L.A. Theatre Works

Sundays at 7 PM on KFCF 88.1 FM



June 16 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Earth and Sky"
Written by: Douglas Post

Cast: Ed Begley Jr., Annette Bening, John Mahoney, Steven Weber
Director: John de Lancie

A young woman's brief romance has met an untimely and brutal end. And when she sets out on her own to solve the crime, she finds that the truth may be too terrible to face. Earth and Sky is paired with Susan Glaspell's groundbreaking one-act play Trifles, a powerful exploration of gender relationships, starring Amy Madigan and Steven Weber.

The broadcast includes a conversation with playwright Douglas Post.
June 23 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Breaking the Code"
Written By: Hugh Whitemore

Cast: Simon Templeman
Director: Rosalind Ayres

Simon Templeman stars as brilliant mathematician Alan Turing, the man who cracked the German Enigma code and enabled the Allies to win World War II. But Turing was to find that the country he saved cared less about his genius and more about his sexual orientation.
June 30 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Art"
Written by: Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton

Cast: Bob Balaban, Brian Cox, Jeff Perry
Director: Peter Levin

Marc's best friend Serge has just bought a very expensive — and very white — painting. To Marc, the painting is a joke, and as battle lines are drawn, old friends use it to settle scores. With friendships hanging in the balance, the question becomes: how much is a painting worth? A Tony Award winner for Best Play and Olivier Award winner for Best Comedy.

The broadcast includes a conversation with translator Christopher Hampton, and interviews with Brian Cox and Bob Balaban.
July 7 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "The Real Thing"
Written By: Tom Stoppard

Directed by: Rosalind Ayres
Starring: Simon Templeman, Joanne Whalley

Henry may be the wittiest playwright of his generation, but he's hopelessly naive when it comes to understanding love and infidelity. Writing about betrayal is one thing, living with it is another. After Henry leaves his wife for another woman, he's confronted with being the cuckold himself. Both dazzlingly clever and emotionally naked, Henry's search for the "the real thing" in art and love demonstrates beautifully why both are worth the effort in the end.
July 14 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Park Your Car in Harvard Yard"
Written by: Israel Horovitz

Directed by: Mark Ward
Starring: Judith Ivey, Jason Robards

Jacob Brackish, the toughest, meanest teacher ever to set foot in Gloucester High School is dying at home. His advertisement for a housekeeper to look after him during his final years is answered by a mousy 40-year-old named Kathleen, a woman Jacob has forgotten he flunked years before. Judith Ivey and Jason Robards recreate the roles they originated on Broadway in this humorous and moving play.

The broadcast includes a conversation with playwright Israel Horovitz.
July 21 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
Written by: William Shakespeare

Directed by: Martin Jarvis
Starring: Hector Elizondo, Glenne Headley, Simon Helberg, Stacy Keach, and David Krumholtz, and leading an all-star cast

Shakespeare combined his love of theater with Greek mythology and the supernatural to create what is arguably his most influential and imaginative work. From love potions to bizarre transformations to the unforgettable play within a play, A Midsummer Night's Dream is a non-stop delight, and remains one of the milestones of the Bard's career.

An L.A. Theatre Works premiere broadcast

Support for this recording of A Midsummer Night's Dream is provided by the Rosenthal Family Foundation.
July 28 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Romance"
Written by: David Mamet

Directed by: Neil Pepe
Starring: Ed Begley Jr., Gordon Clapp

And

"Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight"
Written By: Peter Ackerman

Directed by: Gordon Hunt
Starring: Jeffrey Donovan, Richard Kind, Mandy Siegfried

David Mamet's Romance leaves no stone unturned in its quest to satirize the social taboos of the late twentieth century. And Peter Ackerman's Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight is a riotous comedy in which all of our secret beliefs, desires, and superstitions are laid bare.
August 4 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Becky Shaw"
Written by: Gina Gionfriddo

Directed by: Bart DeLorenzo
Starring: Emily Bergl, Matt Letscher, Marsha Mason, Mandy Siegfried, Josh Stamberg

A dysfunctional family has lost its patriarch, and it's up to their adopted son Max to save them. But when his step-sister Suzanna tries to help Max find love, it quickly becomes apparent that no good deed goes unpunished.

An L.A. Theatre Works premiere broadcast
August 11 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Molly Sweeney"
Written by: Brian Friel

Directed by: Kyle Donnelly
Starring: Jenny Bacon, Robert Breuler, Rick Snyder

Molly Sweeney, by the great Irish playwright Brian Friel, tells the story of married couple Molly and Frank, who live in a remote Irish village. Molly has been blind since birth, but now a surgeon - Mr. Rice - believes he may be able to restore her sight. In a series of interwoven monologues, Molly Sweeney takes us into the minds of three people with very different expectations of what will happen when Molly regains her vision.
August 18 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Deed of Trust"
Written by: Claudia Allen

Directed by: Sandy Shinner
Starring: Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless

And

"The Gin Game"
Written by: D.L. Coburn

Directed by: Nick Olcott
Starring: Katherine Helmond, Harris Yulin

Set in rural Michigan in the 1930's, Deed of Trust is a gentle and poignant comedy of a dysfunctional family long before that term was used. And The Gin Game is a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about personal responsibility and society's mistreatment of the aged.
August 25 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "The Rivalry"
Written by: Norman Corwin

Directed by: Eric Simonson
Starring: Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn

Academy Award-nominees Paul Giamatti and David Strathairn star in Norman Corwin's electrifying dramatization of the history-making Lincoln-Douglas debates, which began 155 years ago this week. This fierce rivalry between rising legislator Abraham Lincoln and incumbent Senator Stephen A. Douglas tackled some of the day's most passionate and controversial issues - above all those of slavery and the American concept of freedom.

The broadcast includes a conversation with NPR's "Political Junkie" Ken Rudin about famous Presidential debates.
September 1 photo of L.A. Theatre Works poster "Working"
Written by: Studs Terkel, adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso

Directed by: Scott Schwartz
Cast: Orson Bean, Harry Groener, Kaitlin Hopkins

Studs Terkel's Working is for anyone who has ever punched a clock, a cow, or a supervisor -- or wanted to. This rousing musical is based on Terkel's interviews with American workers, which was first published in 1974. It is an exploration of what makes work meaningful to people in all walks of life, with songs and stories about real experiences, bringing to life the soul of the American worker.

The broadcast includes a profile of author Studs Terkel.