Photo courtesy of cARTEL website
Los Angeles is seriously one of the coolest places to live. There are so many things to do here that just when you think you’ve done it all you realize you haven’t even scratched the surface! Last week I had an unusual, yet extremely entertaining evening hanging out in a strangers living room. No I wasn’t drugged and dragged to a house unknown. I’m talking about cARTEL, a collaborative arts group that brings more than just art to the table. They have everything from theater and art to concerts, workshops and classes. I’m not much of an artist (stick figures anyone?) but I do love watching theater given my dance background. When the opportunity to go see a show arises, I’m all about it. But this show wasn’t just any show, it was done cARTEL style!
The play is called Amongst The Trees and is performed in a living room. Yes. You heard right. A living room. Guess where the audience was? Yes. We too were in the living room. CRAZY! Talk about 3D! It was funny and intense and it all happened within feet from my face. This kind of play going goes far beyond anything you can imagine. The play is about a father a daughter coping with loss. Can we say intense drama? There were some fighting and yelling written into the dialog and boy did it make me feel uncomfortable. Silly of me to say, but I felt like I was imposing. Talk about being a fly on the wall.
Coco Kleppinger plays Barbara the overwhelmed and confused daughter of Gregory played by Issac Wade. Phil Daddario plays Luke, the over understanding boyfriend. The dynamic trio-cast is beyond believable and is a must see if you get a chance to score some tickets. I believe they might be sold out but you can go HERE to see all that cARTEL has done and is doing.
