SkyPilot Theatre Company’s 2nd annual “One-act, one location” production featuring ten short plays all set in an airport and featuring the writing talents of SkyPilot’s resident playwrights and acting ensemble.
Written by Nicole B. Adkins, Jeff Goode, Adam Hahn, Julianne Homokay, Samantha Macher, Liz Shannon Miller, Brett Neveu, Jonathan Price, Mike Rothschild, Dave Ulrich and Chana Wise
Directed by Mary Burkin, Brett Fleisher, Dave Florek, Eric Curtis Johnson, Jeff Goode, Samantha Macher, Liz Shannon Miller, Jonathon Price, Morry Schorr and James Sharpe
Starring Mary Burkin, Samantha Carro, Kareem Cervantes, Germaine De Leon, Dante Dumas, Mackenzie English, Frank Ensenberger, J.R. Esposito, Jude Evans, Jennie Floyd, Tony Franchitto, Ashley Fuller, Chera Holland, Joanna Kalafatis, Henry Kemp, Jason Kobielus, Brett Koontz, Sara Kubida, Morgan Lariah, Monica Lawson, Lindsey Mixon, Niki Nowak, Rosina Pinchot, Heather Roop, Amelia Rose, Bob Rusch, Shane Spalione, Morry Schorr and Nathaniel Stanton
SkyPilot Theatre Company is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering new relationships with provocative playwrights to develop the most compelling, challenging and humorous new plays for the Los Angeles theatre going audience.
January 21 thru February 26, 2012
T.U. STUDIOS10943 Camarillo St.North Hollywood, CA 91602
The West Coast Premiere of Brett Neveu’s dark dramedy 4 MURDERS offers an examination of urban isolation and the convenient yet tragic cure for such loneliness. It is a surreal discussion of images, impressions and ideas that poke through the clutter of the day-to-day. The normalcy of eating dinner, drinking tea, waiting for a bus or falling to sleep is interrupted by thoughts of mortality, as a serial killer meets and murders four characters seemingly at random. If the darkness itself were physically able to converse, those conversations would be much like what is heard in 4 MURDERS; for once we begin to speak to the darkness, our biggest fear is that the darkness may just speak back.
Written by SkyPilot resident playwright Brett Neveu, known for such critically acclaimed productions like RED BUD at the RoyalCourtTheatre, London, England, GAS FOR LESS at The Goodman Theatre, Chicago, IL, OLD GLORY at the Victory Theatre, Burbank, CA and AMERICAN DEAD at the Rogue Machine Theatre Company, Los Angeles, CA. “4 MURDERS was written as an exploration of modern urban fear and what horrors lay in the shadows of our darkened city streets.” says Brett.
Directed by James Sharpe, who directed SkyPilot’s critically acclaimed productions of SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO by David Mamet, and THE END OF CIVILIZATION by George F. Walker.
Starring Eric Curtis Johnson, Heather Roop, Germaine De Leon, Morgan Lariah and Guy Mack.
4 MURDERS is the fourth production in SkyPilot’s first season of exclusively producing premiere plays, including the critically acclaimed YES SVETLANA, THERE IS A GRANDFATHER FROST and THE EMANCIPATION OF ALABASTER MCGILL, both by Jeff Goode, and just recently, the sold-out TO THE NEW GIRL by Samantha Macher.
SkyPilot Theatre Company is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering new relationships with provocative playwrights to develop the most compelling, challenging and humorous new plays for the Los Angeles theatre going audience.
October 15 thru November 20, 2011
T.U. STUDIOS10943 Camarillo St.North Hollywood, CA 91602
Eric is a founding member of SkyPilot and acted in our late-night production REWIND, as well as THE END OF CIVILIZATION; DEATH & THE MAIDEN, TAKING SIDES and JERRY & TOM. He also directed SkyPilot’s productions of HELLCAB, REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT and this year’s THE EMANCIPATION OF ALABASTER MCGILL. Other recent stage credits include WATSON at Sacred Fools, as well as many episodes of MAGNUM OPUS and SERIAL KILLERS, also at the Fools. Eric starred in playwright Brett Neveu’s first play, OUTLAWS IN FRAMES, and has worked with him subsequently in notorious Chicago productions like THE CLOWNY PLAYS, PUP AT THEATRE: HIDDEN SURPRISE SHOWS, and PUP AT THEATRE: P.IMPS SHOW (the first-ever puppet improv show.) FILM/TV credits: DIRTY SEXY MONEY; VICTORIOUS; CUPID; KWIK STOP. www.ecurtisjohnson.com
HEATHER ROOP
A Georgia peach living in Los Angeles. For many years Heather has taken her passions for singing and dancing on the road, performing in numerous national musical theater tours, including CAMELOT with Robert Goulet and SOUTH PACIFIC with John Cullum. Soon after moving to Los Angeles, Heather landed the role of Jamie in Fred Parnes’ A MAN IS MOSTLY WATER and a role in the film THE HANGOVER. She recently finished shooting the Michael Winnick film, GUNS, GIRLS AND GAMBLING starring Christian Slater, Gary Oldman and Dane Cook and look for Heather as the lead role in the upcoming independent feature, THE SACRED. To reach Heather, please contact Emily Rose at Mosaic Management.
MORGAN LARIAH
Morgan received her AA from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has studied with Pasty Rodenburg, Martha McFarland and Lisa Robertson. 4 MURDERS marks Morgan’s second show with SkyPilot Theatre Company. Other theater highlights include: THE HAUNITNG OF HILL HOUSE, HENRY V, JULIUS CAESAR, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, THE WAY OF THE WORLD, THE BACCHAE, TOP GIRLS, REWIND and DEUTCHLAND: EIN WINTERMÄRCHEN which was performed in German in Germany. Film credits include THE POUGHKEEPSIE TAPES and such independents as WAITING IN BLUE, HOT CASA, INVITATION, and DEAR DAD. Her short film, 2-STAR (www.2starfilm.com) is currently making the film festival circuit. Morgan can seen in the upcoming webseries, LOST HEROES, as well as the feature film, SMALL CRIMES. When she is not acting, Morgan enjoys exhibiting her paintings and updating her website (www.morganlariah.com).
GUY MACK
Guy is excited to be a member of SkyPilot Theatre Company and to be a part of the west coast premiere of 4 MURDERS. He is an Actor, Musician (Trumpet Player), Singer, Arranger, Composer, Producer. He has studied, worked on and performed in numerous projects and programs in New York City, Washington D.C./Kennedy Center and Los Angeles. Most notables: ABC TALENT AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, GENERAL HOSPITAL, (Dr. Patrick O’Connor, 3-yr. contract regular), LETHAL WEAPON 2, (Richard Donner, director). Guy has just finished shooting on two independent films and is in pre-production on a third.
GERMAINE DE LEON
Germaine was born in San Francisco, CA and has been a SkyPilot Theatre member since November 2010. De Leon moved to Los Angeles as a teenager, where at the behest of a friend started doing independent movies. This quickly lead to a string of art house films such as “Hunting of Man”, “The Aura”, and “Marriage of Charlie Johnson.” At the same time, Germaine worked as a print model for clothing companies such as “WESC” and “Hot Topic” to give him the time and financial stability to do the art house films he loved for little to no money. He eventually won an acting award at the Method Fest Film Festival in Burbank, CA which lead to his signing with a manager and agent. De Leon made his first professional acting debut doing a national Honda commercial with Micheal Andretti. Immediately, De Leon began working regularly as a guest star on the major television shows “CSI:Miami”, “CSI:NY”, “The Closer” and many more. In 2006 De Leon had his first film break through with a lead role in 2006′s “Walkout” for HBO and then another lead role in the popular Dimension horror film “Buried Alive” in 2007. Currently Germaine has completed half of season 6 of Showtime’s Emmy Award winning series “Dexter” coming out Fall 2011 and had a supporting role in the comedy “Here Comes the Boom” for Sony Pictures which comes out in theaters the summer of 2012.
“To The New Girl”
by Samantha Macher
August 13 – September 18
To The New Girl from the former Mrs._____: Sound Advice for my Husband’s Wife or Mistress features ten different women, from all walks of life, giving advice to the “other woman (or man, in one case)” on the proper “care” of their former mates.
T.U. STUDIOS10943 Camarillo St.North Hollywood, CA 91602
The trophy wife (Niki Nowak) of a prominent televangelist considers divorcing and/or exposing her husband for his affair with a gay man.
A spoiled matron (Ashley Fuller, alternating with Jennie Floyd) berates the pretty young housekeeper who has complained of her spouse’s sexual harassment.
A woman who has suffered multiple miscarriages (Monica Lawson) excoriates her mate’s new lover and casts a curse on the child they are expecting.
An elderly woman (Rosina Pinchot), happily married for 57 years, shares the story of her marriage with her Alzheimer-stricken husband’s new companion, a woman he fell in love with in a nursing home.
Directed by Jeanette Farr, playwright Samantha Macher’s script relays the stories of ten betrayed or forsaken women, each of whom speaks to the paramour who has ensnared her beloved’s affections.
To the credit of the playwright and the company, Macher wrote this play at the request of this company’s members to counterbalance the overwhelmingly male-oriented perspective of their past productions. Not all the narratives are equally developed – some trail off without sufficient resolution — and some performances are of a notably higher standard than others. Still, Macher’s writing reflects the humor and detail of an insightful storyteller.
Pinchot captures the spotlight with a heartrending portrayal of a lost and cherished love. Also notable are Tifanie McQueen as an abused wife livid enough to murder her rival, and Shelby Janes as a pregnant gal bidding a welcome good riddance to her crackhead boyfriend.
Skypilot Theatre Company at T.U. Studios, 10943 Camarillo St., N. Hlywd.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Sept. 18. (800) 838-3006. skypilottheatre.com (Deborah Klugman)
“To the New Girl,” presented by SkyPilot Theatre Company at T.U. Studios, is a bracing blitz of pure estrogen that might make you rush out and organize a charity bake sale.
The full title of Samantha Macher’s new play is “To the New Girl From the Former Mrs. _____; Sound Advice for My Husband’s New Wife or Mistress.” Directed by Jeanette Farr, this entertaining evening consists of 10 monologues from various women scorned who directly address their exes’ new wives and lovers.
Monologue plays are standard theatrical fare in which the playwright can trowel on an overriding theme without worrying overmuch about dramatic cohesion. Although she breaks little new ground in this familiar format, Macher handles the exercise with considerable panache.
Things start off on a kinky note as a young woman (Mackenzie English) addresses the “other woman,” who is now accommodating her ex-boyfriend’s singular fetish. The evening comes full circle with the final monologue, a wrenching piece in which an elderly woman (Rosina Pinchot, in a moving turn) turns over the care of her Alzheimer’s sufferer husband to his new “girlfriend” at the nursing facility.
From the profane to the poignant, the opening and closing scenes effectively frame the other monologues, which show Macher’s impressive range. The performances are all solid, but standouts include Niki Nowak as a sardonic Southern belle married to a gay television evangelist and Shelby Janes as an abused pregnant woman who has grown a steel backbone.
The staging is emotionally astute, but Farr should have trusted her material more. The monologues are too frequently interrupted when extraneous performers troop onstage to perform business that seems mostly unnecessary, an unfortunate glitch that distracts from the otherwise engaging performances.
– F. Kathleen Foley
“To the New Girl…” T.U. Studios, 10943 Camarillo St., North Hollywood. 8 p.m. Saturdays, 7 p.m. Sundays. Ends Sept. 18. $20. (800) 838-3006. www.skypilottheatre.com. Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.
The topic of gay rights and gay marriage is a hotbed for theater as of late, what with play after play being produced in Los Angeles alone over the past few years since Prop. 8 was passed. And just when you think the subject can’t come up with an original angle, up pops Jeff Goode’s The Emancipation of Alabaster McGill.
Set in 1865, the action takes place in and around the front porch of a house in a Kentucky border town on the eve of the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation. But this isn’t a play about African-American civil rights. No. The emancipation of one particular slave is used as a metaphor for the right of gay couples to marry as well as gay rights in general.
We first meet the adorable Ethan (Brett Fleisher) and Evan (Matt Valle), two hicks from different towns who have become fast friends. Shirtless in overalls and chewing on weeds, the boys aren’t the brightest of fellas, but what they don’t have upstairs, they have in charm. So much so they seem to be very fond of each other, although openly admitting that hasn’t really occurred yet.
The two meet to “wittle” (used awkwardly as a metaphor for masturbation) and find themselves near the house of their friend Captain Avner Pilicock (James Sharpe). A stoic and genial man, he serves the boys sweet tea and allows them to wittle right there on his front porch. He even joins them. But just as the sun beats down and the three enjoy the day, they witness crazy old Deacon Chickory (Nathaniel Stanton) falling down the hill of his house and landing in the street. Grabbing him before he gets run over by a horse-drawn carriage, the boys bring him onto the front porch with them. There the Deacon explains how much he hates his wife and later, how the church was actually a brothel that has been out of business for some time.
While the Deacon regales the group with stories, a riled-up Deputy Lynch (Jude Evans) arrives to announce that loony old Abraham Lincoln has signed the Emancipation Proclamation allowing the slaves to go free. He believes this to be the end of times and in doing so, reveals himself to be a Klan member ready to do some “hangin’!” Which is when Grocer Baggot (Frank Ensenberger) shows up, hollering about how the Emancipation will cause all sorts of problems with his store, not to mention lower property values.
All of this bigotry is mixed in with the fact that Evan is from a town across the bridge called Collard Green. Because he is a “collard,” he is treated with disdain by many, even the confused Ethan who keeps ignorantly voting for the collards to be hanged even though he is clearly in love with him. It’s as if no-one really knows where they stand because the simple issue of getting along with each other gets confused by everyone’s personal and political agenda.
Sound familiar?
It’s when Act Two begins and the Emancipation has passed that the Captain’s long-standing African American friend Alabaster is allowed on the porch and the question of racism and bigotry is put into light and compared to gay civil rights. This is done in quite a clever and amusing way. Most notably is the fact that everyone seems to accept Alabaster outright until they are “told” he is black and then suddenly they have a problem with him.
Throughout the active Act Two, the Deacon has a wonderful extended bit on the abominations of the Bible, and the Grocer gets to bombastically try and get the new equality of the blacks to be not so equal.
There are many pleasures in The Emancipation of Alabaster McGill and it’s best to let the giddiness of the story unfold without any idea where it’s going. Not that shocking surprises abound, but Goode is quite good at making his points while disguising them as something else. The only trouble is, he has a lot of points to make and this creates a play that goes on about a half hour too long. It is also so skillfully metamorphosed that the play almost demands a second viewing to get every reference.
Some of the bawdy gay humor doesn’t work, but still manages to cause a chuckle or two. (Evan’s fascination with Alabaster’s long knife is pretty funny.) It will certainly get the gays in the audience to laugh, although the play is written so that those against gay marriage will see the error of the ways. Unfortunately, this is another play about gay rights that will be preaching to the choir. Not that it won’t give people that are pro-gay good fodder for arguments to their friends, family and co-workers who are against the equal rights, so in that, it’s a good thing.
All in all, though, The Emancipation of Alabaster McGill is a charming show with terrific actors all around and an original premise that stands out among the myriad of equal rights plays that have flooded our stages. Expertly directed by Eric Curtis Johnson, this is a show to seek out. We just have to get the gays to take that long trip to North Hollywood to see it.
After a startling revelation is made in Act II of Jeff Goode’s funny new comedy, two dumbstruck boys freeze as one says to the other, “Don’t say anything; maybe it’ll just disappear.”
The setting might be Kentucky, 1863, but that good ol’ Southern methodology prevailed even in free lovin’ California, 2008, when Goode’s editorial on Proposition 8 was rejected by a major publication because it wasn’t election coverage. That dismissal became the springboard for this world premiere, which uses a 19th century discussion over the imminent Emancipation Proclamation to draw parallels between slavery and homosexuality. Goode’s got a knack for clever innuendo: Self-pleasure is as thinly veiled as “whittling,” and Jude Evans’ Klansman/Deputy has a tiny pocketknife.
Director Eric Curtis Johnson has found a cast with impeccable comic timing: In the Huckleberry Finn/Tom Sawyer tradition, Brett Fleisher and Matt Valle puzzle over problematic situations before announcing the most logical solutions. With a static setting and a few too-frequent occasions of the pedantic dialogue, as Deacon Chickory (a scene-stealing Nathaniel Stanton) drums into your head, that “slippery slope” into preachiness. “We ain’t got time to debate this or think about what we’re doin’!” Frank Ensenberger’s Grocer Bag Baggot sputters on the eve before the Proclamation takes effect.
You might be for or against Prop 8, but kudos to Goode for taking that time.
SkyPilot Theater at T.U. Studios, 10943 Camarillo St., North Hollywood; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru June 19. (800) 838-3006.skypilottheatre.com (Rebecca Haithcoat)
I caught a wildly original and highly entertaining production on the weekend
By Pat Taylor
Naughty, bawdy and screamingly funny… it pokes fun at both politics and homosexuality… in the olden days. Funny, how little things have changed!
Still laughing after seeing this whacky and riotously raunchy play, Producer Bob Rusch has been telling me about this project for over a year. It is as hysterical as he promised! Loaded with outrageous political and sexual innuendos, the razor sharp double entendres attack your psyche like cerebral bullets!
The press notes state in part, “A Civil War border town is gripped by controversy when the dreaded ‘Emancipation Proclamation’ (setting free the slaves) threatens to redefine freedom as they know it. The city’s sea captain, the deacon of the local church brothel and the friendly neighborhood Klansmen are united by their hatred of that liberal pantywaist, Abe Lincoln.” Beyond that “wee peek”… I don’t want to spoil your fun!
A varied assortment of queerly quirky men sit on a porch sipping “sweet tea” and “swappin’ splinters” (whittling twigs), as they verbally debate with hilarious verve! Ingeniously written by the successful contemporary playwright, Jeff Goode, and playfully directed with precise timing by Eric Curtis Johnson… the whole controversial and kooky journey is a laugh riot! Kudos to Gideon Potter for his eye appealing set design!
A cast of seven excellent male actors bring their nutty characters to life… each one funnier than the last! James Sharpe plays the Captain, hosting the others on his porch, with classy comedic charm; Jude Evans is a scream as the overly authoritative Deputy Sheriff; Frank Ensenberger is annoyingly funny (as written) as the nerdy local grocer; Matt Valle and Brett Fleisher are lovably looney as two hayseed teen boys discovering their sexuality; and Arden Haywood is elegantly effective as the newly emancipated slave in the title role of “Alabaster McGill.” Saving my favorite stellar performance for last… Nathaniel Stanton is marvelously manic as the disheveled and “offbeat” Deacon Chickory… with his own zany “take” on life. Flawless!
This is a “titillating” team effort, driven by the skill of its entire cast, and “should” garner attention come “theatre awards” season. My guest Marla and I had a blast, and talked about the show all the way home! Not for the easily offended… but all others will laugh uncontrollably!
BONUS TIP: I just learned that this play was given a “GO” in the L.A. Weekly. Not an easy feat… Congrats!
Running through June 14 at T.U. Studios located at 10943 Camarillo St. in North Hollywood. For seats, call (800) 838-3006 or go to www.skypilottheatre.com.
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