Photo Flash: First Look at POOR CLARE at Echo Theater Company

Echo Theater Company presents the world premiere of Poor Clare, a play by Chiara Atik about what happens when your eyes are opened to the injustice of the world around you - and you can't look away. Alana Dietze (Dry Land, The Wolves) directs for a March 14 opening, with performances continuing through April 20 at Atwater Village Theatre.

Set in 13th Century Italy and based on the real story of St. Clare of Assisi, Atik's powerful and very funny modern spin on the Middle Ages couldn't feel more timely. Clare and her sister Beatrice (Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson and Donna Zadeh, both seen in last season's The Wolves) are ordinary teens from an affluent family - they could just as well be living in 21st Century Calabasas or Beverly Hills. They worry about the latest styles, and gossip about boys with their live-in help (Kari Lee Cartwright and Martica De Cardenas). Together with their mother, Ortolana (Ann Noble), they do their best to be socially conscious and "give back," donating leftover food to the poor (Robert Stoccardo) and organizing clothing drives. But Clare is intrigued when she hears that a local boy, Francis (Michael Sturgis, last seen at the Echo in Gloria), recently stripped naked in the market square - ostensibly as a protest against poverty. "That's so dumb," Clare says at first. "Like, who is pro poverty? It's just a thing. Like just a fact. Of life."

Poor Clare opens on Saturday, March 14, with performances continuing on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. through April 20. Three preview performances are set for Wednesday, March 11; Thursday, March 12; and Friday, March 13, each at 8 p.m. Tickets are $34 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; Monday night performances are $20 in advance, and Pay-What-You-Want at the door (subject to availability). Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Ave in Los Angeles, CA 90039. On-site parking is free. For reservations and information, call (310) 307-3753 or go to www.EchoTheaterCompany.com.

Photo Credit: Darrett Sanders