Life & Work with James Esposito of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to James Esposito

Hi James, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Chromolume Theatre itself was borne out of a directing class a friend and I took at Santa Monica College. After getting frustrated, we thought “hey, we can do this better.” A year later, appropriately (although not planned), we were incorporated on Stephen Sondheim’s birthday (March 22) and in another year, we produced our first production in January, 2004, which was not a success.

After a few more productions, we were invited to become residents of a space on Pico Blvd named Theatre/Theater. After three productions there in 2007, we closed, ending the first act of Chromolume Theatre.

In 2012, we took over management of the Attic Theatre in mid-city, LA, thus beginning the second act, producing 17 shows and winning Best Musical by Stage Raw for our production of Pacific Overtures in 2017, before losing our space in 2018.

Today, we have started up again, beginning act three of our history now as a resident of the Zephyr Theatre in West Hollywood, CA. We have just announced our 2025 season and look to continue our history of presenting Broadway’s forgotten gems and off-Broadway’s undiscovered treasures, shining a light on productions that deserve a second look. Chromolume Theatre’s mission is also to provide opportunity for artists to shine who have not had such an opportunity in the past, as well as a dedication to diverse and multi-cultural casts and crews.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. We have started and stopped three times already. We have had two long breaks, five years from 2007-2012 and six years 2018-2024. The first break was precipitated by a lack of finances, whereas the second break was brought on by the building’s owner instituting a 200% increase in rent and failure to provide the necessary renovations required by the city for us to continue in that location.

We have also had issues with their being too much drama off stage as opposed to on stage. Now, we concentrate on working with good people. We often check in with other actors, directors and producers around town with any actor we have not worked with in the past to (hopefully) prevent the issues we had. It does not always work out. We strongly believe in giving people a chance, whether that is because of a bad reputation previously or lack of experience in a lead role (or in a musical as a whole), but the mostly, the drama is A LOT less than it used to be.

While we are a 23-year old company this year, there are still growing pains, but we still strive to do our best to provide the best environment for all.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a little of everything. During the day, I work in a law firm as a legal assistant and at all other times, I am working in theatre, as a producer, director, designer and sometimes, although not much anymore, actor. Chromolume Theatre was started in 2002 and to date, we have produced 25 shows, almost all of them musicals. I have produced all of them and directed four of them, including one of our four productions of Pacific Overtures in Los Angeles in 2017. This production also won the Stage Raw Award for Best Musical. Although, perhaps my most favorite production was directing Dessa Rose in 2018. Dessa Rose tells the story of a runaway slave and the deserted wife of a plantation owner who form a grudging alliance in their struggle to find their individual freedoms. As someone who is half-Black, it really spoke to me as a powerful piece that needed to be told. To date, it was one of the most successful shows we have ever done. My only regret is that my mother did not see it as she passed away a week after we closed.

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is family. It is the most important thing. Family is made up of people who are important to you and they do not necessarily have to be blood-related to you. In theatre, each show creates its own family in a relatively short amount of time and you spend evenings with them for months. And many times, these people continue to be in your lives as the years go on. You see them in different shows, and support them in their theatrical endeavors and they do so with you as well. Theatre has an amazing ability to bring people together who will remain in your lives for years after they appear.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://chrtheatre.com
• Instagram: chromolumetheatrela
• Facebook: chrometheatre
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/chrometheatre
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@chromolumetheatre6138

Image Credits
I took the photos. First photo is from Pacific Overtures (2017). Second photo is from Dessa Rose (2018). If any additional information is needed, please ask.