Lorenda Starfelt

Lorenda Starfelt, who died of cancer at the age of 56 in 2011, was a producer and political activist whose efforts in theatre and film add up to a fascinating body of work. Stage productions such as the acclaimed and internationally recognized 1997 LA presentation of Euripides' "The Bacchae" (nominated for three LA Weekly Theatre Awards), a 2003 staging of "The Trojan Women" (also by Euripides), Theatre of NOTE's critically acclaimed presentation of "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis De Sade," and a controversial multi-media production of Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange" (nominated for three LA Weekly Theatre Awards and winner of one), are all testament to her intelligence, drive and sense of cultural necessity. Lorenda Starfelt's film work is also noteworthy, with three feature-length documentaries, "SING*ularity," a film about the internationally recognized OperaWorks training program; "The Audacity of Democracy," which covered the PUMA movement's advocacy of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 Presidential Primary, and the posthumously-released meditation on the late sixties, "I Grew Up in Princeton". Dramatic feature films include a film adaptation of "The Bacchae," the award-winning oddball romantic comedy "The Watermelon," the indie feature dramas "Schooled" and "Shakespeare's Merchant," and "The Donut Shop," a multiple award-winning short she co-produced right before her death.