April | 2015 | Intimate Excellent
Actors chat with students after the performance
What’s better than skipping class to see an acclaimed production of the Los Angeles Premiere of an award-winning play? Students from three Los Angeles area high schools — Campbell Hall, John Marshall High School, and Westmark School — enjoyed a special matinee yesterday of I And You at the Fountain. For some, it was their first time seeing a professional production of a play. For many, it was an experience they’ll never forget.
The full house of students had a great time watching the funny and heartfelt comedy/drama starring Jennifer Finch and Matthew Hancock about two high school students discovering they share a mysterious connection. Many were blown away by the sudden twist of the powerful ending. The Fountain production of I And You has been highlighted as Critic’s Choice in the LA Times, hailed as “a testimonial to the power of intimate theater.”
After the performance, the students engaged in a lively Q&A Talkback with the two actors.
The students came by bus from three schools representing three communities in the LA area. This special daytime student matinee was made possible through Theatre As A Learning Tool, the Fountain Theatre’s educational outreach program making the live theatre experience accessible to students in Southern California.
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Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre
Tagged actors, Campbell Hall High School, educational outreach, Fountain Theatre, high school students, I and You, Jennifer Finch, John Marshall High School, Lauren Gunderson, Los Angeles, Matthew Hancock, new plays, outreach, performing arts, plays, students, theater, theatre, Theatre as a Learning Tool, Westmark School
Actors Joel Polis, Jenny O’Hara, Matthew Hancock, Gilbert Glenn Brown
The first-ever Stage Raw Awards were held last night at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in Downtown LA. Founded by local arts journalist Steven Leigh Morris, Stage Raw is a digital journal dedicated to discovering, discussing and honoring L.A.-based arts and culture. The Stage Raw Awards specifically honor achievements in LA intimate theaters with 99-seats or fewer.
The Fountain Theatre received 13 Stage Raw Award nominations for three of its 2014 productions. Two Fountain artists were honored: Joel Polis won the Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in our LA Premiere of My Name is Asher Lev, and lighting designer Pablo Santiago won for his work on our LA Premiere of The Brothers Size.
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Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged actors, award, Deborah Lawlor, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Jenny O’Hara, Joel Polis, Los Angeles Premiere, Matthew Hancock, My Name Is Asher Lev, Pablo Santiago, performing arts, plays, Stage Raw, Stage Raw Los Angeles Theater Awards, Stephen Sachs, Steven Leigh Morris, The Brothers Size, theater, theatre
A packed house of excited and eager young people filled the Fountain Theatre last night with lively energy as the Fountain launched its new play reading series, Rap Dev, serving playwrights thirty years old or younger. Created and produced by Fountain Associate Producer James Bennett and Jessica Broutt, Rap Dev (short for Rapid Development) is an informal, fast-moving evening that combines play development with social mixing.
Rap Dev offers a platform for young playwrights under 30 who may otherwise struggle to get the opportunity to hear their new work read aloud in a professional setting. At each Rap Dev event, a single 20-minute scene is read by professional actors from 2-3 new and unproduced plays introduced by each playwright. Each scene is selected by the writer to offer the best “snapshot” of the total script. After all 3 scenes are read from each of the 3 plays, the audience votes for their favorite. The “winner” moves on to be eligible to compete with other plays in the series for the grand prize: a fully rehearsed and realized staged reading of the entire play on stage at the Fountain Theatre, with guidance from the professional staff.
Short scenes from two new plays were read last night. Hands by Doc, featuring Verton Banks, Gilbert Glenn Brown and Adolphus Ward. And The Redhead is Coming by Bernardo Cubia, featuring Kirsten Kollander, Whitney Montgomery and Julian Silver.
As last night’s high-spirited gathering proved, Rap Dev is also a good time. The fun, informal atmosphere (not to mention the free beer) makes Rap Dev more than just a night of play readings. It’s a good party.
For more info on Rap Dev click here.
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Posted in actors, arts organizations, Fountain Theatre, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre
Tagged actors, Adolphus Ward, Bernardo Cubia, Doc, Fountain Theatre, Gilbert Glenn Brown, Hands, James Bennett, Jessica Broutt, Julian Silver, Kirsten Kollander, Los Angeles, new play development, new plays, performing arts, play reading, plays, playwriting, Rap Dev, Rapid Development, The Redhead is Coming, theater, theatre, Verton R. Banks, Whitney Montgomery
Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Sachs and Deborah Lawlor
Fountain Theatre staff gathered yesterday at Hollywood’s Off Vine restaurant to celebrate the 25th birthday of the organization. The Fountain Theatre was founded on April 1st, 1990, when Stephen Sachs and Deborah Lawlor joined forces to assume ownership of a charming Spanish-style theatre building on Fountain Avenue in East Hollywood that had been a rental house for more than forty years. Sachs and Lawlor had other plans.
“Deborah and I wanted to create an artistic home where theatre and dance artists could develop new work in a safe, supportive and nurturing environment,” says Sachs. “We were looking for the right venue. It had to be special, warm, magical. And feel like home.”
“When I first walked into the Fountain and stood on the stage, I knew,” adds Lawlor. “The relationship of the audience to the stage, the gentle curve of the seating on three sides. The way the audience seating embraced the stage. It felt so intimate and inviting.”
They acquired the building. The upstairs office rooms were empty. No furniture. No desks. No chairs. No phones. Laughs Lawlor, “We sat on the floor in the empty office and looked at each other and said, ‘Now what?’”
They opened the doors to the new Fountain Theatre on April Fool’s Day, “the perfect day to launch a new theatre company.”
Happy Birthday, Fountain Theatre!
Over the next quarter of a century that followed, the Fountain Theatre has risen to become one of the most highly respected and well-honored theaters in Los Angeles. The Fountain has engaged thousands of artists and served hundreds of thousands of audience members. It has created new plays that have been performed in regional theaters across the nation, Off-Broadway, London’s West End, the Edinburgh Festival, translated into other languages and produced around the world, and made into a movie for television. It has produced the premieres of new plays by nationally acclaimed playwrights and was instrumental in launching and hosting the creation of Deaf West Theatre. Over 25 years, the Fountain has also blossomed into becoming the foremost presenter of flamenco in Los Angeles, producing over 650 concerts in its intimate venue and eight summer seasons at the 1200-seat outdoor Ford Theatre . And it holds the distinction of being honored with more nominations and winning more Ovation awards than any other intimate theatre in Los Angeles, winning the preeminent Best Season Award twice in six years.
The Fountain staff celebrates 25 years.
Celebrating at the Fountain’s birthday lunch on the outdoor patio at Off Vine were Co-Founders/Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Sachs and Deborah Lawlor, Producing Director Simon Levy, Technical Director Scott Tuomey, Associate Producer James Bennett, Director of Development Barbara Goodhill, book keeper Licia Jaccard, Board member Dorothy Wolpert and actress Jacqueline Schultz.
For Sachs and Lawlor, acknowledging the long list of achievements over the Fountain’s 25-year history is deeply gratifying.
“Most important, we are a creative home. We are the artistic home to a large and ever-growing family of artists and audience members who care deeply about the sacred and transcendent experience of sharing live theatre in an intimate relationship with each other. Human beings gathering together in a space, bringing stories to life that illuminate what it means to be a human being. This is what we do. It has been our honor and privilege to serve Los Angeles these past 25 years.”
Onward and Upward for 25 more!
Posted in actors, Arts, arts organizations, Dance, Drama, Fountain Theatre, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre
Tagged 25th Birthday, Anniversary, April Fool’s Day, Barbara Goodhill, Deborah Lawlor, Dorothy Wolpert, Flamenco, Forever Flamenco, Fountain Theatre, Jacqueline Schultz, James Bennett, Licia Jaccard, Los Angeles, new plays, Off Vine, performing arts, plays, Scott Tuomey, Simon Levy, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre