John Perovich News

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According to Costumer Allison Bauer, John Perovich's new play, unexpected, 'follows a mother and her three daughters as she tries to protect them from the pain and heartache of love. Coupled with a mysterious merchant, a love sick boy next door, a snake-charming girl, and a mysterious flying man, the daughters go on a journey to discover their own truths about love,' she said.

John Perovich's play, unexpected, opens May 19th at Brelby Theatre Company.

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John Perovich is a highly regarded playwright whose most recent offering, unexpected, opens May 19th at Brelby in Historic Downtown Glendale. He will teach a playwrighting intensive this spring at Brelby.

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Carolyn McBurney will next be seen in the world premiere of John Perovich's unexpected opening at Brelby next month. She has an extensive background directing and producing for stage and television.

Now & Then Creative Company is a culmination of perceived needs in the valley, coupled with opportunities for learning and growth with students at Metropolitan Arts Institute. The 'now' focuses on new play development and film production-working with local artists on the development of plays, screenplays, workshop productions, and film productions. The 'then' produces theatre classics that speak to our present time-plays that tackle large issues to provoke conversation around social concerns. Further, I imagine the classics to be interpreted with a strong vision from directors. We are interested in producing classics with strong concepts-we are not interested in producing classics in ways that feel familiar. More to that point sometimes classics begin to feel like museum pieces-once you've seen them, you've seen them. We want to nurture an exciting, vibrant, and meaningful approach to the classics.

I am most concerned with what the audience sees, as they are the viewers/hearers of our story, so what they gather from our performance must be paramount. I come in with a strong image of what I want the show to look like. I then block the show right away to get it on its feet. I call this building the skeleton. The rest of the rehearsal process is about fleshing out that skeleton. I do not have the actors wander the stage looking for what feels right for them. It may end up being more “true to life” by letting two people do what comes naturally, but that does not make for a good presentational performance. I block to keep things visually interesting and I work to use the entire stage.

Luke is having a bit of a crisis. He just broke up with his girlfriend, Jenny. This should be seen as a good thing until Luke gets cold feet.

'Even on the first read, Goulder's script was fun, clever, fast-paced, and had a lot of heart,' Perovich said. 'The play has gotten stronger and more entertaining with each new draft.'

'Not only are you learning a new skill or refining already existing ones, the instructors are working artists from all around the valley. Artists you may be working with in the future on a professional level are teaching you. It's a wonderful opportunity to not only learn but network.'

'There is something for everyone in the upcoming classes at Brelby Theatre Company,' said Education Director John Perovich. 'I speak frequently with audience members, collaborative artists, and our company members about what classes we should be offering at the theatre. This spring, we have 4 exciting class offerings that focus on playwriting, acting, directing, and musical theatre,' he said.

'There is something for everyone in the upcoming classes at Brelby Theatre Company,' said Education Director John Perovich. 'I speak frequently with audience members, collaborative artists, and our company members about what classes we should be offering at the theatre.'

We're excited for the New Works Festival! The plays were written by Metro students, predominately from my beginning and advanced theatre classes. Once completed, the plays were read by a group of 9 readers. The readers consisted of one of my advanced theatre students and a group of artists from Brelby (including Brian and Shelby). The plays were selected, began rehearsing in January, and will premiere at Metropolitan Arts Institute at the end of the month.

Now and then, but not often, a theatregoer experiences theatre that is THEATRE. Not theatre that tries to be film or television, but theatre that has the audacity to be theatrical. Theatre wherein the actor looks the witness in the eye and says, 'I know you know I'm an actor, and I know you're sitting there experiencing this with me. I know you see the lights and the seams in the muslin walls and the painted wood grain on the scenery. And I feel your heartbeat, and we're all breathing this air together.'

About his (and Ridley Pearson's) prequel to Peter Pan, writer/humorist Dave Barry said, 'When you write for adults, unless you happen to write some kind of transcendent classic, it's pretty much forgotten within a few months. But kids read a book, and tell their friends, and tell their brothers and their sisters, and they read it again. There's a lot longer shelf life.'

The two are featured in Brelby's Peter and the Starcatcher, opening Friday at the Brelby Playhouse in historic downtown Glendale. Maticic plays the coveted role of the dread pirate Black Stache (who will one day be Captain Hook), and Perovich appears as Lord Leonard Aster.

About his (and Ridley Pearson's) prequel to Peter Pan, writer/humorist Dave Barry said, 'When you write for adults, unless you happen to write some kind of transcendent classic, it's pretty much forgotten within a few months. But kids read a book, and tell their friends, and tell their brothers and their sisters, and they read it again. There's a lot longer shelf life.'

Kicking off their 9th Season, Brelby's Night of Shorts will feature the work of seven playwrights to whom were given prompts - imagine, create, or inspire - from which they created short original works.