Upcoming Productions
(Please check back frequently for additions,
updates and schedule changes)
Most recently updated: May 23, 2023
June 2 – July 8, 2023 (Fridays @ 8 p.m. / Saturdays @ 8 p.m. except June 3 & June 24 which are at 3 p.m. / Sundays @ 3 p.m except June 4 & June 11 which are at 7 p.m.; previews May 27-June 1)
Starmites
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Open Fist Theatre Company presents a new production of the joyous, 1989 Tony-nominated sci-fi fantasy musical adventure that’s a comic book come-to-life. Shy teenager Eleanor dreams her way into a comic book quest to save the galaxy, where teams up with Space Punk, The Starmites and a lizard man named Trinkulus to fight the evil Shak Graa and The Banshees — weird women with dangerous hair-dos — led by Diva. Open Fist Theatre Company at Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039; $25-$35; (323) 882-6912; www.openfist.org
June 2 – July 9, 2023 (Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m., Sundays @ 4 p.m.)
World premiere of Back Porch
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Productions presents the world premiere of a new comedy by Eric Anderson. Life imitates art when Hollywood descends upon a small Kansas town in 1955 to shoot scenes for the classic film, Picnic. Sparks fly in more ways than one in Anderson’s delightful homage to both movie making and the play that inspired the Columbia film. The Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505; $25; (818) 533-1611; onstage411.com/BackPorch.
June 9 – June 25, 2023 (Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; previews Wednesday, June 7 & Thursday, June 8 @ 8 p.m.):
Into the Breeches!
“We Can Do It!” So said Rosie the Riveter, and so say the women of Long Beach in Into the Breeches!, a vibrant new comedy by George Brant. It’s 1942, and the leading men of Long Beach’s Oberon Playhouse are off fighting overseas. With “The Show Must Go On!” as their battle cry, a band of passionate, yet inexperienced, performers rally together to produce the theater’s season opener — an all-female version of Shakespeare’s ambitious Henry IV and Henry V. Will their production be a victory on the home front, or a target for rotten tomatoes? A hilarious and moving story about what happens when we’re all in it together. International City Theatre, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802; $37-$52; (562) 436-4610; www.InternationalCityTheatre.org
June 10 – Sept. 23, 2023 (check online or call for repertory performance schedule):
Macbeth
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The 50th Anniversary Summer Repertory Season at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum opens with William Shakespeare’s thrilling supernatural tragedy, a grand and gripping tale of murder, treason, ambition and greed that follows Macbeth’s transformation from battlefield hero to bloody tyrant. The outdoor amphitheater is terraced into the hillside of rustic Topanga Canyon, so dress casually and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290; $15-$60; (310) 455-3723; theatricum.com
June 11 – Sept. 21, 2023 (check online or call for repertory performance schedule):
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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Theatricum Botanicum returns with its signature production, an annual event infusing Shakespeare’s beautiful language with music and song to heighten the pleasure. The most magical outdoor setting in Los Angeles is once again transformed into an enchanted forest inhabited by lovers both fairy and human. Shakespeare conjures a world of wonder, magic and romance where comical misunderstandings and the pain of unrequited love are resolved, and all is reconciled through midsummer night revelries and the enduring power of nature. The outdoor amphitheater is terraced into the hillside of rustic Topanga Canyon, so dress casually and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290; $15-$60; (310) 455-3723; theatricum.com
June 16 – July 17, 2023 (Fridays, Saturdays & Mondays @ 8 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays @ 2 p.m.; previews June 11-15):
The Tempest
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Antaeus Theatre Company brings out the musicality in Shakespeare’s most poetic and magical comedy with original music, live musicians and on-stage Foley effects. An enchanted storm strands a banished Duke’s enemies on his isle of exile. Through magic, misadventure and forgiveness, the Duke, his daughter, his foes and the island spirits are all liberated from the prisons of their pasts to the glorious promise of their futures. Directed by Nike Doukas. Antaeus Theatre Company at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, 110 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205; $40; (818) 506-1983; www.Antaeus.org
June 17 – Aug. 27, 2023 (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & Mondays @ 7 p.m.; previews June 14–June 16)
40th Anniversary production of Last Summer at Bluefish Cove
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Welcome to Bluefish Cove. The Fountain Theatre will transform the parking lot surrounding the set on its outdoor stage to create an oceanfront experience for its 40th anniversary production of the groundbreaking drama by Jane Chambers. Set in 1974, a group of queer women spend their summers together in a remote oceanfront town on Long Island. Their lesbian enclave is disrupted when Eva, a naïve straight woman recently separated from her husband, stumbles unaware into their circle and falls for the charming, tough-talking Lil. This heartfelt play, a landmark in lesbian history, is bursting with friendship, laughter, love and hope, bringing well-rounded, three-dimensional characters that transcend stereotypes and preconceptions to the stage. Outdoor Stage at The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029; $20–$45, Pay-What-You-Want Mondays; (323) 663-1525; www.fountaintheatre.com.
June 23 – June 25, 2023 (Friday @ 8 p.m.; Saturday @ 3 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sunday @ 4 p.m.):
World premiere of Exodus: The Shanghai Jews
In this original, commissioned docudrama by the BBC’s Kate McAll, Jewish refugees recount their true stories of escaping Nazi persecution in Europe to settle in Shanghai between 1938 and 1941. There, they established synagogues and businesses, living side-by-side with their new Chinese neighbors in harsh conditions under the Japanese occupation. Each of four performances will be recorded live in front of the audience for future radio broadcast, digital download and online streaming. L.A. Theatre Works’ syndicated radio theater series broadcasts weekly on public radio stations across the U.S. (locally, in Southern California, on KPFK 90.7 FM); can be downloaded as a podcast via iTunes, NPR One or wherever you get your podcasts; and can be streamed on demand at latw.org. L.A. Theatre Works @ the James Bridges Theater, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, 235 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095; $15-$65; (310) 827-0889; latw.org
June 24 – Oct. 1, 2023 (check online or call for repertory performance schedule):
Queen Margaret’s Version of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses
In her new edit of Shakespeare’s best-known history plays — Henry VI Parts I, II and III and Richard III — Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer puts the focus on the women in court to draw an unspoken parallel between the in-fighting of rival dynasties that led to England’s bloody civil wars and modern-day American politics. The outdoor amphitheater is terraced into the hillside of rustic Topanga Canyon, so dress casually and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290; $15-$60; (310) 455-3723; theatricum.com
July 7 – July 23, 2023 (Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.):
West Coast premiere of Garden of Alla: The Alla Nazimova Story
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The 1920s was the time of flappers, flamboyance, and the face of Alla Nazimova. This summer Nazimova — Jewish immigrant from Tsarist Russia, Broadway and silent film superstar, visionary Hollywood director and producer, and LGBTQIA trailblazer — makes her triumphant return to Hollywood when Theatre West presents playwright and performer Romy Nordlinger in her critically acclaimed solo show. Using immersive video and original music to invoke the Roaring Twenties and create a panoramic, live silent film, Nordlinger brings the life and times of this groundbreaking iconoclast to vivid life. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd, West, Los Angeles, CA 90068; $35-$40; (323) 851-7977; TheatreWest.org
July 15 – Aug. 21, 2023 (Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 4 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
World premiere of Crabs in a Bucket
“If I can’t have it — neither can you!” The Echo Theater Company presents an outrageous, smart and very funny satire by Bernardo Cubría about the impact of “crab mentality” on oppressed communities whose members work against one another instead of together. Amargo and Pootz are two bitter crabs living in a shucking bucket. They spend their days talking chit about the crabs that got out, the ones who couldn’t take it, and the losers who still live among them. When a new crab arrives filled with optimism and hope for change, can it help them achieve their life-long dream of getting the shuck out? Alana Dietze directs. The Echo Theater Company @ Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039; $20-$34, Pay-What-You-Want Mondays; 310-307-3753; www.EchoTheaterCompany.com
July 15 – Oct. 7, 2023 (check online or call for repertory performance schedule):
A Perfect Ganesh
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Ellen Geer and Melora Marshall star in the heartfelt, spiritual, Pulitzer Prize nominated play by late, five-time Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally. Two outwardly unremarkable, middle-aged women throw themselves into a rousing tour of India, each with her own secret expectations as to how the journey might alleviate the suffering she hides within. The outdoor amphitheater is terraced into the hillside of rustic Topanga Canyon, so dress casually and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290; $15-$60; (310) 455-3723; theatricum.com
June 23 – June 25, 2023 (Friday @ 8 p.m.; Saturday @ 3 p.m. & 8 p.m., Sunday @ 4 p.m.):
World premiere of Exodus: The Shanghai Jews
In this original, commissioned docudrama by the BBC’s Kate McAll, Jewish refugees recount their true stories of escaping Nazi persecution in Europe to settle in Shanghai between 1938 and 1941. There, they established synagogues and businesses, living side-by-side with their new Chinese neighbors in harsh conditions under the Japanese occupation. Each of four performances will be recorded live in front of the audience for future radio broadcast, digital download and online streaming. L.A. Theatre Works’ syndicated radio theater series broadcasts weekly on public radio stations across the U.S. (locally, in Southern California, on KPFK 90.7 FM); can be downloaded as a podcast via iTunes, NPR One or wherever you get your podcasts; and can be streamed on demand at latw.org. L.A. Theatre Works @ the James Bridges Theater, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, 235 Charles E. Young Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095; $15-$65; (310) 827-0889; latw.org
Aug. 25 – Sept. 10, 2023 (Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; previews Wednesday, Aug. 23 & Thursday, Aug. 24 @ 8 p.m.):
World premiere of Exit Wounds
International City Theatre presents a story of healing, hope and compassion by Los Angeles playwright Wendy Graf (All American Girl, No Word in Guyanese for Me, Closely Related Keys). The Gold Medallion winner of the Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle Hart New Play Initiative, Exit Wounds looks behind the “ripped from the headlines” sensationalist story of a horrific tragedy to explore its effect on three generations of the perpetrator’s family. How do you find redemption when someone you love has committed a terrible crime? Can the families of the evildoers ever live a normal life again, or are they forever defined by the actions of one member? International City Theatre, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802; $37-$52; (562) 436-4610; www.InternationalCityTheatre.org
Sept. 2 – Sept 24, 2023 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; select Thursdays @ 7:30 p.m.; previews Aug. 27 –Sept.1; no Saturday matinee on Sept. 2):
The Bluest Eye
A Noise Within presents this haunting and tragic portrait of a Black girl’s coming of age in the racially turbulent 1940s, adapted by Lydia R. Diamond from the novel by Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. Everything in 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove’s world is tragically out of order. Faced with constant ridicule and abuse, Pecola blames her dark skin and prays for blue eyes, sure that love will follow. Diamond’s adaptation captures Morrison’s distinctively rich language to expose the poisonous effects of systemic racism and the heartbreak of shame. Andi Chapman directs. A Noise Within, 3352 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107; (626) 356-3100; www.anoisewithin.org
Sept. 8 – Sept. 29, 2023 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.):
Under the Oaks
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Theatricum Botanicum’s annual salon series offers music and performance outdoors under the California oaks. Friday, Sept. 8: The Music of Leonard Cohen, featuring the talents of Theatricum company members; Friday, Sept. 15: Chamber Music with the McDaniel Brothers; Friday, Sept. 22: Contemporary Classical with Berber Heerema; Friday, Sept. 29: HOL (singer/songwriter Holly Gottlieb; Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290; $25; (310) 455-3723; www.theatricum.com
Sept. 8 – Oct. 8, 2023 (Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.):
World premiere of Walking in Space
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In 1972, in Baltimore, Maryland, there was no Betty Ford Clinic. When the prescription drug-addicted, single mother of an upper-middle class Jewish family finally hits rock-bottom, it falls on her children to take control. Inspired by true events, this fictionalized, autobiographical dramedy by multiple award-winning playwright Garry Michael Kluger is an affectionate portrait of four siblings who arm themselves with fierce tenacity, good humor, and their love for one another to save their mother — and themselves. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd, West, Los Angeles, CA 90068; $35-$40; (323) 851-7977; TheatreWest.org
Sept. 16 – Oct. 23, 2023 (Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 4 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
West Coast premiere of How It’s Gon’ Be
The Echo Theater Company presents a poetic exploration of missed connections and feelings to great to speak aloud by JuCoby Johnson. With adulthood looming in the distance, Jahaan and his friends enjoy the last precious moments of summer vacation. When Jahaan’s father returns after a year away, the world stops spinning for a moment — and lines are drawn in the sand. Ahmed Best directs. The Echo Theater Company @ Atwater Village Theatre, 3269 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039; $20-$34, Pay-What-You-Want Mondays; 310-307-3753; www.EchoTheaterCompany.com
Oct. 14 – Oct. 29, 2023 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; select Thursdays @ 7:30 p.m.; previews Oct. 8-Oct. 13 no Saturday matinee on Oct. 14):
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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A Noise Within’s Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott are at the helm of Shakespeare’s most beguiling comedy. Everything is topsy-turvy in the enchanted woods of Athens, where mortal lovers chase and are chased and fairies make magical mischief. The comedy, romance and mayhem of Shakespeare’s wedding play unite the realms of magic and mortals, rulers and rustics, while never straying from the subject of love. A Noise Within, 3352 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107; (626) 356-3100; www.anoisewithin.org
Oct. 20 – Nov. 5, 2023 (Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays @ 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; previews Wednesday, Oct. 18 & Thursday, Oct. 19 @ 8 p.m.):
Deathtrap
Just in time for Halloween, International City Theatre presents Ira Levin’s Tony-nominated, gasp-inducing comedy thriller. Sidney Bruhl is a playwright desperately in need of a hit. Just in time, a former student sends him the manuscript of his first play, a murder mystery called Deathtrap. Sidney smells a hit… but he’s never been that fond of sharing credit. “Two-thirds a thriller and one-third a devilishly clever comedy… Suspend your disbelief and be delighted. Scream a little, it’s good for you.” – Cue magazine. Jamie Torcellini directs. International City Theatre, Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 330 E. Seaside Way, Long Beach, CA 90802; $37-$52; (562) 436-4610; www.InternationalCityTheatre.org
Oct. 20 – Nov. 20, 2023 (Fridays, Saturdays & Mondays @ 8 p.m., Sundays @ 2 p.m.; select Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & Thursdays @ 8 p.m.; previews Oct. 15–Oct. 19):
World premiere of SHE
Antaeus Theatre Company presents this uplifting, lyrical tale by Los Angeles-based Marlow Wyatt about a young woman finding her voice. After receiving a rare opportunity to attend a prestigious boarding school 13-year old SHE is forced to face the harsh realities of adult life, discovering that the small town she was so desperate to escape is filled with the very people who give her wings to fly. Recipient of the second annual Los Angeles New Play Project (LANPP) grant, designed to contribute attract excellence in playwriting to the Los Angeles theater community and encourage the production of exciting, untried plays. Andi Chapman directs. Antaeus Theatre Company at the Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center, 110 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205; $40; (818) 506-1983; www.Antaeus.org
Friday, Dec. 1 & Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 @ 7:30 p.m.:
La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin
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L.A.’s Latino Theater Company returns to Downtown L.A.’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels with La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin, the company’s signature holiday pageant that has taken place annually since 2002. Featuring over 100 actors, singers and indigenous Aztec dancers as well as children and seniors from the community, La Virgen is the City of L.A.’s largest theatrical holiday production. Join the tens of thousands who have become transfixed by the story of Juan Diego, a simple peasant to whom the Virgin Mary appeared on four occasions in the mountains of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531. Adapted for the stage by Evelina Fernández from the mid-16th century text The Nican Mopohua and performed in Spanish with English subtitles, the pageant has been covered by The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles HOY, Univision and Fox News among many others. Latino Theater Company at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90012; FREE (premium seating available for $45); (213) 489–0994; www.latinotheaterco.org
Dec. 1 – Dec. 24, 2023: (Fridays & Saturdays @ 7 p.m., Saturdays & Sundays @ 2 p.m., plus Tuesday thru Thursday Dec. 19-21 @ 7 p.m.)
A Christmas Carol
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A Noise Within’s uniquely faithful, delightfully festive, musically merry stage adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel has become a Los Angeles tradition with its innovative staging, whimsical costumes, original music and boundless good cheer. A Noise Within, 3352 E Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107; (626) 353-3100; www.anoisewithin.org
Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023 (12 p.m. – 6 p.m.):
Holiday Family Faire
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Celebrate the holidays at the beautiful, outdoor Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, where carolers and singing madrigals roam the grounds and Theatricum company members tell winter holiday stories from a variety of traditions including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanza. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be available to take family photos, and performances will include aerialist acts by cirque performer Lexi Pearl. An artisan marketplace will offer holiday gifts and crafts, and festive food and drink will be available for purchase. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290 General admission: $20 ages 16 and up; $10 ages 5–15; ages 4 and under free; family four-pack (2 adults and 2children): $50. (310) 455-3723; www.theatricum.com
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