THEATER AS THERAPY
The waiting room at a psychiatrist’s office is an emotional airlock between the chaos of the outside world and the sanctuary of the therapy office. It’s public yet private, a shared place of solitude. It’s a space to transition and collect your breath as well as your thoughts and feelings while entering introspection mode. This transition can stir up eagerness, anxiety or even dread — things that BetterHelp is equipped to deal with.
But what do you do if your therapist is delayed and you’re sitting there waiting? You’re trapped. Etiqutte would dictate that you remain silent and don’t engage with others, but when three people are stuck in a therapist’s waiting room in Group Therapy — Peter Lefcourt‘s new dramedy that opens tonight at Theatre 68 — they’ll learn things about one another they would rather not know. Now, how dangerous could that be? Directed by Terri Hanauer, the cast features Andy Hoff, Ashley Platz, and Marnina Schon.
Marnina Schon and Andy Hoff
photo by Frank Ishman
Group Therapy
Sweet Talk Productions
Theatre 68 Arts Complex ’” The Emerson
5112 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood
85 minutes, no intermission
ends on August 27, 2023
for tickets ($25), visit OnStage411
Scenic design is by Celine Diano, lighting design is by Donny Jackson, costume design is by Mylette Nora, sound design is by Stephanie Yackovetsky, and properties designer is Jenine MacDonald. Combat consultant is Julie Ouellette and graphic design is by Nancy Nimoy. Casting is by Michael Donovan, CSA, and Richie Ferris, CSA.
Playwright Peter Lefcourt has worked in television, film, and theatre, with many of his plays produced locally and nationally, including Remembering the Future, Sweet Talk, La Ronde de Lunch, Mutually Assured Destruction, The Death of Leon Trotsky: A Comedy, The Way You Look Tonight, Café Society, and The Death and Life of Mary Jo Kopechne. He is the author of eight published novels ’” The Deal, The Dreyfus Affair, Di & I, Abbreviating Ernie, The Woody, Eleven Karens, The Manhattan Beach Project, and Purgatory Gardens. The Deal was adapted as a movie in 2008. His television career spans more than 30 years, and he won an Emmy Award as a writer/producer. Notable credits include Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Our Family Honor, Studio 5B, Due South, Beggars & Choosers, Karen Sisco, and Desperate Housewives. Among his longform TV credits are Cracked Up, The Women of Windsor, Fine Things, and the miniseries Monte Carlo.
