A Small Fire
 

Ovation Nominations - Playwriting, Leading Actress, Supporting Actor (2)
Stage Raw Nominations - Leading Actress, Supporting Actor
LADCC Nomination - Best Actress

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Best of 2015:

Anthony Byrnes, KCRW:
"Another repeat this year was the Echo Theater Company, one of a host of companies inhabiting the Atwater Village Theater. Their production of Adam Bock's A Small Fire was no easy ride. A challenging play about a largely unlikable protagonist was remarkably brave in capturing the ugly, though honest, parts of life. It serves as a beautiful reminder of what's important: the sights, the sounds, the people and feelings that make this difficult life worth living: in short, what it means to be alive in all its pain and glory.
Isn't that why we go to the theater?" (see original review below)

Earnest Kearney, Bitter Lemons
"One of the most memorable small plays of the season.  Written by Adam Bock and directed by Alana Dietze in her directorial debut it treated audiences to superb performances by Michael Mantell and Stephen O’Mahoney and allowed for Lily Knight to captivate all who saw her with one of the year’s finest performances.   Matt Richter in the same production aptly demonstrated the facility of a skillful light design to augment even the strongest of stagings. " (see original review below)

Bitter Lemons Top Rated LA Theater Productions of 2015, Premiere of a Play
3. A Small Fire
 

"If your answer to "why art?" has to do with entertainment and distraction, A Small Fire is probably not for you. If, on the other hand, words like 'the human condition', 'honesty', and 'catharsis' pepper your answer, Mr. Bock's brutally beautiful play at the Echo Theater Company is a must see...the Echo Theater Company's production, is remarkably brave in capturing the ugly, though honest, parts of life. The cast are heroic in charting difficult arcs that are dependent on the audience, at least in part, not liking them. That's hard for both actor and audience -- but it's worth it. When A Small Fire finally finds its way to its beautiful, moving climax, we are reminded of what's truly important: the sights, the sounds, the people and feelings that make this difficult life worth living: in short, what it means to be alive in all its pain and glory.
Isn't that why we go to the theater?"  -- Anthony Byrnes, Opening the Curtain, KCRW

"Alana Dietze scores a striking directorial debut by availing herself of every droplet of the piece's potency with a skilled proficiency...the small cast is excellent" -- Earnest Kearney, The TVEvolution

"Go!...Superlative performances put up by the Echo ensemble. Chief among them is Lily Knight’s searing turn as Emily Bridges, the take-charge, albeit unfeeling New York construction company owner who anchors A Small Fire...Director Alana Dietze’s sensitive staging successfully resists the material’s inherent sentimentality, and the production benefits from Matt Richter’s low-key lighting and a likable, nuanced portrayal by Steven O’Mahoney of Emily’s caring work subordinate" -- Bill Raden, LA Weekly

"Under Alana Dietze's subtle direction Bock's script is tight...These are highly skilled actors totally engaged a very interesting story.  See this one."  -- Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles

"Adam Bock’s sensitive and timely play about the onset of senility into a decent family has been given a first-rate production by director Alana Dietze and producers Rebecca Eisenberg & Chris Fields, in a minimalist manner, with a fine cast of actors...never sentimentalized, in a solid production...reeks of a collective talent" -- Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings

"potently acted...Dietze...elicits pungent performances from her cast." - Charles McNulty, The LA Times

"Recommended...Knight brings tremendous empathy and warmth to her portrayal of Emily… the most exquisite of love stories." -- Jenny Lower, Stage Raw

"Intimate...intense...compelling characters" --Serita Stevens, Splash