ovation award | 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

Based on the best-selling novel by Chaim Potok, the stage adaptation of My Name is Asher Lev by Aaron Posner is a fast-moving theatrical journey in which all the characters in the play are performed by three talented actors.  Playing many roles requires that each actor combine versatility with emotional depth and complexity. And a fearless sense of fun.

Meet our extraordinary cast of our upcoming Los Angeles Premiere of My Name is Asher Lev:   

Jason Karasev

Jason Karasev plays the lead role of Asher Lev.  Jason was born and raised in Chicago, where he has performed with the Tony-Award winning Victory Gardens and Steppenwolf Theatres, to name a few. In Los Angeles, Jason produced and starred in Stephen Belber’s Tape, which took Best of Fringe Honors at The Hollywood Fringe Festival. He has also been seen as Phil in A Boys’ Life (Crown City) and as Naz in Philip Ridley’s Mercury Fur (Ovation Nomination). Some of his Chicago Theatre credits include Stanley in Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound (The Drury Lane), Zoran in Tesla’s Letters (Timeline Theatre Co.), Stone Cold Dead Serious (The Athenaeum), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Merle Reskin) and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot (Bailiwick Rep.). Jason’s film and TV credits include the hit MTV series Disaster Date, Nickelodeon’s iCarly, Improvised, Shoot The Moon, and Evidence. Jason has trained and performed at the renowned Second City, Chicago with recent SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis and is a Graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Anna Khaja

Anna Khaja plays three roles: Asher’s mother, a rich gallery owner, and a model. Anna most recently appeared in the LA Premiere of Falling at Rogue Machine Theatre. Theatre credits also include: the extended Off-Broadway run of Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto, which she also wrote, at the Culture Project in NYC (2013); the LA premiere of Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto (Ovation Award – Lead Actress in a Play / Ovation Nomination – Best Production of a Play); David Hare’s Stuff Happens at the Mark Taper Forum (US Premiere/Ovation Nomination); Judith Thompson’s Palace Of The End at NoHo Arts Center (US Premiere/LA Weekly Award/Ovation nomination), The Cosmonaut’s Last Message (LA Weekly Award) as well as several other productions at The Open Fist Theatre; No Word In Guyanese For Me (GLAAD Award). Regional credits include the Cleveland Playhouse and the Marsh Theatre in SF. Film/TV: Yes Man, Post Grad, King of California, Order of Chaos, Reunion, California Solo, The Newsroom, The Closer, NCIS:LA,  Numb3rs, House M.D., Criminal Minds, Private Practice, Bent, Sleeper Cell, Dirt, Weeds and a recurring role as Zaafira on season 5 of HBO’s True Blood.

Joel Polis

Joel Polis takes on the greatest number of characters: he is Asher’s father, Asher’s Uncle, the Hasidic community’s Rebbe, and a noted artist who becomes Asher’s mentor. Joel is a native of Philadelphia. He attended the USC School of Theater and Yale Drama School before beginning a stage career in New York. He returned to Los Angeles to work in television and films but continued performing in theaters around the country, from off Broadway and Williamstown to San Diego and West LA. Theater credits include Pound of Flesh, Bach at Leipzig, Defiance, The Baby Dance, Julius Caesar, Family Business, Riga, Names, Oleanna, Richard 3, Three Travelers, The Merchant of Venice and After Crystal Night. He has appeared in over 120 episodic television shows, sitcoms, Movies of the Week, and a dozen feature films.  These include The Thing, Castle, It’s My Party, True Believer, Seinfeld, Law and Order, Northern Exposure, Cheers, Home Improvement, Picket Fences and Roseanne. 

My Name is Asher Lev Feb 15 – April 19 (323) 663-1525  MORE

Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, Fountain Theatre

Tagged Aaron Posner, actors, Anna Khaja, Bent, Broadway Bound, California Solo, Castle, Chaim Potok, Cheers, Criminal Minds, Dirt, Fountain Theatre, HBO, Home Improvement, House M.D., It’s My Party, Jason Karasev, Joel Polis, King of California, Law and Order, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Premiere, Mark Taper Forum, My Name Is Asher Lev, NCIS:LA, new plays, Northern Exposure, Numb3rs, Open Fist Theatre, Order of Chaos, ovation award, performing arts, Picket Fences, plays, Post Grad, Private Practice, Reunion, Rogue Machine Theatre, Roseanne, Second City, Seinfeld, Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto, Sleeper Cell, Stephen Sachs, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Closer, The Newsroom, The Thing, theater, theatre, True Believer, True Blood, USC, Victory Gardens, Weeds, Yale Drama School, Yes Man

Troy Kotsur as Cyrano

The Fountain Theatre‘s acclaimed and sold-out co-production with Deaf West Theatre of Cyrano received two Ovation Award nominations last night.   Actor Troy Kotsur has been nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Play for his lead role as Cyrano , and playwright  Stephen Sachs for Best Original Play.

The Ovation Awards are considered LA’s version of the Tony Awards. Founded in 1989 by the LA Stage Alliance, the  Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theater awards in Los Angeles. To give you an idea of the size and scope of the theatrical landscape in Southern California, there were 400 total productions registered for Ovation Award consideration from 173 companies throughout the region.  For the 2011-12 voting season, there are a grand total of 191 nominations for 77 productions, presented by 50 companies.

The Fountain Theatre has the distinction of receiving more nominations and winning more awards than any other intimate theatre in the history of the Ovation Awards.

For a complete list of the current Ovation Award nominees, click here.

The 2012 Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, November 12, at the historic Los Angeles Theatre, 615 South Broadway, in downtown Los Angeles, at 7:30 pm.  For more information: www.LASTAGEOvations.com.

Posted in actors, Arts, Deaf, Fountain Theatre, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, poem, poetry, theatre

Tagged American Sign Language, ASL, Cyrano, Cyrano de Bergerac, deaf, Deaf West Theatre, entertainment, Fountain Theatre, intimate theatre, LA Stage Alliance, Lead Actor, Los Angeles, new plays, Original Play, ovation award, Ovation Awards, plays, playwriting, sign language, Stephen Sachs, theater, Troy Kotsur, world premiere