The NoHo Arts District is a theatre district. We have 20 theatre is a square mile, the highest concentration outside of New York City. But our neighborhood has many theatre companies that call NoHo home, too.
Let’s give a huge welcome to Loft Ensemble as they open their doors to entertain us live with a whole season of shows, in not one, but two theatres! They are one of the reasons we are able to #KeepNoHoArtsy!
Loft Ensemble will open their eighth anniversary season, but the first in their new North Hollywood location. The slate of plays will feature four world premieres, a holiday comedy, and five productions in Sawyer’s Playhouse, the company’s 40-seat space upstairs from the main stage.
The season will open with “Our Lady of 121st Street” by Stephen Adly Guirgis in which a diverse group of people return to New York to mourn and celebrate the life of their mentor only to find that her body is missing. Directed by Adam Chambers, opening is August 10. Next up is the world premiere of “Art is Useless When You’re Being Mauled by a Bear” by Alisa Tangredi in which a woman is accompanied by a menagerie of creatures and a bear as she takes a fantastical journey through grief and madness after losing a loved one. Co-directed by Bree Pavey and JJ Mayes, opening is on October 5. Loft will celebrate the holidays with “The Gayest Christmas Pageant Ever!” by Joe Marshall. In the play, a theatre company in West Hollywood stages their annual Christmas pageant but this time there are some special guests. Directed by Bree Pavey, the show will run November 29 through December 22.
The new year will begin with “The Little Match Girl,” a world premiere by Elizabeth Suzanne. A young girl learns the hardships of life and the blessings of giving in this new play inspired by the Hans Christian Anderson short story. Under the direction of Tor Brown, opening is set for January 4. Next is the world premiere of “Death and Other Girly Things” by RJ Fontaine in which a young woman takes a road trip with her new … baby … learning about life, death, and everything in between. Co-directed by Mitch Rosander and Madylin Sweeten Durrie, opening is set for March 7. The season will close with the world premiere of “Try Not to Think About It, Alice Childress” by Chris Haas. A series of miscommunications turn into a night of survival when natural disaster strikes the Hollywood Hills. Directed by Mitch Rosander, opening is set for May 9.
The premiere season in “Sawyer’s Playhouse,” a 40-seat theatre space upstairs from Loft’s main stage, will feature limited runs of five plays: “Sound of Silence” by Travis Snyder-Eaton, “Growing Gills to Breathe in the Desert” by Zeb Elliot, “Birthday Wish” by Victoria Anne Greenwood, “Just One Moment” by David Evan Stolworthy, and “Branwell & the Other Brontës” by Stephen Kaplan. Directors and run dates for these shows will be announced soon.
We asked Loft Ensemble’s managing director, Bree Pavey, more about their move to the NoHo Arts District.
Why did you choose NoHo as your new home?
We have wanted to be part of the NoHo community for a very, very long time! Our company started in the Arts District of DTLA and we would often dream about what would happen if we could ever move and end up in NoHo. So when gentrification in DTLA forced us out of our original home, we immediately began looking for space in the NoHo Arts District. The energy and commitment to the arts in NoHo is such a unique thing in Los Angeles. Nowhere else in LA is there such a connected community of artists. The journey took longer than we’d hoped, but to FINALLY be part of the NoHo Arts family is a dream come true for Loft!
What would you like to see more of in the neighborhood?
More theatres!! More dance studios! More art galleries! More outdoor performance spaces! And more collaboration between the arts businesses and non-arts businesses, aside from patronage.
How can folks get involved with Loft Ensemble? Being a member, play submissions, other events?
We are a membership company and new members are always welcome! We also have monthly dark night shows open to performers and writers from outside of the company. Then we have open submissions for each season between January and March of each year for plays. Anyone can reach out to us at any time at contact@loftensemble.org for more info!
Loft is a family and we everything we do is based in love! We are a 100% volunteer organization and we are dedicated to giving artists a platform from which to grow professionally and personally. And we are always happy to make new friends!
Loft Ensemble consistently offers high energy and groundbreaking productions. Loft has won several Valley Theatre Awards including Best Lighting Design and Artistic Director Achievement (2018). The company has won two Ovation Awards (2015), Best Ensemble at the New York International Fringe Festival (2013), and back-to-back Hollywood Fringe Festival Producers’ Encore! Awards (2015 and 2016). Two Loft productions earned a combined five nominations for the 2016 BroadwayWorld Awards as well as 10 nominations in 2017 and nine nominations in 2018 for the Valley Theatre Awards.
Loft Ensemble is located at 11031 Camarillo Street in North Hollywood, 91602.
For more, visit www.loftensemble.org.
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