MAIN STAGE

A biannual full production of a new play. For a full list of recent productions, see the Archive page.

SUNDAY BEST

A monthly “artistic gymnasium” for actors, directors, and writers focusing on plays-in-progress. Any participating artist may present up to 45-minutes of work to be followed by moderated constructive feedback. Sunday Best is one of the ways our company meets new artists. Moderated by Ray Xifo.

PLAYWRIGHTS' UNIT

A weekly incubation program for new plays; moderated by Neil Cuthbert. Playwrights read and critique each other’s work in a professional, supportive environment. José Rivera’s Obie Award-winning References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot was developed in EST-LA’s Playwright’s Unit.

WINTERFEST

An annual artistic free-for-all, WINTERFEST is a festival of member-initiated work. Projects range from readings to fully-mounted performances. WINTERFEST introduces 25-35 projects over two weekends, and also features seminars, free live music, and a gallery of fine art. Numerous plays presented in WINTERFEST have moved to full production in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, such as Michael Connor’s Berkshire Village Idiot (Off Broadway and Williamstown Theatre Festival).

FIRST LOOK

Our annual series of staged readings of new plays under consideration for future production. Plays are selected by the company’s literary and artistic staff from hundreds of submissions (we maintain an open submissions policy). For work at an advanced stage of development. Presented at the central branch of the Los Angeles Public Library in their beautiful Mark Taper Auditorium (225 seats). The program allows writers to refine their plays with audience feedback and the support of a professional director and actors. A moderated talk-back with the playwright and/or the actors and director follows each presentation. Our company prepares and distributes a list of books, DVDs, CDs and other library resources in order to encourage our audience to further explore the themes of each work.

FUEL WORKSHOPS

Flexible workshops tailored to the specific needs of the play and playwright. The “Fuel” process begins with a conference involving the writer, artistic directors, and producing director to discuss the needs of the script and create a game plan. Everything from the length of the process to the artists involved (actors, director, choreographer, composer, designer, dramaturge, etc.) is customized for the play. A truly individualized process.

STUDIO 6 AND THE STUDIO 6 ROTATING FUND

Our Studio 6 program, launched in 2007-2008, enables members to mount a workshop presentation of a play of their choosing (6-8 performances, not open to review, invited audience only). Designed to serve as a launching pad for production-ready work. Members may also apply for up to $1,000 in production support from the “Studio 6 Rotating Fund”, with all proceeds from Studio 6 performances replenishing this fund. Projects are selected by lottery from a pool of completed applications.

"DIRECTOR'S LAB"

Brand new program currently under development.

ENSEMBLE BUILDING PROGRAMS

Throughout the season, EST-LA also offers various programs designed to: (a) deepen the creative language shared by our members, which makes for rich, distinctive ensemble work, and (b) inspire our playwrights to write for company actors. Our “Performance Lab” (2006 and 2007 seasons), moderated by Jenny O’Hara and coordinated by Melinda Page Hamilton, is one example. In this weekly lab, actors, directors, and playwrights were encouraged to cross disciplines while participating in voice and movement exercises, improvisation, theatre games, timed-writing exercises and more. This season’s ensemble-building programs include “Play Day”, a full day of play readings and camaraderie that forges bonds between writers from the Playwright’s Unit and members of our acting company, and our new “Classics Lab”, where members work on the specialized language of Shakespeare in a fun, challenging, and supportive environment.