Echo Theater Company presents world premiere of
‘F**king Strangers,’ a deliciously off–kilter comedy
LOS ANGELES (June 2, 2026) — The Echo Theater Company presents the world premiere of F**king Strangers, a deliciously off-kilter dark comedy by Erik Patterson, commissioned by the company and directed by artistic director Chris Fields. Performances run July 18 through August 24 at Atwater Village Theatre. Three Pay-What-You-Want preview performances are set for July 15, 16 and 17.
Audiences may remember Patterson’s singular comic voice from previous Echo productions of One of the Nice Ones (winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Playwriting) and Handjob. In F**king Strangers, he delivers a twisted, hilarious and unexpectedly moving story about loneliness, desire, family secrets and the strange ways people try to save one another.
Ru hasn’t left his bedroom in six years. Mick can’t stop paying for affection. Julianne mourns the life she never pursued. Dylan sells companionship to anyone who can afford him. As real-life and online obsessions blur into genuine intimacy, long-buried truths begin to surface. What starts as role-playing and fantasy spirals into a wildly unpredictable collision of sex, secrecy, family and redemption — with consequences that are both shocking and wickedly funny.
“Erik Patterson has one of the most distinctive comic voices in American theater,” says Fields. His writing is fearless, razor-sharp, and deeply compassionate. F**king Strangers constantly surprises you — every time you think you know what kind of play you’re watching, it transforms into something richer, stranger and more moving.”
The production stars Tonatiuh as Dylan (Fixed at the Echo, ABC’s Promised Land, and the breakout star of last year’s Kiss of the Spider Woman opposite Jennifer Lopez); Michael Sturgis as Ru (Echo productions of Clarkston, Poor Clare, Crabs in a Bucket, Gloria); James Tupper as Mick (HBO’s Big Little Lies, NBC’s Men in Trees, Mercy, and ABC’s Revenge); and Tasha Ames as Julianne (Clarkston and Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies at the Echo).
The creative team features the talents of scenic designer Amanda Knehans, lighting designer Matt Richter, sound designer M. Glenn Shuster, costume designer Dianne K Graebner and fight choreographer Tristan Waldron. Jasmine Leung serves as production stage manager.
Patterson is a playwright and screenwriter whose plays have been produced and developed by, in addition to The Echo, such theaters as Playwrights’ Arena, The LATC, The Actors’ Gang, Naked Angels, Mark Taper Forum, Provincetown Theater Company and New Group. His work has been nominated for or won Ovation, Stage Raw, LA Weekly, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and GLAAD Media awards. Film/TV credits include Radio Rebel for the Disney Channel (Humanitas Prize), Another Cinderella Story for ABC Family (WGA Award for Best Children’s Script), Deep Blue Sea 2 (Warner Media/SYFY), Abandoned (starring Emma Roberts and Michael Shannon), fourteen episodes of R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (two Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Writing in a Children’s Series), and several Hallmark movies, including Love on a Limb, Love Under the Stars, the Sister Swap films, and The Christmas Note. He has sold pilots to eOne Entertainment, MTV, and VH1, and has developed films for Warner Bros., Universal, 20th Century Fox, Disney, Freeform, and Paramount, among others. Erik is the creator of Your Daily Writing Prompt on TikTok (310k followers), and is the author of a series of writing craft books for Simon & Schuster, including Write a Romantasy: 99 Writing Prompts to Craft a Tale of Heart and Heroism. His play Faggots in Love premieres at Theatre of NOTE this summer as part of their evening of one-act plays, “Origins.”
Founded in 1997, the Echo Theater Company has gained a reputation for producing and developing adventurous new work. Under the artistic leadership of Chris Fields, the company has championed playwrights for a quarter century, producing and commissioning numerous world premieres and introducing Los Angeles to playwrights David Lindsay-Abaire, Adam Rapp and Sarah Ruhl among others. The Echo has won countless Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly and Stage Raw awards, and is frequently cited on end-of-the-year “Best of Lists” including by the Los Angeles Times, LA Observed and NPR affiliate KCRW 89.9 FM, among others. The company was anointed “Best Bet for Ballsy Original Plays” by the LA Weekly and was a recipient of a “Kilroy Cake Drop” to honor its efforts to produce women and trans writers. KCRW declared that “Echo Theater Company is on a fierce journey,” and Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty called it, “The most vital center for offbeat drama in Los Angeles. The Echo was honored by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle with the prestigious Margaret Harford Award for “Excellence In Theatre.”
F**king Strangers opens on Saturday, July 18, with performances continuing on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. through August 24. Three preview performances are set for Wednesday, July 15; Thursday, July 16; and Friday, July 17, each at 8 p.m.
Tickets range from $15 to $42.75. Tickets to previews and all Monday night performances are Pay–What–You–Want starting at $15 if paying cash at the door plus an additional $1.50 per ticket fee if purchasing online or at the door with a credit card. Early Bird tickets to Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances are available through July 3 (online only) for $20 plus a $1.75 per ticket fee. Tickets to Friday, Saturday or Sunday performances purchased after July 3: $40 cash with an additional $2.75 fee per ticket if using a credit card.
Content warning: F**King Strangers contains mature sexual themes and is recommended for ages 18 and up.
Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (747) 350-8066 or go to EchoTheaterCompany.com.
Details for Calendar Listings
‘F**king Strangers’
WHAT:
The Echo Theater Company presents the world premiere of F**King Strangers, a deliciously off-kilter comedy by Erik Patterson. Ru hasn’t left his bedroom in six years. Mick can’t stop paying for affection. Julianne mourns the life she never pursued. Dylan sells companionship to anyone who can afford him. In this dark comedy of love, sex, isolation and reinvention, four seemingly complete strangers discover they’re connected in ways none of them could possibly imagine.
WHO:
• Written by Erik Patterson
• Directed by Chris Fields
• Starring Tasha Ames, Michael Sturgis, Tonatiuh, James Tupper
• Presented by The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director
WHEN:
July 15-Aug. 24
• Previews: Wednesday, July 15, Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m.
• Performances: July 18 through Aug. 24: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 8 p.m. / Sundays at 4 p.m.
WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
PARKING:
FREE in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot one block south of the theater.
TICKET PRICES:
$15 – $42.75
• Pay–What–You–Want starting at $15 cash at the door plus an additional $1.50 per ticket fee if purchasing online or at the door with a credit card.
• Early Bird tickets to Friday, Saturday or Sunday performances through July 3 (available online only): $20 plus a $1.75 credit card fee.
• Tickets to Friday, Saturday or Sunday performances purchased after July 3: $40 cash with an additional $2.75 fee per ticket if using a credit card.
CONTENT WARNING:
F**King Strangers contains mature sexual themes and is recommended for ages 18 and up.
HOW:
EchoTheaterCompany.com
(747) 350-8066
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