Playwright Jordan Essoe

The Road Theatre Company Proudly Presents

The Eighth Annual
SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

8 Days! 30+ plays!
Receptions and live music nightly!

This year’s festival will include a 50/50 parity of male and female playwrights and runs Sunday, July 3Oth through Sunday, August 6th at The Road on Lankershim, in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and at The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony!

 We will feature spotlights on all the playwrights of full length plays over the next few weeks. This week the spotlight shines on Jordan Essoe, author of Fribley Ashtray.

What is your familiarity with The Road and the Playwrights Festival? If you have been here before how would you rate your experience? If not, why did you choose to bring your play here? Have you seen work produced here?

My first experience with the Road Theatre was as an actor, playing a cockney rocker who wrote heavy metal songs about Ibsen, in “The Night We Bombed Lincoln Towing,” at the Summer Playwrights Festival in 2015! I got to sing and play guitar, put on eyeliner, hook up with the bartender, and, of course, bomb a towing company. Steven Young’s script was a blast, and Ann Hearn’s directing was inspired. You could tell immediately that everyone at the Road was incredibly talented, authentic, warm, and encouraging. And they love and shepherd writers. I fell in love with the company.

What is your process for writing and rewriting? Anything you care to share here as advice for other playwrights would be welcome.

These days I try to begin with just letting the ideas flood, and capture as many of them as I can. I write a lot quicker than I used to. Last year I finished my second play, and it took me over a year to complete it. My third play I wrote in 7 days! “Fribley Ashtray,” the piece I have in this year’s festival, essentially came together in about 2 weeks, in a fever of ideas and intense research. I’ve had a chance to polish it a little more since. Like tuning a guitar, you listen very hard to see what material is harmonizing and what is not. But I trust in the initial inspiration. That is the best advice I can offer fellow writers -- the ideas and characters that come to you with the most force know more about you than you do about them.

What is the value of having your work done here at The Road in California? What are your expectations and hopes for your play for the future?

One aspect of the Road’s philosophy as a company is to seek out new, exciting plays, help develop them, and help find them an audience. The Summer Playwrights Festival has become essential to this model, because they are able to showcase so many brand new works, and then, very often, select a few to program into full production. I am ecstatic to premiere the play in this setting, among a roster of astonishingly talented fellow playwrights, with the incredible backbone of a theatre company that has supported me in so many ways, working with amazing fellow actors, and offering it to the Los Angeles theatre community. I love the characters and world of “Fribley Ashtray” and I want it to live a long, happy life! I couldn’t be more excited.

Remember: The Road on Lankershim is located in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony! There is street parking available in both locations, but come early, at least a half hour before curtain.

Because SPF8 is a fundraiser, tickets are by donation only and are only available at the door! Suggested donation for a single performance is $15 –or this year, try a weeklong festival pass for the suggested donation of $50! 

Playwright Erik Gernand

The Road Theatre Company Proudly Presents

The Eighth Annual
SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

8 Days! 30+ plays!
Receptions and live music nightly!

This year’s festival will include a 50/50 parity of male and female playwrights and runs Sunday, July 3Oth through Sunday, August 6th at The Road on Lankershim, in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and at The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony!

 We will feature spotlights on all the playwrights of full length plays over the next few weeks. This week the spotlight shines on Erik Gernand, author of A Place in the Woods*.

What is your familiarity with The Road and the Playwrights Festival? If you have been here before how would you rate your experience? If not, why did you choose to bring your play here? Have you seen work produced here?

I had a reading of my play "The Beautiful Dark" at the festival last year but was unfortunately unable to make it out from New York. I did, however, have a terrific experience at another reading at The Road in December 2015. I'm excited to be coming out this year for the festival!

What is your process for writing and rewriting? Anything you care to share here as advice for other playwrights would be welcome.

Seems like everyone I talk to has a different process. I tend to work very intensely on a specific project until a draft of it is finished. I then like to take a break from it so I can visit it again later with fresh eyes. I'm a big reviser also. I spend a lot of time tweaking and rethinking my writing, sometimes for months or years on a script.

What is the value of having your work done here at The Road in California? What are your expectations and hopes for your play for the future?

Everyone I've met at The Road has been amazing! I first met Laura Gardner at The Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Alaska and she was my initial connection to the company. My play "A Place in the Woods" had an initial production in Chicago and I'm hoping to find a West Coast home for it as well as other future productions. Working with talented actors and a director like at The Road is immensely helpful in moving a play forward.

Remember: The Road on Lankershim is located in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony! There is street parking available in both locations, but come early, at least a half hour before curtain.

Because SPF8 is a fundraiser, tickets are by donation only and are only available at the door! Suggested donation for a single performance is $15 –or this year, try a weeklong festival pass for the suggested donation of $50! 

*To be read Monday July 31 at 8 pm at Lankershim.

Playwright Minna Koskela

The Road Theatre Company Proudly Presents

The Eighth Annual
SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

8 Days! 30+ plays!
Receptions and live music nightly!

This year’s festival will include a 50/50 parity of male and female playwrights and runs Sunday, July 3Oth through Sunday, August 6th at The Road on Lankershim, in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and at The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony!

 We will feature spotlights on all the playwrights of full length plays over the next few weeks. This week the spotlight shines on Minna Koskela, author of Too Deep*with adaptation from Nina Sallinen.

What is your familiarity with The Road and the Playwrights Festival? If you have been here before how would you rate your experience? If not, why did you choose to bring your play here? Have you seen work produced here?

This is my first time in The Festival. We had a staged reading at The Road and happily they asked us to try to achieve the Festival.

What is your process for writing and rewriting? Anything you care to share here as advice for other playwrights would be welcome.

First I write almost everything that is bothering me and what is in my mind. It's a mess. Sometimes even the subject can change.  The second time I try to reach the deeper level of my message. I get to know more of my characters and the storyline comes out. Then I leave it for a while and after the third rewrite I let my "reliable readers" explore the text. This is very important for me. I need to talk about the play and read it aloud before I finish it. 

 What is the value of having your work done here at The Road in California? What are your expectations and hopes for your play for the future?

 It is very important to me to hear what colleagues and audiences say about my play, because that's how I know I get understood. I'll like to get my play produced on the stage in the USA.

Remember: The Road on Lankershim is located in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony! There is street parking available in both locations, but come early, at least a half hour before curtain.

Because SPF8 is a fundraiser, tickets are by donation only and are only available at the door! Suggested donation for a single performance is $15 –or this year, try a weeklong festival pass for the suggested donation of $50! 

*To be read Saturday August 5 at 2 pm at Lankershim.

Playwright Bruce Graham

The Road Theatre Company Proudly Presents

The Eighth Annual
SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

8 Days! 30+ plays!
Receptions and live music nightly!

This year’s festival will include a 50/50 parity of male and female playwrights and runs Sunday, July 3Oth through Sunday, August 6th at The Road on Lankershim, in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and at The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony!

 We will feature spotlights on all the playwrights of full length plays over the next few weeks. This week the spotlight shines on Bruce Graham, author of Sanctions*. 

What is your familiarity with The Road and the Playwrights Festival? If you have been here before how would you rate your experience? If not, why did you choose to bring your play here? Have you seen work produced here?

 Nope, never been there.  Didn't even know it existed until Stewart Zully, who directed White Guy on the Bus there, asked to submit it. I really should pay attention to these things.

 What is your process for writing and rewriting? Anything you care to share here as advice for other playwrights would be welcome.

The process changes with each play. One play, Any Given Monday, I thought about for over 20 years and then wrote it in two weeks.  Advice? Nahhh.  I'm the wrong guy for that.  I tell my students about my career and then say, "Do the exact opposite."

What is the value of having your work done here at The Road in California? What are your expectations and hopes for your play for the future?

A reading of any kind is always helpful. We don't know if it works till the audience tells us. Plays are kind of written in a vacuum but not performed that way. The only hope I have is that the audience is entertained. Yeah, I know. Pretty shallow, huh?

Remember: The Road on Lankershim is located in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony! There is street parking available in both locations, but come early, at least a half hour before curtain.

Because SPF8 is a fundraiser, tickets are by donation only and are only available at the door! Suggested donation for a single performance is $15 –or this year, try a weeklong festival pass for the suggested donation of $50! 

*To be read Wednesday August 2  at 8 pm at Lankershim.

Actress/singer Carmen Cusack has graced stages across the country with her beautiful singing voice in the latest revival of South Pacific and more recently in LA at the Wallis Annenberg in For the Record: Scorsese - American Crime Requiem. She took time out of her busy schedule to talk with us about Sondheim on Sondhe im, a brand new concert, of which she is a part, to be presented at the Hollywood Bowl this Sunday July 23.

Tell our readers about your most recent theatrical performances.


I'd have to say some of my most recent work has been incredibly rewarding.  Alongside the iconic SOUTH PACIFIC, I absolutely LOVED working on BRIGHTSTAR with Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. Being part of a journey from the start of conception to the finished product was a such an experience. I was also in awe of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Whilst learning it for the Chicago Shakespeare production in 2012 I remember feeling completely inadequate for how deep and sophisticated and inside of itself the piece was. Who was I to think my abilities could somehow elevate it? 

Talk about the Sondheim concert on the 23rd.

This Sondheim on Sondheim is a mixed media concert where filmed interviews are interspersed with gorgeous new symphonic orchestrations of his music - The interviews are projected on huge screens and the songs are performed by the largest orchestras to ever play his music - magnifying his brilliance in a way that's never been attempted before - while still giving audiences an intimate glimpse into the challenges, triumphs, and mind of one of perhaps Broadway's greatest composers.

What are your favorite musicals? Your favorite composer?

Well, I don't really DO favorites but I would say that SWEENEY TODD, SUNDAY IN THE PARK W/GEORGE and WESTSIDE STORY are in my top five so I guess Sondheim would have to be my favorite composer!

What's up next for you?

I'm heading to Williamstown to do a reading of a new piece called LEMPICKA. There are a couple other projects after that but I'm not allowed to announce yet.... so stay tuned!

Talk about this cast and director at the Bowl.

I have had a brilliant time working on this show and have really bonded with everyone in the cast. They really are a dreamy bunch of people but the dreamiest of all is GUSTAVO (Dudamel, conducting the LA Philharmonic Orchestra)!!! He's the real deal. Just lovely!

How do you feel about the state of musical theatre at present?

I believe there's no reason why we couldn't be entering a new age of musical theater IF we continue to nurture young talent, take risks and give them a playing field. Taking the arts out of schools is a terrible mistake. We will always need to be reminded that we are human. Art gives us that. 

Directed by Sarna Lapine, niece of Sondheim's longtime collaborator James Lapine, Sondheim on Sondheim plays one night only at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday July 23. To get tix:

https://my.hollywoodbowl.com/booking/production/bestavailable/1088

Playwright Brian James Polak

The Road Theatre Company Proudly Presents

The Eighth Annual
SUMMER PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

8 Days! 30+ plays!
Receptions and live music nightly!

This year’s festival will include a 50/50 parity of male and female playwrights and runs Sunday, July 3Oth through Sunday, August 6th at The Road on Lankershim, in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and at The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony!

 We will feature spotlights on all the playwrights of full length and one act plays over the next few weeks. This week the spotlight shines on Brian James Polak, author of the full-length play Henry and the Hippocampus*.

What is your familiarity with The Road and the Playwrights Festival? If you have been here before how would you rate your experience? If not, why did you choose to bring your play here? Have you seen work produced here?

 I love The Road. They select excellent plays to produce, and they do them consistently well. The company is full of awesome people who are great to work with. I have seen many plays at The Road over the years and have had plays in previous Summer Playwrights Festivals. This is my third consecutive year with a play in the festival. I have been blown away by the sheer volume of work The Road is capable of producing in these festivals. I love seeing their dedication to new work, diversity, and gender parity. 

What is your process for writing and rewriting? Anything you care to share here as advice for other playwrights would be welcome.

There comes a point in the writing process when you’ve put down everything you had in your head. Now there is the piece that is trying to be a play. This is the moment when you have to shift gears and become a listener. Listen to the play tell you what it needs. Listen to the people you asked to read the play. Give as much credence to criticism as you do to praise. They are equally meaningful. 

What is the value of having your work done here at The Road in 
California? What are your expectations and hopes for your play for the future?

The Road is one of the quintessential Los Angeles theaters. If you’re an LA playwright, this is one of the places you want producing your work. The hope is to have that one play that inspires the company enough for them to give it a full production. That isn’t to say anything short of production is failure, because there is much to gain simply being part of the summer festival. It’s a great opportunity to meet actors and directors and possibly develop new artistic relationships. 

Remember: The Road on Lankershim is located in the Historic Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood at 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood  and The Road on Magnolia at 10747 Magnolia Blvd, North Hollywood  at the NoHo Arts Colony! There is street parking available in both locations, but come early, at least a half hour before curtain.

Because SPF8 is a fundraiser, tickets are by donation only and are only available at the door! Suggested donation for a single performance is $15 –or this year, try a weeklong festival pass for the suggested donation of $50! 

*Henry and the Hippocampus  plays Saturday August 5  on Lankershim at 8 pm.

Tracy Nicole Chapman Plays Gospel Singer Rosetta Tharpe

Actress/singer Tracy Nicole Chapman is best known for originating the role of Shenzi in the Broadway production of The Lion King. She also appeared on Broadway in The Who's Tommy, Caroline, or Change and Cy Coleman's The Life. Other theatre credits include the Broadway revivals of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Music Man, and Into the Woods. She also toured with Jelly's Last Jam, Dreamgirls and Once on This Island. She is about to star in a world premiere musical Shout, Sister, Shout! about the life of gospel singer Rosetta Tharpe. Chapman took time out of her busy schedule to chat with us about the musical and playing Rosetta Tharpe.

Tell us about Shout, Sister, Shout and what in your opinion makes it different from other musical biographies.

I think the biggest difference is that Sister Rosetta Tharpe is not a "household name" and what she accomplished is somewhat unknown to most people. A lot of people can identify with a story about the Four Seasons or Billie Holiday, but Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an African American woman who is considered the "Godmother of Rock and Roll" which makes it sad and interesting that she hasn't been widely recognized as such. She was a "Hidden Figure." She influenced Elvis, Johnny Cash, Little Richard and more. However, Randy Johnson and Cheryl L. West have managed to create a universal story that should appeal to a wide variety of audiences while still capturing the essence of who Sister Rosetta Tharpe was and why she needs to be recognized and honored.

The Lion King

Musically, the life of Rosetta Tharpe covered a lot of territory with rock, blues and gospel. Tell us about her background and what propelled her into show business.

What I discovered was that she was a child prodigy. She played guitar and piano at the age of six years old. Her mother was an evangelist and she took her across the country to spread the gospel in the 1920s. Not much is know about her father, but we do know that he was also a singer as well. Her mother Katie Bell Nubin left her father to preach and perform with Rosetta in various churches and on street corners.

What challenges are you experiencing as an actor in preparing to play her?

Cheryl L. West has created a very compelling character with what we do know about Sister Rosetta which is somewhat limited in regards to what her personality was really like. The challenge I face is capturing all of the nuances that make her whole and not just the typical story of a musician who rose to fame with a background in the church. She was a pioneer and we really want to convey that she had her own special relationship with the Church and God and a trailblazing style of performing as well as unexpected personality. We do also cover a lot of musical styles which makes for an good vocal workout. She sang secular music as well as gospel and jazz and we also have some popular music added to the mix courtesy of the fantastic Melissa Manchester.

Did you have a mentor in show business? Or who are some of the other female singers who influenced you and your style?

I didn't have a mentor necessarily, but I grew up listening to all styles of music from Gospel, to Rock to Pop. R&B, Alternative Rock, Broadway. I am huge fan of folk and roots music. Odetta, Joan Armatrading, and I love Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. When I was little I wanted to sing like Patti Labelle and Chaka Khan and Julie Andrews and Bjork. HA! And I love hip hop! I am a little schizophrenic in my musical tastes, it depends on my mood. I used to perform on Broadway and then head downtown to play with my band back in the day. Being a musician, I can appreciate all music and can usually find something in anything that strikes my ears.

Caroline, or Change

Which Broadway show(s) - of those you have done - is (are) your favorite(s)?

That's a hard one! As far as music and story I think I would have to say Caroline or Change. It's just beautifully written and a joy to sing every night. I really like emotional shows, the contrast between dark and light. I also loved The Who's Tommy, that cast and music was phenomenal and it didn't hurt that Pete Townshend was hanging around. The Lion King is definitely an all time favorite, I have made some of my best friends from that cast and it was an honor to work with that creative team. Jelly's Last Jam... George Wolfe is a master! Into the Woods, working with Stephen Sondhein was a dream. Too hard to choose! :)

Is there one role you are really yearning to play? 

Hmm, I heard that Black Orpheus was coming to Broadway. I love that movie and have seen it a million times. I don't have to play a role in it, I can be the third lady from the left and I would be happy hearing that music and telling that story every night :)

How is it like working with director Randy Johnson and your fellow cast mates? 

Randy Johnson is a very giving director. I really appreciate that he is open to suggestions and considers the journey a team effort. He definitely has his vision, but is flexible and I think that is an exciting working environment to know that the director values his actors opinions. Even though we have only been working together a short period of time, the cast feels like family. I am amazed at how talented and professional this group is. They are performing multiple roles to perfection and jumping in with abandon. The band and Muscial Director Rahn Coleman are exceptional as well as the crew making sure everything runs smoothly. Working at Pasadena Playhouse has been a wonderful experience.

Anything else about the show you care to add?

I just hope that people will attend our show with an open mind and open heart and leave with a feeling of compassion for the story we are telling and a sense that we are all connected in ways that we couldn't begin to imagine as well as an understanding of what this woman Sister Rosetta Tharpe was able to accomplish in her lifetime under incredible circumstances.

Chapman in The Music Man

SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! will begin performances on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 and run through Sunday, August 20, 2017, with the official press opening on July 30, 2017 at 5 p.m.  Performance schedule is Wednesday – Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  Note that there will be one Tuesday performance on August 15 at 8:00 p.m. and no Sunday night performance at 7:00 p.m. on August 20.  Tickets range from $25 - $115. 

Tickets for SHOUT SISTER SHOUT! are available online at PasadenaPlayhouse.org, by phone at 626-356-7529 or by visiting the Pasadena Playhouse Box Office, located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. For more information on all productions at Pasadena Playhouse visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

Chapman on the Tony Awards Hosted by Hugh Jackman