The West is a multimedia storytelling collective
We make not only sketch comedy, but live plays, web series, short and feature length films, immersive events, campfires, haunted houses, lecture series, book readings, and anything else that requires at least one person to perform for at least one other person.
We seek contemporary analogues for ancient campfire rituals and tap into the power that performance has over individuals and communities.
August 3 – 25, 2016: The Echo Theater Company
(Extended run)
“[Director Sam Hunter’s] signature stylistic choices were perfect in both their comical content and heart-wrenching focus . . . thought-provoking and exceedingly well done.”
“An experience you won’t soon forget” from “two of LA’s best theatre companies.”
“A heartbreaking, disturbing probe into atrocity and accountability . . . a fresh and stimulating new way of treating the past.”
“Blatantly theatrical . . . a most unusual, interesting play.”
Stage Raw Recommended
Released June 6, 2016
Featured on Planetary Radio episode “Could the Soviet Union Have Won the Space Race?”
“... there aren’t many alternate history podcasts, so it is always a treat when I find one. Especially one that is so well-made. I absolutely loved this podcast.”
“People talk about multimedia, but this is true, physical multi-media—I feel like I’m discovering actual objects that have leaked in from another world.”
Devin O'Neill
The Armageddon Club
April 1 – 3, 2016: La Jolla Shores, San Diego
April 14, 2016: Isla Vista Arts, Santa Barbara
April 15 – 16, 2016: Westmont Fringe, Santa Barbara
April 24 – May 15, 2016: Annenberg Beachfront, Santa Monica
“Ingenious choice of The West and The Flagship Ensemble to produce Idaszak's piece (with integral elements of water) actually near the wave-crashing shoreline.”
“Love is an implacable force of nature, Second Skin poignantly insists, with the power to imperil as well as redeem.”
“A startlingly beautifully done play that’s deceptively simple, subtle, and dreamlike.”
“Dazzling to watch.”
“Idaszak’s writing is often beautiful, lyrical and evocative.... Under Jopson’s direction, the three performances are potent, and at times, spine-tingling.”
June 11 – 27, 2015: Theatre Asylum, Hollywood Fringe
July 16 – 18, 2015: Bootleg Theater
November 12 – 19, December 3 – 17, 2015: The Echo Theater Company
December 4 – 11, 2015: The Lyric-Hyperion
December 13, 2015: Angel City Brewery
“Brave, balls out, wildly theatrical and moving.” “Virtuoso theater, romantic, inventive and gutsy.”
“Another of this play’s great beauties is the performers’ sheer artistry. Only gradually do we appreciate the intense, demanding physicality of their work.”
“An undeniably charming and satisfying hour of theater. All three members of the cast are excellent.”
Jonathan Ross
Bitter Lemons
“A banner year for dramas at Fringe, I wish for wider audiences to discover the thrills of Lady Into Fox.”