Every tree has a story. We have four.
Four shorts about trees.
Seeking Still: Online dating is hard for everyone, but especially trees.
Tree Counsel: A tree can be a sign from God or just a tree.
Sophistree: A tree wants to die. The man who protects it must choose.
Does it Make a Sound? In the forest, choose your partner wisely.
Trees stand stoically: changing the world, keeping it alive. We forget about trees sometimes, living in the middle of Los Angeles, until we notice the palms swaying elegantly or the deciduous leaves rustling, or we're on a hike through the needle-laden evergreens of Griffith Park. They live long lives, witness to events that no living person witnessed. They're a connection to the past and they preserve our future, but there are fewer of them each year. There's some funny in our shorts, but there's also that thread of philosophical musing that drives through each of them. What if we keep going the way we've been? What would happen if there were no more trees? Maybe these stories would get made up about them.
Ray Burley Productions (RBP) made their first piece of theatre as a company in 2006. The company grew out of a need for more ensemble theater in Seattle, and gave themselves standards of ethics and quality that remain a part of their mission. It's in Los Angeles now, responding to that same discovered need.
RBP went on hiatus for a few years when its founders started making new life journeys: some got married, one went back to school, another had a baby, a bunch went travelling. It's back, and now it's bringing together great artists from all across Los Angeles (and one from Seattle) for a thoughtful, intimate event.
We're producing four world premieres from five playwrights at the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival. For many of the writers, this will be their Los Angeles theater premiere.
Four Tree Plays supports the Female Playwrights Initiative. Visit LA FPI online for more information.
These four plays tell stories that will transport audiences to the fantastical, guide them to questions on the nature of being, and make them laugh, make them cry.
Part of RBP's mission includes making theatre accessible to everyone. Because we believe finances should not be a hindrance to audiences, all our shows are Pay-What-You-Can, with suggested donations on a sliding scale, depending on income.
Our intimate show is an experience our audiences will take with them into their everyday lives and maybe, hopefully, help them see the world with new eyes.