Drama

The incredible story of a girl who stays pregnant for 150 years

BATTLE HYMN, a new play by award-winning playwright Jim Leonard, is the story of 16-year-old Martha's epic pregnancy and her incredible search for motherhood, meaning, and love in a war-torn American landscape.

After being abandoned by her father, losing her true love and witnessing the horrors of the Civil War firsthand, Martha settles on one incontrovertible fact: She will not raise her baby in a blood-soaked, violent country. And so, Martha keeps traveling in search of a better world and a safe place to bring forth her child... this is easier said than done.

From the mud and the blood of Fort Sumter to singing cows, San Francisco and the summer of love, Martha's journey embodies the tragedy, humor and hope that have helped shape the last 150 years of U.S. history.

A pixie. A salesman. A magician. A janitor.
-- not your typical shopping mall.
The Giant and the Pixie is a contemporary fairy tale set simultaneously in a magical realm and a shopping mall. The story centers on Arthur – a conscientious Giant who works by day as a janitor – trying to win the heart of Cipriana, a Pixie who also works in the mall. Sebastian – the hotheaded Knight – is not happy with this and wants to get rid of Arthur, but Arthur’s homeless buddy Gregory (the “Troll with a soul”) won’t have anything of it. All the while Cipriana’s father, the Magician, watches from a distance with an agenda of his own.

Note: This play contains adult language.

Hear the real story...
From a point of view you would never expect
Marley was dead to begin with... but when Scrooge's partner entered the afterlife, his story was only beginning a new chapter. We bring you the "real" story of A Christmas Carol - the story of Jacob Marley's heroic behind-the-scenes efforts to save old Scrooge's soul - and in the process, save his own. Irreverent, funny, and deeply moving for the whole family, you'll never watch the Dickens' tale the same way again.

A boy’s struggle with grief turns into a magical, musical journey for him, his family, and the teacher who tries to save him in the World Premiere production of "Song of Extinction" by E.M. Lewis.

Winner of the 2008 Ashland New Plays Festival, "Song of Extinction" is the story of Max Forrestal, a musically gifted high school student who is going to fail biology if he doesn't complete a 20-page paper on extinction by Tuesday. But Max's mother is dying of cancer, and school is the last thing on his mind. His biologist father, obsessed with saving a rare, threatened Bolivian insect, is incapable of dealing with his wife's impending death, or his son's distress. Max's teacher wants to offer him guidance; but helping his student pushes Khim Phan into a magical journey of his own - from the Cambodian fields of his youth into the undiscovered country beyond.

A meditation on the science of life and loss, the relationships between fathers and sons, Cambodian fields, Bolivian rainforests and redemption, the play integrates original music and elements of magical realism to weave its spell.

Audiences are invited to stay after the 3 pm matinee, or to arrive early prior to the evening performance at 7 pm, for a Talk Back Series on Sundays at 5 pm. Each week, a different aspect of the play will be discussed.

The west coast premiere of Barbara Wiechmann's compelling human drama dealing with faith, hope and doubt. Have the residents of the small town of Hadley, New York actually witnessed a miracle? Or are they merely avoiding the loss, pain and fear in their own lives on this one wintery evening? Witness a miracle.

Son of Semele Ensemble (SOSE) is presenting the Los Angeles premiere of "TRAGEDY: a tragedy" by Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Eno. "TRAGEDY: a tragedy" is a satire about the news media’s sensationalism of a mundane event which spirals into a deeply human exploration of uncertainty.

The sun has set. Night has fallen, perhaps for the last time. Journalists arrive in locations throughout the city to report on this disaster-of-darkness. As they search for newsworthy content to fill their televised program, the governor offers us encouraging and valiant words to sooth our broken spirits. All seems lost, yet the reporters must continue. If they don’t, they will have to accept that the worst possible scenario has become a reality: the sun will not come up and there is nothing left to say. TRAGEDY reflects the most absurd moments of Bill O’Reilly, Anderson Cooper and the like, while also speaking to a universal fear of nothingness.

From George W. to George Dubya!

43 PLAYS FOR 43 PRESIDENTS is exactly what the title says - 43 short plays, each dedicated to a U.S. President from George W. to George Dubya. Originally produced by Chicago's Neo-Futurists, this high-speed, high-energy evening uses a cast of six to tell the story of America and all of her Commanders-in-Chief through comedy, songs, drama and more! Before casting your vote this November, take a look back at where we've been and who's been in charge along the way!

L.A. Times CRITIC'S CHOICE!
"Vitally engaging... exhilarating... delightfully, thoughtfully provocative."

L.A. Weekly PICK OF THE WEEK!
"...witty, sardonic... adept at underscoring both the playful and the poignant."

BackStage West CRITIC'S PICK!
"...splendidly varied and imaginative... suffused with drama and humor."