[NoHo Arts District, CA] – The Group Rep Theatre Company is busier than ever as the company celebrates its 50th Anniversary of producing theatre in Los Angeles. We are checking in with its Artistic Director and longtime member, Doug Haverty, to hear about what we can expect to see soon at the Lonny Chapman Theatre, home of The Group Rep.
The Group Rep welcomes its first co-production ever, NOT ANOTHER DEAF STORY, which has a limited run of five performances, August 10 through August 13. How did this co-production come about? You are also an actor in the Voicing Ensemble. What has that experience been like for you?

One of our members, Hilari Scarl, received a grant to develop a special kind of theatrical piece that she conceived. Hilari is an interpreter for the deaf and proposed creating a piece to be written in American Sign Language and then translated into English. Normally, it’s the other way around, so this would be a very significant process for the deaf community. She and her co-director, MoMo, Holt put out a call nationwide and came up with a cast of eight deaf actors. Hilari created the main template for the show and these actors devised their stories in a workshop/think-tank set up at our theater. So, for two weeks, the building was filled with silent creativity. Sometimes, audible laughter would be heard, but all the dramatic creation was occurring via ASL. At night, Hilari would go home and start translating into spoken English (so that when the play is performed, the lines would be voiced by other actors thereby making the play accessible to all audiences).
At every rehearsal and development day, the theater was filled with interpreters so that everyone would have access to every question, comment, change, direction, etc. And simultaneously, there were film crews, lighting designers, sound designers, projection designers weaving their crafts into this multi-media dramatic piece. Four of the cast members have been brought into town and four are local actors. During the third week, the voicing actors joined the mix. Each deaf actor is paired with a voicing actor. There were regular rehearsals, run-throughs, and a lot of one-on-one work with each team presenting the eight specific characters.
There is also a short film that is part of the production and that was filmed and edited concurrently.
I am providing the voice for one of the actors, as is Bert Emmett our Executive Director. The process is fascinating and while Bert and I are not fluent in ASL, we do have to pick up on a lot of signs, so that we can follow our actor’s signing and match the voicing accurately. It is challenging and rewarding to be a part of something so unique and accessibly communicative.
The walls of our theatre complex have been literally vibrating with creativity. We are using the entire space for break-out rehearsals. All the creative staff who have assembled to help bring this piece to fruition are dedicated, inspired and bringing their ‘A’ game.
This is only running for five performances which is a condition of the source grant. They are filming the production and will begin shopping it to regional theaters across the nation to secure an official world premiere. Tickets for NOT ANOTHER DEAF STORY performances are going quickly with one show already sold out.
Also on August 10th, there is a mural dedication and ribbon cutting for Faces of NoHo mural created by Levi Ponce on the outside of the Lonny Chapman Theatre. The event is due to take place in the afternoon. Can anyone attend this event?

Local muralist, Levi Ponce, was given a grant by the City of Los Angeles to create a wraparound mural on the front and east side of our two-story building. Levi lives in the neighborhood. He read our mission statement (about being inclusive and diverse and open to all kinds of theatrical creation) and came up with his inspirational Faces of NoHo theme. The idea is that people of Los Angeles can look at the mural and see themselves and their families in the faces on our walls.
As Levi does with all his murals, at a certain point near the completion of the mural, he invites the community to come and participate and paint in parts and pieces (not unlike coloring). We had people drop by and pick up a brush or a roller and assist in the process. Levi’s five-year-old son, Eli, even brought his own mini-roller and applied paint.
There will be a mural dedication ceremony on Thursday, August 10th at 6PM. Los Angeles City Council President, Paul Krekorian will preside at the dedication and will also present a Proclamation from the City of Los Angeles, acknowledging the 50th Anniversary of the Group Rep (which was established in 1973). This event is open to the public.
Could you tell us a bit about The Group Rep’s next and final main stage production of GRT’s 2022-2023 Season, ROOM SERVICE, running September 8 through October 15?

The final selection of our 2022-23 season will be the king-of-all-farces, ROOM SERVICE, directed by Mareli Mitchel-Shields. This is a knock-down, drag-out, slamming doors, hiding, fleeing, chasing, eating, juggling, fast-paced, comedy-farce about a group of people rehearsing a play to go on the Broadway stage while simultaneously raising money for this production. Our production is being designed to be a totally immersive theatrical experience where audience members enter the hotel when they enter our lobby. They will be met by hotel concierge staff, bellhops, maids and housekeeping staff. And, of course, the hotel staff sings. They will sing before the show and during scene changes. This production promises to be a hilarious escape into a simpler period in time and an unforgettable outing to help audiences forget their troubles.
Will there be a play running in rep with ROOM SERVICE, upstairs in the intimate theatre on the second floor? If so, what is it and what can audiences expect?
Running in rep with ROOM SERVICE will be another adventure in Motel 66. During the pandemic, the Group Rep presented two different programs under the umbrella title of MOTEL 66. These are original one-act plays written by our members and developed by our creative staff. In the Summer of 2021, we presented MOTEL 66 in our newly devised outdoor theatre space, “The Yard.” This year, we will present one evening of eight, brand-new, one-act plays in our Upstairs space. This play will run September 21 through October 22, Thursdays and Sundays at 7:00pm and Saturdays at 4:00pm.
So, this fall the Group Rep will be deeply immersed in the hotel/motel business.
In addition, the Group Rep’s well-received production of THE LARAMIE PROJECT will have a command performance on October 12th at the LGBT Center in Hollywood.
The Cast from the critically acclaimed Group Rep production of THE LARAMIE PROJECT returns for a special command performance at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on Thursday, October 12, 2023, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Matthew Shephard’s death. Time to be announced.
But wait, is there more?
At the conclusion of our 2022-23 season, we will present a Festival of New Works. These will be staged readings of new, full-length plays we’ve been developing in Group Rep’s Playwrights Unit. Each show will have two free public performances. Dates and times to be announced.
The 2023-24 season will commence on November 10, 2023. We are still celebrating our 50th anniversary with an uplifting, music-filled season of rarely done classic plays and plays from our past.