Long Beach Poppin' Play Festival

One inspiring and sometimes overlooked perk of living in Los Angeles is the abundance of compelling local theatre. For those that are tired of blockbuster movies with A-list stars and sub-par plots, get out and explore LA’s rich theatre scene. Plus, art always feels more personal live, when you can see the actors in 3D without the horrendous 3D goggles.

Alive Theatre in Long Beach is putting on its 3rd annual Poppin’ Play Festival. Formerly called the Cherry Poppin’ Play Festival, this theatre jubilee brings eleven plays to life that have never before been produced. Although the venue for this year’s festival is currently unannounced, past years’ festivals took place at Garage Theater and Queen Mary’s Royal Theater.

The plays will be performed three nights a week for a four-week period. Catch plays Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from August 19 through September 11 starting at 8 p.m. What Can We?, a play by Craig Abernethy, will be performed on each night with a different director for each day. Other LBPPF plays include Italy by Steven Schutzman (directed by Dennis Hoffman), Jumper's with the Gypsy by Nathaniel Kressen (directed by Roger Q. Mason), The Elephant by Alice Pencavel (directed by Olivia Trevino), I Thought I Liked Girls by Nicole Pandolfo (directed by Turner Munch) and Shots in the Dark by Joseph Howells (directed by Carol Anne Perini). View the line-up and plan your weekend accordingly.

One play that viewers will drool over is Eddie: A Musical About Failure. The play, written and directed by Robert Edward, features supermarket employees singing darkly whimsical songs about desire, sex, prostitutes, the Oedipal complex, cocaine and a wild mix of characters.

Jeremy Aluma and Danielle Dauphinee launched Alive Theatre in January of 2008, and the theatre’s popularity continues to grow in the community and beyond. Aluma is also directing Abernerthy’s What Can We? in the Friday night line-up. Grab a few friends and head to Long Beach for a satisfying theatre experience.

HelloMetro Tip: Catch the uber-talented Kat Primeau in the Friday night What Can We? performance and Saturday in Jumper's With the Gypsy. You will not be disappointed!

- by Jessica Bates, Long Beach Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Jessica Bates

Jessica is a freelance journalist residing in lovely southern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English and journalism. She writes for a green living publication, which she thoroughly enjoys. Once upon a time she was an editorial board member for Steel Toe Books choosing poetry manuscripts for publication.