the achievement of an entire season of artists. Therefore, the award goes to — and is shared by — all of the many actors, designers and production team members in our Fountain Family who made our 2013-14 Ovation Season such a success. ”  

Acclaimed productions in the Fountain 2014 Ovation Season included the exclusive revival of The Normal Heart, the Los Angeles Premiere of My Name is Asher Lev, and the Los Angeles Premiere of The Brothers Size.   

Shirley Jo Finney, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Theo Perkins, Stephen Sachs, Matthew Hancock.

2014 BEST Award winners, with Biller Foundation Executive Director Sarah Lyding

The Fountain was also honored Sunday night with the BEST Award presented and funded by The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.  The BEST (Building Excellence in Small Theatre) Award recognizes exceptional theatre organizations that contribute to the cultural vitality of Los Angeles with long-term viability. The Fountain was honored for its ability to think creatively, the quality of its ideas and aspirations, and the organization’s ability to differentiate itself from other Los Angeles theatre companies.

Our sincere thanks to LA Stage Alliance and The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation for their ongoing dedicated support of intimate theatre in Los Angeles.

Enjoy These Photos from the 2014 Ovation Awards

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Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, designers, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, non-profit organization, Ovation Awards, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, Anna Khaja, arts organizations, BEST Award, Best Season, Deborah Lawlor, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Jenny O’Hara, LA Stage Alliance, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Matthew Hancock, Maya Lynne Robinson, My Name Is Asher Lev, new plays, Ovation Awards, Pablo Santiago, performing arts, plays, San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, Sarah Lyding, Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, The Brothers Size, The Normal Heart, theater, theatre, Theodore Perkins

Anna Khaja, Joel Polis and Jason Karasev in “My Name is Asher Lev”

The Fountain Theatre is pleased to announce that it has received six 2014 Ovation Award nominations, including in the prestigious categories of Best Season and Best Production of a Play. Fountain productions eligible for the 2013-14 Ovation voting season were our riveting revival of The Normal Heart, and our acclaimed Los Angeles premieres of  My Name is Asher Lev and The Brothers Size.  The Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 2 at 7pm at the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse in San Gabriel.

Often hailed as LA’s version of the Tony Awards, the peer-judged Ovation Awards recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production and design in the Greater Los Angeles area.  For the 2013-2014 voting season, there are a grand total of 195 nominations for 78 productions, presented by 49 companies. There were 318 total productions registered from 137 companies. 

Gilbert Glenn Brown, Matthew Hancock, Theodore Perkins in ‘The Brothers Size’.

The LA Times has referred to the Ovation Awards as the “highest-profile contest for local theatre.”

The Fountain Theatre has been honored with the following 2014 Ovation Award nominations:

  • Best Season – The Normal Heart, My Name is Asher Lev, The Brothers Size
  • Best Production of a Play – My Name is Asher Lev
  • Best Lead Actress in a Play – Anna Khaja, My Name is Asher Lev
  • Best Acting Ensemble for a Play – Jason Karasev, Anna Khaja, Joel Polis, My Name is Asher Lev
  • Best Acting Ensemble for a Play – Gilbert Glenn Brown, Matthew Hancock, Theodore Perkins,  The Brothers Size
  • Best Choreography – Ameenah Kaplan, The Brothers Size 

The preeminent Best Season category honors a company’s overall excellence throughout an entire season. Over the years, The Fountain has dominated the Best Season nominations category. This year now marks the 5th time that The Fountain Theatre has been nominated for Best Season since the category was created 6 years ago, winning the award in 2011. The Fountain has also won the Ovation Award for Best Production of a Play 5 times. 

Stephen O’Mahoney, Tim Cummings in ‘The Normal Heart’.

For a full list of all the nominees click here.

Posted in Acting, actors, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, non-profit organization, Ovation Awards, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, Ameenah Kaplan, Anna Khaja, arts organizations, award, Best Production, Best Season, choregraphy, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Jason Karasev, Joel Polis, Los Angeles, Matthew Hancock, My Name Is Asher Lev, nominations, Ovation Awards, performing arts, plays, Stephen O’Mahoney, The Brothers Size, The Normal Heart, theater, theatre, Theodore Perkins, Tim Cummings

“In the Red and Brown Water”, Fountain Theatre

The Fountain Theatre has been honored with 8 Ovation Award nominations, including the prestigious categories of Best Season and Best Production of a Play, it was announced last night at an event hosted by LA Stage Alliance. The Ovation season ran from September 2012 to August 2013 and includes the Fountain productions of The Blue Iris, In the Red and Brown Water, On the Spectrum and Heart Song.  

Founded in 1989 and considered to be LA’s version of the Tony Awards, the LA STAGE Alliance’s Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theater awards in Los Angeles. Each year over 400 productions in the region compete for Ovation Award consideration.

This marks the 4th time that The Fountain Theatre has been nominated for Best Season since the category was created 5 years ago, winning the award in 2011. The Fountain Theatre has the distinction of earning more Ovation Award nominations and winning more Ovation awards overall than any other intimate theatre in Los Angeles. 

“We are particularly pleased with our Best Season nomination because it reflects the overall excellence and diversity of our work year round,” says Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “We’re delighted that In The Red and Brown Water earned such recognition and proud to be the first theatre to introduce the work of playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney to LA audiences.” 

The 2013 Ovation Award nominations for the Fountain Theatre are:

  • Best Season (The Blue Iris, In the Red and Brown Water, On the Spectrum, Heart Song)
  • Best Production of a Play (In the Red and Brown Water) 
  • Best Director (Shirley Jo Finney, In the Red and Brown Water)
  • Best Ensemble in a Play  (In the Red and Brown Water) 
  • Best Lead Actress in a Play  (Diarra Kilpatrick, In the Red and Brown Water)  
  • Best Featured Actress in a Play (Peggy Blow and Iona Morris,  In the Red and Brown Water)
  • Special Ovation Honor to Jeff Teeter for video design (On the Spectrum) 

The Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 3 at 7 pm at San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, 320 S. Mission Drive in San Gabriel. For more information, visit www.OvationAwards.com.  

For a full list of all nominees click here.

The Fountain Theatre 2012-13 Ovation Season

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photos by Ed Krieger

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

Tagged actors, Best Director, Best Production, Best Season, Diarra Kilpatrick, Fountain Theatre, Heart Song, In The Red and Brown Water, Iona Morris, Jeff Teeter, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, new plays, On the Spectrum, Ovation Awards, Peggy A. Blow, performing arts, plays, San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, Shirley Jo Finney, Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Blue Iris, theater, theatre, world premiere

The Fountain Theatre will be honored tonight at the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards when the Fountain is presented with the 2012 Best Season Award. 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. 

In addition to the 2012 Best Season Award, The Fountain Theatre has also earned 6 LA Drama Critics Circle Award nominations for its acclaimed 2012 productions of Cyrano and In the Red and Brown Water:

  • 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 Fountain Theatre’s Award-Winning 2012 Season

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More Info on the LA Drama Critics Circle Awards. Tonight’s award ceremony is at the Los Angeles Theatre Center at 7:30pm. 

Posted in actors, Arts, Deaf, designers, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, Theater, theatre

Tagged 2012 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, American Sign Language, ASL, Athol Fugard, Best Season, Cyrano, Cyrano de Bergerac, Deaf West Theatre, Deborah Lawlor, El Nogalar, Fountain Theatre, In The Red and Brown Water, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Nederlander Organization, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwriting, Shirley Jo Finney, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, Tanya Saracho, Tarell Alvin McCraney, The Blue Iris, theater, theatre, Troy Kotsur