The Fountain Theatre

The Fountain Theatre is one of the premier intimate theatres in Los Angeles. Along with its programming of live theatre, it's also the foremost producer of flamenco on the West Coast.

History

The Fountain Theatre was founded in Los Angeles in 1990 by co-artistic directors Deborah Lawlor (wife of Robert Lawlor) and Stephen Sachs. Simon Levy, producing director and dramaturg, joined the Fountain in 1993 as a resident director, producer, and playwright.

The theatre is dedicated to providing a nurturing, creative home for multi-ethnic theatre and dance artists. Its mission is to develop provocative new works and also to explore a unique vision of established plays that reflect the concerns and cultural diversity of contemporary Los Angeles and the U.S. The Fountain offers a safe, supportive haven for artists of varied backgrounds to gather, interact, and inspire each other toward the creation of work that will ignite and illuminate the community from which it is drawn, and give creative voice to those who may not otherwise be heard. The theatre is housed in a charming two-story complex at 5060 Fountain Avenue in Hollywood, California, and has grown into one of the most successful intimate theaters in Los Angeles.

The Fountain Theatre's activities include a year-round season of fully produced new and established plays. It has mounted 35 world premieres; and also 31 U.S., West Coast, Southern California or Los Angeles premieres, each reflecting a unique cultural voice and serving a distinctive ethnic community. The Fountain also offers a full season of multi-ethnic dance, the foremost presenters of flamenco in Los Angeles, a new plays developmental series, educational outreach programs, and national/international tours. Fountain Theatre projects have been seen in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Seattle, Chicago, Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, Minneapolis, London and Edinburgh, among other cities and countries.

Flamenco

The Fountain Theatre showcases flamenco every month, and is the foremost producer of flamenco on the West Coast.

The theatre is featured prominently in the 2011 documentary, Kumpanía: Flamenco Los Angeles. Live performances and interviews with flamenco dancers and musicians filmed in the theatre are presented, and co-artistic director Deborah Lawlor is also interviewed in the film.[1][2]

Awards and honors

Fountain Theatre productions have won more than 220 awards for all areas of production, performance, and design.[3] The Fountain Theatre has received more nominations and won more awards than any other intimate theater in the history of the Ovation Awards.[3]

The Fountain has been honored with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Los Angeles City Council for demonstrating years of artistic excellence and "enhancing the cultural life of Los Angeles". It was the recipient of the 2004 Hollywood Arts Council's "Charlie" Award for Live Theatre and Significant Artistic Contribution to Hollywood. In 2009, the LA Weekly named the Fountain Theatre as "one of the Best Theatre Companies of the Decade".[4] In 2011, Broadway World said, "The Fountain Theatre is by the far the best and the brightest that Los Angeles has to offer." In 2012 the Wall Street Journal declared "The Fountain Theatre is one of this country's best intimate regional houses."[3]

Awards Production Nominations Wins Notes
2009 Ovation Awards Coming Home 2 0
2009 Ovation Awards Photograph 51 2 0
2009 Ovation Awards Gem of the Ocean 1 0
2009 Ovation Awards 1 0 Nominated for Best Season
2010 Ovation Awards The Ballad of Emmett Till 5 3 Won for Best Production, Acting Ensemble, and Director
2010 Ovation Awards Opus 3 1 Won for Sound Design (Peter Bayne)
2010 Ovation Awards 1 1 Won award for Best Season
2011 Ovation Awards A House Not Meant to Stand 4 0
2011 Ovation Awards The Train Driver 3 0
2011 Ovation Awards Bakersfield Mist 1 0
2011 Ovation Awards 1 0 Nominated for Best Season
2012 Ovation Awards Cyrano 2 0
2013 Ovation Awards In the Red and Brown Water 6 1 Won for Director of a Play (Shirley Jo Finney)
2013 Ovation Awards On the Spectrum 1 1 Won for Video Design (Jeffrey Elias Teeter)
2013 Ovation Awards 1 0 Nominated for Best Season

Productions

Selected actors

References

  1. ↑ Fountain Theatre – Official Facebook page. May 31, 2013.
  2. ↑ Kumpanía: Flamenco Los Angeles at the Internet Movie Database
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.fountaintheatre.com/admin.html
  4. ↑ http://www.laweekly.com/content/printVersion/815020/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.nnpn.org
  6. ↑ http://www.fountaintheatre/pastshows.html

External links

Coordinates: 34°05′42″N 118°18′00″W / 34.095°N 118.300°W