Little Fish Theatre is honored to welcome back Xena: Warrior Princess star Reneé O'Connor to its stage in Dinner with Friends, opening May 10. Directed by Mark Piatelli and written by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies, Dinner with Friends examines the complexities of a marriage and the friendships that are affected by its breakup. This special limited engagement production runs May 10 through May 28.
Reneé made a name for herself when she resided in Auckland, New Zealand, playing the role of Gabrielle, Xena's trusted sidekick on the tremendously popular fantasy series Xena: Warrior Princess from 1996-2001. The scene stealing role created a huge worldwide fan base, one still active in countless websites dedicated to the actress and this signature series. Prior to her breakout role, Reneé starred in the serial Teen Angel, a regular feature on the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club. Other credits include the Disney film, The Adventures of Huck Finn with Elijah Wood, and television movies such as Follow the River with Ellen Burstyn, Danielle Steele's Changes with Cheryl Ladd, and James Garner's second Rockford Files reunion movie. Her televisions series appearances include Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Criminal Minds, and NYPD Blue.
A long time supporter of both Little Fish Theatre and its parent company, Shakespeare by the Sea, Reneé's favorite stage role continues to be Lady Macbeth in SBTS's 2002 production of Macbeth with fellow Dinner cast member Patrick Vest. Reneé also served as a co-producer of the San Pedro International Film Festival for four years, which used the LFT stage for its first industry panel.
After Xena, Reneé moved on to launch her own film Production Company, collaborating as either producer, director, or actress for award-winning short films, web series, and feature films, bridging social awareness with the entertainment industry. In addition to her talents on stage, and on the big and small screen, Reneé was the Producer for the San Pedro International Film Festival Youth Film Intensive program, a not-for-profit mentorship program to educate and showcase middle school and high school talent. She has been an annual nominee for the Women Making A Difference award by the Los Angeles Business Journal since 2010. Reneé is currently producing, with her husband Jed Sura, a feature film called Watch the Sky, which was written and directed by San Pedro raised Alex Murillo.
Dinner with Friends new run dates are May 10 through May 28: Wednesdays May 10, May 17 and May 24 at 8pm, Friday and Saturday May 27 and 28 at 8pm, and Sundays May 21 and 28 at 2pm. The May 21 show features a special Talkback session where the actors and creative team will be available for a post-show discussion with the audience. The opening night performance offers a special "First Look" price of only $23 per ticket. Regular priced tickets are $27/$25 for seniors for the remainder of the run. Tickets can be purchased online at www.littlefishtheatre.org, or reserved by phone at 310-512-6030, or by text at 424-226-6030. Popular subscription packages of Anytime Tickets are available now and can be used at any of Little Fish Theatre's regular season productions, at any time.
Founded in 2002 as an artists' ensemble, Little Fish Theatre presents classic and contemporary plays in an intimate setting on Centre Street in downtown San Pedro.
*This production is presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule.