Playwright Arena

Playwright’s areana and the Latino Theater Company presented this play called Bonded. The play was excellent. This is a play about slaves in 1829 Virginia which is about eroticism, romance and sexuality in African-​American slave narrtaives. Starring Eric B Anthony (Asa), Terrence C Clemmons (Sonny), Carl Crudup (Jack) and beautiful Toyin Moses (Lily). The theater is nice, clean and intimate. A variety of restaurants across the streets

This time, I’m not Unilocaling the venue, I’m Unilocaling the group themselves. In fact, though they’re listed under their mailing address — I think for the past year, they’ve been performing at studio/​stage at 520 N. Western, within the boundaries, I think, of Koreatown.
It’s a nice (tiny) little space, but more importantly, I think Playwright’s Arena has very quietly been doing some of the most important work in L. A for the past few years. Their current production (if you happen to see this in July 2007) is a truly wonderful play by the late John Belluso, a disabled playwright who was doing some of his best work when he died at an early age. His plays are incredibly smart, political, personal, and specific, and they can range from incredibly frightening looks at just how far around the bend caregivers can go, to PYRETOWN, the play that’s up right now: Basically, a very clear-​eyed, surprisingly unsentimental look at a very believable relationship between a 23 year-​old quadriplegic and a 42 year-​old single mother who’s reaching the end of her rope.
Beautiful. Unique. Theatre cut down to its essence: Great writing, great acting, nicely supported by simple and effective designs.
Even if this extraordinary play isn’t up by the time you catch it, you should just always go see anything Playwright’s Arena does. They’re doing the most consistently diverse (in every sense of the word) theatre, and no matter what your stripe, I think you’re going to find yourself touched in ways no other medium can touch you.
Check ‘em out whenever they’ve got something up!