Penned by Audrey Cefaly and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2020, ALABASTER was developed over the course of a year before making its premier at the Florida Repertory Theatre in 2019. ALABASTER was named to “The Kilroy’s List” of excellent new plays by women and won the Calicchio Prize. In 2025, the Fountain Theatre proudly presents the Los Angeles premiere of ALABASTER. To quote director Casey Stangl, “I love the play’s edgy theatricality and deft mix of comedy and drama…it attacks some very complex subjects – trauma, grief, and the healing power of art – with a complete lack of sentimentality that is filled with humor and humanity.”
Laura Gardner and Carolyn Messina – Photo by Julie Fowells
The place is somewhere near Alabaster, Alabama, and the time is now. For three years since the death of her entire family in a tornado, June (Virginia Newcomb) has been living in an isolated Alabama farmhouse with only her two goats, Bib (Laura Gardner) and Weezy (Carolyn Messina), for company. She spends her days creating “outsider” art, reliving the tragedy which took her family, and pondering the scars (both physical and psychological) left behind. Then things change dramatically when New York celebrity photographer Alice (Erin Pineda) enters the picture. Alice is writing a book about women with scars and telling their stories in words and photos. The prickly June and the sophisticated Alice couldn’t be further apart in how they see the world. That is, until their secrets are revealed; and the two discover the healing powers of relationship, art, and love. So what if, all the while, Weezy keeps sticking her nose into their business with her sassy observations while Weezy’s mom Bib makes some goaty noises which only Weezy can understand?
Carolyn Messina and Erin Pineda – Photo by Julie Fowells
Skillfully helmed by Stangl, the dramedy pokes fun at some very serious topics while examining the parameters of trauma and grief. The cast – especially Newcomb and Pineda – do an excellent job of pulling the audience into their very personal concerns, fears, and conflicts. Frederica Nascimento’s scenic design – enhanced by Ly Eisenstein’s video design and Jenine MacDonald’s prop design and paintings – brings the deep South within striking distance, as do Rebecca Carr’s costumes, Krys Fehervari’s makeup (kudos for the “scars”), Alison Brummer’s lighting, and Andrea Allmond’s sound and original composition. ALABASTER tackles the meaning and purpose of art and the struggle of lost and tortured souls who create that art – all the while keeping the perspective offered by humor. ALABASTER is a well-done character study of two women (and their goats) which should prove thought-provoking and entertaining. SURPRISE FACTS: Newcomb, who plays June, was actually raised in Alabaster, Alabama – and both playwright Cefaly and Messina, who plays Weezy, are native to Alabama!
Virginia Newcomb and Erin Pineda – Photo by Julie Fowells
ALABASTER runs through March 30, 2025, with performances at 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029. Tickets are $40 (regular seating), $45 premium seating, $35, seniors, and $25, students (Pay-What-You-Want Mondays subject to availability). For information and reservations, call 323-663-1525 or go online.
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