“The most important thing about the play and why I love it is the trying. These characters never give up.”

Los Angeles-based Estonian writer-director Liisi Rohumäe, best known for the 2019 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Nominee Chasing Unicorns, makes her writing and directorial debut at the Hollywood Fringe Festival with We’ll Come Back to the Title. It’s Fine

Rohumäe burst into the theater scene with her play Apart, which had its international premiere in Toronto, Canada, and ran for 13 months in Estonia. Apart was met with outstanding reviews, with one critic noting, “Liisi Rohumäe’s writing has found that fine thread that connects those who left their home country and those who stayed behind.”

She now introduces her most personal work yet, We’ll Come Back to the Title. It’s Fine, a love letter to creatives everywhere and one that reinforces the theme of connection in a foreign city. The story revolves around three actors and a writer-director who are working on an action play called Die Yesterday. The actors play multiple characters throughout the 60-minute runtime, having genuine fun with the play within the play format, as their on-stage characters struggle to land on a story that’s cohesive and also showcases all of their ideas and talents. 

Cast member Leila Almas Rose, who plays the hard-working but jaded Ally, was able to relate to the story of creative ambition. “Allie is an actress in her forties who’s tired of playing the same repetitive, overly feminized role. I can relate from the point of view of being an actress who has had to look a certain way and be told to act in a certain, overly sexualized way for many years.”

Rose appears alongside real-life husband Jaime Zevallos, who plays the role of Diego, who’s especially intent on trying out an array of different accents for his character. Zevallos’s chance encounter with Rohumäe sparked a friendship that would ultimately bring him to the Hollywood Fringe Festival. 

“[Leila and I] had just moved here from New York when I met [director/writer Liisi Rohumae] at a networking event,” shares Zevallos. “We were just chopping it up about life, and she emailed me about the play about a month later asking if I’d be interested in doing a read-through with some other actor friends. Afterward, we were like, this is amazing!”

Afro-Latina actress Frankie Barrios also attended the read-through and was later cast in the role of Taylor. “My character is wide-eyed and has a passion for theater specifically,” explains Barrios. “Everything is new, fun, and exciting, but there’s tension because there’s something that she wants to showcase, which is her singing and dancing, but she isn’t always given the space.”

We’ll Come Back to the Title. It’s Fine makes its debut this Saturday, 6/3, at The Zephyr Theater on Melrose Avenue and reinforces the challenges of the creative process. It’s one that performer Jessica Park, who plays Triin, is all too aware of as she tackles the role of writer and director of the play within the play. 

“I actually grew up in Germany and was born in Austria, and I moved out here to try to make things happen in the industry,” shares Park. “I related easily to my character because she’s working the writer/director life with a lot of rejection. She opens up her home to these other actors, and everyone is coming at her with suggestions. It’s hard for her not to be frustrated but at the same time to also be grateful that they’re even doing it together.”

For Rohumäe, the play upholds a mantra that she’s come to understand as essential for creatives moving to Los Angeles. What matters most is the trying and the fact that a creative spark exists, even for the briefest moment. “You just need to have faith and optimism to keep going, especially when something is not working. That’s my favorite part about this play: the characters always have hope.”

We’ll Come Back to the Title. It’s Fine opens on June 3rd, 2023 at The Zephyr Theatre. Tickets are available at https://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/9972 

The Zephyr Theatre 

7456 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046 

For more information and to get tickets to We’ll Come Back to the Title. It’s Fine, please visit site: https://www.linktr.ee/wcbtttitsfine

SAT. 6/3 5PM  

SUN. 6/11 4:45PM  

SAT. 6/17 2PM  

THU. 6/22 9:45PM  

SAT. 6/24 10:15PM 

Follow Liisi Rohumäe on Social Media: 

(New posts often of the materials nature) Instagram & Liisi Rohumäe Twitter https://www.facebook.com/liisi.rohumae/ 

ACTOR SOCIALS: 

Leila Almas Rose https://www.instagram.com/leilaalmasrose/ 

Jessica Park https://www.instagram.com/jessica.kay.park/ 

Jaime Zevallos https://www.instagram.com/jaimezevallos/ 

Frankie Barrios https://www.instagram.com/dichoo303 

PRESS CONTACT: 

Jamila Caine: prklsmentertainment@gmail.com 

SERVICES CONTACT: 

Liisi Rohumäe: liisi@outlook.com

About The Author

Partner, Deputy Awards Editor

Matthew Koss is the Deputy Awards Editor at Awards Focus and a Senior Film and TV Coverage Partner.

He is the host and creator of the weekly YouTube series The Wandering Screen with Matt Koss, which features dynamic reviews of all the latest film and TV releases. His writing has also appeared in The Movie Buff, Voyage LA, and ScreenRant, and he is a moderator for post-screening Q&As.

Since joining Awards Focus in 2020, Matthew has interviewed A-list talent, including Academy Award nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emmy winner Alex Borstein, and Lovecraft Country’s Jonathan Majors, across film and TV. He also appears on red carpets for major studios and film festivals, most recently with Netflix's The Crown and Hulu’s The Bear.

After moving from Melbourne, Australia, to Los Angeles in 2014, Matthew has worked in various areas of the entertainment industry, including talent and literary representation, film/TV development as a Creative Executive, and at film festivals as a Regional Manager. Matthew is also a screenwriting consultant, most recently partnering with Roadmap Writers, where he conducted private, multi-week mentorship consultations, roundtables, and monthly coaching programs.

Matthew is also a producer, and he recently appeared at the Los Angeles Shorts International Film Festival with his film Chimera, directed by Justin Hughes.

He continues to work with entertainment companies such as Warner Bros. Discovery, Zero Gravity Management, Sundance Institute, and MGMT Entertainment.

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