The War Plays Project
The Los Angeles Theater Community Responds to the War in Iraq
Archive
What's the War Plays Project about? Check out the Archive to see pictures and information about our activities.
Month Seven -- 7 September 2008 -- Gays in the Military
On Sunday, September 7th, the War Play Project visited the Celebration Theater for their production of "Sissystrata," followed by a discussion of Gays in the Military. Special guests included the writer of "Sissystrata, " Allain Rochel; Iraq vet and activist Julie Sohn (who is on the advisory board of the Military Equality Alliance); and filmmaker Steve Gratwick (maker of the documentary film "Patriots"). A conversation about the politics of gays in the military, the gay identity and how it pertains to todays war and of course, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
SISSYSTRATA, by Allain Rochel, Directed by Michael Matthews: A raucous new all-male adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy, Lysisytrata, created by the same team that brought you last season's smash all-male adaptation of THE BACCHAE, SISSYSTRATA takes aim at war and the politics of gender in the gay community.
EM Lewis (moderator), Julie Sohn and Steve Gratwick (panelists) and the cast and writer of Sissystrata, Allain Rochelle at the Celebration Theater for WPP7.
Place: The Celebration Theater -- 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Time: 3pm Sissystrata, 5pm War Plays Project event
Month Six – 28 August 2008 – Women & War
What particular impact does war have on women? Vietnam. Bosnia. The Peloponnesian War. World War II. Iraq. Through the ages, women have protested wars, fought in wars, healed the wounded, been victims of war, sent their men off to war, and reported on wars. More and more women can now be found on the front lines. From ancient times to the present day, we listened to what women had to say about war. Presented by an ensemble of Los Angeles area actresses, and including special guests of the WPP: Orange County's Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, with a sneak preview excerpt from W.A.C. IRAQ -- a world premiere, opening in September 2008.
Also -- the War Plays Project welcomed our new associate producers: Meropi Peponides, Elizabeth Gomez and Danny Lynch!
Time: Thursday, August 28th, from 8pm to 10pm
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Director Mel Nieves with the cast of "W.A.C. Iraq" -- special guests of the WPP in August, giving a preview of Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble's world premiere show, which runs from Sept. 12-Oct. 18, 2008 in Santa Ana, CA.
MONTH FIVE - 26 July 2008 - HOW TO WRITE ABOUT THE WAR
How do you write about the war in Iraq? Where do you begin? In July, the War Plays Project hosted a writing workshop to help writers find their own voices about the war. Attendees were encouraged to bring a one-minute monologue to share and pencil and paper for in-class writing exercises.
Time: Saturday, July 26th, from 10am-12 noon
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Participants in the fourth War Plays Project event -- How to Write About the War
MONTH FOUR -- 15 June 2008 -- Compression of a Casualty
Our conversation began with a discussion about the winning play in Moving Arts' 14th Annual One-Act Festival. "Compression of a Casualty," by Kevin Doyle, is based on the real coverage that the death of an American soldier received, and the story behind that story. What are the challenges faced by journalists who are trying to cover the war in Iraq for an increasingly demoralized public? Who are the real people behind the few seconds of news coverage we get about them?
Join us at a new location this month: Studio/Stage -- 520 N. Western Avenue, 90004 -- at 6pm, then stay for the Moving Arts One-Act Festival at 8pm! The WPP event is free, as always -- and attendees will receive half-price entry into the one-act festival (while tickets last!).
Playwright Kevin Doyle (onscreen) talks to the War Plays Project attendees live from New York. With him are actors Michael Shutt and Evie Hammer, who acted in Doyle's play "Compression of a Casualty" in Moving Arts One-Act Play Festival -- the focus of WPP4.
MONTH THREE -- 20 May 2008 -- THE PATRIOT ACT ON TRIAL
The War Plays Project presents an excerpt from "The Bean Trial" by Tamadhur Al-Aqeel, directed by Julie Briggs, followed by a discussion with the playwright.
THE BEAN TRIAL
Written by Tamadhur Al-Aqeel
Directed by Julie Briggs
In "The Bean Trial," a bus boy gets caught in the massive net of the government's War on Terror when he plays a trick on his co-workers, pretending some spoiled food is a weapon of mass destruction. Young Mario goes on trial as a suspected terrorist in this farce inspired by the PATRIOT Act -- as federal prosecutors try to make a mountain out of a hill of beans.
Time: Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30pm
Place: Moving Arts Theater -- 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027. Directions at www.movingarts.org
Admission: FREE
Playwright Tamadhur Al-Aqeel discusses the genesis of her play about the Patriot Act with moderator EM Lewis
Month Two – 19 April 2008 – War Plays On Stage
The second War Plays Project event featured a selection of short plays and excerpts from longer plays about the War in Iraq, presented by Los Angeles theater artists, followed by a short panel discussion with the playwrights.
Time: Saturday, April 19th from 7-9pm
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Av. in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Air Force Veteran April Fitzsimmons shares her essays "Sniper-Man" and "Mourning People." Her award-winning one-woman show about her time as an Intelligence Analyst in the Air Force was called "...a masterwork of humor and dread." by the LA Weekly.
• “The Miraculous Day Quartet” – Four people were late to where they needed to be on a significant day in history in this short play by Mary Steelsmith, which has been produced in Los Angeles and NY.
• Playwright Trey Nichols, with actress Julie Briggs, after the reading of "Sunni Triangle" – a short triptych that examines the lives, lies, and delusions of three family members touched by the war in Iraq as they struggle with crisis and transformation. A new play by Moving Arts' company member Trey Nichols.
Month One – 29 March 2008 – Writing About the War
A panel discussion between playwrights Colin McKay (Fallujah), Cindy Marie Jenkins (Ten) and EM Lewis (Heads) about how to write about the War in Iraq, moderated by Dramatists Guild Los Angeles rep and ALAP co-chair Dan Berkowitz.
Why and how do you write about the war in Iraq? What are the challenges? Three local playwrights talked about their experiences, writing about the war, moderated by Dan Berkowitz – Los Angeles Regional Rep of The Dramatists Guild and co-chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights.
Matt B. Wells (Artistic Director, Need Theater), Cindy Marie Jenkins (playwright, TEN), moderator Dan Berkowitz, EM Lewis (playwright, HEADS) and Colin Mitchell (playwright, FALLUJAH).
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Month Seven -- 7 September 2008 -- Gays in the Military
On Sunday, September 7th, the War Play Project visited the Celebration Theater for their production of "Sissystrata," followed by a discussion of Gays in the Military. Special guests included the writer of "Sissystrata, " Allain Rochel; Iraq vet and activist Julie Sohn (who is on the advisory board of the Military Equality Alliance); and filmmaker Steve Gratwick (maker of the documentary film "Patriots"). A conversation about the politics of gays in the military, the gay identity and how it pertains to todays war and of course, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
SISSYSTRATA, by Allain Rochel, Directed by Michael Matthews: A raucous new all-male adaptation of Aristophanes' comedy, Lysisytrata, created by the same team that brought you last season's smash all-male adaptation of THE BACCHAE, SISSYSTRATA takes aim at war and the politics of gender in the gay community.
EM Lewis (moderator), Julie Sohn and Steve Gratwick (panelists) and the cast and writer of Sissystrata, Allain Rochelle at the Celebration Theater for WPP7.
Place: The Celebration Theater -- 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
Time: 3pm Sissystrata, 5pm War Plays Project event
Month Six – 28 August 2008 – Women & War
What particular impact does war have on women? Vietnam. Bosnia. The Peloponnesian War. World War II. Iraq. Through the ages, women have protested wars, fought in wars, healed the wounded, been victims of war, sent their men off to war, and reported on wars. More and more women can now be found on the front lines. From ancient times to the present day, we listened to what women had to say about war. Presented by an ensemble of Los Angeles area actresses, and including special guests of the WPP: Orange County's Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, with a sneak preview excerpt from W.A.C. IRAQ -- a world premiere, opening in September 2008.
Also -- the War Plays Project welcomed our new associate producers: Meropi Peponides, Elizabeth Gomez and Danny Lynch!
Time: Thursday, August 28th, from 8pm to 10pm
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Director Mel Nieves with the cast of "W.A.C. Iraq" -- special guests of the WPP in August, giving a preview of Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble's world premiere show, which runs from Sept. 12-Oct. 18, 2008 in Santa Ana, CA.
MONTH FIVE - 26 July 2008 - HOW TO WRITE ABOUT THE WAR
How do you write about the war in Iraq? Where do you begin? In July, the War Plays Project hosted a writing workshop to help writers find their own voices about the war. Attendees were encouraged to bring a one-minute monologue to share and pencil and paper for in-class writing exercises.
Time: Saturday, July 26th, from 10am-12 noon
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Participants in the fourth War Plays Project event -- How to Write About the War
MONTH FOUR -- 15 June 2008 -- Compression of a Casualty
Our conversation began with a discussion about the winning play in Moving Arts' 14th Annual One-Act Festival. "Compression of a Casualty," by Kevin Doyle, is based on the real coverage that the death of an American soldier received, and the story behind that story. What are the challenges faced by journalists who are trying to cover the war in Iraq for an increasingly demoralized public? Who are the real people behind the few seconds of news coverage we get about them?
Join us at a new location this month: Studio/Stage -- 520 N. Western Avenue, 90004 -- at 6pm, then stay for the Moving Arts One-Act Festival at 8pm! The WPP event is free, as always -- and attendees will receive half-price entry into the one-act festival (while tickets last!).
Playwright Kevin Doyle (onscreen) talks to the War Plays Project attendees live from New York. With him are actors Michael Shutt and Evie Hammer, who acted in Doyle's play "Compression of a Casualty" in Moving Arts One-Act Play Festival -- the focus of WPP4.
MONTH THREE -- 20 May 2008 -- THE PATRIOT ACT ON TRIAL
The War Plays Project presents an excerpt from "The Bean Trial" by Tamadhur Al-Aqeel, directed by Julie Briggs, followed by a discussion with the playwright.
THE BEAN TRIAL
Written by Tamadhur Al-Aqeel
Directed by Julie Briggs
In "The Bean Trial," a bus boy gets caught in the massive net of the government's War on Terror when he plays a trick on his co-workers, pretending some spoiled food is a weapon of mass destruction. Young Mario goes on trial as a suspected terrorist in this farce inspired by the PATRIOT Act -- as federal prosecutors try to make a mountain out of a hill of beans.
Time: Tuesday, May 20th at 7:30pm
Place: Moving Arts Theater -- 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027. Directions at www.movingarts.org
Admission: FREE
Playwright Tamadhur Al-Aqeel discusses the genesis of her play about the Patriot Act with moderator EM Lewis
Month Two – 19 April 2008 – War Plays On Stage
The second War Plays Project event featured a selection of short plays and excerpts from longer plays about the War in Iraq, presented by Los Angeles theater artists, followed by a short panel discussion with the playwrights.
Time: Saturday, April 19th from 7-9pm
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Av. in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
Air Force Veteran April Fitzsimmons shares her essays "Sniper-Man" and "Mourning People." Her award-winning one-woman show about her time as an Intelligence Analyst in the Air Force was called "...a masterwork of humor and dread." by the LA Weekly.
• “The Miraculous Day Quartet” – Four people were late to where they needed to be on a significant day in history in this short play by Mary Steelsmith, which has been produced in Los Angeles and NY.
• Playwright Trey Nichols, with actress Julie Briggs, after the reading of "Sunni Triangle" – a short triptych that examines the lives, lies, and delusions of three family members touched by the war in Iraq as they struggle with crisis and transformation. A new play by Moving Arts' company member Trey Nichols.
Month One – 29 March 2008 – Writing About the War
A panel discussion between playwrights Colin McKay (Fallujah), Cindy Marie Jenkins (Ten) and EM Lewis (Heads) about how to write about the War in Iraq, moderated by Dramatists Guild Los Angeles rep and ALAP co-chair Dan Berkowitz.
Why and how do you write about the war in Iraq? What are the challenges? Three local playwrights talked about their experiences, writing about the war, moderated by Dan Berkowitz – Los Angeles Regional Rep of The Dramatists Guild and co-chair of the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights.
Matt B. Wells (Artistic Director, Need Theater), Cindy Marie Jenkins (playwright, TEN), moderator Dan Berkowitz, EM Lewis (playwright, HEADS) and Colin Mitchell (playwright, FALLUJAH).- Cindy Marie Jenkins, writer of Ten – a project in development at Need Theater—joined by Artistic Director Matt B. Wells. In the relationship between individual and country, how much of one must be sacrificed for the other?”
- Colin McKay, writer of Fallujah – Ovation Award nominated play, produced at Theater East in 2007. “A journalist and a Defense Department contractor investigate the deaths of two American soldiers killed by friendly fire.”
- EM Lewis, writer of Heads – award-winning drama produced at the Blank Theater, on the “Best of 2007” list in the LA Times. “Four civilian hostages. Two cells. As death draws close, each must decide what he’ll do to survive.”
Location: Moving Arts Theater, 1822 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake, 90027
Admission: Free
