By Daily Press staff
The Powerhouse Theatre Company will present the world premiere of “The Family Room,” a searing look at the minds and hearts of therapists as they struggle to reconcile the practice of their profession with the emotional realities of their personal lives.
The production — a semi-autobiographical work by Los Angeles playwright Aron Eli Coleite — will run April 2 through May 8 at the award-winning Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 Second St., between Rose Avenue and Marine Street just off Main Street in Santa Monica. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. There will be no performance Easter Sunday, April 11.
The play follows 15-year-old David and his parents, both psychotherapists, through a series of rotating therapy sessions as they come to terms with their own failings as human beings.
“Many of the issues that come up in this play — dysfunctional relationships, ‘addiction’ to patients, co-dependency and alcoholism — are reflections of the realities of many therapists’ private lives,” said Andrew Barrett-Weiss, Powerhouse artistic director and producer. “The play forces us to ask the question: What’s in the hearts of those who are treating our minds?”
“The Family Room” is directed by Justin Yoffe, an award-winning playwright, director and producer. Production design is by Mark Bowerman, and the production stage manager is Matt Richter.
In the cast are Gary Carter, Mary Cobb, Jennifer Dithridge, D. J. Harner, Hubert Hodgin, Annie Quinn, and Jonny Vincent as David.
Coleite has been working in the television industry since 1998. Most recently he wrote a story for the NBC forensic drama “Crossing Jordan,” on which he has served as head researcher. Coleite has worked closely with the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica, serving as board member, literary manager and artistic director. He is a graduate of UC Santa Cruz and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Since taking over the Powerhouse Theatre in 1995, the Powerhouse Theatre Company has produced or co-produced a long list of critically acclaimed productions, including the award-winning “J.B.,” “The Apollo of Bellac,” and the current hit “Golden Prospects.” Its recent co-production of “The Shaggs” received eight Garland Awards and has been nominated for several Los Angeles Drama Critic’s Circle Awards and L.A. Weekly Theater Awards.
Tickets for “The Family Room” are $18 general admission, and $15 for students, senior citizens and therapists.
For tickets, call The Powerhouse Theatre at 1-866 OFF MAIN or go to http://www.powerhousetheatre.com.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 31, 2004. Read the original PDF.