LA Theatre, Confidential

As a native New Yorker, my view of the arts scene in Los Angeles has typically been shaped by Woody Allen's famous dictum from Annie Hall of a city whose "one cultural advantage is turning right on a red light." (Or is it left? See, I don't drive.)

Well in my most recent trips out west I've become more curious about what's really going on, especially under the radar. In theatre, we know about the Taper and the Geffen. But what are all those exciting New York actors that have left us doing out there when they're not doing an episode of She Spies? Steven Soderberg's tv series Unscripted and underrated film Full Frontal have provided humorous spoofs of "poor" theatre (in both senses of the word) in a rich city. But what's the reality?

Well the LA Weekly offers a special theatre issue this week digging up the dirt. In the words of theatre editor Steven Leigh Morris,

In the articles that follow, we sought to isolate specific moments in the lives of theater artists or companies when they come to that crossroads at which, after considerable duress, they must decide whether to continue doing local theater, or to leave. Through these stories, we hope to learn about these individuals and companies, and what their experiences tell us about the state of our theater.

There's even a bit at the backbiting going on at Tim Robbins' old Actors' Gang company. Turns out Tim's still very involved, but not to everyone's liking...