While searching for a one-act play to direct at an upcoming director's festival, playwright, dramaturge, adaptor, and director Cindy Marie Jenkins stumbled across a collection of interviews from individuals affected by the Chernobyl disaster. Deeply moved by the stories of these survivors, Jenkins immediately began adapting the interviews for the stage. Voices from Chornobyl premiered at Open Fist and was later showcased at L.A's annual theatre festival, EdgeFest. Now in its third incarnation, Voices from Chornobyl will be a part of the Empty Stage's New Voices Series Sept. 30th and Oct. 14th.

What was it about the stories of these individuals that compelled you to compile them into a play?

CMJ: There was such poetry in their descriptions. Conflicted feelings about being interviewed, about their land, and ultimately radiation. They are tied to their land and their homes in ways that I had never experienced. The beauty in their horror and how they went on living their lives. How they were treated. Who knew what. Also, before I read the book, if you had asked me about Chernobyl, I barely would have been able to mumble out "nuclear-something-or-other." I wondered how many other Americans knew little about the event? How many Los Angeles residents knew where the nearest nuclear plant or landfill was? I sure didn't. At that time, the misinformation about the WMD's was uncovered, so the themes of leadership and ignorance rang true in me.

On a purely theatrical side,I love working with a play like an orchestra, and storytelling through sounds only. Then opening my eyes and matching the physical environment with the words,all in a very close collaboration with the actors and designers. When I'm processing a new adaptation (we're on Draft 13 and 3 fully-produced productions), I re-read the entire book and find a unique way of record-keeping, which sounds very clinical, but I need to process the entire book again before finding the new voices for a new adaptation.

What is the overall theme of Voices from Chornobyl?

CMJ: Living. How do you live within radiation? How do you live away from home? How do you live in your home when the earth betrays you? Survival of the mind and of the body. The subtitle is "Chronicle of the Future" and that is really the theme - how do we survive in this world we've created, and how will our children survive?

Here's just a sampling of what's happening in theatre this week:

Serial Killers
Five plays start the evening. Then the audience decides which three can continue on. “Each week's serials could live on for weeks... or be quietly smothered in their sleep – it’s up to you. But whichever pieces you vote for, one thing is for certain - by the end of the evening, you will be a Serial Killer.”

Sacred Fools Theater Company. 660 N. Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles. 310-281-8337. Tickets are $5. Opens Saturday at 11 pm. Runs Saturdays at 11 pm until Nov. 3.

The Manual Archives. 3320 West Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles. 323-667-0156. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5. One night only on Friday with shows at 8 pm, 9 pm or 10 pm.

Empty Stage Theatre. 2372 Veteran Ave., Los Angeles. Reservations required: Bookshoptheatre@gmail.com. Tickets are $20. (Bring four friends and your ticket is free.) Two performances only on Sunday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 14 at 7 pm.

This morning, the LA Stage Alliance announced the nominees for the 2007 Ovations Awards, which are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles and considered by the LA Times to be the "...highest-profile contest for local theatre..."

30 categories in all, one of our favorite "LAist Recommends" from this year, "The Long Christmas Ride Home" at the Tribe Theatre in the NoHo Arts District, has been nominated for several awards including best ensemble, direction and intimate theatre.

Every nomination in the Best Touring Company category went to the Center Theatre Group, who run the Mark Taper, Ahmanson and Kirk Douglas Theatres.

The awards ceremony will be on Monday, November 12 at 7:30 p.m. in the Orpheum Theatre. To see the full nomination list, you can download the PDF at the Ovation Awards website.

Image from the 2007 Ovation Awards Booklet

One part Greek tragedy, one part Shakespeare's Henry IV, one part hip-hop concert Clay, a one man show written and performed by Matt Sax and directed by Eric Rosen, rocks the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Chronicling the life of a young man who "comes of age through the theatricality of hip hop", Clay has an unexpectedly moving quality about it. Raised in what can only be described as suburban hell, Clay's lead character, Clifford, is deeply affected by the divorce of his parents when he is ten years old. After having been forced to choose whether to live with his chain-smoking, mild mannered mother or his absent and volatile father, Clifford ends up carrying out the last six years of his relationship with his mother via the telephone. When his mother dies and his father remarries shortly thereafter, Clifford is further confronted with the emotional turmoil of his dysfunctional family life.

This life is turned completely on its head when Clifford makes the acquaintance of Sir John, a bookstore owner and storefront-rapper who, like Henry IV's Sir John Falstaff, takes the young man under his wing, teaching him the ways of the hip-hop world.

From the start, Sir John pushes Clifford to transcend beyond rapping about "bitches" and "hos" and truly delving into the darkness of his own past. And boy, is it dark.

Deftly imitating the Greek myth of Phaedra and her stepson Hippolytus, Clifford and his father's beautiful young second wife begin an affair. Needless to say, when he learns their transgression Clifford's father sends the young man out on his ear, forcing Clifford to start over once again.

It may be a tad chilly outside -- it's 68 degrees, break out those parkas! -- but LA's theatre scene is heating up. Here are LAist's five theatre picks for the week:

Evil Knievel, the Rock Opera
Yes, the stunt-daredevil motorcycle master now has a rock opera tribute. The music has a decidedly 70s sound.

Bootleg Theatre. 2220 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. 213-389-3856. Tickets are $25-$30. Opens Saturday at 8 pm and runs Thursdays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 5 until Oct. 28.

Murky Lake
After a series of life changes (divorce, death of her mother) 30-year old socialite Allison Jones is home to face her own demons. Murky Lake is a "deeply intense family drama peppered with wry wit and humor." (Adults only).

Atwater Playhouse & Method Acting School. 3191 Casitas Avenue, Los Angeles. 323-556-1636. Tickets are $10. Opens tonight at 8 pm. Runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm until Oct.27.

Promoted as a "rock-and-roll fable," Clay kicked off its month long run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre last Thursday.

Chronicling the rise of a fictional hip-hop superstar, from suburban hell to undisputed fame, the "one man hip hop musical" features Clay's writer, composer and lyricist Matt Sax in the title role.

A recent graduate of Northwestern University, Sax, along with director Eric Rosen, bring Clay to Los Angeles for its West Coast debut after it premiered in Chicago as a major hit for the About Face Theatre Company and Lookingglass Theatre Company last fall.

While L.A. reviews are still out, the Chicago Sun-Times' Hedy Weiss called Sax "a master of the form."

Sounds like something worth checking out.

Clay runs September 13th-October 14th at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Tickets are available online at www.centretheatregroup.org/tickets or by calling 213-628-2772.

It is the best musical you’ve (probably) never heard of. It boasts music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA, and lyrics by Tim Rice. Its rich songs fuse classical Broadway influences with sprinklings of disco. And it’s the only musical gutsy enough to include songs like “One Night in Bangkok” alongside the beautifully patriotic “Anthem.”

The musical is “CHESS,” which tells the story of Victor Korchnoi and Bobby Fischer-esque competitors in a heated race to beat each other and capture the heart of one woman. And this Monday, Sept. 17, Brian Purcell will direct a one-night-only performance of this musical at the Ford Amphitheatre. The cast includes Kevin Earley, Susan Egan, Thomas Griffith, Ty Taylor, Matthew Morrison, Cindy Robinson and Tom Shmid, all of whom will be backed by a 24-piece orchestra.

Part of the evening’s proceeds will be donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. To learn more, visit the event website. Tickets may be purchased through the Ford Amphitheatre website or by calling 323-461-3673.

LA’s theatre scene is packed with good stuff this week: Dolly Parton serves as muse; a Korean family’s road trip goes wrong; and a bunch of people sing about chess at the Ford. So without further ado, here are LAist’s five theater picks for this week:

Journey to Dollywood
Jolene is a small-town waitress who idolizes obsesses over Dolly Parton. When a stranger’s car breaks down in town, her life, a rival co-worker’s, and their eccentric boss’s lives are all changed forever. This dramedy is billed as a journey of self-discovery, but we wonder how many Dolly Parton boob jokes make it into the production?

The Matrix Theatre. 7657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles. 323-960-4418. Tickets are $20. $15 for previews. Previews tonight and Friday at 8 pm. Runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 pm until Oct. 27.

Chess: The Musical
Chess is used as a metaphor for romantic rivalries and US-Soviet relations during the Cold War. The story focuses on a love triangle: the ugly American grandmaster, an intense Russian champion who wants to defect to the West and the Hungarian-American woman player who arrives at an international chess championship with the American, but falls in love with the Russian. Part of the proceeds of this one-night only performance will be donated to Broadway Care/Equity Fights AIDS.

Ford Amphitheatre. 2580 Cahuenga Blvd.,East, Hollywood. 323-461-3673. Tickets are $35-$200. One performance only on Monday, Sept. 17 at 8 pm.

Durango
This is the first play of East West Players 42nd season. Durango chronicles the struggles of a Korean-American family reaching for that elusive American dream. Because of work troubles, Boo Seng-Lee forces his sons to take a road trip with him (and that in itself can’t be a good thing). Isaac fights with his inability to meet expectations with med-school applications and his teenage brother confronts issues of race and sexuality.

David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts. 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles. 213-625-7000. General admission tickets are $30-$35. (Preview tickets are $45 and opening night seats are $60.) Opens Wednesday, Sept. 19 and closes on Sunday, Oct. 14.

I was pretty much horrified through the first few songs of Junk, A Rock Opera. I really wanted to punch someone. It's not that it was bad, but the context was driving me crazy. And I think that was the point: to make the 9-to-5 office world seem like a horrible place where the only excitement of the morning is your Starbucks (yes, there was a song about Starbucks).

Theatre should not be just about enjoyable giggles, laughs and good times (though we love that too), but it should make you think, it should anger you, it should engage discussion too. At the very least, Junk confirmed an office life is still not for me anymore. To that, Junk is genius.

Junk's music by Brainpool was well done, composed of catchy tunes you'll be humming after you leave. But I'm not promising you'll be able to understand all the lyrics, therefore the story line. Not the fault of the cast or crew, but the new Lyric Theatre, which is a great space and maybe incorrectly named, was not built for acoustics. Then again, I'm not much of a lyric guy on first listen. Yet, Avenue Q was easy to understand, so I'm going to blame it on the space.

LA Weekly gives it a GO, but LA.com said no. We say if you really like musical theatre, you'll probably dig this too (our audience was extremely enthusiastic through the whole thing).

Junk runs through September 30, Thurs - Sat @ 8pm. Special Sunday showings on September 16, 23 & 30 @ 7pm.

Junk, A Rock Opera
Lyric Theatre
520 North La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Photo courtesy of the production

Ever wonder how your local news anchor could read the horrifying details of the latest terrorist attack, natural disaster or political scandal without breaking down and screaming their head off? Playwright, Kyle T. Wilson did, and penned a very funny play in the process, “Walking Into Traffic.” Directed by Chris Covics who was recently named one of the top ten artists to watch in Los Angeles by L.A. Stage Magazine, “Walking into Traffic” is a humorous look at the media and the effect it has on our culture.

Kyle took some time to speak with LAist about this fast paced comedy that can be seen at the Unknown Theater and stars Unknown Theater ensemble members Ed Dyer, Todd Gallahan, Sasha Harris, Kyle Ingleman, Shelby Janes, Craig Johnson, Joe Nicchi, and Goreti da Silva.

What was the inspiration for "Walking Into Traffic"?
I guess the most specific inspiration would be last year's news cycle. The Israeli, Hezbollah, bombing campaign really impacted me for some reason. I listen to the radio everyday, that's where I get the bulk of my news. While listening I just had this idea of this woman breaking down while reading the news. It really is amazing me to how stoic and monotone newsreaders can be while reading such horrific news. From there I had to come up with who would be on the other end listening to this, and I came up with the Bart (played by Dyer) character

Do you feel that Los Angeles is the perfect setting for this story?
Yes actually. I think Los Angeles is particularly interesting. You have traffic, the weather, bad cell phone reception. These are all things that are central to LA that frustrate these characters. These things plus living in LA in general allows ourselves to be held back from communicating and relating with other people. I think all cities have those predicaments, but I live in LA so I experience this first hand everyday. In particular, we have a bit about losing cell phone reception. Chris the director and I were having a phone conversation about the direction of the play and we were both consistently losing cell phone reception. Chris jokingly said, “This would make for a good bit for the play,” I say jokingly because that exact bit was already written into the play. One of the things that drives this play is the intersection of political and personal, and the ways people try to connect, and that’s what drives LA.

Last night was the Los Angeles premier of the Tony Award winning musical, Avenue Q at the Ahmanson Theatre. It has been praised from here to heaven during its successful run in Gotham City, where people loved its irreverent and raunchy style.

The New Yorker called it "splendid", USA Today said it was "witty", and the New York Times called it "savvy, sassy and eminently likable".

Avenue Q follows a group of rag tag Muppet-like characters in an eclectic and downtrodden New York City neighborhood. They curse (ha), they have sex (ha!), they get depressed (ha ha), they talk about masturbating (ha! ha !), drinking and marriage (hahahahaha).

Here's the thing: It's not funny.

The heatwave of 07 might be waning, but the local theatre scene is getting hot hot hot. Here are LAist’s five theater picks for this weekend:

Butterflies of Uganda: Memories of a Child Soldier
Butterflies of Uganda tells the story of Mary, who as a young Acholi girl was stolen from her home in Northern Uganda and forced to fight as a soldier in the Lord's Resistance Army. The play explores an already strained mother-daughter relationship as Mary’s daughter finds out the truth.

Greenway Court Theatre. 544 N. Fairfax, Los Angeles. 323-655-7679. Tickets are $25. Opens Friday at 8 pm. Runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 pm until Oct. 13.

One Flew West: A Thrance in Two Acts
The Outlaw Style Thrance Co. blends dance and theatre, and their latest production re-invents the world famous novel and movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest into an exploration of the lives of women.

Studio/Stage. 520 N. Western Ave., Hollywood. 323-860-6503. Tickets are $20. $15 for seniors and students. 2 for 1 tickets on Sept. 9 and 16. Opens Friday at 8 pm. Runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm until Sept. 30.

Throughout this next month, start your Hollywood weekend night with this overly silly, but laugh-out-loud production of three short plays about two genres so lovable that Kenneth Branagh recently shot Shakespeare's As You Like It ninja style and it's inevitable a fourth in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is to come.

Pirates and Ninjas, a production by this year's L.A. Weekly Award winner for Production of the Year (Marat/Sade), Blue House Theatre/Big Mama Farm, is kitschy backyard comedy theater with minimal set and excellent live music. From a choose your adventure ninja tale in your apartment to a story of a pirate moving in next door to a ninja, this set of short plays will leave you with a smile and wanting to go minimalist with your apartment decor like a ninja or yell "Yar!!!" (not Argh, mind you).

Tip: Afterwards, choose your poison on the Cahuenga Crawl: Tokio for ninjas or Tiny's K.O. for pirates.

Theatre of NOTE
1517 N. Cahuenga Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
myspace.com/pirates_and_ninjas

Fridays and Saturdays through September 22. Doors open for small gallery exhibition at 8:30. Showtime at 9 p.m. Added pay-what-you-dare performance on Saturday, September 15 at Midnight.

Photo by Marianne Williams