L.A. Stage Insider
Celebrating the Best in live Theater and Cabaret in the Greater Los Angeles Area
Written by Julio Martinez
July 15, 2026
PREMIERES
Recently established A Few Thoughts Theatre Company is presenting its inaugural production, the Premiere of “Slava Ukraini! (or Waiting for Elon), “ written by Keith Szarabajka. The cast includes Jasmine Kimiko (Olha), James Morris (as Vitaliy), Christopher Reiling (as Yevgeny), directed by Tony Pasqualini. The Russia-Ukraine War has been going on since 2014, with Russia launching a full-scale invasion in 2022. It is estimated that total casualties (including the dead, wounded, and missing) across both militaries surpass two million. Roughly ten million Ukrainians have been forced from their homes. All with remarkably little accomplished on either side. This is the story of three soldiers, two Ukrainian and one Russian. The three are trying to find some meaning for their actions, and the actions of their countries. Vitaliy, the younger Ukrainian soldier, is convinced that Elon Musk will come to save them. Opens Aug 8 in Atwater Village, 3269 Casitas Avenue, Theater #3, Los Angeles. Runs through Aug (Fri/Sat/Mon, 8pm; Sun, 3pm). For Reservations, go to: afttheater.org.
AROUND TOWN
Open-Door Playhouse continues to present short plays in podcast form. The Playhouse is presenting a new play, Charlotte, written by Sasha Cohen, starting July 29, online at http://opendoorplayhouse.org. Joseph is desperate to find help for his troubled trans daughter, Charlotte. He seeks the counsel of a renowned transgender activist, Jenna. But Jenna is the trans woman he bullied in high school. She has never forgiven him. Bernadette Armstrong directs a cast that includes Noelle Evangelisti as Jenna, Gilbert Glenn Brown as Joseph, Gloria Tsai as Anne, and Camille Ameen as Clara. Founded by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a Theater Podcast (like the radio dramas of the 1940s and 1950s). The Playhouse launched on Sep 15, 2020. There’s no paywall at the Open-Door Playhouse site, so you could listen to everything for free. Open-Door Playhouse is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and if you would like to support performances of works by new and emerging playwrights, your donation will be gratefully accepted. Your tax-deductible donations help keep our plays on the Podcast Stage. To listen or to donate (or both), go to https://opendoorplayhouse.org
Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF) is hosting “Wisdom and Wonder: An Intergenerational Storytelling Workshop” pairing seniors and young people in an 8-week storytelling program in North Hollywood. Guided by Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival (LAWTF) professional teaching artists, participants will develop personal narratives, fostering cultural and generational exchange and understanding. This program will culminate in a public showcase followed with a Q&A with the audience. LAWTF will bring together 10 high school students from the North Hollywood area and 10 senior citizens of the NoHo Senior Arts Colony, a residential community, and pair them one-on-one. By connecting participants who share the same neighborhood but rarely interact, the project bridges generational divides and invites meaningful exchange across age, culture, and lived experience. Through a creative storytelling process, teens and seniors will build relationships, uncover shared and contrasting perspectives, and strengthen intergenerational connection within their own community. The program is slated to run from September to November 2026. Dates are to be announced following identification of all participants. The workshop is planned to take place every Saturday from 2pm to 4pm for the eight weeks that the program runs. Teens and seniors who are interested may fill out the below Jotform: https://form.jotform.com/261118415766156. This project is being funded by the California Humanities Connecting California Program, an affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.
Skylight Theatre Company and Cameron Watson/Artistic Director, announce its 2026/2027 season, his first as the new AD of the award-winning theatre, highlighted by two world premieres, both by Los Angeles based playwrights. The season includes: ‘Rorschach, ’ by Kelly Younger, a new play about the art and science of perception, the courage to be seen for who we truly are, and the mysterious, blotted shape of love itself, directed by Watson. Runs Oct 15-Nov 22. The second Premiere is ‘Dirty Scum Bag,’ by Ruth Fowler. It’s just another day shooting porn in the Valley. Ava’s director is mid-divorce and falling apart. Her scene partner has gonorrhea. His last-minute replacement, Jonny, is the last person Ava wanted to see again. This is a funny, chaotic, farcical and ridiculous deep dive into the world of adult entertainment. Until it isn’t. (Runs Feb 13-Mar 21, 2027). The third play in Skylight’s Season is ‘An American Classic – Reimagined, - an almost forgotten play by one of our greatest playwrights that captures a vast cross-section of daily life by following everyday people fighting to adapt, endure and redefine the American Dream a prescient masterwork seen through a new lens. Runs May 27-June 27, 2027 (TO BE ANNOUNCED). All plays will perform at The Skylight Theatre, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont Ave. in Los Feliz. Single tickets will go on sale Aug 25. To subscribe, please visit www.skylighttheatre.org. For more information, please call 213-761-7061.
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Arts in Review, celebrating 39 years on the air at 90.7FM, hosted by Julio Martinez, promoting the best in live theater and cabaret in the Greater Los Angeles area, airs Fridays (2-2:30pm), streamed live around the world in real time over KPFK.org. On July 17, Arts in Review will be be interviewing director Asaad Kelada discussing ‘High the Moon,’ A new play, debuting at Theate West.