A NEW SOLO SHOW

created and performed by ANN NOBLE

Neglected and deeply misunderstood, a clown conjures her favorite female radicals from history in order to make sense of her own absurdity, landing Bella in her present confinement behind bars. Theatre Ghosts presents the revival of Echo Theatre Company’s A Bella Incarceration, a new solo play by veteran Los Angeles playwright and performer Ann Noble.

Bella Ventricle is a lady. She is also a clown. And while she has always had very strong opinions, she has never done anything about them… until now. Until she felt she had no choice but to engage in an act of civil disobedience in order to stand up for those who could not stand up for themselves. But, being arrested is a bit more than she can handle; so, to comfort herself — and, perhaps, to understand a bit more about why she did what she did — she calls upon the beings of her favorite female radicals from history. Women who, Bella feels, would do, and indeed did, the most courageous things for love.

Sept 21 – Sept 29, 2025

Sunday September 21 curtain 7 pm

Monday September 22 curtain 8 pm

Tuesday September 23 curtain 8 pm

Sunday September 28 curtain 7 pm

Monday September 29 curtain 8pm

Atwater Village Theater

3269 Casitas Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90039

echo fall fest

WHAT AUDIENCES ARE SAYING

“A masterclass in clowning, movement, and characterization that would make Anna Deavere Smith proud. Ann Noble knocks it out of the park.”

“Without a doubt one of the most moving pieces of live theater I have ever seen.”

“Brilliant!”

“Gorgeously and sharply written, astoundingly creative, and beautifully acted. It provokes so many beautiful and complex emotions.”

& THE CRITICS AGREE

ArtsBeatLA – Recommended

“…As Bella, Noble brings her wistful protagonist to life with her expressive eyes, her animated and bubbly voice and graceful gestures. The accomplished actor brings both an element of vulnerability as well as strength and resilience to a role that is both captivating and heartbreaking. She has a sweet personality throughout most of this short (one hour) play, with oblique hints that she might be slightly deranged due to some possible abuse at the hands of her mother when she was little.”

Stage Raw – Recommended

“…This unadorned Bella has no wig, no nose, no blue scrubs, and no high-pitched voice. She finally tells the truth about herself and apparently wins her own freedom in that way, dancing around to an instrumental version of “The Sound of Silence” as she sheds the role she’d been forcing upon herself. This is the best, most intriguing version of Bella, though the audience unfortunately sees very little of it. Nevertheless, the show succeeds in being a refreshingly offbeat, charming showcase for Noble’s undeniable talents.”

CREATOR / PERFORMER ANN NOBLE

Ann Noble is an actor, director, playwright, arts educator, acting coach/teacher, solo performer and a jail chaplain. She is a proud member of Echo, where she originally premiered her first clown show, Little Parts Hunts a Baby-Daddy (which went on to screen digitally at both Edinburgh Fringe and Sydney Fringe), then her second clown show, A Bella Incarceration (which went on to a successful run at Hollywood Fringe last year with Theatre Ghosts), and, most recently, her third clown show, 52 Pick-Up, received a production hot off this year’s Hollywood Fringe (also with Theatre Ghosts); she also appeared in Echo’s award-winning production of Poor Clare (where she garnered the LADCC Award for Best Featured Performance). Her most recent acting credits include: Tom Jacobson’s Crevasse (Son of Semele/Victory Theatre; LADCC Award Best Performance of the Year; Stage Raw Award Best Two-Hander Performance; LA Scenie Award “Star of the Year”), Thorton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth (A Noise Within; LADCC Nomination Best Featured Performance), The Winter’s Tale (Antaeus-member), The Unraveling (Ghost Road), and Corktown ’39 (Rogue Machine-member). Her directing credits include extensive work with Theatre Ghosts, as well as with Antaeus, Vs., Warriors For Peace (member), Two Heads Are Better Prods, LifeChild Prods, Moving Arts, LA’s LGBT Center, LA’s Holocaust Museum, and LA’s Museum of Tolerance. Her award-winning plays have been produced all over the country and the globe, and she is published by StagePartners. She currently teaches at Moving Arts Theatre and Antaeus. As an arts educator, she has worked with the YWCA, New Village Girls Academy, Rancho San Antonio Home for Boys, LA’s LGBT Center, and Homeboy Industries. As a jail chaplain, she is part of CFLC’s CPE training program, and serves as Program Coordinator for Prism Restorative Justice which brings chaplaincy to those incarcerated in the LA County Jails; she is also a senior chaplain at CRDF in Lynwood (for another taste of her work in the jails, please listen to her radio play, Blue Like You, which can be found at antaeus.org as part of their “Zip Code Plays: Season Three” series). She can currently be seen on stage in Boston Court Pasadena’s production of Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana, and upcoming projects include Jami Brandli’s The Caregiver’s Guide at Kayenta Arts in Utah. IG: @sparksjacks