STAGES THEATRE CENTER

During its 24 year history Stages Theatre Center has been recognized by the critics as "one of LA's most consistently excellent theaters." Founders Paul Verdier and Sonia Lloveras-Verdier envisioned Stages as a venue for bringing the richness, flavor and variety of World Theatre to Los Angeles audiences.

The quality of Stages' productions and hospitality have been rewarded with invitations to the First New York International Theatre Festival, the Avignon Festival in France, and to Romania's Brasov Festival, where it won two awards in 1993. The company's reputation extended beyond its home base on McCadden Place in Hollywood when it presented Paul Verdier’s highly acclaimed production of La Bête by David Hirson at the John Anson Ford Ampitheatre as part of the inaugural Summer Nights at the Ford in 1993.

HISTORY OF STAGES

Stages opened in 1982 with the Ionesco Festival featuring the English world premiere of Ionesco's Tales for people under 3 years of age, adapted and directed by Paul Verdier, along with Exercices de conversation (performed in French) and The Ceremony/The King Dies (a new English translation of Le roi se meurt). Highlighting the yearlong festival were Ionesco’s two visits as artist-in-residence. In his second visit he attended the world premiere of The Fifth Tale, a piece he specially wrote for Stages to be added to the four tales that had opened the festival. A tradition was inaugurated and, on many occasions since then Stages organized festivals devoted to single playwrights: Eduardo Pavlovsky from Argentina, René-Daniel Dubois from Quebec and France’s Marguerite Duras, among others.

In 1986, founders Paul Verdier and Sonia Lloveras opened Cafe des Artistes providing their theatre patrons with the convenience of a French restaurant next door.

In 1987 Stages took the Los Angeles Theatre community by storm with its Pavlovskyfest which introduced Argentinian psychiatrist/actor/playwright Eduardo Pavlovsky to North American audiences,featuring three of his plays.

In October 1989, Stages presented, at the historical Las Palmas theatre in Hollywood, the American premiere of 1789, an epic chronicle of the French Revolution. Originally created by France´s Theatre du Soleil in 1970, Stages´ version, adapted by Verdier, represented the first time Ariane Mnouchkine allowed the work to be performed by another company.

In 1992, in celebration of its 10th Anniversary, Stages embarked upon another yearlong festival called Voices of the Americas, celebrating the arts and artists of the Americas, from Canada to Argentina. As the final and major event of the festival, Stages presented again at the Las Palmas theatre Puissance Paternelle, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant. The production, adapted and directed by Paul Verdier from Pavlovksy's Potestad, marked the first appearance of the French star on an American stage.

In 1993 Stages presented La Bête, by American playwright David Hirson, at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. The production, directed by Paul Verdier, gathered eight Drama-Logue Awards as well as the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Feature Performance.

In 1994 Stages Theatre Press published its first work,THREE PLAYS BY EDUARDO PAVOLVSKY.

Before coming to the United States, Stages founder Paul Verdier was a member of the renowned Paris-based repertory companies of Jean-Louis Barrault/Madeleine Renaud and Nicolas Bataille. At Stages Paul has directed many of the theatre's critically acclaimed productions, including Ionesco's Tales, Marguerite Duras' L'Amante Anglaise, and La Bête.
One of the premier directors of his native Rumania, Florinel Fatulescu has won numerous awards including "Best Director" from the Rumanian National Festival of the Arts. His work at Stages includes the critically acclaimed Don't Ever Blame the Bedouins for which he received the Best Director Award at the International Festival of Contemporary Theatre at Brasov, Rumania, The Immigrants, Christopher Columbus and three of Ionesco's plays: The Chairs, Jacques or the Submission and The Lesson.

In 2000, Paul Verdier began a two year sabbatical during which actor/director Arye Gross served as Stages’ Producing Artistic Director. He invited Don Baughton to become Stages' dramaturge. Under their guidance, Stages presented critically acclaimed work.

Some of the highlights include:

Flea In Her Ear by Georges Feydeau, Ovation Award Winner 2001.
World Premiere of La Gioconda, co-produced with The Collective acting company, 2002.
Shak'n Part I conceived by Saundra Quarterman, Ovation Award Nominee and NAACP Nominee 2002.
Premiere of Last Fare by Dominic Hoffman, former Ovation Award Winner for Uncle Jacques' Symphony presented at Stages in 2002.
The Move by Dani Klein, selected for the HBO Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado, 2002.
Hills Above The Hood by Julia Pace Mitchell, nominated for an NAACP Award, 2001.
Community Outreach Programs 2002.
Sponsored "Neighborhood Sing-a-Long"
Sponsored Public Recitals for "Youth School" Regional America
The world premiere of Tibi's Law by Jean Verdun, translated from the French and directed by Robert Cohen and the West Coast premiere of Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, adapted for the stage by Bradley Rand Smith.

At the end of his sabbatical in 2003, Verdier returned to Stages and directed the English world première of his adaptation of Hyenas by award-winning French playwright Christian Siméon.

© 2005 Stages Theatre Center