Barry Del Sherman

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble is presenting the Los Angeles premiere of what may be Henrik Ibsen's most controversial play, Ghosts, adapted by acclaimed British director Richard Eyre and directed by Bart DeLorenzo, a Los Angeles-based theater director and producer who is the founding artistic director of the Evidence Room theater, a 17-year-old company renowned in Los Angeles for contemporary theater productions. I decided to speak with Bart about what led him to direct this new adaptation at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble.

Odyssey Theatre Ensemble will present the Los Angeles premiere of an electrifying adaptation, by acclaimed British director Richard Eyre, of what may be Henrik Ibsen’s most controversial play. Directed by Bart DeLorenzo, Ghosts will kick off with two public previews on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 4 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m.

I have long been a fan of plays that present an insider's look at what goes on behind-the-scenes at a theatrical production. A fine example of such a backstage farce is Sarah Ruhl's STAGE KISS, skillfully directed by Bart DeLorenzo who knows exactly how to make the most outrageous stage antics and romances seem not only probable but incredibly hysterical thanks to Sarah Ruhl's fast-paced script that leads us on-stage, back-stage and out the stage door as reality collides with fiction in this raucous and revealing relationship comedy.

Like modern soap operas, THE FALSE SERVANT centers on a love triangle between two women and one man. Each plans to marry him, but he is only interested in which woman can bring him the best financial arrangement. And we are told from the beginning that if your mind has room for reason, there is no room for love. Thus is set up the battle of the sexes with the only reason for love being the acquisition of money.

Seduction. Money. Power. Cross-dressing. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble toasts the 20th anniversary of frequent producing partner Evidence Room, as the two companies band together to present The False Servant by Marivaux. Bart DeLorenzo directs the Los Angeles premiere of a new adaptation by Martin Crimp for a July 11 opening. The Odyssey Theatre has been Evidence Room's artistic home since 2009. Check out photos from the show below!

Seduction. Money. Power. Cross-dressing. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble toasts the 20th anniversary of frequent producing partner Evidence Room, as the two companies band together to present The False Servant by Marivaux. Bart DeLorenzo directs the Los Angeles premiere of a new adaptation by Martin Crimp for tonight's July 3 opening. The Odyssey Theatre has been Evidence Room's artistic home since 2009.

Seduction. Money. Power. Cross-dressing. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble toasts the 20th anniversary of frequent producing partner Evidence Room, as the two companies band together to present The False Servant by Marivaux. Bart DeLorenzo directs the Los Angeles premiere of a new adaptation by Martin Crimp for a July 3 opening. The Odyssey Theatre has been Evidence Room's artistic home since 2009.

Award-winning director Bart DeLorenzo returns to the Odyssey to direct an exuberant and burlesque-spirited version of Anton Chekhov's Ivanov, the story of a once idealistic man turned apathetic from a life going terribly, terribly wrong. DeLorenzo plans a fresh approach to this little-known classic -- no birch trees, samovars, or wicker furniture - in a riotous production that promises to be ridiculous, soulful, and sexy. An Odyssey Theatre and Evidence Room co-production.

With gaseous energy and outrageous jokes, the first rehearsals of The Imaginary Invalid at Portland Center Stage are underway, in a new adaptation by Constance Congdon of the classic comedy by Molière. The Imaginary Invalid previews on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, with opening night set for January 14, and performances through February 6. Performance times are Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 pm, with matinees at 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and some Thursday matinees at noon. Tickets start at $33 for full adult prices, with student and under age 30 discounts available. Rush tickets may be available for some performances at $20 each. For a full calendar of performances and ticket availability, visit the show page at http://www.pcs.org/invalid.

With gaseous energy and outrageous jokes, the first rehearsals of The Imaginary Invalid at Portland Center Stage are underway, in a new adaptation by Constance Congdon of the classic comedy by Molière. The Imaginary Invalid previews on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, with opening night set for January 14, and performances through February 6. Performance times are Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 pm, with matinees at 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, and some Thursday matinees at noon. Tickets start at $33 for full adult prices, with student and under age 30 discounts available. Rush tickets may be available for some performances at $20 each. For a full calendar of performances and ticket availability, visit the show page at http://www.pcs.org/invalid.

Acclaimed theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced the initial line-up of performers participating in the popular return of its unique benefit event STORIES ON 5 STORIES on Monday evening, November 1.

Acclaimed theater company Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced the initial line-up of performers participating in the popular return of its unique benefit event STORIES ON 5 STORIES on Monday evening, November 1.

Fierce passions flood through Phyllis Nagy's award-winning play, a visionary love story set in a remote, rain-swept village in the South of France. NEVER LAND'S exploration of love, loss, cultural dispossession and the abiding power of the human imagination moves from scabrous wit to heart-breaking tenderness as it charts the course of three fateful days in the lives of a singular French family that yearns to be English.

Fierce passions flood through Phyllis Nagy's award-winning play, a visionary love story set in a remote, rain-swept village in the South of France. NEVER LAND'S exploration of love, loss, cultural dispossession and the abiding power of the human imagination moves from scabrous wit to heart-breaking tenderness as it charts the course of three fateful days in the lives of a singular French family that yearns to be English.

As part of Center Theatre Group's DouglasPlus, Los Angeles playwright Michael Sargent's new play 'The Projectionist' will run for seven performances only at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, beginning Thursday, March 26 and continuing through Saturday, April 4, 2009.

As part of Center Theatre Group's DouglasPlus, Los Angeles playwright Michael Sargent's new play 'The Projectionist' will run for seven performances only at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, beginning Thursday, March 26 and continuing through Saturday, April 4, 2009.