Circle X is a not-for-profit

ensemble theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first performa ...

company located in Hollywood, California. Circle X's productions have been described by critics as "refreshingly original and imaginative" and "consistently stellar".''LA Drama Critics Circle''
2000–2002 Season''MyFox Los Angeles''
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Overview

Circle X is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

non-profit organization staffed by volunteers. Circle X was founded in 1996 by seven artists and to date has produced 27 plays in the

Los Angeles area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...

. Circle X's current artistic director is Jen Kays. Circle X is part of the Los Angeles 99-Seat Equity Waiver theatre community, a group of theatres that may employ members of the

Actors' Equity Association The Actors' Equity Association (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing those who work in live theatrical performance. Performers appearing in live stage productions without a boo ...

without paying them union wages. Similar theatres include

Sacred Fools Theater Company The Sacred Fools Theater Company is a Los Angeles-based theatre company and nonprofit organization. Founded in January 1997, it's a member organization of the LA Stage Alliance. For 18 years the company resided at 660 N. Heliotrope in The Heliotr ...

and

The Actors' Gang The Actors' Gang is an experimental theatre and nonprofit group based at the Ivy Substation in Culver City, California. It was founded in 1981 by a group of actors, including Tim Robbins, now a member of the board and Artistic Director of the tr ...

. They produce out of Atwater Village Theatre along with Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA.

Awards and nominations

Production history

2008/2009

*''Battle Hymn'' – By

Jim Leonard James Raymond Leonard Sr. (February 14, 1910 – November 28, 1993) was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1945. Leonard was a ...

, directed by John Langs

2007/2008

*''The Flu Season'' – By

Will Eno Will Eno (born 1965) is an American playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. His play, '' Thom Pain (based on nothing)'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2005. His play ''The Realistic Joneses'' appeared on Broadway in 2014, wher ...

, directed by Jonathan Westerberg *''Love Loves a Pornographer'' – By

Jeff Goode Jeff Goode is an American television writer and playwright, perhaps best known as the creator of Disney Channel's '' American Dragon: Jake Long'' and the author of the stage play ''The Eight: Reindeer Monologues''. Goode has written a number o ...

, directed by

Jillian Armenante Jillian Armenante is an American television and film actress, known for playing the role of Donna Kozlowski on the TV show '' Judging Amy''. Life and career Armenante was born in Paterson, New Jersey, and grew up in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Her ...

2006/2007

*''

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

'' – By

Sarah Ruhl Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ''Eurydice'' (2003), '' The Clean House'' (2004), and ''In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)'' (2009). She has been the rec ...

, directed by John Langs *''365 Days/365 Plays: Week 19'' – By

Suzan-Lori Parks Suzan-Lori Parks (born May 10, 1963) is an American playwright, screenwriter, musician and novelist. Her 2001 play ''Topdog/Underdog'' won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002; Parks was the first African-American woman to receive the award for d ...

, directed by Tom Elliot, Pete Friedrich, David Paul Wichert, Lisa Szolovits and Jamey Hood

2005/2006

*''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' – Adapted by

Anthony Clarvoe Anthony Clarvoe is an American playwright born in 1958. Education and training Princeton University, A.B. English, magna com laude, 1981 (studied with Daniel Seltzer, Michael Goldman, Jean-Claude van Itallie, Carol Rosen, Lawrence Danson) Padua ...

, directed by John Langs *''

The Bigger Man ''The Bigger Man'' is a lost 1915 silent film drama directed by John W. Noble and starring Henry Kolker, a stage star. Plot Cast *Henry Kolker - John Stoddard *Renee Kelly - Janet Van Nest *Orlando Daly - Courtlandt Van Nest *Elsie Balfour - ...

'' – By Sam Marks, directed by David Vegh

2004

*''Sperm'' – By

Tom Jacobson Tom Jacobson (born February 1, 1967) is an American politician. A Democrat, he represents District 11 in the Montana State Senate. Political career In 2012, Jacobson ran for election to represent District 25 in the Montana House of Representa ...

, directed by Tim Wright and Tara Flynn *'' King Henry IV Part 1'' – By

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Directed by Tara Flynn (in association with Shakespeare Festival Los Angeles). *''You Are Here'' – By Anthony Backman, Kevin Fabian, Holly Gabrielson, Jennifer A. Skinner & Doug Sutherland *''At Play in the Valley of the Shadow of Chet'' – By Clown Corn Messiah, directed by Chuck Harper *''Married But Solo'' – By Ally and Chris Loprete, directed by Thomas Fiscella

2003

*''

Marley's Ghost Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...

'' – By

, directed by Matthew Bretz

2002

*'' Laura Comstock's Bag-Punching Dog'' – By

, Alice Dodd & Chris Jeffries, directed by

*'' An American Book of the Dead – The Game Show'' – By Paul Mullin, directed by Jim Anzide and Jonathan Westerberg *'' ElectroPuss'' – By Trista Baldwin, directed by Paula Goldberg

2001

*''Dirigible]'' – By Dan Dietz, directed by Debbie Falb *''

Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by a ...

'' – By John Gardner, adapted by Paul Mullin, directed by Jim Anzide *''

Schadenfreude Schadenfreude (; ; 'harm-joy') is the experience of pleasure, joy, or self-satisfaction that comes from learning of or witnessing the troubles, failures, or humiliation of another. It is a borrowed word from German, with no direct translation ...

'' – By Carlos A. Murillo, directed by Jonathan Westerberg *''

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

'' – By

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

, directed by Michael Michetti

2000

*'' The Veil Plays'' – By Karen Hartman, directed by Julia Hamilton *'' In Flagrante Gothicto'' – By Alice Dodd &

, directed by

*'' Fathers & Sons'' – By

Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...

, adapted by Brian Senter, directed by Michael Jaeger

1999

*'' Louis Slotin Sonata'' – By Paul Mullin, directed by Jim Anzide and Jonathan Westerberg *'' Beatrice'' – By Suzanne Maynard, directed by Michael Michetti *''

Show and Tell Show and tell (sometimes called show and share or sharing time) is the practice of showing something to an audience and describing it to them, usually a toy or other children's-oriented item. In the United Kingdom, North America, New Zealand and ...

'' – By

, directed by Luck Hari *'' In the Sherman Family Wax Museum'' – By

Alexander Woo Alexander Woo is an American writer and producer for television. Biography Screenwriting Alexander Woo is best known for writing several episodes of the HBO drama series ''True Blood''. In an interview, Woo describes the "True Blood" writing ro ...

, directed by Wade McIntyre

1998

*'' Texarkana Waltz'' – By Louis Broome, directed by Allison Narver *'' The Rover'' – By

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...

, directed by Michael Michetti *'' Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22'' – By

Glen Berger Glen Berger is an American playwright and scriptwriter. He has received commissions from the Children’s Theater of Minneapolis, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Alley Theatre, and the Lookingglass Theater. In 2010, he co-wrote the book for '' Spi ...

, directed by

1997

*''The Eight'' – By

, directed by Richard Augustine *''City''* – By Scott Organ, directed by Martha McFarland

1996

*'' The Eight'' – By

, directed by

John Lovick John Lovick is an American magician, writer, and director. Since the 1990s he has performed as a magician throughout the United States and Canada, as well as England, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia. His performing alter ego, Handsome ...

Notable alumni

Michaela Watkins Michaela Suzanne Watkins (born December 14, 1971) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for starring on the Hulu series '' Casual'' and on the short-lived sitcoms '' The Unicorn'' and ''Trophy Wife'', as well as being a cast memb ...

Brian Sidney Bembridge Brian Sidney Bembridge (born 1973) is an American scenic, lighting, and costume designer for theater and film. His work has been seen on stages and screens throughout the country and Internationally in Australia, Germany, Prague, Ireland, and Gr ...

Joel McHale Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, and television host. He is best known for hosting ''The Soup'' (2004–2015) and his role as Jeff Winger on the NBC sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015). He has performed i ...

Connor Trinneer Connor Wyatt Trinneer (born March 19, 1969) is an American film, stage, and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Charles "Trip" Tucker III on ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', Michael on the series ''Stargate Atlantis'', and Professor ...

John Getz John William Getz (born October 15, 1946) is an American character actor. After starting his acting career on stage, he has appeared in numerous television series and films. Personal life Getz, one of four children, was born in Davenport, Iowa, ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Circle X Theatre's WebsiteCircle X Theatre's MySpace
Theatre companies in Los Angeles Charities based in California Arts organizations established in 1996