The Best Way to Build an Audience: Engage Them. No, Really. Engage Them. by Colin Mitchell

We do this is Los Angeles Theater already, almost without knowing it. At least we’re doing it more often. Maybe it’s the immersive thing, maybe it’s the pop up festivals,Â…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 12:39pm on January 15, 2015☆⚑

Stage and Cinema's Best of Los Angeles Theater 2014 by Colin Mitchell

Here are some 2014 Los Angeles Theater highlights from Stage and Cinema’s top critics, Jason Rohrer and Tony Frankel, in no particular order. I think. First Jason: An Iliad (Broad Stag…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 4:11pm on January 14, 2015☆⚑

The Consensus from the Equity Town Hall Last Night: Reform, Don't Eliminate by Colin Mitchell

Don’t think I’m speaking out of school or betraying the privacy policy of the Union by making that assessment, because it seemed quite clear last night from the 318 AEA members w…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 2:22pm on January 14, 2015☆⚑

500 Equity Members Expected at AEA Town Hall Tonight to Discuss LA's 99 Seat Plan by Colin Mitchell

Holy crap! Hey, that’s what “someone in the know” told me yesterday at the Equity Quarterly meeting. This is Los Angeles, of course, so there’s bound to be an attriti…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 4:28pm on January 13, 2015☆⚑

Anthony Byrnes' Favorites of Los Angeles Theater 2014 by Colin Mitchell

A-Burn lays down the highlights for him in 2014. Here are the productions he really dug: An Illiad (The Broad) Reasons to Be Pretty (Geffen) Choir Boy (Geffen) Orpheus (Four Larks) Five Smal…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 5:13pm on January 12, 2015☆⚑

Theatrical Producers League of LA (TPLLA) and LA Stage Alliance (LASA) Team Up to do Some Research for LA Theater by Colin Mitchell

Well it’s something. And that’s good news. Nice to see LASA stepping back into the fray, they’ve been awfully quite since their budgetary problems early in 2014 so I’…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 4:59pm on January 12, 2015☆⚑

The Saturday Saying by Colin Mitchell

“Every year the Equity News does an issue devoted to statistics; number of work weeks, number of contracts used, what type, by region, revenue under each, etc. And a comparison to the …

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 11:54am on January 10, 2015☆⚑

Lyn Gardner: "Over the last 20 years when subsidy has risen markedly and buildings have expanded and taken on more staff, it is all theatre artists by Colin Mitchell

I know this excellent article by Lyn Gardner across the pond over at The Guardian has been bouncing around for awhile now, but I’ve finally just had a chance to read it. And it is oh s…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 1:53am on January 9, 2015☆⚑

99seattheatre.org by Colin Mitchell

Well looky looky at this. 99seattheatre.org I like. I really like. I know Sir Gregory of the Craft must be behind this somehow. Gregory! And those sneaky snow monkeys over at TPLLA, of cours…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 9:28pm on January 8, 2015☆⚑

A Shout Out to All the Los Angeles Actors Equity Members Out There: Go to the Meetings Next Week! by Colin Mitchell

The first one is the general Western Regional Membership meeting and is happening Monday, January 12th at 11am at the new AEA HQ at 5636 Tujunga Ave, North Hollywood, CA 91601. It will proba…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 6:33pm on January 8, 2015☆⚑

The 99 Seat War is Upon Us (Again) Part II [Continuously Updated] by Colin Mitchell

  So I wrote this post a couple months ago and have been updating it from the scintillating conversations going over at the Bigcheap List, but it’s gotten way too ungainly. So I&#…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 6:20pm on January 8, 2015☆⚑

In Defense of Los Angeles Theater by Colin Mitchell

So as you may have noticed, things are heating up with the approaching AEA meeting concerning our sometimes beloved sometimes reviled 99 Seat Plan happening on Tuesday, January 13th. Which i…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 5:36pm on January 8, 2015☆⚑

Deaf West's Spectacular 2014 Hit "Spring Awakening" Moving to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts by Colin Mitchell

Good news! This was tops on my list of LA Theater in 2014 and I was not alone in the praise for this fantastic production. Hearing that it is getting new life at the beautiful new Wallis is …

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 4:51pm on January 8, 2015☆⚑

Fuck You, Neanderthals (with all due respect to Neanderthals) by Colin Mitchell

Again and again, these frightened, cowardly neanderthals try and thwart those who seek to tell the truth and exert their right as humans to say what’s on their mind whether right or wr…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 2:24pm on January 7, 2015☆⚑

Steven Leigh Morris' Favorite Los Angeles Plays of 2014 by Colin Mitchell

I was going to say these were LA Weekly’s favorite plays, but really, why bother. The LA Weekly is a shell, it’s the opinion of SLM that’s the brand. With all due respect t…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 6:37pm on January 5, 2015☆⚑

ArtsInLA's 2014 Sage Award Winners are Live by Colin Mitchell

And there’s a whole shitload of them! Once again, a bit too many for my tastes – diluting the distinction – but nevertheless, congrats to all the winners. Here are the top …

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 5:14pm on January 5, 2015☆⚑

Newsflash: Bitter Lemons' Editor to take the Stage in Zombie Joe's Underground 50 Hour Drive-By Theatre Festival by Colin Mitchell

I know, I know, such drama in that headline, besides the fact that I’ve referred to myself in the third person and only by occupation, the shameless self-promotion is utterly…wel…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 2:58pm on January 5, 2015☆⚑

The 2014 Los Angeles Theater Critique of the Year (COY) by Colin Mitchell

The what? That’s right, I said it and I’ll say it again, the 2014 Los Angeles Theater Critique of the Year. Or more affectionately, The COY. Here are the 13 Best Critiques in Los…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 12:41am on January 5, 2015☆⚑

In 1887 Thespian Edwin Booth Declared that Los Angeles is "Most Definitely a Theatre Town" by Colin Mitchell

It’s been downhill ever since. Hell, Mr. Booth even said we we were “decidedly civilized”! Guess he picked up a little peyote on the trip over. All this, of course, has …

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 6:15pm on January 4, 2015☆⚑

Don Shirley Doesn't Believe in Top 10 Lists so these are his Top 25 in Los Angeles Theater 2014… by Colin Mitchell

The preamble for Dower Don’s faves this year goes like this… I don’t believe in year-end Top 10 lists, especially if the components are listed in order of best to, say, …

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 6:01pm on January 4, 2015☆⚑

Merry Christmas, LemonHeads! by Colin Mitchell

In honor of this magical day I offer my son Max, the original LemonHead, having a very serious chat with Santa Claus. Enci and I send our love and gratitude to the entire Los Angeles Theater…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 1:16pm on December 25, 2014☆⚑

THE 24th ANNUAL TICKETHOLDER AWARDS, 2014 " By Travis Michael Holder by Colin Mitchell

The great and powerful Travis Michael Holder calls ‘em like he saw ‘em in 2014. We are always happy to oblige. Oh, and the photo idea was mine. THE 24th ANNUAL TICKETHOLDER AWARD…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 1:24pm on December 24, 2014☆⚑

"Pulp Shakespeare" Returning to Theatre Asylum in 2015 by Colin Mitchell

Definitely good news. Never felt like this show really got its due even thought it was quite a hit a year ago. Check out the presser below and make plans to catch one of the cleverest mashup…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 12:30pm on December 24, 2014☆⚑

Critique of the Week by Colin Mitchell

Jason the Roar in all his painful, awkward, honest glory. A strong contender for Critique of the Year (COY). BLITHE SPIRIT Jason Rohrer – Stage and Cinema BIRD THOU SURE AIN'T NOW R…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 10:00am on December 21, 2014☆⚑

The Saturday Saying by Colin Mitchell

“At big city houses and regional theaters across the land, those who can be counted on to buy tickets are routinely condescended to with just this sort of indifferently directed, she-u…

SOURCE: Bitter Lemons at 10:00am on December 20, 2014☆⚑