BARBARA AND LAWRENCE FLEISCHMAN THEATER,
GETTY VILLA
Venue
A visually stunning production of Euripides' "Hippolytos" inaugurated this magnificent outdoor 450-seat theater last season. Set in the hills of Malibu, the theater has an air of enchantment that could rival anything in the mythological world. The well-heeled neighbors aren't exactly thrilled to have audiences clogging up their pretty streets, but in time they may take pride in their proximity to a venue that seems destined to become the foremost center of Greek theater in America. Up next for the alfresco theater: "Tug of War," director Meryl Friedman's adaptation of Plautus' comedy "Rudens" ("The Rope"), from an original translation by Amy Richlin (Sept. 6 to 22).
Charles McNulty
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FRANCOIS-PIERRE COUTURE
Designer
Simon Abkarian's Actors' Gang production of Shakespeare's tricky comedy "Love's Labor's Lost" in July was widely praised, not least for its visual delights. At the heart was a strong contribution from up-and-coming young designer Francois-Pierre Couture, whose lights and curtain-swathed set were indicative of the UCLA-educated, Montreal transplant's European aesthetic. Reflecting such inspirations as Theatre du Soleil and avant-garde French-Canadian theater, film and opera director Robert Lepage, Couture's work has been increasingly seen in L.A.'s small theaters since 2005. He'll be at the Geffen Playhouse next, as set designer for Jeffrey Hatcher's psychological drama "A Picasso," in the Geffen's Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater (Feb. 11 to March 25).
