RISE (ELEPHANT STAGES): 100% – SWEET

Gowrie Hayden and Brett Colbeth in “Rise” at the Elephant Stages. Credit: Natalie Hsieh.

SWEET
Mean, lean and full of hard punches, “Rise” is a surefire attention grabber that doesn’t let go. If you liked “Mercy Seat” then sit down for this intense trip.
M.R. Hunter – EyeSpyLA

SWEET
Director Aaron Lyons’s production is feverishly intense, with the stage almost not being big enough to contain Hayden and Colbeth’s crackling chemistry.
Paul Birchall – LA Weekly

SWEET
Written by first-time playwright Cal Barnes and featuring two dynamic actors, Brett Colbeth and Gowrie Hayden, Risehas a raw, visceral intensity about it, an intensity that is maintained over the entire course of its 60-minute length.
Willard Manus – Total Theater

SWEET
On Friday I had the chance to see Rise, and fell totally under its spell. My favorite (and predicted winner) is indeed Rise.
Bob Leggett – LA Examiner

SWEET
RISE, scripted by Cal Barnes and deftly directed by Aaron Lyons, stars Brett Colbeth and Gowrie Hayden, is the most polished, narratively engaging, and morally complex play I’ve seen in the Festival to date.
Richard Adams – World Socialist

SWEET
Barnes’ play is lifted from its inevitabilities by two factors: riveting performances and the 24-year-old Barnes’ haunted, evocative dialogue. One can’t help wonder how someone so young could harbor such a gritty bleakness in his worldview.
Travis Michael Holder – Backstage

SWEET
Lovers of exciting, edgy theater are hereby advised to check out Rise, whose Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday schedule makes it particularly easy to find a spot for on all but the most crowded calendars. Busy as this reviewer is, I am glad indeed that I took a chance on Rise.
Steven Stanley – StageSceneLA

SWEET
Aaron Lyons’ finely honed direction meticulously traces the ever-shifting patterns of revelation, accusation and recrimination, and the two actors play them out with passionate conviction.
Neal Weaver – LA Weekly

RISE
Presented by Zenith Ensemble in association with Elephant Stages
At Elephant Stages’ Elephant Theatre
6322 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood
Nov. 8–Dec. 6, 2012
Tickets: (323) 960-4410