Sheana Ochoa

I had to see this play once I heard about the premise of clients sending their pictures of their children to doll makers to sculpt their likeness. It was like stuffing your pet after he died, but with human beings. Sick, right? Except this is a black comedy. I'm not a masochist. I want to laugh, and laugh I did. The acting is exceptional, the script tight, and the ending intelligently leaves you pondering long after you've left the theater. ... full review

By Ed Rampell of The Hollywood Progressive June 12, 2014 The “playwrights” for Harold & Stella: Love Letters are the eponymous Harold Clurman and Stella Adler, those stage legends who co-founded the fabled Group Theatre back in the 1930s. Stella, but of course, went on to become America’s foremost apostle of “Method” acting after her circa 1935 trip to the Moscow Art Theatre and meetings with thespian guru Constantin Stanislavski. As a teacher (and high priestess) Stella’s students (and ... full review

As I emerged from writer and performer Anastasia Coon’s “Gracie and Rose,” all I could think about was getting my hands on the play. I wanted to read the script. That hasn’t happened since I saw my last Tennessee Williams’ play. Coon’s writing reminds me of Williams’: that unique blend of regionalism and poetry. This is what theatre is meant to do: expose the audience to a different landscape –psychologically and physically — from their own where the only thing that stays the same is the human co... full review

“#Hashtag” begins with a pre-curtain announcement that the audience should not turn off their phones, encouraging us to “live tweet” the characters on stage. I activated Instagram to take a picture to post to Facebook and Twitter, but I didn’t get a response from the characters on stage. “#Hashtag” tells the story of Kit, played by Spencer Howard, a present day 20-something Los Angelino suffering from the angst of self-centeredness. He places his dream of becoming an actor before his relations... full review

Rob Florence enlarges on the view from the ground. His play offers an inspiring portrait of a community that came together to weather the storm with grace and laughter. To write “The Katrina Comedy Fest,” Florence wove real-life survivor accounts, a feat that I as a nonfiction writer applaud. When you’re working with true stories, the job of assembling the facts into one coherent, linear story is challenging. Florence accomplishes this with not one, but five individuals, creating a pastiche of... full review

The word of the night: Professional. As I entered the Fringe Main Stage to see Four Clowns’ Me Rich You Learn, the energy of the full house carried me to my seat. I knew I was seeing a comedy, but I had no idea about the story. Turns out, that’s the joke. The “show” never comes off as the seemingly improvisational shenanigans of the talented Adam Carpenter playing “Martin” and Zach Steel playing “TR Hammer” delay the show’s agenda of teaching the audience how to become rich in order to deliver t... full review

I arrived at the Asylum Lab where Andrew Potter had fifteen minutes to load in – by himself. Anyone who has ever had creative aspirations should see The Road to High Street, wherein Potter plays the writer, director, raconteur, technical designer, video producer, musical score – all while being his own stage manager. A mild-mannered, unassuming Potter sits holding his guitar, manipulating a laptop on his right to project to the screen on his left. The guy can juggle. Seriously, he’s a busker. One... full review

Walking into The Lounge Theatre for the world premiere of “Take Me to the Poorhouse,” one is struck by the possibilities of a practically empty stage. With only a knee-high square box on one side of the stage and a shallow square-shaped step on the other, it’s difficult to believe the petite actor, Liz Femi, will enter and not only fill up the stage, but enlarge it into a middle class Nigerian kitchen, a classroom closet, a shanty one-room neighbor’s house, and a street scene with story-hungry ki... full review

After seeing “The Ruby Besler Cabaret,” I have one thing of timely importance to say: There are only 3 shows left. Buy tickets. Why? The show is not only a feast for the eyes, but for the heart, mind, and let’s not forget, ears. Let’s begin at the top: Four leggy showgirls, Regan Carrington, Tatiana Giannoustsos, and Laurel Vecsey choreographed by fellow dancer Flame Cynders set the mood with precision-propelling white feather fans a la Swan Lake. To your right, talented Gere Fennelly plays pi... full review