Mandy Rubeli’s “Dinosaurs” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival follows Claire (Hailey Hudson), who comes home to find an actual dinosaur inside her apartment. After calling her best friend Hayden (Devin Stone) for help, Claire begins to realize that the dinosaur may be connected to unhealed abuse she experienced when she was thirteen. As the story unfolds, Hayden, Claire and the dinosaur decide to track down and confront her abuser before the space-time continuum collaps

“White Elephant” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival is a reading of a comedic mystery by Ryan Copple about a brother and sister who believe they have pulled off the perfect crime by murdering their mother to protect their inheritance. Things take a turn when the sister receives an unexpected gift: the murder weapon. From there, the story becomes less of a “whodunnit” and more of a “who knows it?” The set features eight chairs placed at either side of the stage. Christma

Scene from "Trickster" at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 “Trickster” by David Bridel is a creative mix of myths, stories, movement and music that explores the chaos, humor and mystery “the Trickster” brings into our lives. Performed by six actors and a live musician, the show uses shadows, physicality and imagination to create an experience that is funny, strange and engaging all at once. All the performers commit to the physicality and absurdity of the Trickster spirit. Thei

Cast and crew of "The Pearl" & "The Trick" at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 “The Pearl” & “The Trick” are two plays written by Joe Praml that explore greed, loneliness, and emotional and moral indifference. “The Pearl” follows a family waiting for their grandmother to die, but instead of grieving, they seem more interested in what they can get from her. When a valuable black pearl is discovered inside Grandma, the play becomes a dark and funny look at how selfish people can

“Something Anxious” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival presents two one-act plays within an hour connected through tone, tension and the feeling of being trapped in situations that are both funny and unsettling. First up, “Anxious Attachment,” leans into technology, isolation and escape, while “Something Ancient” shifts into apocalyptic family dysfunction. Together, both plays create an evening that is simple in structure but effective in execution. “Anxious Attachment,

Dara Kosberg in "Homecoming" at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 “Homecoming” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival is an autobiographical one-woman show by Dara Kosberg that follows what happens when she receives a phone call from her father telling her that her mother is dying and she needs to fly home from Australia. What follows is Kosberg navigating the unhealed parts of herself while reflecting on the complicated and superficial relationship she had with her mother

“Fulfillment” follows Claudio Parrone, Jr. (also the play’s writer), an aspiring actor living on the East Coast who realizes he has hit a ceiling and decides to move to Los Angeles to chase his dream. Once he makes that decision, his reality begins to shift, sending him on a journey of self-discovery, acceptance and understanding what fulfillment truly means beyond the dream itself. The ensemble cast does a wonderful job landing comedic moments while still balancing emotional

From left: Jose Eduardo Moreno (Damon) and Michael Dukakis (Nick) in "Punish Me" at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 Written by Michael Dukakis based on true events, “Punish Me” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and performing at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, is about narcissism and manipulation with high stakes for the protagonist. The set resembles a modest Los Angeles apartment, providing just enough detail to establish the world without distracting from the story. Th

“Playback” by Jessica Fisher at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival is about a woman who shares negative information about her ex-boyfriend during a podcast and the controversy that ensues. Set design is lovely, simple and gives the production exactly what it needs to tell this story, with four mics, two blue solo couches, one long orange couch sitting on top of a rug and a minibar on the left-hand side from the audience’s point of view. The design feels clean and intention

Impro Theatre’s second annual tribute to Rod Serling’s “Night Gallery” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival focuses on three sci-fi/horror stories. Its “A Haunting Revue II” features stories about an adopted extraterrestrial in “Birds of a Feather,” a mysterious big brother in “The Lateness of the Hours” and workplace creepiness in “The Flight or Flight Response.” Though set design is minimal, each vignette has its own distinct visual identity. Lighting helps elevate the

Written by Shak Kanish and directed by Fabiana Medici and Chris Prinzo, “Melt” is a new play about college-student actors Eli and Ryan rehearsing a play written by their professor, performed on June 11 at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Set design is simple but effective. A blue couch, red theatre seats, a locker, and small table help establish a college environment and give the characters a clear space in which to exist. Lighting design is one of the stronger tec

Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and performing at the Zephyr Theatre, “Arguments!” is a one-act play by Evelyn-Claire Smith about a couple living together in New York who learn more about each other through their arguments. The performances are natural, grounded, and easy to invest in. Actors Nikki Marie as Alma and Charlie Bauer as Alex each have a strong grasp of their characters and create believable chemistry that keeps the story moving. Their comedic exchan

Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival and performing at the Broadwater Second Stage, “My Brother’s Room” — co-written by Angus Leslie and William MacDonald — is about estranged brother Bobby returning into his younger brother Carson’s life, only it turns out he’s not the hero Carson wants him to be. Set design is intricate and thoughtfully put together, bringing to life the brothers’ shared bedroom. The production clearly took its time creating a bedroom that feels sp

Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival, “Verve, Intensity, and Personality” at the Madnani Theater is a solo show about a former child actor whose career prospects have run dry — except for one final audition. Hannah Moore delivers a refreshingly relatable, funny and grounded performance as 29-year-old Abigail priming for her big audition moment. The humor never feels heavy-handed, and Moore does a skillful job playing a confident, slightly pretentious actor in an audi

Benjamin B. in "The Anti-Magic Magic Show" at The Hobgoblin Playhouse/Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 (Photo courtesy of the artist) Illusionist Benjamin B.’s “The Anti-Magic Magic Show” — billed as a magic show for people who don’t love magic shows — is having its world premiere at The Hobgoblin Playhouse as part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival. Benjamin’s performance is lighthearted, clear and informative. Since this is an anti-magic show, the production does not re

Mark Vigeant’s “Out There” at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival is a solo show that blends live video with clowning, about a burnt-out engineer hoping for viral fame by livestreaming his survival adventure in Alaska. But when the wild pushes back against his questionable survival skills, his mission soon spirals into chaos. Performed at the Broadwater Mainstage, Vigeant’s acting is raw, unfiltered, honest and memorable. At a recent showing, I really appreciated the way he

Lucas James Nelson’s “Angst” at the Hollywood Fringe Festival follows a man dealing with the physical manifestations of his anxiety and a nonstop voice inside his head. As he learns how to manage it, he begins to understand what it truly takes to live with himself and accept who he is. Performances by Spencer Weitzel as “Anybody” and Theo Fay as “Angst” are smooth, conversational, and grounded in honesty. Both actors have a strong understanding of their characters, delivering

Gabrielle Jackson in "They Tend to Themselves: A Choreopoem" at Hollywood Fringe Festival 2026 Part of this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival, “They Tend to Themselves: A Choreopoem” follows solo performer Gabrielle Jackson as she explores self-love, healing, ancestry and what it means to care for yourself in a world that can often make that difficult. Through poetry, movement, sound and reflection, Jackson creates a thoughtful and intimate performance that leaves the audience

Maya Drake (Ali), right, and the company of the North American Tour of Alicia Keys’ “Hell's Kitchen” (Photo by Marc J. Franklin) The Public Theatre in New York City may be the theatrical equivalent of Max Martin or Quincy Jones in terms of its hitmaking history. The shows it has sent to Broadway over the years have included iconic, award-winning works like “Hair,” “A Chorus Line,” “The Normal Heart,” “Topdog/Underdog”, and more recently “Hamilton,” “Fun Home,” “Fat Ham,” “Suf

Scene from "The 39 Steps" at Whittier Community Theatre (Photo courtesy of the theatre) The historic Whittier Community Theater, now in its 102nd season, is staging a wonderful rendition of Patrick Barlow’s “The 39 Steps.” Barlow adapted his 2005 play from John Buchan’s 1915 novel and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film based on it — but uses only four actors to play dozens of roles in a fast-paced, comedic style. Susan Hunter Eiden directs the tight ensemble on a stage set simply