September | 2019 | Intimate Excellent

by Stephen Sachs

It came from the young producer of a newly-formed immersive theatre company. His troupe eschews the conventional production of plays. Instead, it presents “multisensory experiences.” The question was targeted at me. The panel discussion at LATC brought together artistic directors from six LA companies, some new and some long-established, to talk over the goals and perils of creating theatre in Los Angeles. As Founder/Artistic Director of the Fountain, I was invited to speak for a “legacy theatre.” I was one of the old guys.

The question thrown to me by the young theater-maker is one I’ve been asked many times over thirty years. It comes when your theatre creates work that confronts social and political issues. The question will surface sometimes in reviews of new plays or be floated in post-show discussions with patrons. Depending on tone and intent, I’ve heard it posed both as a question and as a statement of accusation.

“Aren’t you just preaching to the choir?”

The trope of “preaching to the choir” is defined as presenting work that offers a message so obvious, so apparent and undebatable to those receiving it (because they think or feel the same way) it is therefore rendered meaningless.  A waste of time. For years, I agreed. Preaching to the choir was unproductive. Over time, I have changed my mind.

The choir needs preaching, too.

The choir are the folks at every service. They’ve heard it all. They’ve listened to the same scripture spoken from the same pulpit, time and time again. They know the words to every song and have sung them, over and over. By now the choir should embody, as human beings, what all the words mean. But they can’t. Nobody can. The truth is, once the choir believes that it “already knows,” the church is in trouble.

At the Fountain, the choir are our longtime loyal patrons who follow the artistic mission of our theatre. Together, we are committed to diversity and inclusion. At the Fountain, we dramatize stories on racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-semitism, homelessness. If I were to survey each of our devoted patrons I would wager that all would agree that these social issues are wrong.  Should the Fountain, therefore, not tell these stories?

Why do we go to a church or a temple? Why should we gather with like-minded people who share our same belief system, who think like we do, who know all the same stories and follow all the same rules. Why do we go? To be humbled. Reminded. Illuminated. We are complicated, imperfect beings. There is infinity to discover in ourselves and each other. We think we know.  We do not.

A few weeks ago I was reading a book on racism in America. The book was forcing me to confront my own position of privilege as a White man in this country.  I was highlighting sentences and paragraphs throughout. I also found myself skimming what I considered to be obvious sections outlining racism in this country, thinking, “I know, I know, I know” as I flipped the pages.  I then stopped myself. What was  I doing? Do I really know? Can I really know? Isn’t muttering “I know, I know, I know” while flipping pages on racism just another example of a well-meaning White liberal male self-medicating?

Once we say “I know” to any social issue, and do nothing, we become part of the problem. Preaching to those who need healing is easy. Changing the self-righteous is hard.

Preaching to the choir is pointless only if parishioners do nothing after the service. Just if educated well-meaning patrons at the Fountain see a play on injustice, nod their heads, agree that it’s terrible, feel good about themselves and then go home to their daily lives, unchanged. Preaching to the choir is essential when it pushes the choir to dig deeper inside itself and ask the hard questions: what is my role in this? How do I perpetuate what is wrong? How can I make it right?

At the Fountain, I am deeply aware that I am not only part of the choir, I am the Choir Leader. I am the straight, White male gatekeeper of a theatre dedicated to diversity. Even with my best intentions, no matter how hard I try, I do not “know.” I can not “know.” Whenever I pretend that I do, I have lost my way.

Coming to the theatre reminds me what the many ills of this nation make painfully clear.  No truth is self-evident.

Stephen Sachs is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of the Fountain Theatre. 

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

Tagged arts organization, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre

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

Tagged actor, Between Riverside and Crazy, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, Matthew Hancock, Stephen Adly Guirgis, theater, theatre

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

Tagged Between Riverside and Crazy, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, playwright, playwriting, Stephen Adly Guirgis, theater, theatre

Poster for 1972 political film “The Candidate” starring Robert Redford.

The acclaimed Fountain Theatre has obtained permission from Warner Bros to present a one-night celebrity reading of the Jeremy Larner screenplay for the Academy Award winning 1972 movie, The Candidate.  The event will take place in the City Council Chamber at Los Angeles City Hall in 2020, the cast, date and time to be announced.

The celebrity reading continues the Fountain’s ongoing program created in partnership with LA City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell to bring local government, the arts community and the public together in a unique setting to address timely issues of the day. The Candidate will follow the Fountain’s hugely successful 2018 celebrity readings of All the President’s Men, starring cast members from The West Wing and Scandal, and the 2019 all-star reading of Ms. Smith Goes to Washington, starring Bellamy Young  and Sam Waterston.

In the gritty, documentary-like film The Candidate directed by Michael Ritchie, Robert Redford stars as an idealistic, good-natured attorney whose high standards are soiled by his run for political office.  Jeremy Larner won the Academy Award for his screenplay.  The film is considered one of the top ten political movies ever made.

Fountain Co-Artistic Director Stephen Sachs, who directed the City Hall readings of All The President’s Men and Ms. Smith Goes to Washington, will guide the celebrity reading of The Candidate in 2020, stating “I can think of no better choice for the upcoming election year.”

Posted in actors, arts organizations, Drama, film, Fountain Theatre, government, Hollywood, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged All the President’s Men, Bellamy Young, celebrity, Fountain Theatre, Jeremy Larner, Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Hall, Michael Ritchie, Mitch O’Farrell, movie, Ms. Smith Goes to Washington, Robert Redford, Sam Waterston, Scandal, screenplay, Stephen Sachs, The Candidate, The West Wing

Posted in Arts, Arts education, arts organizations, Drama, Education, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, Outreach Program, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged Arts education, educational outreach, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, LACC Theatre Academy, LAPD, Los Angeles, Los Angeles City College Theatre Academy, Los Angeles Police Department, outreach, students, theater, theatre, Walking the Beat

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 $50,000, doubling the amount awarded to the Fountain by the Foundation last year.  The Ahmanson Foundation strives to enhance the quality of life and cultural legacy of the Los Angeles community by supporting non-profit organizations that demonstrate sound fiscal management, efficient operation, and program integrity.

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

The Ahmanson Foundation directs its giving toward the areas of the arts and humanities, education, human services, and health and medicine. The foundation’s grants in these areas are largely dedicated toward capital projects that support the nuts-and-bolts-type needs of non-profits.  The vast majority of the foundation’s philanthropy is directed toward organizations and institutions based in and serving the greater Los Angeles area.

The grant award reflects the success of The Fountain Theatre’s ongoing campaign under the guidance of Director of Development Barbara Goodhill to increase the levels and broaden the sources of contributed giving to the organization.  Today’s announcement follows last month’s news of a $40,000 award  from The Wallis Annenberg Foundation to the Fountain for general operating support.

“This generous award from the Ahmanson Foundation is another extraordinary endorsement and affirmation of The Fountain’s continued growth and prestige within Southern California’s cultural landscape and the funding community, ” states Goodhill.

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

Tagged Ahmanson Foundation, Barbara Goodhill, Fountain Theatre, grant, grant award, Los Angeles, nonprofit, philathropy, Stephen Sachs, theater, theatre, Wallis Annenberg Foundation

Liza Fernandez, Joshua Bitton, Guillermo Cienfuegos, Victor Anthony, Lesley Fera, Montae Russell and Marisol Miranda

What happens when you mix a Pulitzer Prize winning script, a company of phenomenal actors and a skilled director together in one room? You get magic.  From the moment the first lines of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ funny and powerful Between Riverside and Crazy were spoken at Wednesday night’s first rehearsal, all knew they were in for a wild and joyous ride.

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In Gurigis’ profane and tender tale, ex-cop and recent widower Walter “Pops” Washington and his newly paroled son Junior have spent a lifetime living between Riverside and crazy. But now, the NYPD is demanding his signature to close an outstanding lawsuit, the landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed—and the church won’t leave him alone. When the struggle to keep one of New York City’s last great rent-stabilized apartments collides with old wounds, sketchy new houseguests, and a final ultimatum, it seems that the old days may be dead and gone.

Directed by award-winning Guillermo Cienfuegos, the cast includes Victor Anthony, Joshua Bitton, Lesley Fera, Liza Fernandez, Matthew Hancock, Marisol Miranda, and Montae Russell.

At the first meet-and-greet, the company was joined by Fountain staff, Board members and donors.  The group enjoyed a brief welcoming reception and then gathered on the Fountain stage for the reading of the script. Director Cienfuegos commented that he was struck by the support of the Fountain Theatre Family. Never, he said, had he witnessed such a show of community at a first rehearsal, with such a large number of dedicated people so eagerly present. “This is wonderful,” he grinned. “Because the play, in addition to being about racism and class and police work, is really about family.”

Between Riverside and Crazy opens October 19. More Info/Get Tickets

Posted in actors, African American, Arts, arts organizations, director, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, Los Angeles, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, race, racism, Social justice, stage, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, Between Riverside and Crazy, Fountain Theatre, Guillermo Cienfuegos, Joshua Bitton, Lesley Fera, Liza Fernandez, marisol Miranda, Matthew Hancock, Montae Russell, Pulitzer Prize, Rehearsal, Stephen Adly Guirgis, theater, theatre, Victor Anthony

As retired Dodgers veteran sportscaster Vin Scully would declare, “It’s time for Dodgers baseball!”

With the warm nights of summer comes the annual Fountain Theatre Dodgers Game Night, a yearly tradition for Fountain staff, Board members, Fountain Family and friends to enjoy a night out at the ballpark.  Last night’s event brought thirty-four Fountain folks together for hot dogs, peanuts, beer and the joy of cheering our Boys in Blue.  For some, it was their first visit to Dodger Stadium. For a few, last night was their first time watching a baseball game ever.

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The evening ended in celebration: The Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3.

Posted in actors, arts organizations, Baseball, Board of Directors, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, non-profit organization, Theater, theatre

Tagged arts organizations, Baseball, Dodgers, Fountain Theatre, Los Angeles, theater, theatre

Actors from “Joy Luck Club” and “Hannah” in Fountain cafe.

Ever question if LA has a real theatre community? A true sense of camaraderie? Doubt no more. Last night, members of the cast from the Sierra Madre Playhouse production of The Joy Luck Club swarmed to the Fountain Theatre to support friends and colleagues in our California Premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo. After the performance, members from both companies gathered in our upstairs cafe to celebrate and congratulate each other.

It was fitting that the visit happened on Labor Day, the national observance of the value of work.  For people who work in the theatre, there is a fervent dedication to the art form and a palpable cord of goodwill between artists.

The bond between the Joy Luck and Hannah casts  — both with Asian actors — began when the company of Joy Luck sent a funny and warm-hearted good luck video from the Sierra Madre Playhouse to the Hannah group days before its opening at the Fountain.

The Hannah company replied, posting their own video to the Joy Luck cast.

Happy opening night to the cast and crew of Joy Luck Club at Sierra Madre Playhouse (Victor S Chi Shar Liu Christine Liao Tim Dang Yee Eun Nam Lee Chen-Norman Grace Shen Christopher Chen and everyone) !!!!! — ❤ the cast of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo at East West Players and Fountain Theatre 🎭🥰👏👏👏👏💐

Posted by Jully Lee on Saturday, August 24, 2019

Last night, cast members from The Joy Luck Club were at the Fountain supporting their fellow players. The Hannah cast will soon do the same. Theatre can be a competitive business. It can also be a haven for friendship and support.

Enjoy these photos from last night’s visit.

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Get tickets/more info on Hannah and the Dread Gazebo and The Joy Luck Club.

Posted in actors, Arts, arts organizations, Asian, cafe, Drama, Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, immigration, Korean, Los Angeles, new plays, non-profit organization, performing arts, plays, Theater, theatre

Tagged actors, Asian, community, East Hollywood, East West Players, Fountain Theatre, Hannah and the Dread Gazebo, Hollywood, Korean, Los Angeles, Sierra Madre Players, The Joy Luck Club, theater, theatre