New York’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater coming to L.A.

New York’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is looking to go bi-coastal and will make its Los Angeles debut in April with a production of “Slipping,” starring Seth Numrich, at the Elephant Stages’ Lillian Theatre in Hollywood.

The Rattlestick is a downtown New York company that produces works by emerging and established playwrights who have a certain aesthetic edge. Some of the notable writers it has produced include Adam Rapp, David Adjmi and Jon Fosse.

“Slipping,” by Daniel Talbott, is scheduled to officially open April 6 at the Lillian and will run through at least May 5. The play tells the story of a homoerotic relationship that develops between two high school students who will be played by Numrich and MacLeod Andrews.

PHOTOS: Arts and culture in pictures by The Times

Both actors appeared in the play when it ran at the Rattlestick in 2009. Numrich played the lead in the original Broadway cast of “War Horse.” He recently appeared in the Broadway revival of Clifford Odets’ “Golden Boy.”

Brian Long, the managing director of the Rattlestick, said in a phone interview that the goal of establishing an L.A. presence is to give its playwrights exposure to people in the film and TV industries.

“We want to support our playwrights in all ways,” Long said. He said the Rattlestick isn’t entering into an artistic partnership with the Elephant Theatre Co. and that it will be a space rental situation.

“It will be an experiment for us to see how we manage the process. If it goes well, we would like to do more,” Long said.

The Elephant partnered artistically with New York’s LAByrinth Theater Co. in 2010 to create co-productions.

This month, the Rattlestick will stage a new play in New York by actor Jesse Eisenberg called “The Revisionist,” which will star Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave.
ALSO:

‘War Horse’ on Broadway: What did the critics think?

LAByrinth Theater Company to partner with L.A.’s Elephant Theatre

Theater review: ‘The History Boys’ by Alan Bennett at the Ahmanson Theater