poor clare was supposed to open saturday the 14th

if COVID-19 hadn't come along to upend all shreds of normalcy this page would (hopefully) be filled with a lot of flashy reviews.

​instead, we were shut down after our second preview just as the work was reaching its full potential but before the celebratory release of opening night. 

we believe we will still see that night but when or how is uncertain at this moment.

if you're able (i know it's a weird unsettling time and giving money is not easy right now) please give whatever you can to help ensure we can open our doors again as soon as it is safe to do so. that money will help us pay our rent, pay our artists, store the set if need be and keep the lights on while we weather this insanity. 
POOR CLARE is loosely based on the life of Clare of Assisi - a young noblewoman who lived in the middle ages and gave up the comforts of her world in order to live in solidarity with the poor. 

it makes palpable the struggle to create meaning in the face of immense human suffering and is especially tender towards the most vulnerable among us.

while i am heartbroken that we've had to delay our opening, i know that this play's power to generate empathy will ultimately be heightened by the difficulty of this unprecedented moment.

i cannot wait to share it with you.
Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Michael Sturgis, Martica de Cardenas, Ann Noble, Donna Zadeh, Kari Lee Cartwright and Buddy Stoccardo.
Photos by Darrett Sanders

Best of 2019

The Wolves

Anthony Byrnes, KCRW
"Alana Dietze brought “The Wolves” to life at Echo Theatre Company. A girl’s indoor soccer team reveals the complicated lives of teenage girls through the weekly routine of pre-game practice. Like many of the plays on this years list, this play is just the latest chapter in a longer journey. Ms. Dietze has directed a string of plays at the Echo, including “Dry Land” and “A Small Fire,” that have provided tender, poignant and fierce windows on the female experience. If you don’t know her work, you should."

​photo by Darrett Sanders

Charles McNulty, The LA Times
"Through the overlapping dialogue of a high school girls’ soccer team, playwright Sarah DeLappe glimpses into the souls of her characters and, by extension, into the soul of the nation. Teamwork was the key to the Echo Theater Company production, which featured an unerringly naturalistic ensemble (under the direction of Alana Dietze) maneuvering with agility between the quotidian and the tragic. Review"

The Recital

Anthony Robinson, NoPro's Top Moments of 2019
"Chatting with Simon’s Ex-girlfriend Before The Recital"During that fun-filled moment when the doors to a show first open and you’re awkwardly trying to figure out where to turn your attention, it’s great when someone reaches out and helps to steer you towards the drink table. In this particular moment, it was both a blessing and a curse to get chatted up by Jen (played by Alana Dietze), the seemingly self-absorbed violinist and ex-girlfriend of former prodigy Simon. During an intense couple of minutes, it felt like I was having a genuine reunion with an old college acquaintance. The wine-fueled gossip reminded me of the LA parties where you’re cornered by someone puffing themselves up, ladling out biting tidbits (in this case about Simon’s fall from the spotlight), and taking your measure, all the while scanning the room for someone better to be “seen” with. Jen ended up having to excuse herself to refill her drink after eyeing Simon’s current girlfriend, in a moment that was so natural that I did a double take when she started up the exact same conversation with another audience member."

​photo by Annie Lesser