CRlogomain

classical and contemporary plays in unconventional spaces

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT CHALK REP:

REVIEWS: HELL MONEY

"a unique night at the theater that will connect you to the L.A. of the past, the present, and (with any luck) the future."
    --Margaret Gray, LA Times
 
"strong performances, a great set, and realistic writing full of ironic buffoonery.
    --Mialka Bonadonna-Morano, LAist

"Whether or not you remember being this dippy as a young adult, you'll appreciate the tale of how we must navigate our way through sex, college, money, fires, drug-dealers, and more sex. It's a great, thoughtful show." EDITOR'S PICK
  --Kenneth Hughes, Flavorpill
 
"witty and hilarious, a modern comedy of errors"
  --Nicole Slezak, In Pursuit of the Rush

REVIEWS: FULL DISCLOSURE

"Director Larissa Kokernot's collaboration with the hilarious, poignant Ellenberger amplifies the humor in McKee's sly script."
  --F. Kathleen Foley LA Times

"Amy Ellenberger's instantly engaging and funny performance ...is an act of salesmanship as meticulously planned out as a Chalk Rep production"
  --Prince Gomolvilas, Bamboo Nation

"As her manically chipper Sunny works the room, Ellenberger turns in a mesmerizingly ebullient character study that never flags for an instant."
  --LAist

REVIEWS: TWELFTH NIGHT

"Ruiz's staging is both intelligently introspective and energetic."
  --Paul Birchall, LA Weekly

"Chalk Rep's Twelfth Night, directed by Jerry Ruiz, is chock-full of strong ensemble work (with actors sporting hipster clothes) and features a groovy live band."
  --Prince Gomolvilas, Bamboo Nation

"This indie rock, high-fashion romp through the fields of the embalmed is theatre at its finest."
  --Kenneth Hughes, Flavorpill

2009 SEASON:

CHALK WINS TWO OVATION AWARDS

"The choice of Chalk Repertory Theatre’s Family Planning as the best new play in an intimate theater truly honored the “intimate” part of that category definition. This was a production that played in the living rooms of private homes. It was a model of how companies literally can think outside the black box."
  -- Don Shirley, LAStage Watch
 

REVIEWS: STRAY

"McKee has created five fascinating and richly detailed characters, and director Larissa Kokernot's production brings them to vibrant life." CRITIC'S PICK
  --Neal Weaver, Backstage West

"Parents, teacher, principal, therapist: McKee dispassionately observes how each of these adult authority figures fails to help Daniel emerge from his private hell. By keeping him offstage, she places the focus squarely on how adult desire, always rationalized, displaces a child's basic needs; Daniel is literally invisible... as a portrait of the crucible that is parenthood, "Stray" troubles indeed."
  --Charlotte Stoudt, L.A. Times

"The theatre is intimate and the show's design efficient, with strong actors who are fully able to relax while owning the complex roles."
  --Kenneth Hughes, Flavorpill 

REVIEWS: THE DEBATE OVER COURTNEY O'CONNELL OF COLUMBUS, NEBRASKA

"Jennifer Chang stages the event, and it is an event, with a nimble touch."
  --Stephen Leigh Morris, LA WEEKLY

"So delightfully ridiculous at times that I found myself muttering, "What am I watching?!" That I reveled in it is a testament to the energetic cast (Feodor Chin, Amy Ellenberger, Jeff Galfer, and Larry Herron) and Jennifer Chang's briskly paced directing."
  --Prince Gomolvilas, BAMBOO NATION

"Things get crazy early on, but the show ramps up to ludicrous speed pretty quickly...It’s a night of zany fun with Chang and the gang at the marquee destroying title, The Debate over Courtney O’Connell of Columbus, Nebraska."
  --Mike Buzzelli, EYE SPY LA

"The cast works overtime to make every moment genuine and humorous."
  --Jennifer Chen, EDGE LOS ANGELES

"Known for their inventive venue choices, Chalk Repertory invades Café Metropol, with a refined brasserie menu and soulful jazz-band residents lending ambiance to an already engaging production."
  --Kenneth Hugues, FLAVORPILL

REVIEWS: FAMILY PLANNING

"'Planning' is a voyeuristic glimpse into one couple’s meltdown that is as funny as it is ultimately wrenching."
   --F. Kathleen Foley, LA Times

"For those tired of the stodgy proscenium, this production provides a wonderful respite, as well as a reminder of the voyeuristic thrill of live theater." 
  --Mayank Keshaviah, LA Weekly

REVIEWS: THREE SISTERS

"gorgeously mounted" "Every aspect of this "Three Sisters" is beautifully considered" CRITIC'S PICK
  -Charlotte Stoudt, LA Times

"Under the focused and beautifully executed direction of Larissa Kokernot, this fine cast was mesmerizing."
  -Pat Taylor, The Tolucan Times

"beautifully designed and directed" "a uniformly excellent cast"
  -Prince Gomolvilas, Bamboo Nation

"If ghosts could applaud, you'd hear it for this lovely production of Chekhov's Three Sisters."
  -Laura Hitchcock, CurtainUp Los Angeles

"an especially haunting production" "It's poignant, with a tinge of spooky."
  -Don Shirley, LA CityBeat