A BIT ABOUT ALLEN BARTON
Allen is a Los Angeles-based playwright with 4 feature-length plays to his credit: CIRCLING (2018), DISCONNECTION (2015), YEARS TO THE DAY (2013), and ENGAGEMENT (2010). He has authored a book, THE OASIS OF INSANITY (2017), a screenplay, REAL MUSIC (2012), and is also one of LA’s most respected acting teachers as owner and principal instructor at the renowned Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school. Feel free to contact Allen directly…
PLAYS
CIRCLING (IN DEVELOPMENT)
Based on a true story.
James and Andy couldn't be more different. James is a high-strung, high-powered surgeon. Andy is a free spirited, free-wheeling carpenter. Unlikely colleagues, they've nonetheless agreed to work together on a very unique project -- and it's making James' wife crazy ...
Over the next few months, as they work diligently towards the project’s completion, Andy, James and his family will break down barriers years in the making. They will fight about what matters most, grow closer than they'd ever imagined possible, work to repair the damage caused by missed opportunities, and, in the end, come to understand the true gift of life.
DISCONNECTION
A successful lawyer, his piano teacher and his estranged daughter find themselves having to face the dark side of the church that has earned their their devoted allegiance. The Church’s regretful founder begins to reveal its true origins and insidious practices, while its current “Chairman” rules with diabolical fear and cunning. Ripped from current headlines, DISCONNECTION is a searing indictment of contemporary church corruption.
YEARS TO THE DAY
One of the most acclaimed plays in the 2013 Los Angeles theatre season, YEARS TO THE DAY uses the spare construct of a single conversation between old friends to take on marriage, social media, the delicate relationship between parents and kids, contemporary film, politics, gay rights and more in a searing confrontation between two men approaching middle age. Can their friendship survive... friendship? Have their early forties “we’re men now” maturity made them more certain of who they are in a good way? Or are they simply more calcified and inflexible? “After meeting an old friend, four years to the day from our last get together, it struck me that though we knew what phones and computers we were using, we had no clue about each others lives, or what had truly happened to us in those years.” – Allen Barton
ENGAGEMENT
A love story set against the cacophony of social media and politics: Mark, an over-educated, fast-talking, dangerous-thinking handful, tries to come to terms with his intense feelings for the more down-to-earth and practical Nicole, while their friends Dennis and Rachel roll their eyes and discover their own connection.
REVIEWS
Thought provoking... a powerful indictment of contemporary religious intrusion into personal lives... not [to] be missed... Barton need to be commended for so ably telling this disturbing and pertinent story.
"Disconnection"
Hollywood Revealed
A riveting two hours… A relentless, gut-wrenching expose… Keeps you on the edge of your seat… No written review can do justice to this production - every scene is that powerful...
"Disconnection"
LA Splash
This is an exceptionally well wrought play with beautifully written, easy flowing dialogue and meaningful monologues.
"Disconnection"
Santa Monica Daily Press
A gorgeous new play... A social satire that's simply George Bernard Shaw for the 21st century. It's so good to see a play unafraid of articulating an argument... Years to the Day is about its text, about life crises and self-absorption and desperate, comic loneliness. It's a very smart play, an hour and a half of delight.
"Years To The Day"
LA Weekly
Allen Barton’s cleverly written play is, in my imagination, David Mamet meets Bret Easton Ellis. There is dialogue fit for massive adult human consumption, never a dull moment, and with rich manly characters that don’t hold back on delicious adult banter, which by the way, tears each other’s heart out without even realizing what they are doing. It is a marvelous ride.
"Years To The Day"
Joe Straw Theatre Blog
Cleverly funny and brashly challenging... Allen Barton’s text rings true with many of its observations... the dialogue crackles along at such a pace it’s hard not to believe that these men have been friends their whole lives.... What we witness here is an insightful dissection of some big ideas about life and how to live it.
"Years To The Day"
The Public Reviews, Edinburgh
...Flashes of fresh and funny philosophical insight.
"Engagement"
LA Times
...Hilariously, terrifyingly articulate. Barton draws passionate performances from his actors.
"Engagement"
BACKSTAGE (Critics Pick)
… All the makings of a very funny, even significant, piece of work… Could become a staple of theaters around the country…
"Engagement"
Santa Monica Daily Press
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