Artistic Director, Stage Director
THEATRE
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"Director Dimitri Toscas’ most inspired twist is to dole out Valcq’s orchestrations among company members... in a bit of Toscas brilliance, “The Visitor” uses his instrument to speak words he cannot get his voice to utter,."
-Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
Garry Marshall, Burbank CA
Music and Book by James Valcq
Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Based on the film by Lee David Zlotoff
Directed by Dimitri Toscas
A hearty helping of the great American musical - Order up!
Run away to a small town where they “roll the streets up at night” and find yourself in a café that serves up a soul-stirring story with a strong cup of joe. This joyous musical bubbles over with toe-tapping fun and soaring, heart-felt melodies – and is proof that a new beginning is as close as your own back porch.
Garry Marshall, Burbank CA
OVATION NOMINATED: Best Production of a Play
OVATION WIN: Best Actress in a Play, Carolyn Hennesy
Written by Terrence McNally
Directed by Dimitri Toscas
Starring Emmy-winner Carolyn Hennesy as Maria Callas, with Roy Abramsohn, Jeff Campanella, Maegan McConnell, Landon Shaw II, and Aubrey Trujillo-Scarr.
Inspired by world-renowned Opera diva Maria Callas’ magnificent JuiIliard master class series, Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play spotlights the tour-de-force artist and vulnerable woman known as La Divina. Join Callas as she relentlessly coaxes, prods, and edifies her young students, motivating them to give the performances of their lives, while revealing her humor, her demons and her genius.
"Heartbreaking...gorgeous production...[it’s] mighty, poised, prickly, opinionated, disdainful, luminous, and utterly enthralling.”
-Broadway World
Falcon Theatre, Burbank CA
Written by Jonathan Tolins
Produced by Garry Marshall & Kathleen Marshall LaGambina
Directed by Dimitri Toscas
Inspired by Barbra Streisand's book My Passion for Design, this Off-Broadway hit comedy stars Jai Rodriguez (ABC's Malibu Country, Broadway's Rent, Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) as Alex More, a struggling actor in LA, who takes a job working in Barbra Streisand's Malibu basement, as a solo shopkeeper of sorts for her mall-like collection of memorabilia. What is true? There is a galleria in the basement of Streisand's home. Tolins takes this truth and creates a hilarious world where one man services the whole mall for a single customer, Babs herself.
"Spectacular. Beyond Brilliant. This show will go down like butta'!" –Entertainment Weekly
"It's a seriously funny...slice of absurdist whimsy."–New York Times
"Blake and Mayberry skillfully pull off a range of quick-change, and sincere, emotions, quickly building realistic characters before our eyes, with expert direction by Dimitri Toscas."
—Julie Riggott, Culture Spot LA
Falcon Theatre, Burbank CA
Written by Mark St. Germain
Produced by Garry Marshall
Directed by Dimitri Toscas
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway wrestle with the sparks of art and the perils of creativity—and the personal destruction they can reap. In this combative comedy fueled by friendship and rivalry, these two literary heavyweights reunite in 1937 at Fitzgerald’s home in Hollywood’s fabled Garden of Allah. There they explore their mysterious bond and the genius that first brought them together, and ultimately tore them apart.
"It's a flawless experience that makes you realize just how much value theatre has in our lives."
Don Grigware, BroadwayWorld.com
A WEST COAST PREMIERE
Falcon Theatre, Burbank CA
Class tells the story of Elliot, a veteran acting teacher in New York City who is visited in his studio by Sarah, a mysterious young starlet. In the course of their work together, they learn more about themselves than acting - and in doing so change each others’ lives forever. Written by Charles Evered - Produced by Garry Marshall
Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
a modern spin on an old tale.
this INTO THE WOODS broke the mold;
for on the outside everything seemed perfectly "magical" but underneath...
a contemporary set, projections, unique costume wig and makeup design, this new production will challenge what you know your beloved fairtales to be -- upending the stories to see what lies underneath. No one is safe in the woods.
Gilda Radner: A Sort of Romantic Comedy
Falcon Theatre, CA
"Critic’s Pick! A triple threat production: great writing, vibrant direction from Dimitri Toscas and superb acting evoke a visceral energy that is every bit as remarkable and palpable as Gilda herself. Under Dimitri Toscas’ sterling direction, the actors have an energy, a rhythm that moves electrically from moment to moment making the characters totally honest and likeable. 5 out of 5 stars."
-BroadwayWorld.com
a patchwork of memories punctuates one man's struggle to define the relationship he shared with comedy legend Gilda Radner, a "sort of love story" tells of the riotous (sometimes tortured) life of a funny lady and her untimely death.
Falcon Theatre, CA
"pitch-perfect direction" -Robert Machray
"Toscas’ direction is meticulous and sprightly." -LA Times
"Dimitri Toscas guides his performers with a sure hand through the play’s leaps in time and space." -Backstage
"The acting borders on brilliant… Every nuance and gesture is perfectly measured and adds to the genuine and realistic characterizations of these comedic geniuses." -Radomir Luza
Allie Kazan and the Magic Mansion
Orlando Family Stage
"In an inspired touch, at times the actors illuminate themselves with hand-held lights, adding an extra spooky vibe in the old campout ghost-story way.
Director Dimitri Toscas handles it all with a light touch." -Orlando Sentinel
Circa' 21, IL
Design elements were steeped in historic fact and influenced by ancient art, with a hint of Technicolor flair. The production was approached more as a play with music rather than an "old fashioned musical". Therefore, the musical numbers were more integrated into the story, propelling the characters forward, making for a more cohesive and urgent production.
Circa' 21, IL
"Yule love it!"
-RIVER CITIES READER
"Thank you, for creating this flawless, inviting snow globe of a world…where our troubles really are miles away."
-Quad-Cities Online
Muncie Civic Theater, IN
The production concept was simple: A boy finds a book filled with blank pages. He imagines what he might find, until he imagines a red-and-white hat into reality. He tries to pull the hat from the page only to find...
Muncie Civic Theater, IN
"One of the best things Muncie Civic has ever done. The obviously brilliant guest director Dimitri Toscas brought his cachet to a difficult task. He put together a complex musical story and he made it look easy."
-the Star Press
the MAGIC flute
Falcon Theatre, CA
Commissioned by Garry Marshall for a World Premiere at the Falcon Theatre, this hour-long family version of the renowned opera was transformed into an exciting musical Quest, complete with dragons, magic spells and wacky characters. The Art Deco production design was inspired by Erte’s Opera and Folies Bergere costume and set designs, making for a colorful, enchanting production. Starring Paul Vogt (MADtv, LA Opera’s Grande Duchess and Broadway’s Hairspray!) and Nicole Parker (MADtv, Broadway’s Wicked), the LA Times called this raucous opera a Recommended Critic’s Pick!
the Little Mermaid
Falcon Theatre, CA
The second work commissioned by Garry Marshall and Toscas’ third critical hit at the Falcon Theatre, "the Little Mermaid" was a personal achievement. Based on Hans Christian Anderson’s beloved children’s story, this hour-long original musical features not only book and lyrics by Dimitri Toscas, but also the original score and music. With songs inspired by traditional Greek folk melodies, the story is told against the backdrop of a mythological Ancient Greece. Zeus and Poseidon, fantastical creatures and a villainously comical Medusa, the familiar love story between a sweet Mermaid and her handsome Hero is revived with a unique flare.
"Cinderella!"
Falcon Theatre, CA
"Cinderella!" is a new family musical based on Rossini’s majestic opera La Cenerentola, and was Toscas’ first piece produced at the Falcon Theatre in Burbank, by Garry Marshall and Kathleen Marshall. This playful operetta celebrated such a successful run, that the Falcon scheduled a 6 week "Back by Popular Demand" remount that was entirely "Sold Out" before rehearsals even began. The production design for "Cinderella!" is inspired by 1950’s Children’s Books illustrated by Mary Blair.
The LA Times raved:"Smoothly adapted and directed by Dimitri Toscas, this is a rollicking ‘Cinderella!’ a fresh, funny blend of classical singing and sly buffoonery."
LA Times Critic’s Pick of the Week.
"the EMPTY pot"
International Fringe Festive
"the EMPTY pot" is an hour-long play adapted from an ancient Chinese folk tale. Written in the style of Chinese Storytelling Theatre and the Peking Opera, this family play debuted in the Orlando International Fringe Festival and received recognition: Best New Play of 1998.