Ashley Steed

A rescue ship has been dispatched to the edges of the solar system in search of the missing ship Cressida. After going through an emergency simulation, the rescue ship Troilus’ AI AUTi begins to go awry, and communication to Earth goes down. Writers Lucas Dean Peterson and Ethan Leaverton have created a unique sci-fi story which delves into isolation and paranoia. That being said, more work is needed on the script. There are multiple underdeveloped characters and a superfluous love story. The mos... full review

Immersive theatre is best when you go in blind, so if you’ve already experienced chapters 1 (The Key) and 2 (The Axe) of The Kansas Collection by LA-based immersive company The Speakeasy Society, or if you’re on the fence, then read on. I’m sure I looked like a fish out of water — I couldn’t stop grinning. Which isn’t exactly the typical face someone makes when being recruited into a militia. I entered a colourful tent on the edge of a town in Kansas, where I learned that Dorothy left Oz long ... full review

Having moved from London back to LA on the day my UK visa expired, I couldn’t help but empathize with Hannah (Lilac Yosiphon, who also wrote the play), an Israeli woman who once taught music but now works as a barmaid in London while “in-between visas.” In walks Jordan (Sam Elwin, who wrote the music), a 21-year-old British man who, after losing his job, wonders if he should move back home. “Home is where the pub is,” says Hannah. She wants to make London her home, even if governmental red tape m... full review

Singer and harpist Lexi Lowell, who performed on Broadway on Deaf West’s Spring Awakening, has put together a workshop solo performance interspersed with original music based on her battle with depression and bulimia. Although more work and detail is needed in crafting a cohesive performance piece, Lowell’s candor and charisma keeps the piece engaging and touching. She recounts her Catholic upbringing and the accompanying feelings of guilt and shame which eventually led to severe depression and e... full review

A couple hours before my scheduled one-on-one performance for Annie Lesser’s A(partment 8) I was emailed a waiver. Having spent the evening chatting with friends I didn’t see the email until I was walking over to the check in point, so I signed the waiver without reading it. And I’m glad I didn’t read it (although I don’t condone signing documents without reading them) because it made everything that happened a complete surprise — which is the best way to experience immersive theatre. Not wanting... full review

I haven’t been on a date in a really long time. So needless to say, I was a bit nervous. Now, I know that this isn’t a real first date, but I believe it’s far more enjoyable to fully give in to the conceit: I’m meeting Emma (Lauren Flans), a woman I met online, and after brief email correspondence (filling out a “profile”) we’re meeting in Hollywood for a date. I don’t want to give too much away, but there are clues in the email dating profile as to what will be discussed, and with this being ... full review

This immersive piece (with Fire at the Stephanie Feury Studio and Light at The Underground) pulls us into poetic worlds that explore love, memory, loss, and connection. I participated in the VIP experience, which offers a party bus to transport you between theaters. Fire begins joyously. Lovers twirl and buzz around each other, seducing each other when, suddenly, they’re torn apart. Pain and despair fill the tiny room. Light is particularly more successful in creating a unique and captivati... full review

Inspired by the tragic shooting at the Pulse night club in Orlando, Katherine Cortez crafts a delicate and heart-wrenching story about identity, love and, yes, hate. The characters move seamlessly between flashbacks and the present under Elina de Santos’s sharp and fluid direction. We follow Rafi (Dylan Arnold), a young man coming to terms with his sexuality. Having been raised by ultra-conservative Christian parents, he was taught to believe homosexuality is a sin. Now, he’s fallen in love with ... full review

Considering I just read a headline about sex robots becoming common aspects of life in less than 10 years, this play seems especially on-topic. Pete (Devin Crittenden, who writes and stars) purchases the latest sex robot from Japan and reprograms her (the robot identifies as a she) to love him. Crittenden is convincing as Pete: heartbroken, nerdy, and very impressed by his own invention. We see his hubris begin to take hold as he continues tweaking Exa, his robotic girlfriend whose sole purpose i... full review

Written 10 years ago, A Steady Rain by Keith Huff is still salient today. Chicago cops and lifelong friends Denny and Joey find themselves down a rabbit hole after a disturbance call becomes life and career-shattering. This conventional but tightly woven script, with themes of loyalty and self-destruction, is given full life with nuanced performances by R.J. DeBard as the hot-tempered but gregarious Denny, and Andy Hoff as the calm and thoughtful Joey. Denny is the flashier of the two characters ... full review