LA Stage Blog - Beta

Oh, those wacky “Best Of” lists. How they compel and yet repulse simultaneously.Travel + Leisure has a whole slew of top 25 lists for best cities, categories include: nightlife, smarts, best views, best coffee houses, culture, peace and quiet, etc…
The one that most intrigued me, of course, is where Los Angeles ranked in the “Top [...]

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Found this nugget on the Wall Street Journal site. Thanks to Matt Wells at the needtheatre blog for the link. Raises an interesting question: Where are all the Conservative plays? Which raises an even MORE interesting query: Is theatre and conservativism anti-thetical?
In the article, Terry Teachout (great name!) puts it this way:
…I can’t think of [...]

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As most in the theatre community, especially the California theatre community, may know by now, Scott Eckern the Artistic Director of the California Music Theatre Company has resigned under pressure from advocates of No on Prop 8.
The Backstage Blog (aka Lauren Horwitch and company) has more information about the specific details and players involved here.
Eckern’s [...]

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Check out Brenda Kiley writing a manifesto of sorts in Seattle’s “The Stranger”, declaring the ten things American Theatre needs to do now to remain vital for the next generation of artists and theatre-goers.
Here are my capsule reactions to each and how I believe they pertain to Los Angeles:
1) Enough with the goddamned Shakespeare
Well, [...]

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Because we live in the country we do, we were recently able to make our political voices heard. For me, as for many, it’s been eight very long years of feeling that I had no voice at all. Besides my measly vote, I could do nothing about the destruction the frat boy in the White [...]

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We’ve heard the quote before. Roberto Benigni shouted it from the stage with childlike exuberance when he won his best actor Oscar for “Life is Beautiful”. It’s a notion that gets bandied about all over the world and down through the ages. The Gift of Poverty.
But what the hell does it really mean?

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I’ve been wandering around LASA Events to ask people why they love LA Theater. Here are a few responses from the 2008 Ovation Award Nominees Reception. Want us to know why you love LA Theater? Look for us at the Ovation son Monday or upload a video to youtube and shoot us an email.

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390 eligible productions.  390!!!  Yes, that was the number of shows that were under consideration for nominations this year for an Ovation award.  It’s sort of mind-boggling when you think about it.  That’s more productions than there are days in the year.  And that’s just “eligible” productions.  Start adding up the number of individuals in [...]

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I keep trying to restrain myself from “going rogue” here at Bitter Lemons.  In the wake of what happened last night, it’s been difficult.  But I think this falls under the category of “theatricality” so I figure I’m in the neighborhood of what this site is all about.
So.  Know how I can tell the world [...]

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Too often do theater schools celebrate vanity and fame. Whether overtly stated or not, most theater training is geared towards individual aggrandizement: getting on the soaps or landing an agent.
Particularly in LA, acting training is sold as a commodity rather than imparted as a way of life. The NoHo Arts District, with its endless storefront [...]

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