Love! Valour! Compassion!
1995 Tony Award winner for Best Play by Terrence McNally
Eight gay men gather at a lakeside house over three summer weekends to laugh, love, confront fears, and bare their souls. Set in the 1990s against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, Terrence McNally’s profoundly moving and sharply funny play explores friendship, betrayal, and the power of community in the face of loss.
Directed By Philip Wm. McKinley
Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes with two intermissions.
Contains strong language and male nudity.
NEW THIS SEASON!
Opening Night – Thursday, April 9
Special ASL performance April 11th matinee. Call for tickets.
The direction and staging [of Dezart Performs' LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION!] are super minimal, but somehow it all works. You completely believe you’re in all these different places with barely any set. It’s one of those “less is more” situations done really, really well. Bottom line? It’s powerful, it’s uncomfortable at times, it’s beautiful—and yeah, I’d absolutely tell you to go see it if you can.
Every member of the cast gives a performance that is honest and rings true. Moments of confession are not polished; they tremble. Moments of conflict are not explosive; they bruise. This is a truly sensational ensemble company.
[Dezart Performs' LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! is] a moving revival that transforms urgency into reflection without losing its emotional core.
Apr 09 2026 - Apr 19 2026
Show TimesNEW! Thursday Opening Night
Thursday, April 9 - 7:00 PM
ALL PERFORMANCES
Thursday - 7:00 PM
Friday - 7:00 PM
Saturday - 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
Sunday - 2:00 PM
DEZART PLAYHOUSE
605 S. Riverside Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92264
The Cast
J.Stephen Brantley (Gregory)
THEATRE includes: ANNAPURNA (Vermont Stage), FAHRENHEIT 451 (Bay Street Theater), THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE (Ensemble Theatre Company of Santa Barbara), MOPE (Ensemble Studio Theatre), MURDER IN THE FIRST (The Directors Co./59E59), OF MICE AND MEN (Bay Street Theater, North Coast Rep), THE NIGHT ALIVE (Guild Hall). TV includes: AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX) ANIMAL KINGDOM (TNT), FBI: MOST WANTED (CBS), GOTHAM (Fox), LAW & ORDER (NBC), POKER FACE (Peacock), SUCCESSION (HBO), THE BLACKLIST (NBC), THE GOOD FIGHT (Paramount). FILM: PARADISE, BEACH RATS. Micheál MacLiammóir Award for Best Actor, Dublin International Gay Theatre Festival and Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award. He has danced with Annie-B Parson’s BIG DANCE, BLESSED UNREST and NEO-POLITICAL COWGIRLS.
Chris Carranza (Ramon)
Regional credits include Short North Stage (OH), Mill Mountain Theatre (VA), Creede Repertory Theatre (CO), Mountain Theatre Company (NC), Palace Theatre (NH). Locally, he has performed at The Plaza Theatre, The Bent, Revolution Stage Company and Dezart Performs (GRAND CONCOURSE, WEST SIDE STORY). Additional credits include ALTAR BOYZ, THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST’S WIFE, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, DOG SEES GOD and IN THE HEIGHTS. Featured vocalist with Oceania Cruises in his solo cabaret, CABARET CARRANZA. Instagram: @chrisduhfer_
Oscar Fabela (Buzz)
Oscar is an award-winning Mexican-American artist from South Texas, now residing in Los Angeles and a proud Scholar and Legacy Artist of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. Graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater and The British American Drama Academy and awarded the Golden Globes Acting Fellowship. Other theaters include: South Coast Repertory, Guthrie Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Latino Theatre Company, PCPA, Edinburgh Fringe and REDCAT. Some notable voiceover work includes: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Paramount+, HBO and Audible: including the ODYSSEY, NEWBERY HONOR and SOVAS Award Winning MEXIKID. When not acting, Oscar teaches performance and acting at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television. @oefabela
Tim Frangos (he/him) (Bobby)
Tim is thrilled to be making his debut with Dezart Performs. A recent MFA Acting graduate from University of California, Irvine, Tim has performed across Southern California with companies including Center Theatre Group, A Noise Within, Kingsmen Shakespeare Company and Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum. Favorite roles include ROMEO AND JULIET (Romeo), THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (Homer Wells) and AIRNESS (Shreddy Eddy). Tim also holds a BA in Theatre and Pre-Law from University of Southern California and trained at the British American Dramatic Academy in Oxford. He is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association and is endlessly grateful for the love and support of his family, friends, teachers and mentors.
Matt McConkey (Arthur)
Matt has performed on LA stages including Upright Citizens Brigade, Dynasty Typewriter, Largo, Hudson Theatre, Comedy Central Stage, Atwater Village Theatre and more. TV: AMERICAN AUTO, MARRY ME, HAPPY ENDINGS and the award-winning short THE HOUSESITTERS (now streaming on Screambox). Matt was also a recent guest on Bravo’s WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE to promote his podcast AND JUST LIKE MATT. Training: NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, Stella Adler Conservatory (NYC) and Steppenwolf West.
Jamie Pierce (John & James)
James is an Ovation Award-nominated actor whose theatre credits include, Los Angeles: PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Celebration Theatre), CAROUSEL (Musical Theatre West), DREAMGIRLS (5-Star Theatricals), URINETOWN (Coeurage Ensemble). New York: THE MUSIC MAN (Helen Hayes Theatre), BROADWAY DANCES (with Karen Ziemba). Regional: EVITA, PETER PAN, PHANTOM (Pioneer Theatre). TV/film credits include, THE FAMILY BUSINESS (BET/Netflix), THE CON (ABC), 79TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS and the title role in the multiple award-winning independent queer film, BILL.
Michael Shaw (Perry)
Michael is the Founding Artistic Director of Dezart Performs. His professional acting career began in Miami at age 22, when he appeared in the first regional production of AS IS following its Broadway premiere. He has performed in more than 35 regional and summer stock productions, including A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE DINING ROOM, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, WEST SIDE STORY, MAN OF LA MANCHA, RABBIT HOLE and THE FOREIGNER. Michael made his professional directorial debut over 20 years ago in a 39-seat Los Angeles theatre and has since directed more than 45 productions. Recent highlights include FAT HAM, GRAND CONCOURSE, A CASE FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME and MR. PARKER. Most recently, he directed EUREKA DAY, the biggest-selling production in Dezart Performs history and oversaw the gala opening of the new Dezart Playhouse with WEST SIDE STORY IN CONCERT. Michael is a 40-year member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA. He holds a BFA from Florida State University’s School of Theatre and trained at the Burt Reynolds Institute for Theatre Training.
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