After 34 years as artistic director, Fountain Theatre cofounder Stephen Sachs has announced his retirement at the end of 2024.
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"AN ODE TO THE WORKING CLASS" - London Theatre
RAVE! - Stage Raw - TOP 10… RECOMMENDED… “A DEEPLY RELEVANT STORY… The skilled cast and confident direction by Simon Levy work together to craft A TOUCHING AND COMPELLING PRODUCTION.” — Madison Mellon
RAVE! - Discover Hollywood - ”MAGNIFICENT!… Every single actor is magnificent and performs to his/her full potential… [Simon Levy’s] craft is precise, skillful and it stands out… [The Fountain Theatre] functions on a high standard with so much enthusiasm and professionalism.” - Amalisha HuEck
RAVE! - WFMU Radio - LOVELY, HEARTBREAKING, EMOTIONALLY AMBITIOUS… we sprang to our feet at the final curtain call… NOT TO BE MISSED.” — Bob Barth
RAVE! - Splash Magazines - “THOUGHT-PROVOKING, STIMULATING AND CHALLENGING… Skillfully helmed by producing director Simon Levy... KUDOS TO THE ENTIRE CAST.” — Elaine Mura
RAVE! - Larchmont Buzz - “Keeping with their tradition of presenting gut-wrenching social theater, The Fountain Theatre SCORES A GRAND SLAM with I, Daniel Blake… A MEMORABLE PIECE OF DRAMA that is likely to leave audiences talking long after they leave the Fountain.” - Carol M. Becker
RAVE! - On Stage Los Angeles - “The play is BEAUTIFULLY STAGED by Simon Levy, with a dedicated ensemble cast who mesh like the gears of a wind up clock… What Cullum does with his character is a primer in stage acting.” - Michael Sheehan
RAVE! - Culver City News - “A BEAUTIFUL AND DEEPLY MOVING STORY… the three leads actors will each grab at your heartstrings from start to finish… POWERFUL, TIMELY AND POIGNANT.” — Shari Barrett
RAVE! - Hollywood Progressive - “STELLAR SHOW!… Helmed by the redoubtable Simon Levy… JD Cullum delivers A FINELY ETCHED PERFORMANCE… and when awards season rolls around, he richly deserves to be remembered… How fitting that the US premiere of this EXCELLENT POLITICAL DRAMA opened at one of L.A.’s best and most socially-conscious intimate theaters.” - Ed Rampell
RAVE! - People’s World - “CLARION CALL FOR HUMAN DECENCY… JD Cullum, Philicia Saunders, and Makara Gamble star in this TIMELY, POIGNANT STORY… The one-act, 90-minute play moves swiftly along.” - Eric A. Gordon
RAVE! - Stage Raw - RECOMMENDED! - “A TOUCHING AND TRUTHFUL THEATRICAL ADAPTATION… One of my favorite lines from the play, “Change is just a word, they say it but they don’t mean it” echoed through my head for days after viewing. How many people do I pass on the street without so much as a glance? How many tents do I drive by without considering the reality of the human life residing within? How many more people would it take to get my attention? Or the attention of the system? How could we ever force it to change?” - Isadora Swann
TicketHoldersLA.com - The GROUNDBREAKING FOUNTAIN THEATRE… has given us another socially conscious “ode to the working class”… The INCREDIBLY GIFTED Cullum is heartbreaking as [Daniel Blake]… THE PERFORMANCES ARE UNIFORMLY HEARTFELT.” - Travis Michael Holder
A good man fighting a bad system.
Daniel is a caring, warm-hearted middle-aged man who suddenly finds himself unable to work. Katie hopes for a fresh start for herself and her teenage daughter. Both must navigate the nightmarish unemployment and public housing system while clinging to their dignity and humanity. A powerful, timely, and poignant story of people coming together in the face of a Kafkaesque network that refuses to see them as human beings. U.S. Premiere of the stage adaptation based on the acclaimed, award-winning film by Ken Loach (Palme d’Or and BAFTA awards for Best Film).
adapted by Dave Johns from the film directed by Ken Loach, written by Paul Laverty, and produced by Rebecca O’Brien for Sixteen Films
directed by Simon Levy
starring JD Cullum, Makara Gamble, Janet Greaves, Wesley Guimarães, Philicia Saunders, Adam Segaller
creative team Allison Bibicoff (Movement Director), Alison Brummer (Lights), Joel Daavid (Sets), Gina DeLuca (Asst. Stage Manager), Victoria Hanlin (Asst. Dialect Coach), Victoria Hoffman (Casting Director), Anna Kupershmidt (Production Stage Manager), Jenine MacDonald (Props), Carla Meyer (Dialect Coach), Michael Mullen (Costumes), Cricket Myers (Sound), Nick Santiago (Video), Marine Walton (Charge Scenic Artist), and Darren Alvarez, Maya Gonzalez, Alaya Karasso
(Carpenters/Scenic Painters)
executive producers Carrie Menkel-Meadow and Robert Meadow
Box Office:
323-663-1525
Show Days: 11 - Curtain
Dark Days: 11 - 6pm
Closed Tuesday
Previews: Oct 9, 10, 12, 8pm
Opens: Sun Oct 13, 7pm
Close: Sun Nov 24, 2pm
Fridays & Saturdays 8pm
Sundays 2pm
Pay What You Want Mondays 8pm
Running Time: 100 minutes, no intermission
No shows: 11/8, 11/9, 11/10, 11/11 & 11/16
