Danny Rocco's "CONVENTION" Play Opens at The Industry Loft

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The immersive political drama explores a fateful Democratic decision during wartime with a 50-person cast.

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Convention, a new immersive political play written and directed by Danny Rocco, has announced a limited engagement at The Industry Loft in LA, arriving just in time for election season. Shocking, funny, and unhinged, the play tells in real time the startling true story of the infamous 1944 Democratic Convention — a political showdown that changed the global order.

Every seat at Convention offers a different way into the story. There are four unique ticket levels, each offering different experiences and perks.

Previews begin October 3, with opening night set for Friday, October 16, at 8pm. The run will conclude on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, at 7pm.

It's 1944. The world is at war. The president is dying. And waiting in the wings to assume the presidency is Vice President Henry A. Wallace. An FDR Democrat with a forward-looking progressive vision. Wallace champions equality for women. Equality of race. Healthcare for all. Sound familiar? Wallace will presumably take the reins. For when the war is over and America emerges on top, the next president will establish the global order for the century to come.

And Democrats, at the height of power, are about to make a fateful decision.

With nearly a 50-person cast, Convention features (in alphabetical order) Michael Agulio, Don Baldaramos, Eli Barnes, Cameron Bell, J. Paul Boehmer , Justin Cone, Annalise Englert, Deanna Ezrol, Jay Flaquer, Nathan Frizzell, Brady Grustas, Dave Gueriera, Qua'deer Jones, Jill Karrenbrock, Eric Keitel , Jennifer Lamar , Henry LeBlanc , Ari Litman-Weinberg, Jack Little , Kathleen Littlefield , Michael Malanga, Eric Maragoto, Herb Merriweather, Turner Morehead, Trey Nichols, Nathan Norrington-Herr, Michael Pantozzi, Jack Posey, Darryl Alan Reed , Melanie Reese, Peter Schiavelli, Elizabeth Schmidt, Elizabeth Ivy Southard , Sam Stapp, Mark Jude Sullivan , Sarah Sutliff , Jimmy Thornton, Daniel James Tipton, Guy Turner, Jonah Weiland, Jamonté Williams, Brian Zaik, and Rush Zutshi. This production is presented by agreement between Convention Play, LLC, and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Executive Producer is Cody Lassen , Lead Producer is Justin Brock Schantz, and Producer is Danny Rocco. Associate Producer is Sam Sheeks, and Assistant Producer is Farhad Bagheri. Interactive Creative Producer is Catie O'Donnell Heckel.

Lighting design is by Chad Harrell, sound design is by Chris Porter , costume design is by Alayna Licardi, and stage manager is Em Perez.

Danny Rocco is a playwright and director whose writing has been developed and produced in New York, Los Angeles, Colorado, Romania, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is supported by Yaddo, the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Byrdcliffe, Catwalk, the Arctic Circle Residency, the Ace Hotel, and Atlantic Acting School. A graduate of New York University's Gallatin School and Columbia University's School of the Arts, he is the creator of the Script Writing Score and co-creator of Swseng, a new writing software used in the creation of Convention. Currently running: Afterwards at La Mama in New York City.

There will be preview performances on Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4, at 3pm; Friday, October 9, at 8pm; and Saturday, October 10, at 3pm.

Opening night is Friday, October 16, at 8pm. The run will continue as follows — Fridays, October 23 and 30 at 8pm; Saturdays, October 17 and 24 at 3pm; Sundays, October 18 and 25 and November 1 at 3pm. The closing performance will be on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, at 7pm.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/CONVENTION-to-Open-at-The-Industry-Loft-in-Los-Angeles-20260915)._