NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ 28TH ANNUAL OVATION AWARDS NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED
FOR THE
28TH ANNUAL LA STAGE ALLIANCE
OVATION AWARDS
CENTER THEATRE GROUP LEADS WITH 31,
WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS AND GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE TIE WITH 19 EACH,
ROGUE MACHINE GARNERS 12,
ACTORS CO-OP AND RUBICON THEATRE COMPANY
TIE WITH 11 EACH,
EBONY REPERTORY THEATRE GETS 10

Nominees for the 28th Annual LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards were announced on Thursday, November 2 on @ This Stage Magazine [ThisStage.la]. The ceremony will take place Monday, January 29, 2018 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Center Theatre Group leads the pack with 31 nominations for their productions of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (7), Archduke (5), and Zoot Suit (4) at the Mark Taper Forum; Amélie, A New Musical (1), Fun Home (1), and Into the Woods (1) at the Ahmanson Theatre; and Dry Land (7), Failure: A Love Story (2), King of the Yees (1), and Vicuña (1) at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, along with Best Season. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts follows with 19 nominations for their productions of For the Record: Scorsese – American Crime Requiem (10), The Pride (4), Merrily We Roll Along (3), The Encounter (1), and Best Season. Geffen Playhouse ties the Wallis with 19 nominations for their productions of The Legend of Georgia McBride (8), Actually (6), Long Day’s Journey into Night (2), Barbecue (1), Icebergs (1), and Best Season. Rogue Machine garnered 12 nominations for their productions of Les Blancs (8), Dutch Masters (2), The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! (1), and Best Season. Actors Co-op earned 11 nominations for their productions of 33 Variations (8), Our Town (2), and The Turn of the Screw (1). Rubicon Theatre Company also received a total of 11 nominations for their productions of Gulf View Drive (10) and Sylvia (1). Ebony Repertory Theatre gets 10 nominations for their production of Five Guys Named Moe.

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES

11-02-2017

Go See Bent! (LAArtsOnline.com)

^{Bent runs through August 23rd at the Mark Taper Forum}
GO SEE BENT!

By Ken Werther
Graphics Courtesy of Center Theatre Group

Since its London premiere in 1979, the play Bent by Martin Sherman has been described with words like, “powerful,” “thought-provoking,” and “a theatre classic.” The Guardian of London called Bent, “A work of considerable dignity and passion,” and The New York Times said, “it should not be missed.”

Sherman’s profound love story illuminates the deepest, darkest moments of one man’s fight to survive gay persecution in 1930s Germany immediately following Night of the Long Knives (a purge that took place in Germany from June 30 to July 2, 1934 when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders). The title of the play refers to the slang word used in some European countries when referring to homosexuals. When Bent was first performed, there was only a trickle of historical research or even awareness about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals. Many believe the play helped increase that historical research and education in the 1980s and 1990s.

This is not a happy play, but it is a decidedly important one. I saw Bent on Broadway in 1980 when I was 25 years old. Its stark images have never left my consciousness. Now, in the first major U.S. revival since then, the Mark Taper Forum is presenting this startling play that illustrates how love can transcend persecution no matter what the cost.

Laughter is Good! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Immediate Family (Directed by Phylicia Rashad) plays at the Mark Taper Forum

Laughter is Good!

By Ken Werther
Graphics Courtesy of CTG

Back in 2007, Immediate Family by Paul Oakley Stovall had its West Coast premiere at LA’s venerable Celebration Theatre under a different title. Back then the play was called As Much As You Can. Eight years later, with a new title, what is not different is the level of comedy the show brings. If you’ve read other stories of mine here on LAArtsOnline.com you know I’m a big proponent of laughter. For me, the sound of 750 people laughing together cures a lot of chills.

Immediate Family takes us to the Bryant Family reunion where race, sexuality, religion, evolving ideas of marriage, long-held beliefs, and long-kept secrets collide, setting the scene for a hilarious family showdown. Lots of dysfunction — something we’ve all experienced! Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune said Immediate Family “… bursts with life …” and called it “a timely and important American play.” Add in “high stakes, fast-paced, and with rich comic characters” — what more could you ask for?

Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad will direct Immediate Family at the Mark Taper Forum. Did you see her work as an actress in Gem of the Ocean or her incredible direction of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone both at the Taper? In describing Ms. Rashad’s remarkable talents, all known superlatives have been used up. Remember, laughter is a good thing, so get on down to the Taper and have some fun.

“Immediate Family” plays the Mark Taper Forum April 22-June 7.