COMPANY HISTORY

 
 

2025

February: Our production of Sonnets From Suburbia receives an encore performance at The Hollywood Independent Theatre Festival (HITFest).

March: Andy Robinson receives a Stage RAW Award for his Leading Performance in our production Sukkot.

2024

January – February: The World Premiere of Matthew Leavitt’s Sukkot runs at The Skylight Theatre. Directed by Joel Zwick and starring Andy Robinson, Natalie Lander, Liza Seneca, Jonathan Slavin.

April: Our first Ebell Event is an unforgettable staged reading of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night featuring a live jazz quartet. In partnership with The Ebell of Los Angeles.

July: Our production of Sonnets From Suburbia makes its New York City debut at 59E59.

August: Sonnets From Suburbia travels across the Atlantic for a successful run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, becoming our first international production.

September: The return of our “Dramatic Pauses... For Good Causes” staged reading festival, featuring Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys starring Andy Robinson and Armin Shimerman. All proceeds benefited PanCAN, an organization that leads the fight against pancreatic cancer.

October – November: Jonathan Tolins’ Buyer & Cellar starring Emerson Collins runs at The Whitefire Theatre to rave reviews. Directed by Larry Raben. 

2023

June: The World Premiere of Sonnets From Suburbia written and performed by Penny Peyser debuts at The Hollywood Fringe Festival and marks our return from Covid. Directed by Matthew Leavitt and Liza Seneca.

July: Sonnets From Suburbia earns the Producer’s Encore Award.

September: Sonnets From Suburbia runs at the inaugural Hollywood Independent Theatre Festival (HITFest).

2022 

The 6th Act officially receives 501c3 status.

2021

Theatres closed due to Covid.

2020

February – March: The World Premiere of Matthew Leavitt’s The $5 Shakespeare Company runs at Theatre 68, directed by Joel Zwick. The play earns the unique distinction of being the very last production to ever earn a Los Angeles Times Critics’ Choice recognition.

October: Contributed to ATLA’s virtual short play festival Together LA with a filmed production of On by Spencer Green. Starring Natalie Lander and Jared Hillman. Directed by Matthew Leavitt and Liza Seneca.

2019

March – April: Our production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet runs at New American Theatre to great acclaim and reception. Adapted and Directed by Matthew Leavitt. Winner of 4 Stage Scene LA Awards including “Best Direction of A Play” and “Best Ensemble in a Play”.

June: The World Premiere of Spencer Green’s The Scorpion and the Frog: a time killer debuts at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.

July: The Scorpion and the Frog: a time killer earns the Producers’ Encore Award.

November: The second annual “Dramatic Pauses... For Good Causes” commences with a staged reading of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing starring Kitty Swink and Armin Shimerman with proceeds benefitting Our Children’s Trust.

The second night of the festival featured a showcase from students of The Los Angeles High School of the Arts (LAHSA) with all proceeds benefitting their school. 

2018 

June: Our first full production, An Evening of Betrayal, combined Harold Pinter’s Betrayal with Liza Seneca’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello and runs at Theatre 68. Directed by Elizabeth Swain and winner of 6 Stage Scene LA Awards.

November: The first ever “Dramatic Pauses... For Good Causes”, our annual festival of staged readings where all profits go to a different charity.

For our inaugural festival we featured a reading of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone directed by Elizabeth Swain, with proceeds going to City of Hope.

Night two featured a staged reading of Matthew Leavitt’s new play The $5 Shakespeare Company with proceeds benefitting The Hirshberg Foundation.

Night Three brought Night Hawks by Dennis Pratt and Robert Vincent O'Neil, directed by Gary Lee Reed with proceeds benefiting The Actor’s Fund.

Night Four was a reading of Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece The Glass Menagerie directed by Del Shores, benefiting The Miracle Project.

The final night presented Jane Martin’s Keely and Du, directed by Liza Seneca with proceeds benefitting Planned Parenthood.

2017

May: We produced a free staged reading of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar at The Silverlake Library that was open to the public. This beautiful event was directed by Elizabeth Swain.

November: Our final performance of Barfly Shakespeare at The Federal Bar.

2016

November: Our very first event is the World Premiere of Barfly Shakespeare, written and directed by Matthew Leavitt. Barfly Shakespeare would be performed sporadically over the next year at The Federal Bar.

April: The 6th Act is officially formed by founding Co-Artistic Directors Liza Seneca and Matthew Leavitt