Theater

Theater History

Awards and Nominations

2012 Nominations:

The LA Drama Critics Circle nominations were awarded on March 19. The Odyssey Theater received a special award for Sustained Excellence. Norbert was nominated for Lead Performance as the Commandant in Way to Heaven, but unfortunately, he did not win. Congratulations to the Odyssey Theater for their achievement! A video clip from this play can be found here: Norbert as Commandant: Way to Heaven

2012 Wins:

LA Weekly Theater Awards: Norbert won Lead Male Performance for his role as the Commandant in Way to Heaven! Congratulations! LA Weekly Theater Award Nominations

Norbert has an extensive theatrical background, with well over forty stage credits. Several of these plays are featured here: The Kepler Project, Way to Heaven, The Arsonists, Coyote Cycle, Mary Barnes, See Under: Love, Taking Sides, The Three Sisters and Times Like These, for which Norbert won awards for his outstanding performance as Oskar Weiss. His co-star in Times Like These, Laurie O'Brien, also won an Ovation Award for her performance as Meta Wolff.

Won 2003-2003 Ovation Award as Best Actor and LA Weekly Award in 2003 as Best Actor for Times Like These.

Krapp’s Last Tape, Odyssey Theater, 2017 Todd, The Gary Plays / Charles’ Story, Atwater Village Theater, 2016 Johannes Kepler, The Kepler Project, Morrison Planetarium, San Francisco, 2013 The Commandant, Way to Heaven, The Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 2012 Gottlieb Biedermann, The Arsonists, The Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 2010 Todd, Charles’ Story, Pacific Resident Theater, 2009 Hans Eisler, Silent Partners, The Workman’s Circle/Arbeiter Ring, 2007 Clown Show for Bruno Schultz, Irish Repertory on 22nd Street, NYC, 2006 Oskar Weiss, Times Like These, Capital Repertory Theater, Albany, 2004 - 2005 Oskar Weiss, Times Like These, Traveling Jewish Theater, San Francisco, 2004 Mr. Jones, Danny Boy, Mark Taper Forum, LA, 2003 Oskar Weiss, Times Like These, Padua Playwrights, Los Angeles, 2002 Neigel, See Under: Love, Traveling Jewish Theater, San Francisco, 2001 Trickster, The Coyote Cycle, Vineyard Playhouse, Martha’s Vineyard, 2000 Helmuth Rode, Taking Sides, Brooks Atkinson Theater, Broadway, New York, 1996 Myths and Tangos, Actors and Directors Lab, LA Friederich, The Ramp, South Coast Repertory Theater Heads, Padua Playwright Festival, 1991 The Hunger Education, Mark Taper Forum, LA Vershinin, Three Sisters, Dallas Theater Center, 1985 Trickster, The Coyote Cycle, LA Theater Works, 1985 Trickster, The Coyote Cycle, Randall Davey / Audobon Estate, Santa Fe, 1984 David Reed, Black Hole in Space, MET Theater Victor Salt, Eminent Domain, Matrix Theater, 1983 Eddie, Mary Barnes, Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 1982-83 The Visit, Padua Hills Playwrights Festival, 1981 The Man Who Killed Buddha, Padua Hills Productions, 1980 Decius, Julius Caesar, Matrix Theater, 1978 Cypher, The Company Theater, 1978 Brecht Project, Odyssey Theater Ensemble We Tell Stories, Improvisational Theater, 1976 Public Works, Church in Ocean Park, 1976 Wilfred Boese, Skyjack ‘76: Entebbe, La Mama of Hollywood Bad Conscience, Calendula Present Theater, 1975 Provisional Theater: American Piece, Schoenberg Hall, LA Dr. Faustus, Dominus Marlow XA - A Vietnam Primer Mac Heath, Three Penny Opera, Odyssey Theater, 1970-72 The Serpent, Odyssey Theater Ensemble, 1970-72 Changes, Improvisational Theater, 1969 Don’t Step on a Line, Merry Street Theater, 1968

Norbert recently had this to say about his early days in theater: "The Three Penny Opera played in conjunction with van Ital's The Serpent for a year to critical success around 1970. It put the Odyssey Theater on the map and made me realize that acting might be something worth pursuing because I enjoyed doing it and it seemed that I was pretty good at it. (I think we all would agree he is a whole lot more than "pretty good" at it...!) He went on to say that "there was also a theatre group called The ProVisional Theater. While I was there we created three superb theatre pieces:-- Xa: A Vietnam Primer-- The America Piece-- Dominus Marlowe (won 1972 LA Drama Critics Circle Award in the Production category). We toured the states and Europe in '75 and then I left and started knocking on Hollywood's door... but what we created was as good as it gets."

My deepest and most sincere thanks to Norbert for providing so many of the images and a great deal of the information used within the theater section of this website.

Many video clips from Norbert’s theater performances are available on his professional website. These can be found by visiting the Theater section of that website.

The LA Times recently published an interview with Norbert who talks about the play and his life in Germany before he moved to the US. This is a fabulous article, so check it out!

Theater Info, News, and Links

Congratulations to the entire Odyssey Theater Ensemble for a very successful run with the play and for the outstanding reviews! FYI -- stills and reviews are available on the The Arsonists page here. The reviews were great. This was an LA Times “Critic’s Choice” pick, and the LA Weekly said “Go!”

The Odyssey Theater Los Angeles, CA You can follow all of the plays at the Odyssey Theater by visiting their website.

Did You Know? Norbert's directorial credits include: Coyote Cycle at the Magic Theatre, and Heads at the Mark Taper Forum New Works Festival.

Check out this link on Google Books. This will take you to page 50 of a book entitled Beyond the Boundaries: American Alternative Theater, by Theodore Shank. On Page 50 he talks about this play, a history of the people of Vietnam.

Xa: A Vietnam Primer, 1972

Times Like These - Complete Script from John O'Keefe website (will open in a new Word document)

NPR Interview: Times Like These

Norbert Weisser on Stage

Norbert Weisser Article, 2004

Taking Sides -- A Curtain Up Review Taking Sides Script

Taking Sides All About Jewish Theater - Review

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