Another Successful Reading!

Another wonderful audience, and tons of fun with our trivia game and themed giveaway. But of course, the night belonged to the vibrant, uber-talented actors of

DIVAS INC. by Elisabeth Fies

In order of appearance:

Heidi Hornbacher NARRATOR, C.JAY

Troy Conrad KENNY

Chauntal Lewis SARAH

Carlos Carrasco MR. MILES, DIRECTOR

Rashaan Harper SARAH’S LITTLEST SISTER, TEEN, EMCEE,
REPORTER, KATE, KNITTING TRANSVESTITE, BOOTH ATTENDENT

Rebecca Michaels MOTHER MILES BISHOP, PROTEST LEADER, NURSE,PRE-OP TRANNIE, FLAMBOYANT PRIEST

Trevor Murphy POPS / DIVA

Joe Peracchio MA / MISS JULIE

Jonah Blechman MANLY KNITTER / YVONNE

Tarek Zohdy JOE, DELIVERYMAN, JESSE PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, FRATBOY

Tara Radcliffe RAQUEL

Annette Reid BARBARA, BARTENDER, TRANSGENDERED CLERK, GLIB HOST, CROSSDRESSER, RADIO ANNOUNCER



As always, the feedback from the audience and cast was incredibly helpful. And the crowd had this to say about the script:

"I loved the script reading! Very witty and cute!"
-Gregg Silver, Broker Associate

"You are truly talented...It's just a matter of time and unfortunately $, but things are going to really start coming together for these projects. I just know it and I'm so excited!"
-Chauntal Lewis, Actor

"Thanks again for the invite. It was fun!
-Cindy Baer, Director-Producer of Purgatory House

"It was a blast and your friends you assembled were all very cool and interesting and contributed with a lot of heart and talent to the reading. Just honored to have been up there with them. and I feel like your script is really funny and touching…and perhaps even more important – I've never seen it before. In other words it's original and exciting."
-Joe Peracchio, Artistic Director of Tricklock Theatre Company

"I have to tell you, I can't stop reading! This is hilarious! I am laughing out loud at starbucks!"
-Tarek Zohdy, Actor

Divas Inc - Eighth Reading

FEEDBACK LA cordially invites you to a reading of

Divas Inc.
by Elisabeth Fies

"The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" meets "Queer Eye"

GENRE: Gay comedy/satire
TAG: They'll blow your hair and your mind.

A sheltered Mormon teen from Idaho follows his ambitious fiance to Hollywood. When she dumps him for a director, only the salon of friendly neighborhood transvestites can help him win her back. With their makeover and relationship advice, the pilgrim makes a desperate bid to save her soul from LA and get home virginity intact. But are his fairy godmothers helping him, or do they have their own nefarious agenda?

ELISABETH FIES is…"Kid Sis", as seen on CNN in the Eisner-winning book "Mom's Cancer" and the popular blog Kid Sis in Hollywood

* Associate Producer of "Conventioneers" (2006 Spirit Award).
* Writer/director of "Pistoleras" (in pre-production).
* LisFies.com
* IMDb Elisabeth Fies

Tuesday, December 5th at 7:30 p.m.

Meta Theatre
7801 Melrose Avenue 90046
Corner of Melrose and Ogden. 2 blocks east of Fairfax.



The "Divas Inc." feature script is based on the short "Divas Incorporated" written by Lis Fies and directed by Tim Laurie.



Writer Lis Fies takes advantage of the casting couch.

Photos from seventh reading: DEAD RONNIE

Our seventh reading was Oct 4th, 2006 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. The reading was following by a Q&A session moderated by Sharri Hefner, which allowed writer Courtney Lamb to hear immediate audience feedback to help in future drafts of the script.

Thanks to those who came to see it and participated in the Q&A, and to the excellent readers, who did a great job of bringing the comedy to life!

The script was DEAD RONNIE, by Courtney Lamb, loosely based on the short film of the same name.

Writer Courtney Lamb does the introductions for the reading.

Feedback LA member Sharri Hefner leads the audience Q&A after the reading (with help from her daughter, no doubt a budding producer).

The excellent and funny readers were (from left): Chip Sickler, Amanda Sickler, Renee DeBevoise, Susan Mackin, Amanda Troop, Jay Harrington, Rodney Holland, and Frank Crim. Chip, Amanda (T), Rodney and Frank are also in the Dead Ronnie short film.

Some of the audience members at the reading.

Accomplishments

Feedback LA members have been aggressively pursuing their writing careers; the following is a current status list for projects that we've workshopped at our meetings and/or Reading Series.

ADELITAS by Sarah Vaill
2007 Finalist, Latino Screenwriting Competition
2006 1st Runner-Up, AAA Screenplay Contest (Creative Screenwriting)
2006 Finalist, La Femme Film Festival Screenplay Competition
2006 Semi-finalist, Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting
2006 Semi-finalist, Slamdance Screenplay Competition
2006 Quarterfinalist, Screenwriting Expo Competition
2006 Quarterfinalist, Writers on the Storm Screenplay Contest

PISTOLERAS by Lis Fies
2006 In pre-Production.
Also, graphic novel adaptation in development.

DEAD RONNIE by Courtney Lamb
2006 Short Film making the festival rounds. See the website for upcoming screenings. Feature script in development.

FIXING EMMA by Heidi Hornbacher
2006 Top 25%, AAA Screenplay Contest

THE NEWS GIRL by Anna Siri
2005 UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting - Winner
2006 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Contest - 2nd Round

BEHIND THE GLASS by Sharri Hefner and Carrir Hadaller
2006 Top 10%, Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting

COSMIC CORN by Sharri Hefner
2006 American Zoetrope - Quarterfinalist

DOT'S TANGO by Sharri Hefner & Anna Siri
2006 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Contest – 2nd Round

Reading Series, Oct 4th, 2006: DEAD RONNIE by Courtney Lamb

Caroline

Winnie

Ronnie's Car

Mason

You are invited to a public staged reading of DEAD RONNIE, a feature comedy written by Courtney Lamb, based on her short of the same name (www.deadronnie.com).

Genre: Comedy
Logline: Caroline Barker returns home to bury Ronnie, her unprincipled lowlife of a brother, and hopes his death will finally bring her back into the family fold, but Ronnie's bloodsucking friends and complicated life are harder to get rid of than she thought.

Readers: Amanda Sickler, Amanda Troop, Renee DeBevoise, Susan Mackin, Chip Sickler, Frank Crim, Rodney Holland, Jay Harrington

7:30pm
Miles Memorial Playhouse
1130 Lincoln Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90403
(corner of Lincoln and Wilshire, in Reed Park)

Free and open to the public.

Photos from sixth reading: FIXING EMMA

Our sixth reading was June 28th, 2006 at the Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood. The reading was following by a Q&A session, which allowed writer Heidi Hornbacher to hear immediate audience feedback to help in future drafts of the script.

Thanks to those who came to see it and participated in the Q&A, and to the actors!

The script was FIXING EMMA, by Heidi Hornbacher.

Writer Heidi Hornbacher preps some of the readers.

More of the Fixing Emma readers.

Reading Series June 28th, 2006: FIXING EMMA by Heidi Hornbacher

You are cordially invited to a reading of
FIXING EMMA
by Heidi Hornbacher

Emma, a creative blacksheep, wants to matter to her family’s restaurant business but she seems to mess up every chance she gets. With the family’s “magic ingredient” olive oil almost gone and the Italian producer mysteriously refusing to sell them more, Emma’s stressed out sister, Caitlin, bans her from the restaurant. The only way Emma won’t be branded a loser forever is to race to Italy to get the oil and prove herself to her family, winning the heart of an impossible Italian along the way. There’s only one problem: Emma doesn’t know the first thing about olive oil…or love.



French Kiss meets In Her Shoes, Fixing Emma is a story about finding your strengths, facing your fears and building family.

The Sacred Fools Theater www.sacredfools.org
660 N. Heliotrope (just south of Melrose), Hollywood 90004 Between Vermont and Normandie
++ Parking FREE in lot next to the building ++

Heidi Hornbacher is a graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, a former teacher of Italian and current lover of all things Italy. Her genre is comedy. Fixing Emma is Heidi's 6th script.

Photos from fifth reading: ADELITAS

Our fifth reading was April 26th, 2006 at the Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood. The reading was following by a lively Q&A session, which allowed writer Sarah Vaill to hear immediate audience feedback to help in future drafts of the script.

Thanks to those who came to see it and participated in the Q&A, and to the actors!

The script was ADELITAS, by Sarah Vaill.

Writer Sarah Vaill welcomes the audience and introduces the script and the actors.

Some of the Adelitas readers.

More of the Adelitas readers.

ADELITAS Reading on April 26, 7:30 PM

FEEDBACK LA cordially invites you
to a reading of

ADELITAS
By Sarah Vaill



Mexico 1910: When Pancho Villa raids the Hacienda Palomas, teenage Adela escapes the fields to join his revolution. Swept into the chaos of war and passion, she finds the courage to lead and takes on a battle of wills with Villa himself.

This Wednesday, April 26th, 2006, at 7:30 p.m.
___________________________________________________

The victories and defeats in the Mexican Revolution were sung into folksongs by Pancho Villa's fighting men. Nearly 100 years later, the song La Adelita remains one of Mexico's most popular today. Remembered proudly, all the women of the Revolution's ranks have come to be known by one endearment—the ADELITAS.

“ADELITAS is an action-packed tale about loyalty, love, and learning which one is worth fighting for.” --ScriptAlley.com
___________________________________________________

The Sacred Fools Theater www.sacredfools.org
660 N. Heliotrope (just south of Melrose), Hollywood 90004
Between Vermont and Normandie

++ Parking FREE in lot next to the building ++

A graduate of the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, Sarah Vaill is also a bilingual documentary director, a member of NALIP, and…secretly a Doublemint twin. She writes for V-Day, launched by Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, and has had a set of nine monologues commissioned for performance by WFN. Sarah's genre is female adventure stories, and ADELITAS is her 4th completed script.

Thanks

The Minnehaha read went well. A special thanks to all the actors who participated:

VICTOR YERRID
FRED CROSS
FARRAH GREYE
DENISE GLASS
MARCOS AKIATEN
MICHAEL BARNARD
SCOTT STEPP
JOSH MURPHY
MARK ARNOLD
SUSAN MACKIN
LIELLE ARAD
STUART BENNETT

Coming soon......ADELITAS by Sarah Vaill

Reading Series April 19th: Minnehaha

FEEDBACK LA cordially invites you
to a reading of

MINNEHAHA
By Drew Falkman

Wednesday, April 19th at 7:30 p.m.

After a series of disappointments in his Minnesota hometown, a young man flees to a Caribbean island. Through the love of a peg-legged woman and the spirit guidance of an indifferent Indian chief, he returns to make Minnehaha a place worth calling home. ___________________________________________________

“Minnehaha is a unique comedy with a squishy, heart-felt center. Kind of like a Twinkie but without the nausea or guilt. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

Anonymous White House source (not Karl Rove)

___________________________________________________

Minnehaha is a story about how one man finds his home where it always was and fights to keep it the same. Which sounds pretty boring. Until you think about it. In today’s bi-coastal culture, we can live anywhere and at times can feel downright disconnected from our roots. At the same time global corporations are hell-bent on putting the same restaurants and stores in every town so that every place is really the same, anyway. This is our world. This is Swanny's world.

Swanny doesn’t have it easy, either. The day he is born, his father takes one look at him and jettisons the delivery room. His mother is a whacked-out artist. He tries to start his own family as soon as he can, but only freaks out his girlfriend. He tries to start a company, but that fails miserably, too. So he takes off to a beautiful island where he falls in love with a peg-legged woman and her 10-year old son, and helps them get tourists back. At last, a real home. Until a dead Indian chief appears to him in a vision and tells him he’s needed back in Minnehaha. Of course he goes. Wouldn't you?

After a heart-wrenching departure, he returns, this time to a battle with his little brother over a development deal that will erase all that's unique in Minnehaha. But Swanny, ever resourceful, has a solution: build a giant loon in the town center to attract tourists and keep their town quaint. The question is: can he pull off such a cockamamie scheme? ___________________________________________________

The Sacred Fools Theater www.sacredfools.org
660 N. Heliotrope (just south of Melrose), Hollywood 90004
Parking in lot next to the building ____________________________________________________

About Drew Falkman:

A graduate of UCLA's Professional Screenwriting Program and an alum of UW-Madison's journalism school, writing has always been a part of Drew's life. Drew has published two books through major publishers and contributed to numerous publications over the years - online and off. Minnehaha is Drew's 4th completed screenplay.

Pistoleras Actors

A big thanks to our amazing
Reading Cast:

NARRATOR Courtney Graff Lamb

THE PISTOLERAS:
ALLISON Carly Craig
JAMIE Tria Xiong
CASEY Lily Chai
HEATHER Farrah Greye

LOS ANGELES / ROAD TRIP:
TEENAGE GIRL Leslie Lello
DRIVER Tom Derek
FEMALE VOICE Christina Wickers
SUSIE SPRINKLE Annette Reid
SEXY BEAST Mark Arnold
FEDERALES Stuart Bennett
DIRTY OLD MAN Andrew Jackson

THE CHRISTIAN DUDES:
LUKE Keisuke Hoashi
MATTHEW Mark Arnold
THE WAY GUY Fred Cross

MEXICO:
MAN IN BLACK Jeremy Jed Hammel
BLONDE MAN Keisuke Hoashi
PEDRO Robert Negron

Photos from third reading: PISTOLERAS

Our third reading was March 22nd, 2006 at the Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood. The reading was following by a lively and thoughtful Q&A session, which allowed writer Lis Fies to hear immediate audience feedback to help in future drafts of the script.

Thanks to those who came to see it and participated in the Q&A, and to the actors!

The script was PISTOLERAS, by Lis Fies & Sharri Hefner.

Writer Lis Fies welcomes the audience and introduces the script with a trivia contest.

The readers prepare.

Welcome to our lair: the corridor into the theatre.

Feedback member Courtney Lamb (far right) moderates the post-reading Q&A with the audience and actors as writer Lis Fies listens.

Audience members respond during the Q&A.

Feedback LA members, actors and audience members mingle after the reading.

Reading Series March 22: PISTOLERAS by Lis Fies

FEEDBACK LA Writer's Group cordially invites you to a reading of

PISTOLERAS
by Elisabeth Fies

GENRE: Teen Chick Spaghetti Western, Ultra-violent
Tarantino and Rodriguez meet Blue Crush and Gloria Steinem.

When FOUR TEENAGE GIRLS cut school to surf in Baja, their dangerously naive sexuality lands them in danger. After hooking up with a van of Christian boys, one of them disappears. The raucous journey to find her takes the girls deep into the underbelly of the Skin Industry, where they must brutally battle Federales and the Mob to save their childhood friend and free all the enslaved girls.

ELISABETH FIES is…”Kid Sis”, as seen on CNN in the Eisner-winning book “Mom’s Cancer”. For dozens of industry blurbs about her writing, visit the popular blog Kid Sis in Hollywood.com

Wednesday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m.

The Sacred Fools Theater
www.sacredfools.org
660 N. Heliotrope (just south of Melrose)
Hollywood 90004

Parking free in open lot next to building

Scripts available on request to industry guests.

Also by Elisabeth Fies:

DEAD MOM'S CLUB - A dark RomCom about a clique of twenty-somethings thrust into caregiving positions. With 1 in 2 Americans diagnosed with cancer, and 1 in 3 twenty-somethings forced to move back home with their parents for financial reasons, DEAD MOM'S CLUB is a zeitgeist script that is Generation Y's BIG CHILL.

THE COMMUNE - When a punk teen is forced to spend the summer on her estranged father's commune, she learns that not only is he a dark shaman, but she's been bred to be the Midsummer sacrifice. If you miss the intelligence, craftsmanship and psychological truth of horrifying thrillers like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Shining", you'll love pooping your pants at THE COMMUNE.

Photos from second reading: DOT'S TANGO

Our second reading was February 15th, 2006 at the Sacred Fools Theatre in Hollywood. Thanks to those who came to see it, and to the actors!

The script was DOT'S TANGO, by Sharri Hefner & Anna Siri.

Feedback members and script authors Anna Siri and Sharri Hefner welcome the audience to the reading.

Readers Elisabeth Fies (a Feedback member), Robert Negron, Julie Weidmann, Julie Alexander, and Susan Mackin.

Readers Susan Mackin, Mark Arnold, Fred Cross, Connie Wainwright, and Brian Davis.

Readers Julie Weidmann, Julie Alexander, Susan Mackin, and Mark Arnold.

Readers Fred Cross, Connie Wainwright, and Brian Davis.

Readers Julie Alexander and Susan Mackin.

Readers Mark Arnold and Fred Cross.

Readers Julie Weidmann, Julie Alexander and Susan Mackin.

Readers Robert Negron and Julie Weidmann.

Readers Fred Cross and Connie Wainwright.

Feedback member Drew Falkman listens intently.

Members of the audience mill around.

Feedback members Drew Falkman and Heidi Hornbacher work the concessions stand.

Mingling after the reading.

Feedback members Lis Fies and Heidi Hornbacher after the reading.

Reading Series, Feb 15th: DOT'S TANGO, by Anna Siri & Sharri Hefner

Get ready for FEEDBACK LA's next reading -- Feb. 15th at 7:30 p.m.

DOT'S TANGO by Anna Siri & Sharri Hefner

Dreamy Dot leaves the comfort of a nursing home in pursuit of geriatric passion with smooth-talking Jack, but when Jack mysteriously disappears, Dot is forced to make a decision - continue living in a dream and let the world crush her remaining spirit, or face reality and find happiness in the life she left behind.

The reading will be held at:

THE SACRED FOOLS THEATER http://www.sacredfools.org/
660 North Heliotrope - Hollywood, CA 90004

And will feature the talents of: SUSAN MACKIN, MARK ARNOLD, FRED CROSS, JULIE WEIDMANN, JULIE ALEXANDER, CONNIE WAINWRIGHT, ROBERT NEGRON, BRIAN DAVIS and COURTNEY LAMB

Photos from the first reading: HENCHMAN

Our first reading was at the Judith Weston Studio/Two Lights Studio. Thanks to the excellent readers and those who came to listen, give feedback on the script, and mingle afterward!

Intro to the reading (from right): Anna Siri, Courtney Lamb, Sharri Hefner, and Readers

Readers introduce themselves (from left): Amanda Tate, Michele Karpel, Allan Rabinowitz, Annie Savage, Seth Beeler, Brendan O'Malley, Sarah Sido, Robyn Moran

During the reading

Reader Seth Beeler chats up audience members

Reader Fred Cross gets in character(s)

Courtney Lamb listens intently to an audience member