The Fountain Theatre has announced a 2019-20 season of vibrant, thought-provoking, fresh and funny new work by a diverse group of playwrights, each of whom explores important social and cultural issues from a wholly unique perspective.
Over the course of 16 months, the company will offer up a series of Los Angeles, California, Southern California, West Coast and world premieres that tackle questions of politics, racism, gun control, human rights, cultural identity and more.
“Our 2019-20 season is our most ambitious ever,” says Fountain co-artistic director Stephen Sachs. “It perfectly reflects who and what we are as a theater organization. It's a season of diversity, a rich mixture of new plays representing a wide variety of communities. Our goal is for Los Angeles to see itself on our stage, and this season certainly offers that.”
The season opens in February, taking us all the way to Spring 2020 with six exciting productions: the West Coast premiere of Hype Man by Idris Goodwin; the Southern California premiere of Daniel’s Husband by Michael McKeever; the California premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo by Jiehae Park; the Los Angeles premiere of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama-winning Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis; the world premiere of Jane Doe by Stephen Sachs; and the Los Angeles premiere of If I Forget by Steven Levenson. In addition, the Fountain will continue to offer its acclaimed Forever Flamenco dance series every month.
Details of the Fountain Theatre’s 2019-20 season are as follows:
Feb. 23 – April 14, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m. ):
West Coast premiere of Hype Man — In Idris Goodwin’s “breakbeat play,” a diverse hip-hop trio is on the verge of making it big on national TV when a police shooting of a Black teen shakes the band to its core, forcing them to confront questions of race, gender, privilege and when to use artistic expression as an act of social protest. Winner, 2018 Elliot Norton Award. Directed by Deena Selenow.
May 4 – June 23, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
Southern California premiere of Daniel’s Husband — Michael McKeever’s witty, passionate, funny and, ultimately, heartrending play takes an unflinching look at how we choose to tie the knot — or not. Daniel and Mitchell are the perfect couple. What isn't so perfect is that Daniel desperately longs to be married, but Mitchell doesn’t believe in it. Then, a life-altering event forces both men to realize that, even in an enlightened society, the denial of fundamental rights leads to devastating results. Starring Bill Brochtrup, Tim Cummings and Jenny O’Hara; directed by Simon Levy.
July 13 – Sept 1, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m. ):
California premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo — Hannah is two weeks away from becoming a board-certified neurologist when she receives a strange package from her grandmother, who may—or may not—have just ended her life in a most flamboyant fashion. The mystery leads Hannah and her family on a surreal, funny, heartbreaking adventure back to their roots in South and North Korea and the forbidden Demilitarized Zone that divides them. Wildly theatrical, Jiehae Park’s startling new comedy twists together creation myths and family histories to explore what it means to walk the edge between cultures.
Sept. 21 – Nov. 10, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
Los Angeles premiere of Between Riverside and Crazy — You can’t beat City Hall, but you can try. In this darkly comic, 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Stephen Adly Guirgis, ex-cop and recent widower, Walter ‘Pops’ Washington has made a home for his newly paroled son in his sprawling, rent-controlled Riverside Drive apartment. But now the NYPD is demanding his signature to close an outstanding lawsuit, the landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed, and the church is on his back — leaving Pops somewhere between Riverside… and crazy.
Jan. 18 – March 8, 2020 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
World premiere of Jane Doe — In this contemporary retelling of the 1941 Frank Capra classic film Meet John Doe adapted by Fountain Theatre co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Cyrano, Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric), a newspaper writer fabricates a letter to his column from an imaginary homeless woman named “Jane Doe” who announces she will kill herself on the 4th of July because of greedy corporations, corrupt politicians and how hostile and heartless the world has become. When the writer hires a woman to stand-in as the fictitious “Jane”, a national movement is ignited by citizens aching for a savior.
March 28 – May 17, 2020 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
Los Angeles premiere of If I Forget — Simon Levy directs this powerful tale of a Jewish family and a culture at odds with itself by Steven Levenson (book-writer of the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen). Michael is a liberal Jewish studies professor reuniting with his two sisters to celebrate their father’s 75th birthday. A political and deeply personal play about history, responsibility, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for a new beginning, told with vicious humor and unflinching honesty. If I Forget was a New York Times “Critic’s Pick,” while DC Metro calls it “one of the greatest Jewish plays of this century.”
The Fountain Theatre is one of the most successful intimate theaters in Los Angeles, providing a creative home for multi-ethnic theater and dance artists. The Fountain has won hundreds of awards, and Fountain projects have been seen across the U.S. and internationally. Recent highlights include being honored for its acclaimed 25th Anniversary Season in 2015 by Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles City Council; the inclusion of the Fountain’s Citizen: An American Lyric in Center Theatre Group’s Block Party at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and again, last year, as the centerpiece of Our L.A. Voices at Grand Park; and an all-star reading of All The President’s Men at Los Angeles City Hall. The Fountain’s 2018 productions of The Chosen andArrival & Departure each enjoyed months-long sold-out runs and were named Los Angeles Times “Critic’s Choices.” The company’s most recent production, the West Coast premiere of Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cost of Living, was named to the Los Angeles Times’ “Best of 2018” list by theater critic Charles McNulty, who called the Fountain “on par with the Mark Taper Forum and Geffen Playhouse at their best. The Fountain Theatre’s production of Majok’s ‘Cost of Living’ confirmed just how indispensable 99-seat theaters still are to a healthy theater ecology.”
Over the course of 16 months, the company will offer up a series of Los Angeles, California, Southern California, West Coast and world premieres that tackle questions of politics, racism, gun control, human rights, cultural identity and more.
“Our 2019-20 season is our most ambitious ever,” says Fountain co-artistic director Stephen Sachs. “It perfectly reflects who and what we are as a theater organization. It's a season of diversity, a rich mixture of new plays representing a wide variety of communities. Our goal is for Los Angeles to see itself on our stage, and this season certainly offers that.”
The season opens in February, taking us all the way to Spring 2020 with six exciting productions: the West Coast premiere of Hype Man by Idris Goodwin; the Southern California premiere of Daniel’s Husband by Michael McKeever; the California premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo by Jiehae Park; the Los Angeles premiere of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama-winning Between Riverside and Crazy by Stephen Adly Guirgis; the world premiere of Jane Doe by Stephen Sachs; and the Los Angeles premiere of If I Forget by Steven Levenson. In addition, the Fountain will continue to offer its acclaimed Forever Flamenco dance series every month.
Details of the Fountain Theatre’s 2019-20 season are as follows:
Feb. 23 – April 14, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m. ):
West Coast premiere of Hype Man — In Idris Goodwin’s “breakbeat play,” a diverse hip-hop trio is on the verge of making it big on national TV when a police shooting of a Black teen shakes the band to its core, forcing them to confront questions of race, gender, privilege and when to use artistic expression as an act of social protest. Winner, 2018 Elliot Norton Award. Directed by Deena Selenow.
May 4 – June 23, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
Southern California premiere of Daniel’s Husband — Michael McKeever’s witty, passionate, funny and, ultimately, heartrending play takes an unflinching look at how we choose to tie the knot — or not. Daniel and Mitchell are the perfect couple. What isn't so perfect is that Daniel desperately longs to be married, but Mitchell doesn’t believe in it. Then, a life-altering event forces both men to realize that, even in an enlightened society, the denial of fundamental rights leads to devastating results. Starring Bill Brochtrup, Tim Cummings and Jenny O’Hara; directed by Simon Levy.
July 13 – Sept 1, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m. ):
California premiere of Hannah and the Dread Gazebo — Hannah is two weeks away from becoming a board-certified neurologist when she receives a strange package from her grandmother, who may—or may not—have just ended her life in a most flamboyant fashion. The mystery leads Hannah and her family on a surreal, funny, heartbreaking adventure back to their roots in South and North Korea and the forbidden Demilitarized Zone that divides them. Wildly theatrical, Jiehae Park’s startling new comedy twists together creation myths and family histories to explore what it means to walk the edge between cultures.
Sept. 21 – Nov. 10, 2019 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
Los Angeles premiere of Between Riverside and Crazy — You can’t beat City Hall, but you can try. In this darkly comic, 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Stephen Adly Guirgis, ex-cop and recent widower, Walter ‘Pops’ Washington has made a home for his newly paroled son in his sprawling, rent-controlled Riverside Drive apartment. But now the NYPD is demanding his signature to close an outstanding lawsuit, the landlord wants him out, the liquor store is closed, and the church is on his back — leaving Pops somewhere between Riverside… and crazy.
Jan. 18 – March 8, 2020 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
World premiere of Jane Doe — In this contemporary retelling of the 1941 Frank Capra classic film Meet John Doe adapted by Fountain Theatre co-artistic director Stephen Sachs (Cyrano, Arrival & Departure, Citizen: An American Lyric), a newspaper writer fabricates a letter to his column from an imaginary homeless woman named “Jane Doe” who announces she will kill herself on the 4th of July because of greedy corporations, corrupt politicians and how hostile and heartless the world has become. When the writer hires a woman to stand-in as the fictitious “Jane”, a national movement is ignited by citizens aching for a savior.
March 28 – May 17, 2020 (Fridays @ 8 p.m.; Saturdays @ 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sundays @ 2 p.m.; Mondays @ 8 p.m.):
Los Angeles premiere of If I Forget — Simon Levy directs this powerful tale of a Jewish family and a culture at odds with itself by Steven Levenson (book-writer of the hit musical Dear Evan Hansen). Michael is a liberal Jewish studies professor reuniting with his two sisters to celebrate their father’s 75th birthday. A political and deeply personal play about history, responsibility, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for a new beginning, told with vicious humor and unflinching honesty. If I Forget was a New York Times “Critic’s Pick,” while DC Metro calls it “one of the greatest Jewish plays of this century.”
The Fountain Theatre is one of the most successful intimate theaters in Los Angeles, providing a creative home for multi-ethnic theater and dance artists. The Fountain has won hundreds of awards, and Fountain projects have been seen across the U.S. and internationally. Recent highlights include being honored for its acclaimed 25th Anniversary Season in 2015 by Mayor Eric Garcetti and the Los Angeles City Council; the inclusion of the Fountain’s Citizen: An American Lyric in Center Theatre Group’s Block Party at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and again, last year, as the centerpiece of Our L.A. Voices at Grand Park; and an all-star reading of All The President’s Men at Los Angeles City Hall. The Fountain’s 2018 productions of The Chosen andArrival & Departure each enjoyed months-long sold-out runs and were named Los Angeles Times “Critic’s Choices.” The company’s most recent production, the West Coast premiere of Martyna Majok’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cost of Living, was named to the Los Angeles Times’ “Best of 2018” list by theater critic Charles McNulty, who called the Fountain “on par with the Mark Taper Forum and Geffen Playhouse at their best. The Fountain Theatre’s production of Majok’s ‘Cost of Living’ confirmed just how indispensable 99-seat theaters still are to a healthy theater ecology.”
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