WHAT HAPPENED IN MAYVILLE II | AUG-OCT 2011

What Happened in Mayville? II --The Terror Continues
A small town…
A moment in time…
Events take a sudden turn…
Mayville contains scenes of intense violence and disturbing suspense and is recommended for Mature Audiences Only

LoveSick | JUN-AUG 2011

Written by LOFT ensemble co-founder Larissa Wise, LoveSick is a work of poetic beauty and magical prose. Written mainly in verse, Wise has created a love story set a dream-world. Benjamin (Adam Chambers), an unusual young man obsessed with death, falls in love with Sophia (Larissa Wise), a colorful young woman brimming with life. Against his better judgment, Benjamin finds himself becoming more and more enchanted with Sophia's contrasting world. Each lover is armed with a duo of companions, in Benjamin's case two equally morbid men (John Sperry Sisk and Matt McCroskey) while Sophia flutters about with two girlish playmates (Deborah Baker Jr. and Marissa Galloway). Their worlds become evermore complicated by two predatory nemeses, Sally (Joy Howard) who is obsessed with Benjamin, and Frank (Jason Ryan Lovett) who is obsessed with possessing Sophia. Adding insult to injury are Benjamin's mother (Vanessa Vaughn) and Sophia's father (Sean Durrie), who appear in their mutual dream to expose the couple's secrets and hidden fears.

A darkly beautiful exploration, LoveSick takes the audience on a Wonderland-like journey into the poetic sickness of love.

After his Buddhist mother passes away of cancer, a college circuit comedian on the road has 100 days to marry in order for his mother's spirit to transition in peace. Reluctant to fulfill this superstitious condition, the man awkwardly reunites with his estranged and married high school sweetheart. The death that reconnects these two as adults turns out to be their source of salvation.

100 DAYS is based on the Taiwanese tradition that if a parent passes away before his or her child is wed, the child has 100 days to get married in order to ensure that the parent's spirit transitions peacefully or risk a delay of 3 years. Inspired in part by the death of his own mother, this tradition set the kernel for what would eventually become Weiko Lin's newest stage work 100 DAYS.

LA WEEKLY REVIEW: 100 DAYS The title of Weiko Lin's two-character play is derived from an old Taiwanese Buddhist tradition, which dictates that when the parent of an unmarried child passes away, the child must find a spouse within 100 days in order for the spirit of the deceased to transition peacefully. But matrimony is the last thing on the mind of Will (Eric Martig), who revels in his debauched, hand-to-mouth existence as a traveling comedian on the college circuit, where there is a steady supply of booze and female company. But for Miki (Joy Howard) -- Will's love of 15 years removed -- life is nothing but painful drudgery, made all the more so by old emotional wounds, an unhappy marriage, middle-class monotony and her fear of having children. When Will attends a funeral service for his mother, he encounters a family friend who sets in motion a chain of events that eventually brings Miki and Will together again, allowing another chapter of their relationship to play out. Notwithstanding a somewhat tedious Act 2 involving an overcooked night of drinking and reminiscing, there is much that is engaging. Lin's script bristles with energy and humor, and he invests these characters with a simple, captivating humanity. The cast delivers high-quality performances, under Brett Erickson's direction.

THE LOFT ENSEMBLE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF "WHAT HAPPENED IN MAYVILLE?"

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, CA – The LOFT Ensemble* in the Little Tokyo Arts District presents the World Premiere of WHAT HAPPENED IN MAYVILLE?

STORY BY ADAM CHAMBERS
WRITTEN BY JOY HOWARD
DIRECTED BY ADAM CHAMBERS

Something is happening in Mayville…

A small town…
A moment in time…
Events take a sudden turn…

Mayville is a unique theater experience presented in one act. Mayville contains scenes of intense violence and disturbing suspense and is recommended for Mature Audiences Only.

The LOFT Ensemble is a downtown Los Angeles theater company based in the Little Tokyo Arts District. The ensemble is led by Artistic Director Joy Howard using the Viewpoints technique as a basis for performance. Fresh off their successful extended run of TRACERS, they return with the World Premiere of What Happened in Mayville?

TRACERS | JUN- AUG 2010

"TRACERS" AT LOLA Downtown

LOFT ENSEMBLE AND PLAYWRIGHT JOHN Di FUSCO TEAM UP TO PRESENT THE GROUNDBREAKING, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PLAY, "TRACERS".

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, CA – The LOFT ensemble* in the Little Tokyo Arts District presents a new production of TRACERS. TRACERS tracks the surreal journey of six enlisted men through the Vietnam experience and it's after effects. These six "maggots" fight to maintain their humanity amid the body bags, drugs, rats, prostitutes, death, and all the horrors they have encountered.

Artistic Director Christina Howard directs using Viewpoints Techniques to dig deeply into each actor's soul, finding the truth and spirit of each character. Howard uses tribal and ritualistic elements to dramatize the spirit of the soldier that lies within us and the spirits of the soldiers who have passed.

Tracers was conceived by writer/director John DiFusco who created the play through workshops with a group of VietnamVets/actors: Vincent Caristi, Richard Chaves, Eric E. Emerson, Rick Gallavan, Merlin Marston, Harry Stephens, and writer Sheldon Lettich. John DiFusco has received several awards, including the New York Drama Desk Award and The Los Angeles Drama Critics' Circle Award. His most recent play WALK'N THRU THE FIRE premiered at the Hayworth Theatre (Los Angeles) with rave reviews and is now on LA Weekly Steven Mikulan's 2007 New Plays Ten Best list.

Tucker Smallwood, a Vietnam Vet and accomplished actor, joins the LOFT ensemble as Sergeant Williams, bringing his own personal experience and wisdom to the production. Tucker Smallwood has an extensive acting resume, with roles on shows such as Star Trek: Enterprise, and The Sarah Silverman Project, and has performed in several productions for the Mark Taper, Cast Theater, and Odessey Theater. Two LOFT ensemble members who have become viral celebrities, Adam Chambers (I ♥ Vampires) and Sean Durrie (Easy to Assemble) join the cast as Dinky Dau and Scooter respectively.

Cick here for LA Weekly Review of TRACERS (They gave us a GO!)

A Talk Radio review (we are mentioned at 9 min. 30 seconds into the broadcast!)
Click here to Listen

LOFT AFTER HOURS Featuring Naughty Nancy w/Bartolo Limanskyavic | MAY 2010

Naughty Nancy and Bartolo Limanskyavic in a night filled with mischief and mayhem. Featured late night performances by Debbie Cacciatore, Larissa, the ladies of Beyond Lovely, and more.

The Why Factor: Proportion Distortion | OCT-NOV 2009

"The Why Factor" with a "Wow" Factor
October 21st, 2009
By Bonnie Priever

The Why Factor: Proportion Distortion is a collaborative effort of Elizabeth Gordon, Christina Howard (producers) and Sheila Kelley S Factor, as well as the entire writing ensemble of talented women, that began in 2006 as a monologue showcase for women to share experiences through open discussion on body image and sexuality.
In 4 years time, their journey has grown to a staged production, unifying women, bringing out their most vulnerable of moments and ultimate empowerment. As one audience member so poignantly stated, "The characters are so real—each story and situation can easily resonate with each and every woman in some stage in life: dating, marriage, career…"
The play (to wax poetic, in the words of William Shakespeare's Richard II) is "infused with self and vain conceit as if its flesh which walls about our life were brass impregnable…" The play juxtaposes the world of sex, excitement and libido with the fears, insecurities and trepidations that women of all walks of life face every day.
One of the greatest theatrical touches of The Why Factor is the eponymous voice-over of the therapist questioning each woman's subconscious, exploring their deepest fears and unlocking their repressed sexuality. Through the masque of sexual innuendo, the women join together and form a bond in a pole dance class (based on the wildly popular Sheila Kelley S Factor classes).
As they all "dance around" their issues, they climb the pole seductively and with exuberant spirit, assuming any form they wish.

THE SHAPE OF THINGS | MAY 2009

The Shape Of Things
By Pat Taylor on May 6th, 2009
Tulocan Times

LOS ANGELES- A dark and cutting-edge dramady that intrigued and captured our focused attention from the start… and blew us away with "psyche shock" by the end, this is a min d-bending production! Suspensefully written by Neil LaBute, with true grit and a "heady" concept, it ran onstage in New York and was also a feature film. Somehow I was not familiar with this story… The play opens in an art museum… As a beautiful and defiant graduate art student steps over the boundary ropes, equipped with a can of spray paint, intending to deface a statue, an art museum guard attempts to stop her. She, (Evelyn), a gutsy and free-thinking art purist, objects to the small town's choice to cover the art statue's penis with leaves…He, (Adam), an innocent, younger undergrad student and a "by the rules" geek, has more than met his match! They begin a Svengali relationship, as Adam falls hopelessly in love, and Evelyn takes on the methodical mission of totally transforming him. As the love-struck Adam becomes more attractive, fit, confidant and happy, under her manipulative guidance, the "price" of his metamorphosis unfolds. Under the sensually steamy direction of Brett Erickson (in his directorial debut), a quartet of excellent and many layered performances plays out here, taking us on a dark and deceitful journey. The stunning Christina Howard, as Evelyn, is sinfully seductive and explosively exciting, and Cameron Britton, as the blindly smitten Adam, is pure perfection! Two highly-effect ive actors, their shared scenes are captivating! Adam Chambers as Phillip, young Adam's crass and quirky friend, is devilishly dynamic, and Deborah Baker, Jr., as his sweet girlfriend Jenny, is heart-wrenching. This is a dedicated, closely-knit young ensemble acting troupe. They soon plan to extend their membership in their magical, funky, and expansive loft theatre space in the downtown L.A. Arts District. This was only their second production, following last year's acclaimed show, "Loft Variety Hour, Featuring Naughty Nancy." I am a new "fan" of this enthusiastic group, and look forward to seeing/reviewing their future works… Running through May 23rd (Fridays and Saturdays only) at The L.A. Fringe Theatre – 929 E. 2nd St. (entrance on Vignes).

THE LOFT VARIETY HOUR FEATURING NAUGHT NANCY | MARCH 2009

THE LOFT VARIETY HOUR FEATURING NAUGHTY NANCY
By Amy Nicholson on March 11, 2009
LA WEEKLY

Director and emcee Adam Chambers is panicked: His actors are late, his puppets are belligerent, and his star, Naughty Nancy, is in jail. Still, the show must go on, and so it does — with chaotic charm. Chambers recites excerpts from rapper Young Jeezy's interview with Playboy; a Mexican sandwich tap-dances across the stage. The harried (and fun) nine-person cast swirls through a glow-stick ballet and a Spanish number that shows off their ability to count from uno to diez, and the set sparks to life with 18 marionettes that threaten to upend the evening with TNT, molestation, and an acting lesson hosted by Laurence Olivier's sofa. With the outraged entrance of Nancy (Christina Howard) — an English prostitute by way of Amsterdam — comes intermission and then a complete derailment of the show's triumphantly goofy spark, as Nancy seethes and coos through 10 miserable vignettes during which she swills vodka and vents about the lameness of her johns, the perfection of her pedicure, and the pain of her Brazilian wax. Directed by Geoffrey Hillbeck and acted fearlessly by Howard, it's a great character and a great performance but also a poison chaser to so much joy. L.A. Fringe Theatre, 929 E. Second St., L.A.; Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 5 p.m.; through March 15. (213) 680-0392. A Loft Ensemble production. (Amy Nicholson)