Showtime Magazine, May, 2000
Written by Catherine Yoel, Staff Writer.
Performance Space Features Two Superb One Act Plays
Nestled on Museum Row on Wilshire Blvd. is a very small but remarkably wonderful venue: Actors Art Theatre. This 32-seat intimate theatre is actually a large apartment, converted into a wonderful little performance space with surprisingly quality results.
Two one-act plays currently running, Brothers, Not Keepers and Dolores are perfect examples of their quality work. Both plays are about siblings and the arduous relationship that they have upon reaching adulthood.
The former, Brothers, Not Keepers is a simple tale of two brothers, deftly performed by Ron Pisaturo (also the playwright) and Michael Albala. Their co-dependent relationship is explored in less than 30 minutes with a crafty subtlety in this fine one-act play.
The length is not too long, not too short, but juuuuuuusssssst right for its subject matter. Pisaturo's writing has wonderful nuances of comedy and drama balanced for an interesting, thought-provoking little performance piece, a perfect "opening act" for the night.
The second act, if you will, is the more complex one-act play, Dolores by Edward Allan Baker. The title character is one of two sisters (the family disappointment), who unexpectedly and unreceptively visits her dependable sister Sandra (married, with children), and the two sisters have a momentous day of revelation.
Dolores is an emotionally charged play about the relationships that sisters develop as adults as their lives diverge from their mutual upbringing.
Filled with many moments of powerful dialogue, Dolores has wonderful depth for a one-act with two characters. Both actresses are extremely talented and give top-notch performances. Andrea Tate who plays Sandra, gives her character a toughness and strength blended with an underlying twinge of vulnerability that is a perfect counterpoint for the unstable and fragile Dolores.
Dolores is played by Jolene Adams, who gives the character a very poignant and touching quality. She is a wonderful actress, whose talent adds a dimension and a depth to the character. Adams and Tate have a fine showcase for their considerable talents in Dolores.
Adams is also the founder of the Actors Art Theatre, and she can be proud of her accomplishment. This small but quality theatre has found a niche of its own in the ever-widening Los Angeles theatrical community: A showcase for talented performers interested in the work rather than the glitz.