Billed as "an original coming-of-age story and a fairy-tale of sorts," Coffeeville, a monologue written and performed by Antoinette Valente, continues through Sept. 4 at Glaxa Studios in Silverlake, CA. Valente is a stage, screen and TV actor who received a Drama-Logue award for her work in Freeze at the Padua Hills Playwrights Festival.
Producer Karesa McElheny describes Valente's work as "unclassifiable. It takes you through the twists and turns of a young girl's mind as she deals with what her family, life, and the inner workings of her own psyche have dealt her. Morbid? Poetic? Painful? Funny? Yes, to all of those."
Director Michael Hacker worked with Wim Wenders and Francis Coppola for three years at Zoetrope Studios after graduating with an MFA from UCLA's film school. He has written and directed several plays, including Long Time Coming at the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica.
McElheny is resident director at the Knightsbridge Theatre in Old Town Pasadena. Among her credits are The Lion in Winter, Julius Caesar and Hedda Gabler
The set for Coffeeville is by Alex Wiesenfeld, a German-born painter who splits her time between Montana and L.A. Her artworks are an integral part of the show.Glaxa Studios is located at 3707 Sunset Blvd. For tickets ($10) and information call (323) 874-9636.
-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent