“Arms Around America” at the Nimoy

One thing that sadly doesn’t seem like it’s about to change in America anytime soon is the country’s love of guns. Whether it’s the byproduct of decades of fearmongering politicians and Fox News or an obsession with collecting firearms, the United States clings to guns with a seemingly unbreakable fervor, regardless of any number of mass shootings, even if the victims are children. Looking to explore the many facets of this issue is Dan Froot & Company, who have put together a series of short plays based on the oral histories of families who’ve been affected by guns in their lives. This production, Arms Around America, played at the Nimoy Theater in Westwood on the weekend of Nov. 15-16, a world premiere presentation by UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance.

Above production photo by Rose Eichenbaum.

I hadn’t been to the newly opened Nimoy Theater space since back when it was the Crest movie theater a long time ago, and the restored/updated theater looks and sounds terrific. The painted murals of famous Los Angeles landmarks (such as the Pantages or the Hollywood sign) make the venue seem like a celebration of our beloved city, which is a nice touch. Froot & Company use the space well, taking full advantage of its large stage to fit a band, two tables of actors and a Foley area, not to mention a “Kitchen Table” section for an after-show discussion with pre-selected participants. The Nimoy’s acoustics are especially clear, which benefitted this production, which is more about the audio content than the visual, extremely well.

Writer and Foley artist Froot introduces the show, six short audio plays that concern many aspects of how people are affected by guns in their lives. Two of the best stories concern unexpected consequences made worse by the presence of guns. The first of these is about a kid who stole a bike but then needs help to avoid the vengeance of the bike owner’s violent big brother. The kid gets help from an older teen, but only if the kid hides a gun for the older boy, which results in shootings. The other story I found most compelling was the tale of a man whose gun gets stolen from his car as he goes into a gas station mini mart, and the story follows the many different owners the gun quickly goes through. Although the entire cast is good, the two performers who stood out for me were Donna Simone Johnson and Anthony Ray Perez, both of whom added an impressive energy and comedic flair to their portrayals.

Froot’s direction keeps the pacing swift and efficient, his sound effect work supports the plays in subtle ways that don’t pull attention from the stories being told, and his writing is compact and direct. The structure of the show, which looks like it’s a live performance being either broadcast or recorded for a podcast but is in fact a regular stage performance, seems a bit extraneous but doesn’t get in the way of the audience’s enjoyment. The after-show conversation continues the show’s exploration into the topic of how Americans are affected by guns – the conversation I saw included a surprising story about a 5-year-old girl going to the mall with her family and getting a shotgun pointed at her face during a robbery.

Arms Around America will be doing further performances in 2025 in Florida and Montana (https://www.danfroot.com/arms-around-america). If you won’t be at these locations, there is a limited series podcast of a few of these plays available online at https://www.danfroot.com/podcast if you’d like to check them out. This is certainly a worthy subject for a show, and anything that contributes to a saner conversation about the issue of guns in the U.S. is a good thing.

Arms Around America was presented by CAP UCLA at the Nimoy Theater and played November 15-16, 2024.