Keith Mitchell News

Thank goodness my lack of knowledge of Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's library of theatrical plays and fictional stories didn't prevent me from enjoying Christopher Durang's wildly hilarious, Chekhov-inspired VANYA AND SONIA AND MASHA AND SPIKE, a modern-set play that won the Tony Award for Best Play back in 2013. Apparently filled with casual allusions to past Chekhov works---from character names and one-off references to thematic motifs---the play does offer, at its core, a laugh-a-minute comedy about a dysfunctional trio of siblings trying to face the apparently troubling onset of middle age…and the possibility that they may not have done enough in their lives to deem it a satisfactory one. This undeniably funny production continues at Orange County's Tony-winning regional theater South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa through October 21, 2018.

Seduced by the notion that, in America, winning is everything, an immigrant loses sight of what is really important in Leon Martell's world premiere play, ICE. Commissioned by 24th STreet Theatre to commemorate its 20th anniversary, the 65-minute one act highlights the plight of every hopeful soul diligently trying to attain the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness promised by our founding fathers.

Commissioned by award-winning 24th Street Theatre in celebration of its 20th Anniversary Season, the world premiere of ICE, written by Leon Martell and directed by Debbie Devine, is a bilingual, humorous journey in search of what it means to be "American." For adults and kids 8 and up, ICE opens on April 21, with low-priced previews beginning April 7.

Featuring a remarkable, awards-worthy, tour-de-force performance by actor John Tufts that will easily win you over no matter what your personal tastes or beliefs or politics may be, this admirable new regional production of Doug Wright's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning play I AM MY OWN WIFE---beautifully directed by Jenny Sullivan---continues performances at the Laguna Playhouse through January 28. Emotional, spiritual, and impressively staged, the play is one of these unique theatrical experiences that genuinely deserves your attention.

Laguna Playhouse has announced the fourth show in the Laguna Playhouse 97th season, I AM MY OWN WIFE, written by Doug Wright and directed by Jenny Sullivan and starring John Tufts.

NPR superstar Sandra Tsing Loh brings her trademark candor and razor-sharp wit to the holidays with an offbeat, poignant spin on the coming-of-age classic, Sugar Plum Fairy.

Horror houses are not my thing. Knott's Scary Farm, Reign of Terror, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights...you can keep them. But tell me a good ghost story and I'm in. Put me in the middle of an immersive theatrical ghost story as artistically beautiful and complex as it is otherworldly and I'm in heaven. That was the experience I had at THE KAIDAN PROJECT: WALLS GROWN THIN, a co-production by Rogue Artists Ensemble and East West Players staged in a secret location I'm certain has never been used like this before.

East West Players andRogue Artists Ensemble are pleased to announce the world premiere of Rogue Artist Ensemble's Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin produced in association with East West Players a multi-sensory, site-specific experience refracting ancient Japanese ghost stories through a modern, multi-cultural lens.

South Coast Repertory opens the 2017-18 Theatre for Young Audiences series with the popular Ella Enchanted: The Musical, Oct. 27-Nov.12. This play, based on the book by Gail Carson Levine, has been adapted for the stage by Karen Zacar as, with music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. Casey Stangl directs the enchanting musical on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are on sale now: www.scr.org.

East West Players (EWP) and Rogue Artists Ensemble are pleased to announce the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Rogue Artist Ensemble's Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin produced in association with East West Players an immersive theatrical experience inspired by Japanese ghost stories. Directed by Rogue's Artistic Director Sean T. Cawelti and written by Lisa Dring and Chelsea Sutton, Kaidan Project: Walls Grow Thin begins performances at a secret, Mid-City six-story warehouse built in 1927 (revealed after tickets are purchased) on October 5 and runs until November 5, 2017, with opening night on October 13.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) raised $100,398 at the 2017 Set the Stage Celebration, for its education programs Student Matinees and Young Company. It is the most the 38-year-old theatre company has ever raised for its education offerings.

Stage Raw announces the nominations for its third annual awards show 'A Wake and Sing!,' coming Monday, May 15 to Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, Downtown.

Merrimack Repertory Theatre (MRT) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell announce the details of a long-term partnership that will benefit both the MRT audience and UMass Lowell students. The partnership framework provides for greater sharing of resources between the organizations and increased access to theatre professionals for students.

24th Street Theatre takes on the Brothers Grimm in its latest world premiere Hansel & Gretel Bluegrass by Bryan Davidson, but forget the fairy tale you think you know. This is no sanitized version of the story. The original, written in 1812, was a cautionary tale, bleak in its portrayal of a time when it was commonplace for impoverished families to abandon their children for lack of food and resources. The thought was that they would somehow find a way to survive and maybe even be better off on their own. It's a heartbreaking decision for any parent to make and, unfortunately, one that families in dire circumstances around the world still face today.

South Coast Repertory opens the 2016-17 Theatre for Young Audiences series with the classic children's story, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Nov. 4-20. Six actors and 24 puppets bring this musical adaptation to life, which is directed and choreographed by Art Manke.

RON AND LAURA TAKE BACK AMERICA, a new political mockumentary satire that tackles many of the issues enveloping the current election season, is set to make its New York City premiere beginning today, March 25, at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street, NYC), following a run in Los Angeles (March 9 premiere, and running March 18-24).

RON AND LAURA TAKE BACK AMERICA, a new political mockumentary satire that tackles many of the issues enveloping the current election season, is set to make its New York City premiere beginning March 25 at Cinema Village (22 East 12th Street, NYC), following a run in Los Angeles (March 9 premiere, and running March 18-24).

The cast is set and rehearsals are underway for the West Coast premiere of Sheila Callaghan's madcap new play WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD, opening March 13, 2016, at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre. Directed by Neel Keller and choreographed by Ken Roht, previews for WOMEN LAUGHING ALONE WITH SALAD begin March 6 and performances continue through April 3, 2016. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the company in rehearsal below!

The wondrous production at the Odyssey Theater begins the moment you walk into the misty other-worldly atmospheric set designed by Keith Mitchell which, along with the dome and water well, has the blind soothsayer Tiresias perched in a woven swing hanging just above the entrance. A large, clear glass orb hangs above the front row with an image of an ancient warrior, soon identified as slain King Laius, within it. The mood is set for a theatrical experience unlike anything you have seen before when it comes to Greek Tragedy!

Director Ron Sossi puts a unique stamp on Ellen McLaughlin's acclaimed adaptation of Sophocles' Oedipus in a new production from Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and KOAN. Oedipus Machina opens on May 30 at the Odyssey Theatre in West L.A.