Your Little Neighborhood Theater

1516 N. Gardner St., Los Angeles, CA 90046

presented by The StageCrafts

WHAT’S ON

AT THE HOBGOBLIN PLAYHOUSE

IMAGO

by Wendy Gough Soroka

Presented by Theatre Unleashed
in association with Fierce Mama Productions

September 24th-October 10th, 2026

OCTOBER

Comedy show poster featuring Giorgio and Armani at Hobgoblin Playhouse.

IMAGO

September 24th-October 10th

Katherine Harmston paints butterflies as monsters. At forty-five, she lives and works in a crumbling warehouse loft, refusing to soften her uncompromising art into something that might actually sell, and refusing just as fiercely, to accept help from anyone. When her overbearing Type-A sister Beth arrives with news that their sharp-tongued mother is in hospice, Katherine is pulled back toward the family she’d fled and once again into the orbit of a glossy, commercially triumphant ex-lover who represents everything she loathes about being an artist. 

Wrestling with unsettling revelations about her past and an increasingly uncertain future, Katherine is forced to confront the possibility that she may have to finally compromise her lifestyle, beliefs, and independence in the name of survival. Her only hope is an upcoming exhibition, and a bold new painting that represents a complete departure from her established body of work… if she can ever finish it. Will this new work define her career? Or destroy it?

The newest play by fearless LA scribe Wendy Gough Soroka, Imago is an unflinching, funny, and unexpectedly tender play about art and ambition, the debts we owe the people who made us, and what it costs to finally let ourselves transform. 

Take Your Show to Edinburgh!

October 7th @ 7pm

In 2027 the Edinburgh Festival Fringe turns 80, with over 4,000 shows running August 6–30. Jenn and Greg Crafts of The StageCrafts are just back from the 2026 Fringe, and they’re sharing what they learned in a one-night workshop for artists planning to go in 2027 or beyond.

We’ll cover setting goals, choosing a venue (door split vs. straight rental), the month-by-month deadline calendar from venue applications through registration, Fringe Marketplace, printing and poster distribution, travel and housing on a budget, press and reviews, awards, and what a day at the Fringe actually looks like.

Best of all? It’s free!

Venue applications open this fall, so the time to start planning is now!

OCTOBER 22-NOVEMBER 3

Promotional poster for SpookyFest at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood, CA, featuring José Donado and Lex Agolove.

Goodbye. Hello.

October 22nd @ 7pm

The final goodbye of death turns into a long hello when one dead friend returns to haunt their living counterpart. As the months become years and the years become decades, the two come to terms with their unexpected extra time amid the highs and lows that life and death bring.

Goodbye. Hello. is a celebration of life, death, and the friendships that keep us going until the very end.

2026 Hollywood Fringe Scholarship Recipient

2026 The Actors Company Encore Series

Promotional poster for SpookyFest at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood, CA, featuring José Donado and Lex Agolove.

Julius Caesar in 60 Minutes

October 23rd-November 1st

Conspirators convince Caesar’s friend Brutus to join their assassination plot against Caesar. To stop Caesar from gaining too much power, Brutus and the conspirators kill him on the Ides of March. Mark Antony drives the conspirators out of Rome and fights them in a battle. Brutus and his friend Cassius lose and kill themselves, leaving Antony to rule in Rome.

Promotional poster for I Suck, a vampire comedy by Derek Heeren at SpookyFest in Hollywood, CA, featuring a cartoon vampire with a drink.

I Suck: A Vampire Comedy

October 25th @ 3pm

A darkly funny one-person show that asks: What good is eternal life if you’re not really living?

Stan has been a vampire for over a thousand years, and he’s terrible at it. While other vampires live in castles and accumulate wealth, Stan is stuck in a dead-end job as a middle manager in Toledo, living paycheck to paycheck, haunted by centuries of catastrophically bad decisions.

His latest crisis? He can no longer bring himself to kill people. After realizing he feels a kinship with every human—they’re all his descendants, technically—Stan finds himself unable to feed.

This predicament leads Stan to set out to escape his vampire contract. He embarks on a supernatural journey from heaven to hell, encountering everyone from a chatty St. Peter to a bored demon named Larry to Satan himself. Along the way, he’s forced to relive the choice that started it all—trading his soul and abandoning his family for the promise of power and eternal life.

Promotional poster for Southern Goth, a haunted play by Dan Ruth at SpookyFest in Hollywood, CA, featuring a ghostly statue and dark eerie background.

Southern Goth

October 27th @ 8:30pm​

Southern Goth is Dan Ruth’s latest solo work; a dark, eerie and often funny collection of stories about growing up surrounded by the supernatural. A semi-autobiographical memory play, Southern Goth takes place in parts of the southern and rural US, primarily in a very haunted Richmond, VA, during the 1980’s “Satanic Panic” and subsequent indie/goth scene. All references to vampires, witchcraft and hauntings are not coincidental, but a vibrant part of the tapestry of the times, the folklore of the area, and our desire to believe in the unseen.

Although some characters have been fictionalized or amalgamated, the esoteric stories about my mother are all very true.

Promotional poster for Venus in Fur play at SpookyFest 2026, featuring a woman in a trench coat with a dark, spooky background.

Venus in Fur

October 22nd-29th​

David Ives’ Venus in Fur is a two-person dark comedy about Thomas, a frustrated playwright-director struggling to cast his adaptation of a scandalous 1870 sadomasochistic novel. When Vanda—a crass, seemingly scatterbrained actress—arrives late to audition, she transforms into a commanding, sophisticated force, turning the reading into a dangerous power struggle that blurs fantasy and reality.

Originally presented in 2024 at The Whitmore Lindley Theater Center, Domino Too Productions is bringing back this audience favorite.

Livestream Available October 24th

Promotional poster for Belladonna Highway, a haunted musical at The Hobgoblin Playhouse, Hollywood, CA, featuring vintage gramophone and ghostly hand.

Belladonna Highway

October 24th-30th

Mitch is a washed up novelist trying to claw his way back to the NYT best seller list. His quest for a quiet writers retreat leads him to the mysterious, decrepit Hotel Belladonna, a desert oasis full of secrets. Once there, his retreat is derailed by ill fated romance, dangerous enemies and a 100 year old cold case only he can solve! This new musical from the writer team of Ben Boquist and Ben Barahona Ginsberg is a love letter to California and film noir.

Join us for this premier staging featuring live piano and a talented cast of actor/ singers. Perfect for anyone who likes radio drama, jazz, ghost stories, flirtatious banter and crime fiction. Are you ready to check in to the Hotel Belladonna?

Promotional poster for SpookyFest at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood, CA, featuring a vintage green rotary phone and event details.

On The Line

October 25th @ 9pm

Set during the graveyard shift at a Seattle crisis call center in 1984, the empathetic Hannah is tasked with training the charming new hire, Nick. The team spends their evening navigating both personal revelations and calls from women experiencing eerily similar crises. As the night deepens, the calls connect, threads appear and the mystery is closer than you think. On the Line explores how women learn to trust their instincts in a world that insists the danger is under control… until it’s already too late. Loosely inspired by Ann Rule’s real life experience with serial killer, Ted Bundy. 

“A dramedy worthy of life well-beyond the [Hollywood] Fringe,” “a textbook perfect one-act.” –Larchmont Buzz

“Chilling performances and a strong script.” -Stage Takes

“Shocking and satisfying,” “RECOMMENDED.” -Gia on the Move

“The best one act thriller I’ve seen.” –Audience Review

“I was kept riveted by two powerhouse central performances and a scenario that felt like an anaconda slowly constricting around my throat.” –Audience Review

“A masterfully written thriller with excellent performances… Brilliant storytelling all around.” –Audience Review

“The performances ride a razor’s edge from start to finish, with remarkably sensitive direction for such a frightening play.” –Audience Review

  • Hollywood Fringe Award for Fringe First for World Premiere – NOMINEE
  • Hollywood Fringe Award for Dramatic Theatre – NOMINEE
  • Take the Stage Award (Theatre 68 Arts Festival) – NOMINEE
  • The Screamiest Award (Midsummer Scream) – NOMINEE
  • Seasonal MiniFest Award (The Stagecrafts) – NOMINEE

CONTENT WARNING: This play contains graphic discussions of sexual assualt.

Theatrical poster for Macbeth featuring two women in silhouette with swords in a dark room.

Macbeth in 60 Minutes

October 23rd-November 1st

Macbeth mixes witchcraft, prophecy, and murder. Three “Weïrd Sisters” appear to Macbeth and his comrade Banquo after a battle and prophesy that Macbeth will be king and that the descendants of Banquo will also reign. When Macbeth arrives at his castle, he and Lady Macbeth plot to assassinate King Duncan, soon to be their guest, so that Macbeth can become king.

After Macbeth murders Duncan, the king’s two sons flee, and Macbeth is crowned. Fearing that Banquo’s descendants will, according to the Weïrd Sisters’ predictions, take over the kingdom, Macbeth has Banquo killed. At a royal banquet that evening, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost appear covered in blood. Macbeth determines to consult the Weïrd Sisters again. They comfort him with ambiguous promises.

Another nobleman, Macduff, rides to England to join Duncan’s older son, Malcolm. Macbeth has Macduff’s wife and children murdered. Malcolm and Macduff lead an army against Macbeth, as Lady Macbeth goes mad and commits suicide.

Macbeth confronts Malcolm’s army, trusting in the Weïrd Sisters’ comforting promises. He learns that the promises are tricks, but continues to fight. Macduff kills Macbeth and Malcolm becomes Scotland’s king.

Promotional poster for Joan Q. at SpookyFest, featuring a woman with glasses and curly hair, illuminated by candlelight, promoting the event at The Hobgoblin Playhouse.

Joan Q, Genuine Intuitive

October 24th-28th​

Joan Q – a comic clairvoyant with a morbid wit and open heart – is delighted to welcome SpookyFest audiences into her interactive psychic comedy séance, where she will bring audience tarot reads, cosmic gossip, guests with strange true stories, and steamy Scorpio season synchronicities to the Hobgoblin stage.

“So popular that soon everyone was upstairs in the reading rooms,” wrote Sally Quinn in Vanity Fair of Joan’s party readings.

And her recent Edinburgh Fringe show was reviewed by audiences as “a magical and mystical must see,” “a warm hug,” and “ethereal…& witty as anything.”

Intimate, funny, spooky, improvisational and heartfelt, Joan Q is a unique experience welcoming of the woowoo skeptic and believer alike. 

Two men lying on a Halloween-themed floor surrounded by spooky decorations at SpookyFest in Hollywood, CA.

Say Goodbye to Hollywood - Halloween Specdracular

October 27th @ 6:30pm

Say Goodbye to Hollywood is a comedy / talk / variety series hosted by Mike Celestino and Fard Muhammad. It celebrates what we have loved about the history of the entertainment industry, examines where things stand in the present of this transformational time for show business, and looks ahead to the future of what might become of the unique city of Los Angeles and its talented creative community. This Halloween-themed special will be filled to the brim with spooky songs, guests, comedy sketches, and more— all connected to the broader popular culture and the happenings of Hollywood.

Pop art style can featuring Frankenstein and iconic horror characters for SpookyFest at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood, CA.

Warhol/Frankenstein 4D

October 31st @ 11:59pm

In New York’s drug-fueled 60’s, after recruiting Edie Sedgwick, Lou Reed and Valerie Solanas for screen tests, Pop Art innovator Andy Warhol decides to abandon his signature soup can paintings and dedicate himself to making edgy art films. In 1973 he produces “Flesh for Frankenstein” in 3D, a shocking and sexy retelling of the classic horror tale.

Experience this hilarious gross-out populated by Warhol’s beautiful Superstars, and all the bloody disgusting body parts and dismemberments crammed into the making of his kitchy classic.

SpookyFest Film 2026

November 3rd @ 7pm

Join us for a thrilling night of spooky short films! At 7:00 PM, we’re kicking off a lineup of ten terrifying shorts exploring the darker side of humanity… and beyond. Stick around after each block so you can decide the audience favorites, live! Get your tickets now. Whatever’s out there won’t wait.

A man wearing a green, scaly-patterned lizard costume with a hood resembling a lizard head is pointing directly at the camera. His facial expression is intense, with wide eyes and an open mouth. The background is dimly lit with blue lighting.

Sardines

A group of cousins plays Sardines in a Can, unaware they are being hunted in the dark.

Poster for Ron's Night Out, a horror film screening at SpookyFest in Hollywood, CA, featuring a creepy face and bold text.

Ron's Night Out

Dating can be a dangerous ride.

Mike Has a Reality - SpookyFest presented by The StageCrafts at The Hobgoblin featuring horror-themed film screening and live entertainment.

80% of Home Invasions Happen During the Day

After drinking hallucinogenic tea to escape her overbearing parents, a moody teenage girl is tormented by a masked serial killer who may or may not be real…

A woman with brown hair and expressive eyes, looking concerned, in a close-up shot from the film "Deadline" presented at SpookyFest.

Deadication

An unsuspecting woman stumbles upon an antique book, only to discover that it opens a portal to a sinister past and unleashes an unspeakable evil.

Movie poster for 'A Bedtime Ballet' featuring a child's feet hanging from a bed with a dark background.

A Bedtime Ballad

Sarah, a young girl battling schizophrenia, confronts a chilling milestone—her first night alone. Her once benign imaginary friend has twisted into a sinister presence, blurring the boundaries between reality and nightmare. 

Silhouette of a woman standing in a doorway with a red background, and a partial view of a person's face in the foreground, promoting SpookyFest event.

Dinner Date

The Lioness is dedicated to one goal: keeping her Lion happy. When dinner goes awry, she takes over the evening in order to please her love.

SpookyFest event poster featuring a dark, eerie bedroom scene with a doll and spooky decorations in Hollywood, CA.

Take My Hand

Stop motion short featuring dolls about a little boy who finds and unlikley visitor inside his bed…

BTS movie poster featuring a dark, mysterious scene with a silhouette and glowing light, promoting the film at SpookyFest LA in Hollywood, CA.

BTS

Cell phones. Teens. Social Media. Followers. Likes. Challenges. Popularity. Fame.

15-year old, Ava Kozlov, wants nothing more than to be a dance influencer. Three mysterious women offer her a way to catapult to stardom, with one catch: all she needs to do first is complete a brand new dance challenge at an abandoned, haunted location. What could go wrong? 

Girl to Girl movie poster with silhouette of a woman holding a phone by a window with blinds, atmospheric lighting, and bold red text. Presented by The StageCrafts at The Hobgoblin during SpookyFest LA.

The Lido

Casey moves to Hollywood to pursue her dream of being an actor. The sublet she’s staying in is called The Lido apt. complex, which has a secret that has Casey linked to an unsolved murder of a 1930s Hollywood starlet. Can she handle the visions from the past to help solve the mystery today?

Close-up of Jenny horror film poster featuring a sinister clown face with glowing blue makeup and a young woman's face, promoting SpookyFest in Hollywood, CA.

Jenny

When a frustrated college senior finds a haunted ring, she must use her classmate’s spirit as a guide to solve her murder while confronting the dangers lurking around campus, and her own misconceptions, in order to avoid meeting the same fate.

Parking Made Easy

Convenient Parking Options for The Hobgoblin Playhouse

Patrons of The Hobgoblin Playhouse can enjoy plentiful metered street parking on both Gardner Street and Sunset Blvd. There is also unmetered street parking available on Hawthorn Avenue, at the north end of the block. 

Nearby Food & Drink

Sonny's

Some call it the Best Pizza in LA.

Sunset Thai

Seafood is the chef’s specialty at this casual eatery that also offers curries & other Thai dishes.

Bossa Nova

A huge menu of everything from traditional Brazilian eats to pizza & salads offered in casual digs.

Toi on Sunset

Typical Thai cuisine served in a colorful, rock ‘n’ roll-themed setting with late-night hours.

Moun of Tunis

Eatery features fixed-price menus of North African fare & belly dancing amid Moroccan-style decor.

Blackwood Coffee Bar

Espresso & other specialty caffeine drinks offered in a chic cafe with striking, contemporary decor.

El Compadre

Eatery dishing out Mexican fajitas, tacos & margaritas in a casual, colorful environment.

Imagine Your Show Here at The Hobgoblin Playhouse

Got a project you want to produce? Need some rehearsal space? How about a workshop or class you want to lead? With our versatile space and dedicated team of trained professionals, we strive to ensure every booking is a success. Contact us today to learn more about our packages and availability.

Get in Touch with Us

Address

1516 N. Gardner St., Los Angeles, CA 90046

E-Mail

boxoffice@thestagecrafts.com

Phone

(323) 591-4849