Imagine

Two old pals meet in a familiar pub . Famous writers who have 'owned' their literary generes and  come together to chat.

It's a World Premiere Play  thanks to the dedication to new works by our local Actors CoOp .

1963 ..Oxford, England ..The  Rabbit Room of the Eagle and Child pub.  Old wood. Young Bar Maid

A beauty of a set brings the ambience of the Eagle and Child to  life.

It's talky, but fascinating to eaves drop on  fame.

Truth be told, this is a very difficult review to write. The premise is filled with  references to Tolkien's  Trilogy and Lewis's Chronicles of Narnja..  If you have read them and have a take on the stories and the implicatons of philosophy and Christian values  expressed by both Tolkien and Lewis, it helps.  Thankfully the British accents are pretty much Mid Atlantic making the dialogue, which might get lost  in the 95 minute show bearable.

Two old guys chat.

The Bar Maid ..a kid.. is fascinated and tends to faclitate the authors by asking questions and in a way refereeing the sometime combative writers.

I'm frustrated because the basic information for the show has been difficult to access. Below will be a long laundry list that I hope I've been able to copy and paste. 

The bottom line is that if you appreciate dedicated acting with text that flows in the intimate three quarter thrust stage and discusses  the philosophy of these well known authors, I endourage you to go.  The physical action includes some bending of elbows with pints that seem to have no effect to a very short one person darts game and Tolkien losing his hat after a touchng denoument. 

Please forgive the odd spacing and parsing in this review. The way I like to copy and paste basic information seems to be resisting a polite presentation. 

Lewis and Tolkien

Written and directed by Dean Batali

Produced for Actors Co-op by Marc Whitmore, Lori Berg and Rob Loos

October 27 – December 3, 2023     *No Show Friday, November 24*

Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm (New Time!)

Sundays at 2:30 pm

Additional Saturday Matinees at 2:30 pm: Nov. 4, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2.

Approximate running time:  95 minutes     No intermission.

Actor Co-op Theatre Company at Crosley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, Hollywood, CA 90028

Free Parking in the Actors Co-op lot on Carlos.

Tickets: Adults $35. Seniors (60+) $30. Students w/ID and SAG-AFTRA & WGA union members $25. Group rates available.

For Tickets/Info: www.ActorsCo-op.org or (323) 462-8460.

For Immediate Release

The award-winning Actors Co-op Theatre Company in association with MWO Productions proudly presents proudly presents the World Premiere play Lewis and Tolkien, written and directed by Dean Batali, produced by Marc Whitmore, Lori Berg, and Rob Loos.

Set in Oxford, England in the autumn of 1963 at the famous “Rabbit Room” of the Eagle and Child Pub, this play is something of a return to the familiar for C.S. Lewis (author of The Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (who wrote The Lord of the Rings). Filled with humor, rousing debate, and reconciliation, the two men learn the true value of their friendship with a little help from a few pints of beer and the energetically curious barmaid, Veronica.

The Actors Co-op cast features the talents of Phil Crowley as C.S Lewis, Michael Beattie as J.R.R. Tolkien and Bianca Akbiyik as Veronica.

The Production Team includes Dean Batali (Writer/Director), Lori Berg (Producer), Rob Loos (Producer), Marc Whitmore (Producer), Joel Daavid (Set Designer), Martha Carter (Lighting Designer), Chris Moscatiello (Sound Designer), Vicki Conrad (Costume Designer), Colleen Darling (Stage Manager) and Beth Batali (Assistant Stage Manager).

About the Playwright/Director

DEAN BATALI (Playwright / Director) Dean Batali worked as a writer on That 70s Show for seven years, serving as an executive producer for the show’s final season. He wrote for the initial two seasons of Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, was the head writer for the first season of DisneyJr’s Puppy Dog Pals and was recently executive producer and showrunner for the third and fourth seasons of the Hallmark Channel’s Good Witch. Dean wrote and directed the musicals After the Beginning and Life with Ebeneezie. Lewis and Tolkien is the first play Dean has written where people don’t break into song.

 

About the Cast

PHIL CROWLEY (C.S. Lewis) Since 2015 Phil has been portraying C. S. Lewis in the one-man play, An Evening with C.S. Lewis in venues across the U.S. including Actors Co-op and the C. S. Lewis Foundation in Redlands, California.  Overseas he has performed the play at Christ Church in Jerusalem, Israel; Free University of Amsterdam; and at the Kilns, C. S. Lewis’ home in Oxford, England. He is also a working voice actor and can be heard as the announcer for the ABC hit show, Shark Tank.  Other stage productions include: A Walk in the Woods, Wit, As You Like it, The Learned Ladies, You Can't Take It With You The Philadelphia Story, The Imaginary Invalid, A Christmas Carol, Days of Wine and Roses, Teahouse of the August Moon, and The Miracle Worker.  He played the role of Cervantes/Don Quixote in Man of LA Mancha and portrayed Nat Miller, the pivotal father character in Ah, Wilderness! by Eugene O’Neill, for which he received an ARTS in LA SAGE Award.

MICHAEL BEATTIE* (Tolkien) is an award-winning Canadian-American Actor and Voice Actor who has worked for over 30 years in Theater, Film, Television and Radio as well as Video Games and Television and Feature Film Animation (please visit michaelbeattieVO.com).  At the Actors Co-op: Tartuffe, Something's Afoot, Baby Dance, Twelfth Night , La Bete Recent credits include Marley, Fezziwig and Old Joe in A Christmas Carol at FPCH in 2021 and 2022.  Currently: VNC Anncr and Guru Rick in Minions: The Rise of Gru.   Upcoming:  Sensei O’Sullivan in Despicable Me 4 (2024) and Eccentric Eddie in MegaMind the Series, streaming on Peacock (2024). 

 

BIANCA AKBIYIK (Veronica) Bianca is thrilled to be making her Actors Co-op debut! She received dual BA’s in Theatre and Communications from Cal Lutheran. She is an actor, teaching artist, and arts administrator born and raised in Los Angeles. She also serves as Co-op’s PR Director. Credits Includes: The Two Gentlemen of Verona, King Lear, Macbeth, As You Like It (Kingsmen Shakespeare), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Theatricum Botanicum), A Christmas Carol (FPCH), John Proctor is the Villain, and The Women of Lockerbie - KCACTF Irene Ryan Semifinalist (Cal Lutheran).

About the Production Team

MARC WHITMORE (Producer) is the chief executive officer and founder of the internationally renowned agency MWO Management. Marc has earned an enviable reputation as one of the best executives operating in areas such as talent development and management, as well as guiding companies to become the best version of themselves. He has provided his professional services to a diverse range of celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, Bob Hope, Pat Boone, Alice Cooper, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley, and countless more. He has also consulted for the White House on several Presidential campaigns and has been a producer of Presidential Inaugurals.

LORI BERG (Producer) Lori Berg has been a part of Actors Co-op for three decades, having been a part of many productions both on and off stage. She is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such a stellar cast and crew to bring this world premiere “home” to our boards. Lori is a professional actress, director and nonprofit visionary who’s garnered myriad awards for her efforts. Mainly. Lori is grateful to God for Actors Co-op and all of you who support L.A’s intimate theatres!

ROB LOOS (Producer) is an Emmy-nominated writer, director, and/or producer of over 900 television & streaming episodes, 13 films, and 2 plays that have won 120 awards. Loos wrote/directed Never Give Up which was released in theatres in September; he is currently producing a documentary on the life and legacy of Henrietta Mears. Loos was Chairman of the Actors Co-op/Inter-Mission Advisory Board for ten years and currently serves on the Co-op’s executive board. Loos is Chairman of Missions & Outreach at Hollywood Pres. He is married to his high school classmate, Dr. Mary Anne Doyle, has two children, and plays competitive tennis.

JOEL DAAVID (Set Designer) Joel has become an award-winning director/set designer since attending the American Film Institute for Cinematography. Joel's most notable awards include the Ovation, LA Weekly, NAACP and LADCC Theater Awards. He directed/designed the award- winning production of "The Miracle Worker" at the Matrix and Edgemar Theatres and the new production of Tennessee Williams’ “Baby Doll” at the Lillian Theatre.  Joel directed/designed the multi-award winning “Frankenstein” for Theatre Tallahassee, the epic story of "Camille" (Claudel) at the Greenway Arts Alliance and most recently the world premiere musical “Caligari’s Cabinet of Curiosities” written by Vanessa Stewart. www.joeldaavid-director.com

MARTHA CARTER (Lighting Design) is based out of Los Angeles. She is Head of Design and an assistant professor at Cal State Long Beach and enjoys collaborating with ensemble companies to create new work that incites positive change within the communities. Some of her recent credits include: The Mystery of Irma Vep (Actors Co-op), Miss Lilly Gets Boned (Rouge Machine), Driving Miss Daisy (The Laguna Playhouse), A Little Night Music (Madison Opera), The Penal Colony (Long Beach Opera), Cinderella (Long Beach Ballet), Famous (The 11:11), Peter Pan and Evita (Panama City Panama).

VICKI CONRAD (Costume Design) Vicki Conrad has been designing for theater for over 20 years.  She is currently designing for many local Los Angeles theatres including Actor’s Co-op Theatre Company, Action Theatre Company, Sacred Fools, and Third Street Theatre, as well as Knightsbridge Theatre Films.  She works closely with several schools on costume, hair, and makeup design.  She is a long-time company member of the Knightsbridge Theatre and National American Shakespeare Company.

CHRIS MOSCATIELLO (Sound Design) is an award-winning sound designer, composer, music editor and music director for theater, television and film. TV highlights include The Walking Dead, Eureka, Psych, Human Target, Caprica, The Cape and Trauma. He has scored series and specials for National Geographic and The Discovery Channel. Theater highlights include The Kennedy Center, The Smithsonian Institution, The Shakespeare Theatre, Signature Theatre, Roundhouse Theatre, Rogue Machine, Antaeus, A Noise Within, Skylight Theatre, The Fountain Theatre, Odyssey Theater, The Road Theatre, Pacific Resident Theater, and he served as assistant conductor for the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera.

COLLEEN DARLING (Stage Manager) Colleen Darling’s experience in the entertainment industry is multifaceted including acting as well as working behind the scenes in stage, film, and TV. She has done everything from travel with a repertory theater company to working at Warner Bros. Her theater experience encompasses acting, producing, directing and stage managing. An abbreviated list of her theatrical projects includes Gypsy, The King and I, Watch on the Rhine, The Wizard of Oz, and Cinderella. She’s the director of operations for The Greenhouse Arts & Media, a nonprofit organization that serves the creative community, and also manages her professional voiceover career.

October 27 – December 3, 2023. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Additional Saturday matinees at 2:30 pm: November 4, November 25, and December 2.        *No performance November 24.  Tickets: Adults $35. Seniors (60+) $30. Students w/ID and SAG-AFTRA & WGA union members $25. Group rates available. Tickets/Info: www.ActorsCo-op.org or (323) 462-8460. Crossley Theater, 1760 N. Gower St., on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, Hollywood, CA 90028. Free lot parking on Carlos.