SkyPilot Continues 20th Season with World Premiere of
Honeymoon Suite (With apologies to Neil Simon)
BY KELLI BOWLDEN
August 2nd - August 25th at 905 Cole Theatre @ Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop
Honeymoon Suite, written by Kelli Bowlden and directed by Jenna Hoffmann, is a play in three acts telling three different stories all from the same hotel room. Story #1 sees a young couple as they consider the consequences of commitment the morning after their wedding. Story #2 finds a second marriage off to a rocky start when the groom has a bit of a confession to make to his new wife. Story #3 follows a would-be wife being comforted by her bridal party after her wedding didn’t go as planned.
Honeymoon Suite was originally selected as part of our 2019 SkyPilot Runway, which is a play reading series that helps to develop new plays in the early drafts stage. We are excited to finally present the world premiere of this play as part of our 20th season! The play will run Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3PM from August 2nd -August 25th at the 905 Cole Theatre, 905 Cole Avenue 90038. Tickets are $40.
The cast includes: Jerry Campisi, Stevie Kincheloe, Alex Borja, Lindsay Shelton, Pete Navis, Whitney Montgomery, Grace Neiswander, Erin Astin, Lindsey Gentile, Lilly Weak, Piper Major, and Chris Periko.
SkyPilot Opens 20th Season with Annual One-Act Festival
“What If …?” Theme Promises An Engaging Variety of Stories
April 19th - 28th @ The 905 Cole Theatre
The SkyPilot One-Act Festival will be performed over two weekends in alternating groups, Series A and Series B, April 19-21 and April 26-28 at The 905 Cole Theatre. Tickets are $25 a performance. The theme for this year’s festival is “What If …?” which inspired playwrights to reach for infinite story possibilities.
After receiving hundreds of submissions from all over the world, SkyPilot selected eight standout plays for the festival. From curses and ghosts, artificial intelligence and the Old West, to online dating and a new twist on Pandora’s box, audiences are in for a wild ride of entertaining stories and terrific characters. The schedule is as follows:
Series A (April 19th at 8pm, April 20th at 3pm, April 27th at 8pm, April 28th at 5pm) features:
Pas de Deux, written by Dana Schwartz and directed by Kelsey Dougherty
Writer’s Block, written by Jack Karp and directed by Morris Schorr
Running From Heaven, written by Jeff Dunne and directed by Nate Raven
The Theatre Chair, written by Val Stulman and directed by Anthony Backman
Series B (April 20th at 8pm, April 21st at 5pm, April 26th at 8pm, April 27th at 3pm) features:
The Sunset Train, written by Ryan Kaminski and directed by Patricia Mizen
Different Directions, written by Adam Fox and directed by Shelby Janes
Cyber Love Criminal, written by Lindsey Brown and directed by Jenna Hoffmann
It’s All Been Done, written by Mark Harvey Levine and directed by Cameron Murphy
Performing in the festival are: Erin Astin, Morgan Benson, Alex Borja, Jerry Campisi, Kelsey Dougherty, Jean Fiumara, Madison Freeland, Anna Gagliardo, John Klunk, Chuck Lacey, Ray Mainenti, Melanie Mason, Pete Navis, Jason Owsley, Mike Parker, Alex Prout, Aditya Putcha, Luc Rosenthal, MJ Scott, Goreti de Silva, Hannah Swim, Brooke Vanderdonck, Tina Walsch and Rob Westin.
Tickets are $25 a performance. If you would like to see both Series A and Series B, you can upgrade your ticket at the box office to a Festival Pass for an additional $15.
Presenting the World Premiere of
Love, Sex, and Misery
BY JEFF GOULD and JAKE GOULD
October 21 - December 10th at 905 Cole Theatre @ Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop
For twenty-five years, playwright Jeff Gould has been making audiences laugh and laugh with his explorations into the territories of love, sex and marriage in his full-length plays “Troubled Waters”, “It’s Just Sex”, “The Marriage Zone”, “Is There Sex After Marriage?”, and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Divorce”. His new show “Love, Sex, and Misery” marks a departure in format: Eight distinct stories are told in a collection of eight short theatre pieces packed into a compact eighty-five minutes. The stories are also somehow interconnected, but you’ll have to see the show to find out how.
Among the narratives directed by Jeff Gould, Anthony Backman, Sean Dube, Anita Tellez-Mansy and Morris Schorr: A couple are in for a shock when they realize the extent to which they’ve been lying. Cave people in the distant past invent marriage. Martians find reasons to be apprehensive when Earthlings move into their neighborhood. A couple is confronted with their temperamentally different doppelgangers. And more.
Three of the eight stories were co-written by Jeff Gould and his adult son, Jake Gould.
The cast includes: Ashley Alva, Anthony Backman, Auri Brown, Karen Brundage, Domenick DiDiana, Kriss Dozal, Jean Fiumara, Adam Fox, Jake Gould, Alexander Hall, Shelby Janes, Chuck Lacey, Piper Major, Ian Nemser, Amye Partain, Jason Pierce, Olivia Spirz, Corbin Timbrook, Tim Trobec, BriAna Wagner, and Tina Walsch.
Here's what the critics are saying:
"Teeming with an abundance of cackling creativity"---LAexcites
"Hilarious"..."Beautifully balanced"...NoHo Arts
"This is a great show you shouldn't miss"..."Hilarious"--Hollywood Times
"If you want to laugh, give yourself a gift and see this hilariously entertaining show"--Discover Hollywood Magazine
"Very original"..."Plenty of unique wit"--Accessibly Live
Love and sex sometimes result in misery. But, they can also bring happiness. Jeff Gould has proven over and over again that he knows how to make you laugh. Come for the joy and see Love, Sex, and Misery.
FINAL WEEKEND of the West Coast Premiere of
A Black and White Cookie
by Gary Morgenstein
July 21 - August 20th at 905 Cole Theatre @ Anthony Meindl’s Actor Workshop
“A Black and White Cookie is the charming, meaningful, life-affirming buddy comedy you don’t want to miss. ”
“This one act play by Gary Morgenstein is a tight production that offers laughs as it does conflicts. The dialogue is sharp, holds plenty of wit, and has its main protagonist fulfilling their colorful banter toward one another.”
“A Black and White Cookie with its really fine leads (Morris Schorr and Tommy Franklin) is a sweet delivery system for an affecting education in struggle and life…with his warm and loving conceit of these characters, playwright Morgenstein embraces their issues empathetic ally as his own.”
“A Black and White Cookie tackles race relations, stereotypes and creates friendship among the most unlikely of allies. It brings something that has been missing in the arts for nearly a decade - humanity and soulfulness. 5 stars!”
“For those of us who grew up in the 60s in New York, this was a feast of memories. I was in heaven as the audience joined in shouting, “Hell no he won’t go!” This well written play is heartfelt, so touching and shows how deep friendship and a bond can be created through acts of kindness and caring, even in the most unlikely of situations.”
A black and white cookie is a classic New York deli treat, a large cookie with half-chocolate and half-vanilla frosting. It’s also a metaphor for the unlikely friendship between the two fellows who are the main characters of this new comedy. Harold Wilson is a Black veteran of the Vietnam conflict. A Republican, he voted for Nixon, Reagan and Dubya. He’s had a newsstand for thirty years, but faces imminent eviction. He reopened his business after the pandemic lockdown only to find his rent has skyrocketed. Albie Sands, a burnt-out 60s radical, is nominally Jewish (he’s an atheist whose favorite sandwich is ham and swiss). He wants Harold to fight his landlord to save his business. Carol, Harold’s antisemitic niece, distrusts Albie and wants Harold to take a buyout from his landlord. Will Harold and Albie stand up to the person that Albie calls a “corporate parasite?” Or will they stand down and be swept aside?
Gary Morgenstein is the playwright. The Brooklyn-based writer’s other plays include A Tomato Can’t Grow in the Bronx; Free Palestine; and Walking Charlie. His novels include A Mound Over Hell; A Fastball for Freedom; and A Dugout for Peace. Tudi Roche directs. She has directed musicals and plays in New York and Los Angeles. Also an actor she appeared on Broadway in Harrigan n’ Hart and A Day in Hollywood/A Night in Ukraine, and toured with The Magic Show.
The cast includes Tommy Franklin, Morry Schorr, Aisha Kabia, Laura Trent and Dylan Bowers.
Production design Tudi Roche. Lighting design: Selena Price. Sound design: Ben Rock. Stage manager: Stephen Juhl.
“The play, with its determination to reflect hard truths about fear, disease and bigotry, is ultimately positive and uplifting and deserves to be seen….”- The Jewish Voice and Opinion.
SkyPilot’s One-Act Festival Returns
“Laughter Is the Best Medicine”
March 23rd - April 2nd, 2023 @ Studio/Stage
Last autumn, we sought submissions for our annual One Act Festival. After receiving a record number of plays, seven outstanding works were chosen and will be presented over two weekends, March 23rd through March 26th and March 30th through April 2nd, at Studio/Stage, 520 N Western Ave., Los Angeles. Thursday through Saturday performances will be at 8pm, and Sundays will be at 5pm. The productions, categorized as Series A and Series B, are open to the public with tickets for $25 per night or $40 for a festival pass to see both Series A and B (festival pass can be purchased or upgraded at the box office). Street parking is available on Western and surrounding streets. Rideshare service or carpooling is encouraged.
The theme for this year's festival is "Laughter Is the Best Medicine," inspired by the communal need for that feel-good chemical rush of endorphins and a mood boost during these trying times. A giggle a day keeps the doctor away, but thanks to science, we know laughter is one of the best tools we have for dealing with stress, reducing pain, boosting the immune system, relaxing the muscles, increasing blood flow, and even burning calories. Can’t argue with that! The benefits of laughing alone are truly endless, adding zest to life, diffusing conflict, and building resilience. However, anyone who’s howled or guffawed in a room full of theatergoers knows that sharing a laugh is even better, forging bonds and memories to cherish forever.
Series A
Thursday, March 23rd, Saturday, March 25th, Friday, March 31st, and Sunday, April 2nd includes:
What Can I Get For You?, written by Nick Freedson and directed by Aditya Putcha.
Mead and Stu Teach a Seminar, written by Rom Watson and directed by Daniel Guzman.
Trick or Treat, written by David S. Liu and directed by Bernadette Armstrong.
Series B
Friday, March 24th, Sunday, March 26th, Thursday, March 30th, and Saturday, April 1st includes:
All My Exes Walk Into a Bar, written by Elke Thoms and directed by Tudi Roche.
Leda, written by Melanie Garber-Letitia and directed by Effie Spence.
Fast Food Order, written by Art Shulman and directed by Morris Schorr.
Toast, written by Ria Parody Erlich and directed by Tina Walsch.
Fundraiser Events
Support SkyPilot Theatre co. by playing Drag Bingo!
This event helps the company afford costumes, sets, rehearsal spaces, and the most cutting edge theater we can for each show! The $20 suggested donation at the door gets you into the event and bingo cards to win amazing prizes and access to the auction! Reservations are recommended.
RECENT SHOWS
The Reviews for a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Divorce are IN!
“Think Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf… if it were written by Neil Simon instead of Edward Albee.”
“Director Marc Antonio Pritchett does a skillful job of fielding these free-for-all marital battles with an eye to their inherent humor – but also to their potentially poignant underpinnings.”
“The only thing harder than marriage is divorce. And the only thing harder than that is making divorce funny – a feat that Skypilot Theatre’s world premiere of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Divorce actually accomplishes.”
“It was indeed worth its wait as this show holds plenty of laughs with a touch of somberness. These are the same emotions emoted when it comes to marriage. You can fight one moment and have a roll in the hay the next! And not necessarily in that order!”
“The performances are nuanced and tender, fiery and authentic, and truly excellent. What struck the the most about the stories of each couple and the wonderfully awkward empathy they have for each other was how human all these characters are. ”
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Divorce is not only ceaselessly insightful throughout its 80-minute duration, but it also manages to convey its complex message about relationships with an incisive flair that features both clear and subtle brushstrokes on the topic of marriages on the brink — evoking laughter, deep thought, and even tears before the final bows.”
SkyPilot Theatre Company is happily extending the popular, critically acclaimed production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Divorce by Jeff Gould. The play will reopen October 9th and run Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3 PM until November 20th. Performances will be at The Theater at 6440 Santa Monica Blvd. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at divorce.brownpapertickets.com or at the door.
A Funny Thing …, written by Jeff Gould and directed by Marc Antonio Pritchett, introduces three couples, all going through difficult divorces, as they anxiously and frustratingly wait in a room at a courthouse for an appointment with a mediator. Conversations begin, details of each of their troubled marriages are revealed and they eventually learn more about themselves and their relationships in just hours than they have in years of matrimony.
Cast includes: Anthony Backman, Ian Nemser, Marie Pettit, Corbin Timbrook, Bri Ana Wagner, and Laura Walker.
Also: Ayla Rose Barreau, Kelly Desarla, Albert Garnica, Patricia Mizen, Morris Schorr
Writer Jeff Gould
Jeff Gould has written five plays with four having been produced to great acclaim and success, the most recent production being The Marriage Zone, which had a long run last year at Santa Monica Playhouse and was awarded “Best Writer of an Original Play” at the 2018 Valley Theatre Awards. Gould is also a journalist, actor and professional poker player.
Following this production, SkyPilot will continue its Runway series with several new plays that were selected.