A Night at the Zoo 2026
Open Fist Theatre Company Annual Gala
Join us on Saturday, October 3rd for a night at the zoo, honoring Tony Brown, the CEO Of Heart of LA, with Open Fist Theatre’s 2026 Visionary Award.
The evening will feature dinner, dancing, a silent auction and a carousel, as we celebrate our 36th year and raise money for the Season ahead.
MARISOL
Open Fist presents rare revival of José Rivera’s Obie–winning Marisol
LOS ANGELES (July 30, 2026) — Open Fist Theatre Company presents a rare revival of Marisol, the Obie-winning work by Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera. Directed by Open Fist associate artistic director Amanda Weier, the production runs September 12 through October 24 at Atwater Village Theatre, with low-priced preview performances September 10 and 11.
A dreamlike blend of magical realism, Theatre of the Absurd and Rivera’s powerfully poetic language, Marisol is a darkly funny, apocalyptic fable about survival, faith and hope. After her guardian angel abandons her to join the celestial battle against a senile God, Bronx resident Marisol Pérez must navigate a terrifying, unraveling world on her own while struggling to preserve her humanity.
“Marisol feels astonishingly relevant,” says Weier. “Though Rivera wrote the play in the pre-millennium ’90s, during that period of profound uncertainty, it asks questions that resonate just as powerfully today: As temperatures rise both literally and figuratively, are we as a species doomed? Can a broken society find its way back after everything falls apart? Rivera never loses his sense of humor, even in the darkest moments, and that balance of absurdity and compassion is what makes the play so compelling. Ultimately, Marisol is about discovering hope on the other side of rock-bottom devastation. The imagery in Rivera’s writing is breathtaking; it reminds me of a Chagall painting, or a Banksy.”
Born in Puerto Rico in 1955, Rivera moved with his family to New York City at the age of four. Among his best-known plays are Cloud Tectonics and References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot, which earned him a second Obie Award. He became the first Puerto Rican writer to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Motorcycle Diaries. Rivera has cited Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez, whom he met while both were at the Sundance Institute, as one of his most significant artistic influences and mentors.
Jade Santana, recently seen at Open Fist in Amerika and Brownstone, stars as Marisol opposite Taylor Scott as the Guardian Angel. The cast also features Barbara Lee Bragg, Hutchins Foster, Matthew Goodrich, Carmella Jenkins, Mara Michelle, Chima Rok, Jack Sharpe and Grace Soens.
The creative team includes scenic designer Brad Bentz, lighting designer Matt Richter, sound designer Christopher Moscatiello, costume designer Mylette Nora, props designers Bruce Dickinson and Anna Kraus and choreographer Yusuf Nasir. Saskia Young serves as associate producer, and John Dimitri is the production stage manager.
Open Fist Theatre Company is a collective, self-producing artistic enterprise in which every aspect of the organization is operated by its artist members under the leadership of artistic director Martha Demson.
Performances run September 12 through October 24, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. (no performance Saturday, October 3). An additional performance will be held Monday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Preview performances are Thursday, Sept. 10 and Friday, Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $26 to $40.
Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039. Free parking is available in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) parking lot one block south of the theater.
Romeo and Juliet: Time Enough for Love
Conceived and Directed by Christian Lebano
An age-reversed Romeo and Juliet set today in Verona Village – A Retirement Community for Active Seniors in South Florida. This production is a fresh and innovative take on one of the greatest love stories ever told. Conceived, Adapted and Directed by Christian Lebano, this retelling, while faithful to the play and verse, reveals new themes and perspectives. Even when we reach our older years there is still Time Enough for Love.
Director/Producer: Christian Lebano
Asst Director: Richard Van Slyke
Co-Producer: Estelle Campbell
Assoc. Producer: Bethany Koulias
Prod. Stage Manager: John Dimitri
Composer: Sean Paxton
Choreographer: Melissa Schade
Asst. Choreographer: Elle Engleman
Fight Director: Charles Currier
Asst: Fight Director: Tambrie Allsup
Costume Designer: Vicki Conrad
Lighting Designer: Dan Weingarten
Sound Designer: Chris Moscatiello
Set Designer: Christian Lebano
Featuring Alan Blumenfeld, Katherine James, James Fowler, Emma Fassler, Sam Bennett, Sam Cowan, Natalia Jofre, Stephen Rockwell, Hutchins Foster, Paul Ganus, Barbara Schofield, Melanie Rockwell, Allana Barton, Richard Van Slyke, Daniel Lench, Matthew Goodrich, Luke Bolle, Elijah Reyes, Sebastian Senatore, Olivia O’Neill, & Maliyah Tejada
Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90039. Free parking is available in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) parking lot one block south of the theater.
The Open Fist Theatre Company stands with the BIPOC community, including the AAPI people within it. We believe it is every human being’s right to participate equally in our institutions and communities – to be treated equally, to have their voices heard, and to have access to equal justice.
We are committed to being a part of the radical change that is needed to dismantle oppressive systems for good, specifically the system of white supremacy. We take a firm anti-racist stance and will not tolerate anything less than that in our role as storytellers and theatre-makers.
We are also committed to celebrating, uplifting, and centering the voices and stories of people of color, with the understanding that the theatre arts serve an important role in the movement towards inclusivity and liberation.
OFTC Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
Open Fist Theatre Company believes it is every human being’s right to participate equally in our institutions and communities, to be treated equally under the Law, and to have access to equal justice. This is reflected by the company’s name, which combines the notion that an open spirit — embracing all people and ideas — is essential, with the idea that determination — signified by a fist — is necessary, if the theater is to remain a vital voice for social change and awareness. We are committed to being a part of the radical change that is needed to dismantle oppressive systems for good. Our policy is to take a firm anti-racist stance and will not tolerate anything less in our role as storytellers and theatre-makers.
Open Fist recognizes that past productions did not fully embrace or foster the diverse community we strive to create. We are addressing and correcting these inequities by becoming more deliberate in our inclusion of diverse artists and sharing these perspectives through the work we create. We continue to seek diverse voices for our Board and staff and challenge ourselves to speak to broader audiences. We have adopted a continuous learning mindset and understand that our racial equity work will evolve as we grow.
Open Fist Theatre Company remains committed to the creative empowerment of all its writers, directors, actors and designers; to sustaining a community that practices authentic inclusivity with the greatest possible diversity of age, race, ethnicity, ability, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic backgrounds; and to engaging an audience of similar diversity in order to unlock the potential of imagination and storytelling to build a better world. Together, the Company and its patrons strive to nurture empathy by embracing and celebrating differences, and by affirming the value and agency of all human beings.