award | Intimate Excellent

The Fountain Theatre earned nine award nominations from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle for excellence in 2020/21, it was announced yesterday. The Fountain’s Los Angeles premiere of An Octoroon on its Outdoor Stage, its groundbreaking livestream presentation of The Ballad of Emmett Till, and the L.A. debut of The Children were chosen for recognition.

LADCC nominations for the Fountain Theatre for 2020-2021:

Lead Performance – Matthew Hancock – An Octoroon
Featured Performance – Rob Nagle – An Octoroon
Writing Adaptation – Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – An Octoroon
Set Design – Frederica Nascimento – An Octoroon
Costume Design – Naila Aladdin-Sanders – An Octoroon
Fight Direction – Jen Albert – An Octoroon
Props – Michael Allen Angel – An Octoroon
Streaming Design & CGI – The Ballad of Emmett Till – Andrew Schmedake
Ensemble Performance – Ron Bottitta, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, Lily Knight – The Children

Out of an abundance of COVID caution, there will be no in-person ceremony. Instead, the award recipients will be named in a future press release in the upcoming weeks.

Congratulations to all of the nominees! Click here for the complete list.

Posted in Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, theatre

Tagged An Octoroon, award, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Elizabeth Elias Huffman, Fountain Theatre, Frederica Nascimento, Jen Albert, Lily Knight, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, Matthew Hancock, Michael Allen Angel, Naila Aladdin-Sanders, Rob Nagle, Ron Bottitta, The Ballad of Emmett Till, The Children, theater

In recognition of providing outstanding productions of meaningful new plays and first-class performances spanning three decades, The Fountain Theatre has been honored with The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theatre, presented by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.

“It is our way of thanking you for your noteworthy contribution to theater in Los Angeles,” commented Jonas Schwartz, LADCC Vice President in an email to the Fountain Theatre. “We really are so pleased to be able to recognize your work.”

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, and in keeping with the request of state and local officials, the LADCC has been forced to forgo its annual Awards event for the public in April. Instead, the winners will be posted on the LADCC website.

“This honor from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle means a great deal to all of us at the Fountain Theatre,” says Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “It is much-needed good news in the midst of this current crisis.”

Founded in 1969, the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle (LADCC) is an organization dedicated to excellence in theatrical criticism and to the encouragement and improvement of theatre in the Greater Los Angeles Area. The LADCC presents the annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards.

Full list of LADCC Award nominees and Special Award winners.

Posted in Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, stage, Theater, theatre

Tagged award, Fountain Theatre, Jonas Schwartz, LADCC, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Margaret Harford Award, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre

Cost of Living

Hyoe Man

Daniel’s Husband

LA STAGE Alliance announced yesterday that the Fountain Theatre has been honored with 18 Ovation Award nominations, the largest number of any intimate theatre for the 2018/19 season. The Fountain’s nominations include Best Season for overall excellence.

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.

During the 2018-29 season, there were 278 total productions registered for the Ovation Awards from 124 different producing bodies, resulting in 199 total nominations for 64 distinct productions presented by 43 organizations. These productions were voted on by 272 Ovation Awards voters — vetted individuals from the Greater Los Angeles area who are working theatre professionals.

The Fountain Theatre received the following Ovation Award nominations:

BEST SEASON
Fountain Theatre
Cost of Living
Daniel’s Husband
Hype Man: a Break Beat Play

BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY (Intimate Theatre)
Cost of Living
Daniel’s Husband

ACTING ENSEMBLE OF A PLAY
Cost of Living
Daniel’s Husband

DIRECTION OF A PLAY
John Vreeke – Cost of Living

LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY
Tim Cummings – Daniel’s Husband
Felix Solis – Cost of Living

LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Katy Sullivan – Cost of Living

FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Tobias Forrest – Cost of Living

FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Jenny O’Hara – Daniel’s Husband
Xochitl Romero – Cost of Living

LIGHTING DESIGN (Intimate Theatre)
Chu-Hsuan Chang – Hype Man: A Break Beat Play
Jennifer Edwards – Daniel’s Husband
John Garofalo – Cost of Living

SCENIC DESIGN (Intimate Theatre)
Deanne Millais – Daniel’s Husband

SOUND DESIGN (Intimate Theatre)
Malik Allen – Hype Man: A Break Beat Play

VIDEO/PROJECTION DESIGN (Intimate Theatre)
Nicholas Santiago – Cost of Living

OVATIONS HONORS RECIPIENTS MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR A PLAY
Romero Mosley
Hype Man: A Break Beat Play

This year’s ceremony will be held at the Theatre at Ace Hotel on Monday, January 13th, 2020. Tickets will go on sale Tuesday, December 3rd, and full information can be found on OvationAwards.com.

The complete list of all nominees.

Posted in actors, artist, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Music, new plays, Ovation Awards, performing arts, plays, stage, Theater, theatre

Tagged Ace Hotel, award, Chu-Hsuan Chang, Cost of Living, Daniel’s Husband, DeAnne Millais, Felix Solis, Fountain Theatre, Hype Man, Jennifer Edwards, Jenny O’Hara, John Garofalo, John Vreeke, Katy Sullivan, LA Stage Alliance, Malik Allen, Nicholas Santiago, nominations, Ovation Awards, Romero Mosley, theater, theatre, Tim Cummings, Tobias Forrest, Xochitl Romero

The Fountain Theatre is pleased to announce a grant award from the Shubert Foundation in the amount of $25,000 for general operating support to the organization. The Shubert Foundation provides grants only to organizations that have an established artistic and administrative track record, as well as a history of fiscal responsibility.

The award marks the fourth consecutive year that the Fountain Theatre has received support from the Shubert Fountain. Each year the award amount has increased.

“We are very pleased and proud of our association with the Shubert Foundation,” commented Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “The Shubert name is synonymous with excellence in the American Theatre. We sincerely thank the Shubert Foundation for its ongoing support.”

The Shubert Foundation is especially interested in providing support to professional resident theatre companies that develop and produce new American work.

“We want to help lift some of the financial burden,” said Foundation Chairman, Philip J. Smith. “So that the companies we support are able to focus on producing thought-provoking, relevant work for the widest possible audience.”

This year, The Shubert Foundation has awarded a record total of $30 million to 533 not-for-profit performing arts organizations across the nation. This marks the 38th consecutive year that the Foundation has increased its giving. The Shubert Foundation, Inc., was established in 1945 by Lee and J.J. Shubert, in memory of their brother Sam. Since the establishment of the Shubert Foundation grants program in 1977, over $443 million has been awarded to not-for-profit arts organizations throughout the United States.

Posted in Art, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, grants, Los Angeles, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, stage, Theater, theatre

Tagged arts, arts organization, award, Fountain Theatre, grant, Los Angeles, new plays, Philip J. Smith, Shubert Foundation, Shubert organization, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre

Deanne Bray and Troy Kotsur in “Arrival & Departure”

Broadway World announced that the Fountain Theatre’s acclaimed world premiere of Arrival & Departure, written and directed by Stephen Sachs, earned four Broadway World Los Angeles Awards, including Best Play in 2018.

Other Broadway World Los Angeles Awards for Arrival & Departure went to Troy Kotsur for Leading Actor in a Play, Deanne Bray for Leading Actress in a Play, and Donny Jackson, Lighting Design.

Nominations were reader-submitted and voted by local theatergoers in Los Angeles. Regional productions, touring shows, and more were all included in the awards, honoring productions which opened between October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018.

This year the BroadwayWorld Regional Awards included over 100 cities across America, Canada, Central and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Posted in Acting, actors, artist, Arts, arts organizations, Deaf, designers, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, Theater, theatre

Tagged actor, Arrival & Departure, award, best play, Broadway World, Deanne Bray, Donny jackson, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Troy Kotsur

Deanne Bray and Troy Kotsur, “Arrival & Departure.”

Two acclaimed Fountain Theatre premieres — Arrival & Departure and Cost of Living — have been named Best Production of a Play in 2018 by veteran LA theatre critic Travis Michael Holder on TicketHoldersLA.com. Now in its 27th year, Travis’ Ticketholder Awards celebrate the 100+ Los Angeles theatre productions reviewed by Holder in 2018 in large houses and intimate.

Our Deaf/hearing world premiere of Arrival & Departure, written and directed by Stephen Sachs, won Best Production, Best Adaptation (Sachs) and a Special Achievement Award to movement director, Gary Franco.

Katy Sullivan and Felix Solis, “Cost of Living.”

Cost of Living by Martyna Majok was also named Best Production, and Tobias Forrest was awarded Best Supporting Actor.

The following were also acknowledged as a runner-up:

Arrival & Departure

Runner-Up, Best Actor – Troy Kotsur
Runner-Up, Best Actress – Deanne Bray
Runner-Up, Best Supporting Actor – Shon Fuller
Runner-Up, Best Supporting Actress – Jessica Jade Andres
Runner-Up, Best Supporting Actress – Stasha Surdyke
Runner-Up, New Discovery 2018 – Aurelia Myers
Runner-Up, Best Direction – Stephen Sachs
Runner-Up, Best Set Design – Matthew G. Hill
Runner-Up, Best Sound Design – Peter Bayne
Runner-Up, Best CGI/Video Design – Nicholas E. Santiago

Cost of Living

Runner-Up, Best Actress – Xochitl Romero
Runner-Up, Best Actress – Katy Sullivan
Runner-Up, Best Playwright – Martyna Majok

Full list of Ticketholder Award winners

Posted in Acting, actors, Arts, arts organizations, designers, director, disability, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, playwright, stage, Theater, theatre

Tagged Arrival & Departure, Aurelia Myers, award, Cost of Living, Deanne Bray, drama, Felix Solis, Fountain Theatre, Gary Franco, Jessica Jade Andres, Katy Sullivan, Los Angeles, Martyna Majok, Matthew Hill, Nicholas E. Santiago, Peter Bayne, Shon Fuller, stage, Stasha Surdyke, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Ticketholder Awards, Travis Michael Holder, Troy Kotsur, Xochitl Romero

The Fountain Theatre has been awarded a 2018 grant in the amount of $20,000 from The Shubert Foundation to support the general operating of the organization. The Shubert Foundation provides grants only to organizations that have an established artistic and administrative track record, as well as a history of fiscal responsibility.

The award marks the third year that the Fountain Theatre has received support from the Shubert Fountain. Each year the award amount has increased.

“We sincerely thank the Shubert Foundation for its ongoing support,” said Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “The Shubert name is synonymous with excellence in the American Theatre. It’s an honor for us to be recognized by one of the most highly respected foundations and organizations in our field. “

The Shubert Foundation, Inc. is dedicated to sustaining and advancing the live performing arts in the United States, with a particular emphasis on theatre. The Foundation’s Board of Directors believes that the most effective way to encourage the artistic process is by providing the general operating support that reinforces the structure that nurtures its development. Accordingly, The Foundation does not earmark its awards; all allocations are unrestricted.Theatres are evaluated individually and with appropriate allowance for size and resources. The standard for awarding these grants is based on an assessment of each organization’s operation and its contribution to the field. Artistic achievement, administrative strength and fiscal stability are factored into each evaluation, as is the company’s development of new work and other significant contributions to the field of professional theatre in the US.

Posted in Art, Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged arts, award, Fountain Theatre, grant, Los Angeles, outreach, Shubert Foundation, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre

Deanne Bray and Troy Kotsur

The Fountain Theatre is very pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the David Lee Foundation in the amount of $32,000 to support and enhance the budget of the world premiere of its new deaf/hearing production, Arrival & Departure, which will combine American Sign Language and Spoken English. Written and directed by Stephen Sachs and starring Deaf actors Deanne Bray and Troy Kotsur, the new play opens July 14.

The David Lee Foundation aims to support, enhance and promote Los Angeles area professional theater. It offers monetary grants to encourage the production of plays and musicals that might otherwise be overlooked because of financial considerations. Grants are given to supplement cast sizes, set and costume budgets, orchestras and rehearsal time.

“This magnificent award will allow The Fountain to bring Arrival & Departure to our stage with the full vision intact,” affirms Fountain Theatre Director of Development Barbara Goodhill. “It is also a beautiful affirmation of the merit of this beautiful play and the importance of the community it serves and illuminates.”

With ever increasing costs accompanied by decreasing aid to the arts, theater companies large and small are being forced to work with fewer and fewer resources. As a result the live theater appears to be shrinking before our eyes. Few theaters can consider a play with over four actors and anything more than the most rudimentary of sets and costumes. More often than not we are greeted upon entering the theater with a bare stage, a chair and a program that lists one or two actors. While this may well be artistically satisfying in some cases, it has resulted in the neglect of many great works simply because of their size. The David Lee Foundation seeks to change that.

David Lee regularly directs and writes for major regional theaters, including the L.A. Opera, Pasadena Playhouse, Two River Theater Company, Papermill Playhouse, Williamstown Theater Festival, Encores, Reprise and the Hollywood Bowl. A nine-time Emmy Award winning director, writer and producer for television, David was co-creator/director of “Wings”and “Frasier”, a writer and producer for “Cheers” and a director for “Everybody Loves Raymond.” 19 Emmy nominations, Directors Guild Award, Golden Globe, Producers Guild Award, Ovation Award, British Comedy Award, Television Critics Association Award (three times), the Humanitas Prize (twice) and the Peabody.

Set in New York City, Arrival & Departure is a re-imagined modern-day deaf/hearing stage adaptation of the classic 1945 British film, Brief Encounter. A deaf man and a hard-of-hearing woman, married to different people, meet accidentally in a NY city subway station. A friendship develops over time, escalating into a passionate love affair that both deny themselves to consummate. An unforgettable love story inspired by one of the most beloved romantic movies of all time. A fast-moving innovative new production blending sign language, spoken English, open captioning and cinematic video imagery.

Get Tickets/More Info

Posted in actors, Art, Arts, arts organizations, Deaf, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, new plays, performing arts, plays, playwright, stage, Theater, theatre

Tagged American Sign Language, Arrival & Departure, ASL, award, Barbara Goodhill, Brief Encounter, David Lee Foundation, deaf, Deanne Bray, director, Emmy Award, Fountain Theatre, grant, Los Angeles, New York, playwright, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Troy Kotsur

The Fountain Theatre is pleased to announce that it has been awarded an Arts and Humanities grant from the Ahmanson Foundation in the amount of $24,500. The Ahmanson Foundation is committed to the support of non-profit organizations and institutions which continually demonstrate sound fiscal management, responsibility to efficient operation, and program integrity.

“We are deeply grateful to the Ahmanson Foundation for its funding support,” said Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs. “This grant will allow us to upgrade and enhance our ability to serve the Los Angeles community.”

The Ahmanson Foundation serves Los Angeles County by funding cultural projects in the arts and humanities, education at all levels, health care, programs related to homelessness and underserved populations, as well as a wide range of human services. The vast majority of the Foundation’s philanthropy is directed toward organizations and institutions based in and serving the greater Los Angeles area.

“This is our first grant award from the Ahmanson Foundation,” says Sachs. “We look forward to an ongoing partnership together for many years to come.”

Posted in Arts, arts organizations, Drama, Education, Fountain Theatre, grants, Hollywood, non-profit organization, performing arts, Theater, theatre

Tagged Ahmanson Foundation, arts, Arts and Humanities, award, community, Fountain Theatre, grant, Los Angeles, non-profit arts organization, nonprofit, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre

The Shubert Theatre, New York.

The Fountain Theatre has been awarded a 2017 grant in the amount of $15,000 from The Shubert Foundation to support the general operating of the organization. The Shubert Foundation provides grants only to organizations that have an established artistic and administrative track record, as well as a history of fiscal responsibility.

The award marks the second year in a row that the Fountain Theatre has received support from the Shubert Fountain. This year the award amount was increased.

“This grant is a substantial award from a foundation whose mission is to lend support to theatres of varying sizes across the country,” notes Barbara Goodhill, Fountain Director of Development. “This is another step up forward in a year of growth for The Fountain.”

Barbara Goodhill

Theatres are evaluated individually and with appropriate allowance for size and resources. The standard for awarding these grants is based on an assessment of each organization’s operation and its contribution to the field. Artistic achievement, administrative strength and fiscal stability are factored into each evaluation, as is the company’s development of new work and other significant contributions to the field of professional theatre in the US.

The Shubert Foundation, Inc. was established in 1945 by Lee and J.J. Shubert in memory of their brother Sam, and is the sole shareholder of The Shubert Organization, Inc., which currently owns/operates 21 theatres: 17 on Broadway, one Off-Broadway theatre (The Little Shubert), and one each in Boston and Philadelphia. The Shubert Archive, a working repository of more than 10 million theatrical documents and related items, operates under the aegis of The Shubert Foundation.

Posted in Arts, arts organizations, Fountain Theatre, grants, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, performing arts, Theater, theatre

Tagged arts, arts organizations, award, Barbara Goodhill, Fountain Theatre, grant, Los Angeles, Shubert Foundation, Shubert Theatre, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre