LOS ANGELES, CA, April 29, 2022 — Theatre of Arts, Hollywood's longest-running acting conservatory, today announced its second live production since the COVID-19 shutdown: the riveting, mythologically-inspired Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka. Starring an ensemble cast of talented TOA conservatory students, the play is directed by Independent Shakespeare Company veteran Melissa Chalsma and will run May 12th – 22nd at The Complex Hollywood's Dorie Theatre on Santa Monica Boulevard.
A spellbinding tale of young people pushed to society's fringe, Naomi lizuka's Polaroid Stories blends classical mythology and real life stories told by street kids whose lives are continually threatened, devalued and effaced. Inspired in part by Ovid's Metamorphoses, Polaroid Stories is set in a gritty, urban-industrial no-man's land where runaways seek camaraderie, refuge and escape. Informed by interviews with homeless youth, Polaroid Stories conveys a whirlwind of psychic disturbance, confusion and longing. Like their mythic counterparts, these modem-day mortals are engulfed by needs that burn and consume. Their language mixes poetry and profanity, imbuing the play with lyricism and great theatrical force.
David Conolly, Director of Education for Theatre of Arts comments, “We are delighted to be staging Naomi's Iizuka's dynamic and compelling play. Polaroid Stories is a thought-provoking multicultural spin on Ovid, and a wonderful vehicle for showcasing our conservatory's incredibly talented actors. We are so grateful to director Melissa Chalsma of Independent Shakespeare Company for bringing her immense gifts to TOA in shepherding this exciting cast and production.”
Director Melissa Chalsma adds, "Polaroid Stories remains a vibrant and still-timely exploration of themes of personal evolution and youth alienation, and I am thrilled to be collaborating with this amazing cast of student actors."
For more information on Polaroid Stories, visit TOA.edu/live. Advance tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite. Please note that COVID-19 safety protocols may be in effect on some or all performance dates as per mandate of LA County.
Theatre of Arts is owned and operated by Campus Hollywood, a unique alliance of entertainment industry-related schools and companies linking students, educators and professionals into a thriving arts community based in the heart of Hollywood, California.
CONTACT:
David Conolly, Director of Education
Theatre of Arts
e: davidlaw@toa.edu | p: (323) 685-6196