February 2009
LAWS OF SYMPATHY
by OLIVER MAYER
directed by JON LAWRENCE RIVERA

LA WEEKLY - "GO"

A knock-out cast under Jon Lawrence Rivera's economical direction gives a human heartbeat to Oliver Mayer's "message play" -- the heart being the theme of human cruelty that lies at the center of Mayer's play about the freeing of Bantu slaves from Somali refugee camps... John H. Binkley's functional turntable set allows Rivera's fast-paced
direction to move quickly from scene to scene.
— Sandra Ross

LOS ANGELES TIMES

"In light of the serious subject matter, the play is unexpectedly playful, and Rivera emphasizes the piece’s comic elements at every welcome opportunity. Yet under the deceptive lightheartedness lies a savage topicality. In recessionary America, the plating on that welcoming Golden Door has worn thin -- as these hopeful refugees will soon learn, to what, we suspect, is their peril."
— F. Kathleen Foley

CURTAIN UP

"A strong sense of wry humor overlays some very poignant and interesting
undercurrents. There are no bold statements or long speeches - it's a very
matter-of-fact look at how circumstance and experience dictate action. If we're
going to offer people the promise of the American dream, we can't very well get
upset about the choices they make once they're here.... the intimate stage
perfectly mirrors the tone of the play, and the sparse set with a rotating wall
does a perfect job of conveying different locations. Laws of Sympathy makes us
look at our own preconceptions and in doing so brings a larger perspective to
some thorny issues."
— David Avery

BACK STAGE

"...the production is well-mounted by director Jon Lawrence Rivera. He engineers the humorous moments deftly and elicits a wonderful performance from Kilpatrick. She is a fascinating presence, and the scene in which her character reveals the atrocities of war, slavery, and rape is riveting. Dixon, too, is totally in command onstage and manages to convey an essence of decency underneath the "salesman" his character has become.
Dashiell smoothly combines naiveté with strength and carries just a hint of Mother's dark history... Barbara Lee Bragg, who plays three different women,
particularly impresses as a bigoted employment agent and as an evangelizing Southern lady."
— Iris Mann

LA CITY BEAT

"Oliver Mayer is on to something here, in his depiction of how a mother (Anita
Dashiell) and newly grown daughter (Diarra Kilpatrick) who have survived civil
war in Somalia encounter culture shock and possibly worse exploitation in their new life in Atlanta. Despite the watchful eye of their primary resettlement counselor, his colleague (Celeste Den) entangles the women with a scandal-tainted ex-track star (Will Dixon) when
other job possibilities seem hopeless."
— Don Shirley

set design by John H. Binkley
lighting design by Jeremy Pivnick
sound design by Dennis Yen
costume design by Mylette Nora
casting director/associate producer Raul Clayton Staggs
associate producer Diane Levine

starring
Barbara Bragg
Joshua Wolf Coleman
Anita Dashiell
Celeste Den
Will Dixon
Diarra Kilpatrick

LAWS OF SYMPATHY is a play that looks at this country with eyes wide open from the POV of its newest refugees.

Preview: Friday, February 27, 2009, $5
Opening: Saturday, February 28, 2009, $25
Regular Performances: Fri/Sat 8 PM and Sun 7 PM
through Sunday, March 29, 2009 ONLY $20

Studio/Stage
520 North Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(between Melrose and Beverly)

Located 2 blocks south of Melrose at Maplewood.  (Please allow plenty of time for street parking).

Copyright 2009 Playwrights' Arena

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