For several years, the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division has presented free Theatre in the Parks programming. This year, as the City of West Hollywood continues to navigate the coronavirus public health emergency, the City presents two Virtual Theatre experiences for the 2020 season produced by Playwrights Ink and Classical Theatre Lab.

There has been extremely positive feedback about these virtual theater experiences from community members and local businesses, so the program has been extended through Thursday, December 31, 2020. As a reminder, community members are urged to adhere to current Los Angeles County Safer at Home Orders: stay home as much as is practical and, when in public for essential needs, wear a face covering and maintain physical distance from people outside of your household.

Playwrights Ink, a collaborative of eight Southern California playwrights with more than 100 local and national productions to their collective credit, brings While You Wait to patrons in West Hollywood waiting in line at local businesses.

While You Wait offers the West Hollywood community bite-sized virtual theatre experiences by presenting eight one- to two-minute mini-plays, monologues, and animations, all examining the theme of waiting. Viewers will be able to connect to the videos by pointing their cell phone cameras at QR codes placed as stickers or banners at businesses and parks throughout the City while they wait in one of the many lines that are part of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses seek to ensure social (physical) distancing by limiting occupancy.

A partial list of West Hollywood businesses where community members can view While You Wait videos is as follows: The Abbey, The Artist Tree, The Assembly, Astro Burger, Book Soup, Burger Boss, Calma, Connie & Ted's, Conservatory, Daphne’s, Employees Only, Formosa Cafe, Fresh Corn Grill, Gelato Festival, Gracias Madre, Hamburger Mary’s, Harlowe, Hot N Juicy Crawfish, Hugo’s, Kung Pao Bistro, La Bohème, Los Tacos, Pavilions, Rocco’s WeHo, Salt & Straw, Starbucks, Strings of Life (S.O.L.), Tashman Home Center, Trader Joe’s, The UPS Store, Yogurt Stop, and zpizza.

With theatre audiences unlikely to gather in shared spaces for many months, While You Wait serves as a playful reminder that the show must go on(line) by taking theatre to people on the streets where they work, shop, and play.

While You Wait videos will also be available to view online through at www.weho.org/arts or http://bit.ly/wehoartstheatre

Classical Theatre Lab, a nonprofit organization devoted to exploring theatre, literature, and performance, brings a costumed online reading of The Drag by Mae West to life. The performance streams online until Monday, November 30, 2020 at www.weho.org/arts or http://bit.ly/wehoartstheatre and they are offered to the public free of charge with donations accepted at www.classicaltheatrelab.org.

The Drag, subtitled A Homosexual Comedy in Three Acts and written by Mae West under the pseudonym Jane Mast before she became a blockbuster Hollywood star, is about the cost of living with a secret life. The Drag enthralled, but also scandalized, audiences in theatres just outside of New York City where it opened in 1927. The play’s portrayal of homosexuality and drag queens led to authorities shutting down performances after just two weeks. The play never made it to Broadway, as Mae had hoped.

This Classical Theatre Lab reading features guest artists Kelly Mantle, Roger Q. Mason, and T. Ashanti Mozelle. A singer, songwriter, and comedian, as well as actor, Mantle guest-starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race among their numerous TV credits. An accomplished writer/performer, Mason penned and starred in Lavender Men at both Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles and Circle in the Square in New York. Mozelle can be seen in Trade, the 2019 feature film based on true story of a Los Angeles transgender prostitute.

The City of West Hollywood’s 2020 Virtual Theatre is organized by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division. For more information please contact Joy Tribble, the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Technician, at (323) 848-6360 or at jtribble@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.

The City of West Hollywood has declared a local emergency in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. When in public, community members should maintain your space with social (physical) distancing of at least six feet, and cover your face. Public Health officials recommend that everyone continue to follow physical distancing and infection control directives and wear a clean face covering that securely covers both your nose and mouth when in contact with other people not in your household. West Hollywood City Hall is currently closed to in-person transactions, but City Hall services remain accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via the City’s website at www.weho.org. City of West Hollywood coronavirus information is available at www.weho.org/coronavirus.

For up-to-date news and events, follow the City of West Hollywood on social media @WeHoCity and sign up for news updates at www.weho.org/email. For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.