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Box Office #: 323-663-1525 Main Office #: 323-663-2235 Public Relations Lucy Pollak P.R.. 818-887-1499 Board of Directors Sharon Bailey Beckett · Kato Cooks · Karen Kondazian · Deborah Lawlor · Simon Levy · Patricia Parker · Stephen Sachs · Barbara Sanders
Artistic Associates and Advisors Simone Abkarian · Maria Bermudez · Lee Blessing · Tom Bower · Shirley Jo Finney · Athol Fugard · Anthony J. Haney · Jessica Harper · Israel Horovitz · Ed Harris · Morlan Higgins · Karen Kondazian · Amy Madigan · Eduardo Machado · Tracy Middendorf · Lisa Pelikan · Priscilla Pointer · Jacqueline Schultz
Flamenco Advisors Roberto Amaral · Maria Bermudez · Bruce Bisenz
In 1990 she and Stephen Sachs co-founded the Fountain Theatre, which is now in its 20th season of theatrical and dance events. Deborah is responsible for the Fountain's extensive dance involvement She's creating a contemporary version of the Don Juan story, D.J, Don Juan in L.A., A Flamenco Fantasia, scheduled to premiere next year. The 1995 season included, The Women of Guernica, Deborah’s flamenco-based adaptation of Euripides' The Trojan Women, which she also directed. She directed two one-act plays by Tennessee Williams and created and directed three full-evening Dance-Theatre pieces for the Fountain, Declarations: Love Letters of the Great Romantics, The Path of Love, and a “dance opera,” The Song of Songs, with music by Al Carmines. She directed a production of The Path of Love in South India. Most recently she directed Yussef El Guindi's Acts of Desire to considerable acclaim, as well as Mark Sickman's Taxi to Jannah. As a producer of plays, she has been responsible for many of the Fountain's productions over the past 18 years.
Mr. Sachs is a highly-respected stage director in Los Angeles. He has won every major theatre award in Los Angeles and is the only director in L.A. to have won the Ovation Award (L.A.’s version of the Tony) for Best Director of a Play twice. He was recently nominated for the 2009 SDC Zelda Fichandler Award honoring outstanding stage directors in the Western United States. In 2009, Mr. Sachs directed the Los Angeles premiere of Irish playwright Conor McPherson’s Tony-nominated play, SHINING CITY, to rave reviews. "One of the best productions the west coast theater has ever seen." - BroadwayWorld. And he directed his own adaptation MISS JULIE:FREEDOM SUMMER at Canadian Stage Company in Toronto and at the Vancouver Playhouse. Mr. Sachs has the honor of being chosen by playwright Athol Fugard as one of the few directors in the United States to premiere his new plays. The collaboration between Fugard and Sachs goes back nearly a decade when Sachs directed the Los Angeles premiere of Fugard’s THE ROAD TO MECCA in 2000. In 2004, Mr. Sachs had the privilege of being the first person, apart from the playwright, selected to direct the world premiere of a new play by Athol Fugard. Sachs directed the world premiere of Fugard’s EXITS AND ENTRANCES in Los Angeles (3 LA Ovation Awards including Best World Premiere of a New Play and Best Director, 5 LA Drama Critics Circle Awards including Best Production and Best Director). He directed acclaimed regional productions of the play around the country. And he directed the Off-Broadway production at Primary Stages in New York (New York Outer Critics’ Circle Award nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play, selected as "Ten Best" Productions of 2006/2007 by New York Theatre Writers). He also directed the UK premiere at the 2007 International Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. In 2008, Fugard gave Sachs the exclusive United States rights to his play, VICTORY. Sachs directed the United States premiere in Los Angeles to great critical acclaim. The production was named “Critic’s Choice” and “Best of 2008” in the Los Angeles Times. In 2009, Fugard chose Sachs to direct the West Coast premiere of his new play, COMING HOME (Best Production of a Play, Ovation nomination; “Critic’s Choice” Los Angeles Times). Fugard has now given Sachs his newest play, THE TRAIN DRIVER, which Sachs will direct in the coming 2010 season. In February 2007 Sachs directed the world premiere of his own new adaptation of Strindberg’s MISS JULIE at the Fountain in Los Angeles. The production earned rave reviews, was named “Critics’ Choice” in the Los Angeles Times and ran for 4 sold-out months. He also directed the 2007 world premiere of his own stage adaptation of Stephen Mitchell’s version of GILGAMESH at Theatre@Boston Court in Pasadena. In 2006, the J. Paul Getty Museum selected Sachs to direct the inaugural production to launch the opening of their new 450-seat outdoor classical theatre at the Getty Villa in Malibu. For The Getty, Sachs directed the critically acclaimed sold-out world premiere of a new translation of Euripides’ HIPPOLYTOS starring Linda Purl. Arthur Miller personally gave Sachs exclusive permission to direct his rarely seen AFTER THE FALL in Los Angeles (3 L.A. Ovation Awards including Best Production and Best Director). Named “Critics’ Choice” (LA Times) and ran for 7 sold-out months. Other directing credits include the West Coast premiere of STRING OF PEARLS, SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR (Fountain Theatre, Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis), the LA premiere of Steven Dietz’s LONELY PLANET (starring Philip Anglim), THE SEAGULL (starring Salome Jens, Philip Baker Hall and Bud Cort), the celebrated 20th Anniversary production of THE BOYS IN THE BAND, the west coast premiere of Rommulus Linney’s UNCHANGING LOVE, Duet for One, Ashes, and many others. Regional theatre directing credits include: Primary Stages (New York), Zephyr Theatre (San Francisco), Santa Barbara Theatre, the Tony-winning Victory Gardens Theatre (Chicago), Mixed Blood Theatre (Minneapolis), New Jersey Repertory, Florida Stage, Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh, Scotland), Canadian Stage Company (Toronto) and the Vancouver Playhouse (Vancouver). Sachs is the author of eight produced plays and adaptations: MISS JULIE:FREEDOM SUMMER, GILGAMESH, OPEN WINDOW, CENTRAL AVENUE, SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR, MOTHER’S DAY, RAZKAZY, THE BARON IN THE TREES. Sachs just completed a new play, BAKERSFIELD MIST, which will have its world premiere in Los Angeles in 2010/11 starring Jenny O’Hara. Sachs recently wrote the teleplay for SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR for Hallmark Hall of Fame for CBS, based on his award winning play. The TV movie stars Academy Award winner Marlee Matlin and Golden Globe winner Jeff Daniels, directed by Emmy winner Joseph Sargent. It aired on April 20, 2008, on CBS. His award-winning plays CENTRAL AVENUE and SWEET NOTHING IN MY EAR were both PEN USA Literary Award finalists. SWEET NOTHING has been published by Dramatic Publishing and is being produced around the country and has been made into a TV movie. 2007 also marked the acclaimed world premiere in Los Angeles of Sachs’ new re-imagined adaptation of MISS JULIE set in Mississippi during the 1964 Freedom Summer civil rights era. The play drew rave reviews and was named “Critics’ Choice” in the Los Angeles Times. It has been honored with Best Adaptation Award nominations from both the Los Angeles Critics Circle and the L.A. Weekly. Sachs’ stage adaptation of GILGAMESH had its world premiere at the Theatre@Boston Court in Pasadena in 2007. His 2006 play OPEN WINDOW, commissioned by Deaf West Theatre Company (Broadway's Tony-winning BIG RIVER), had its world premiere at the Pasadena Playhouse directed by Academy Award-winner Eric Simonson, winning the California Governor’s Media Access Award for Theatre Excellence. His play about the L.A. jazz scene in the 1940’s, CENTRAL AVENUE, was a huge hit in Los Angeles (“Critics’ Choice” in the LA Times) in 2001. It ran for eight sold-out months. For his work as director and playwright, Sachs has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, American Theatre Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Back Stage, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, L.A. Stage Magazine, the London Times, The Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio.
His stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby inaugurated the Guthrie Theater's new theatre complex in July 2006, was produced at Seattle Rep in November 2006, is in preparation for a London production, and was a Finalist for the PEN Award in Drama. He's currently writing a contemporary adaptation of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People: A New Version for America. For 2010 he directed the twice-extended L.A. Premiere of Michael Hollinger's Opus, and in 2011 will direct the West Coast Premiere of Tennessee Williams' last play, A House Not Meant to Stand, for the Williams Centennial. In 2009 he directed Anna Ziegler's Photograph 51, which was nominated for the 2009 OVATION Award for Best Season, Best Production, and Lead Actress, as well as being recognized with many other awards and nominations. Prior to that he directed the Los Angeles Revival of Tennessee Williams' The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, winner of the Back Stage West Garland Award for Best Direction.
His critically-acclaimed production of What I Heard About Iraq - link to webpage - which he adapted and directed, won the 2006 Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, was extended several times at the Fountain Theatre, was nominated by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for Best Adaptation, was produced at the 2007 Adelaide Fringe Festival where it won the Advertiser Fringe Award, was produced by BBC 4 Radio in May 2007, and received a 30-city UK tour in 2007 that culminated at the Arts Theatre in London. It has been read/performed in 45 cities around the world, and has been chosen by BBC Radio as its entry for Best Drama Adaptation for the 2008 Prix Italia. He remounted his award-winning production (OVATION Award Best Production) of Master Class for Santa Barbara Theatre, January 2007, and directed Dael Orlandersmith (of Yellowman fame) in her one-woman play, The Gimmick, September 2006 at the Fountain, winner of the LA OVATION Award for Solo Performance.
In 2008, he produced the West Coast Premiere of Bernard Weinraub's The Accomplices, which was remounted at the Odyssey Theatre for an extended run in 2009. New York: Ron Gwiazda ABRAMS ARTISTS AGENCY 275 Seventh Avenue / 26th Floor New York, NY 10001 646-461-9325 (tel) London: Jean Diamond JEAN DIAMOND MGMT 31 Percy St
Bennett (Ben) Bradley (Director of Audience Development, Director, Producer) was with the Fountain Theatre for over sixteen years as a Producer and Director and was also the Director of Audience Development. He was a graduate of Carroll University where he majored in theatre. Ben directed the Fountain's critically acclaimed production of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean (LADCC Awards for Production of the Year and Best Director). He received the 2006 OVATION Award and the 2007 NAACP Award for his direction of the Fountain's critically acclaimed production of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Other directorial credits at the Fountain include Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (winner of the NAACP Award for Best Actress) and Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys (winner of Best Ensemble, L.A. Weekly Award, and Best Ensemble, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award). Ben produced the Fountain's acclaimed productions of Photograph 51, Yellowman, Master Class and Central Avenue, and co-produced the Fountain's The Darker Face of the Earth, I Am A Man, and Four by Tennessee. Before joining the Fountain Theatre Family, Ben worked at the Los Angeles Theatre Center as Lobby Subscription Manager. Most of all, he loved to cook! Awards include (shows directed): Gem of the Ocean - Winner 3 LADCC Awards: Production of the Year, Director (Ben Bradley), Featured Actor (Adolphus Ward) Winner of 4 Maddy Awards: Director (Ben Bradley), Actors (Juanita Jennings & Adolphus Ward), Set Design (Travis Gale Lewis). Nominated for 8 LADCC Awards: Production, Direction (Ben Bradley), Featured Performance (Adolphus Ward), Ensemble Performance, Lighting (Christian Epps), Costumes (Naila Aladdin Sanders), Sound (David B. Marling), CGI/Video (Marc Rosenthal). Winner: 2009 NAACP Theater Awards: Male Lead (Adolphus Ward), Supporting Female (Tene Carter Miller), Supporting Male (Rodney Gardiner), Lighting (Christain Epps), Sound (David B. Marling). 2009 OVATION Nominations: Best Season, Featured Actor (Adolphus Ward) Joe Turner's Come and Gone - Winner of 2 L.A. OVATION Awards: Best Production and Best Director (Ben Bradley). Winner of 2 NAACP Awards: Best Ensemble Cast and Best Director (Ben Bradley). Nominated for 8 L.A. OVATION Awards: Best Production, Best Director (Ben Bradley), Best Actor (Adolphus Ward), Best Featured Actor (Adenrele Ojo), Set Design (Travis Gale Lewis), Lighting Design (Kathi O'Donohue), Costume Design (Naila Aladdin-Sanders), Sound Design (David B. Marling). Nominated for 6 LA Weekly Awards: Best Revival, Direction (Ben Bradley), Lead Actor (Bernard K. Addison), Supporting Actor (Adolphus Ward), Costume Design (Naila Aladdin-Sanders) and Set Design (Travis Gale Lewis). Nominated for 5 NAACP Awards: Best Production, Best Director (Ben Bradley), Best Ensemble, Best Costumes (Naila Aladdin Sanders) and Best Sound (David B. Marling). Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill - 2004 NAACP Theater Award: Best Actress (Peggy Ann Blow). 2004 NAACP Theater Award Nominations: Best Actress (Peggy Ann Blow), Best Supporting Actor (Alex Miles), Musical Direction (Herman Jackson), Best Producer (Deborah Lawlor). Direct from Death Row: The Scottsboro Boys – Winner, Ensemble Performance, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. |
