The Blank Theatre Company is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

theatre company located in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

History

Founded in 1990 by current Artistic Director/Co-Artistic Producer Daniel Henning, The Blank's mission is to produce either premieres or "reinventions" of previously produced material. In 1992, the theatre began an annual Nationwide Young Playwrights Festival, which has provided an outlet for the creative efforts of over 200 playwrights aged nineteen and younger. Notable alumni of the festival include Pulitzer Prize nominee and 2016 Tony winner for The Humans, Stephen Karam and ''

Jake in Progress ''Jake in Progress'' is an American sitcom television series broadcast on ABC from March 13, 2005 to January 9, 2006. Created by Austin Winsberg, the show was originally conceived as a real-time comedy; the first season was to show the first date ...

'' creator Austin Winsberg. The Blank also produces the "Living Room Series", a workshop series of mostly new works. The series culminates in a Monday night performance and is presented nearly every Monday night from Labor Day to Memorial Day. The LRS has developed 600 new plays over the past 25+ years. Many of the scripts have gone on to receive productions and accolades at venues including Manhattan Theatre Club, Laguna Playhouse and Brideswell Theatre in London. In fact, The Explorer's Club by Nell Benjamin went on to win the NY Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play, A Singular They by Aliza Goldstein won the Ted Schmitt Award for World Premiere of an Outstanding New Play, and Heads by EM Lewis won the Francesca Primus Prize. In April 1996, the company moved to its current home at the 53-seat 2nd Stage Theatre in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, at 6500 Santa Monica Blvd.

Awards

The Blank Theatre Company has received numerous Los Angeles theater awards, including six Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and three LA Weekly Awards.

Personnel

*Daniel Henning - Artistic Director/Producer *

Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (; born June 4, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as John Carter in the television series '' ER'' (1994–2009), which earned him nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emm ...

- Artistic Producer

Notable alumni

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

Amber Benson Amber Nicole Benson (born January 8, 1977) is an American actress, singer, writer, director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Tara Maclay on the TV series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1999–2002), and has also directed, produced ...

Nicholas Brendon Nicholas Brendon Schultz (born April 12, 1971), known professionally as Nicholas Brendon, is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Xander Harris in the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1997–2003) and Kevin L ...

* Warren Davis *

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Faith in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (2000–2003). She als ...

Susan Egan Susan Farrell Egan (born February 18, 1970) is an American actress, singer and dancer, known for her work on the Broadway stage. She is best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1 ...

Sarah Michelle Gellar Sarah Michelle Prinze ( ; born April 14, 1977) is an American actress. After being spotted at the age of four in New York City, she made her screen acting debut in the television film ''An Invasion of Privacy'' (1983). A leading role on the te ...

Alyson Hannigan Alyson Lee Hannigan (born March 24, 1974) is an American actress. After starting her career at age four with appearances in commercials, she moved to Hollywood at age 11 and soon got an agent. Hannigan began her film career with supporting ro ...

Sally Kellerman Sally Clare Kellerman (June 2, 1937 – February 24, 2022) was an American actress and singer whose acting career spanned 60 years. Her role as Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan in Robert Altman's film '' M*A*S*H'' (1970) earned her an Oscar n ...

James Kerwin James Kerwin, (born October 13, 1973) is an American film director, theatre director, and screenwriter. Education and academics Kerwin, who was born in St. Louis, Missouri, attended Parkway Central High School in Chesterfield. Kerwin gradua ...

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in ''Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2002 ...

Ricki Lake Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film ''Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for B ...

Matthew Lillard Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor. His early film work includes Chip Sutphin in ''Serial Mom'' (1994), Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein in '' Hackers'' (1995), Stu Macher in '' Scream'' (1996), Stevo in ''SLC Pu ...

Allison Mack Allison Christin Mack (born July 29, 1982) is an American actress. She played Chloe Sullivan on the superhero series ''Smallville'' (2001–2011) and had a recurring role on the comedy series '' Wilfred'' (2012–2014). Mack was a member of N ...

* James Marsters *

Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as '' Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...

Molly Shannon Molly Helen Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ...

Sherri Shepherd Sherri Shepherd (born April 22, 1967) is an American actress, comedian, author, broadcaster, and television personality. She currently hosts the daily syndicated daytime talk show, '' Sherri''. From 2007 to 2014, Shepherd was a co-host of the da ...

Kate Shindle Katherine Renee Shindle (born January 31, 1977) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and AIDS activist. She is currently serving as the President of the Actors' Equity Association. She was Miss America 1998 in 1998 and Miss Illinois in 1997. ...

Bruce Vilanch Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''Hollywood Squares'', as a celebrity participan ...

Gedde Watanabe Gary "Gedde" Watanabe (born June 26, 1955) is an American actor and comedian. He is perhaps best known for voicing the character of Ling in the 1998 animated film '' Mulan'' and its 2004 sequel '' Mulan II'', as well as playing Long Duk Dong in t ...

Mae Whitman Mae Margaret Whitman (born June 9, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She began acting in commercials as a child, making her film debut at the age of six in the romantic drama '' When a Man Loves a Woman'' (1994). She achieved recognition as ...

Constance Zimmer Constance Zimmer (born October 11, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series '' Entourage'' (2005–2011) and Claire Simms in the television series ''Boston Legal'' (2006–2007). Sh ...

Mainstage productions

*''The Tragedy of JFK (as told by Wm. Shakespeare)'' (World Premiere) 2016 *''Set Up and Punch'' (World Premiere) 2009 *''The Jazz Age'' (West Coast Premiere) 2009 *''Speech and Debate'' (West Coast Premiere) 2008 *'' Little Fish'' (West Coast Premiere) 2007 *''Heads'' (World Premiere) 2007 *''Missouri Waltz'' (World Premiere) 2007 *''Hotel C'est L'Amour'' (World Premiere) 2006 *''Lobster Alice'' (Los Angeles Premiere) 2006 *''A Hole in the Wall'' (West Coast Premiere) 2006 *'' The Wild Party'' (West Coast Premiere) 2005 *''The Book of Liz'' (Los Angeles Premiere) 2005 *''

Les Liaisons Dangereuses ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (; English: ''Dangerous Liaisons'') is a French epistolary novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, first published in four volumes by Durand Neveu from March 23, 1782. It is the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and ...

'' 2005 *''

American Way The American way of life or the American way refers to the American nationalist ethos that adheres to the principle of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At the center of the American way is the belief in an American Dream that is clai ...

'' (World Premiere) 2004 *''

As Is As is, when employed as a term with legal effect, is used to disclaim some implied warranties for an item being sold. Certain types of implied warranties must be specifically disclaimed, such as the implied warranty of title. "As is" denotes tha ...

'' 2004 *''Funny...'' (2 World Premieres) 2003 *''Fill in the Blank'' (World Premiere) 2003 *''

Sanguine Sanguine () or red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown colour, so called because it resembles the colour of dried blood. It has been popular for centuries for drawing (where white chalk only works on coloured paper). The word comes via French fr ...

'' (World Premiere) 2003 *''

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' is a play by Edward Albee first staged in October 1962. It examines the complexities of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive ...

'' 2002 *''

First Lady Suite ''First Lady Suite'' is a chamber musical by Michael John LaChiusa. The musical contains four separate segments about four of the First Ladies of the United States of America and the people surrounding them. They are: Eleanor Roosevelt, Mamie Eise ...

'' (West Coast Premiere) 2002 *''Precious Sons'' (West Coast Premiere) 2000 *''The Why'' (World Premiere) 2000 *''A Night Out With Young Playwrights'' (2 World Premieres) 1999 *''Starr Struck: A Musical Investigation'' (World Premiere) 1999 *'' Hello Again'' (West Coast Premiere) 1998 *'' Loot 1997 *''Sky's End'' (World Premiere) 1996 *''

Breaking the Code ''Breaking the Code'' is a 1986 play by Hugh Whitemore about British mathematician Alan Turing, who was a key player in the breaking of the German Enigma code at Bletchley Park during World War II and a pioneer of computer science. The play th ...

'' (L.A. premiere) 1996 *''Young Playwrights Mainstage 95'' (3 World Premieres) 1995 *''

Chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

'' (L.A. Premiere) 1995 *''

The Cradle Will Rock ''The Cradle Will Rock'' is a 1937 play in music by Marc Blitzstein. Originally a part of the Federal Theatre Project, it was directed by Orson Welles and produced by John Houseman. A Brechtian allegory of corruption and corporate greed, it ...

'' (Off Ramp Theatre) 1994 *''Gertrude Stein and A Companion'' (L.A. Premiere) 1994 *''In Stitches'' (World Premiere) 1994 *''

Isn't It Romantic? "Isn't It Romantic?" is a popular song and part of the Great American Songbook. The music was composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It has a 32-bar chorus in A–B–A–C form. Alec Wilder, in his book ''American Popular Song: ...

'' 1993 *''

The Fantasticks ''The Fantasticks'' is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and book and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the 1894 play ''The Romancers'' (''Les Romanesques'') by Edmond Rostand, concerning two neigh ...

'' 1993 *''A Snake in the Vein'' (West Coast Premiere) 1993 *''

Sexual Perversity in Chicago ''Sexual Perversity in Chicago'' is a play written by David Mamet that examines the sex lives of two men and two women in the 1970s. The play is filled with profanity and regional jargon that reflects the working-class language of Chicago. The c ...

'' / ''

Hills Like White Elephants "Hills Like White Elephants" is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. It was first published in August 1927, in the literary magazine ''transition'', then later in the 1927 short story collection '' Men Without Women''. Later the story was adapted f ...

'' 1991 *''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some crit ...

'' 1991 *''

Hosanna ''Hosanna'' () is a liturgical word in Judaism and Christianity. In Judaism it refers to a cry expressing an appeal for divine help.Friberg Lexicon In Christianity it is used as a cry of praise. Etymology The word ''hosanna'' (Latin ', Greek ...

'' 1990

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Theatre companies in Los Angeles Regional theatre in the United States