Hot Summer Nights

Our current show SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY is the absolute perfect way to spend a cool evening in downtown Charleston this summer. Otherwise, you’re doomed.

The whole reason to work and live in Charleston is to enjoy the heat throughout the year. However, we all need a respite from the jungle-like tropics every now and then and 34 West is the next best thing to packing everyone in a freezer.

The show itself is silly + sweet just like Kramer or Elaine or Monica... In fact, this particular musical (which is selling out very quickly these days)! was actually designed to look like any show on “Must-See-TV”.

We call it Friends meets Seinfeld since it’s a loving homage to a handful of iconic NBC hits. We even nod our heads to a few Meg Ryan movies as well!

The story, directed by actor-writer-producer Becca Anderson, follows a group of friends in a local coffee shop as they stalk an eligible bachelor in their building. Chaos ensues, love is found, and everything is wrapped up in a beautiful bow, sort of.

Your mouth will hurt from smiling. Your side will ache from laughing. And to top it all off, you won’t even break a sweat… mostly because we always keep the theater quite cool.

So grab your friends… and a light-weight sweater and join us for a night out in downtown Charleston you won’t soon forget!

Tickets…

Documentary

Everything we do should come from a place of love.

That’s 34 West’s motto, anyway. If you’ve ever wanted a taste of what writer-owner-actors Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne are all about then you should probably watch this recent 5 minute documentary by artist Nick Fancher, and see why the dynamic duo is so infectious (and wildly successful).

West Hollywood Meeting

We recently visited our Creative Team in West Hollywood to discuss updates on 34 West Films!

We’re developing our original stories for the screen. And so far, we’re having a blast!

Our short film LOVE POTION is racking up awards on the festival circuit. We’ve written the pilot episode for the story as well, along with a 10-episode arc. In addition, we’ve completed the script for our next short ARDEN HIGH, based off our sellout production of ADDICTED TO LOVE.

Each of these stories have a complete “universe” of lovable characters and conflicts. It doesn’t hurt that the original productions and their sequels were incredibly popular with multi-month sold out runs.

Our visit to Hollywood was highly productive and we’ll soon be pitching our wares to the masses…

However, the greatest part of our trip occurred when we least expected it…

We were staying at the Pendry Hotel in West Hollywood, which has a fabulous rooftop pool and bar. After realizing it was overcrowded, we resorted to the quiet little bar on the first floor. We chatted with a friendly man by the name of Donald Lee who just happens to be a producer on the film THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

Jaw drop.

He’s produced an impressive roster of major motion pictures. Jeff, Becca, and Steve had the privilege of his company for an afternoon.

Moral of the story — you can try and keep up with the influencers at the rooftop pool or you can make friends with the real thing on the first floor.

Creative Team

We’ve written over 50 plays and musicals. Every performance has sold out since 2017.

All because of this motley crew!

Actor-director-producers Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne with Becca Anderson

It takes a village. A very small, unpopulated village.

Jeff and Steve may have started the company 22 years ago with a goal of producing innovatively triumphant stories, but it wasn’t until about 2015 when the tipping point occurred.

That’s when we met Becca Anderson.

Funny, dramatic, powerhouse vocals,… and most of all — a beautiful soul.

The more shows we produced with Becca the more we realized just how valuable she was to the creative process. Her logistical approach to story and artistic perspective have shaped almost everything we make.

Creative Team members Jeff Querin, Stephen Wayne and Becca Anderson getting nothing accomplished

We then began brainstorming “what’s next” for 34 West.

Every play was artistically and commercially a success. Broadway producers and friends were telling us to expand or franchise or license our shows. Sometimes too many options can be paralyzing.

So what did we do when the world shut down in 2020??

What. Is. Happening in this pic?!

We added 34 West Films!

Our quarantine bubble played around with some short films. We eventually settled on a 15-minute version of our comedy, LOVE POTION set in a post-apocalyptic 1950’s diner.

Yes, you read that right :)

The film has won “Gold” at the Independent Shorts Awards and we’re pitching a pilot episode based off the same concept!

Today our Creative Team includes Jeff, Steve, Becca and West Hollywood residents Kristine Kuhlman (NBC/Universal and Live Nation) and screenwriter Ian Maddox (The Night Agent, Lovecraft Country, District 13).

We don’t have any pics of Kris and Ian yet, so we’ll just post another pic of this happy trio…

Our greatest asset? We’ve got nothing to lose.

Now there’s more ways to enjoy 34 West… theater AND films!

We hope you’ll take in a live show the next time you’re downtown. Our current production (below) is epically 80’s and totally rad.

You can also visit our Films page and watch our award-winning short LOVE POTION!

See actors Stephen Wayne, Becca Anderson and Jeff Querin LIVE, now through May 28!

Becoming a Series

Our most popular shows have sequels and more sequels. It’s like watching a new episode of your favorite TV show!

Jeff Querin, Stephen Wayne, Becca Anderson and Sarah Black in ADDICTED TO LOVE, 2016

We wrote a show six years ago that was our version of an 80’s teen comedy about the adults. A homage to John Hughes movies, if you will, but where the parents and teachers take center stage.

The setting was the faculty lounge of Arden High. The science teacher has a secret crush, the A/V teacher’s in love with the substitute. Then one day, they’re all forced to attend prom and chaos ensues.

Actor/writer Jeff Querin with an eyepatch. Because every 80’s movie has a guy with an eyepatch.

ADDICTED TO LOVE sold out the entire 4-month run. The response was unprecedented.

We then developed HOLIDAY ROAD around these same characters and their annual Christmas party. This time our protagonist (the school secretary) decides to introduce her “gentleman-friend” to her mother which quickly turns into a dumpster fire.

The audience didn’t need to see the first episode (a year prior) to enjoy the story they were watching that evening.

The characters were so strong, with a thorough backstory, the audience was immediately drawn in to their lives and problems.

Actor/Writers Becca Anderson and Stephen Wayne in the follow-up HOLIDAY ROAD, 2017.

So you can guess what happened next? We wrote a third episode!

Two years later, we wrote a summer show based off these beloved characters which concluded with an epic wedding ceremony. (No spoilers since we’re bringing the show back in 2024!)

And once again, the audience didn’t need to know what happened in the previous two episodes to enjoy the show they were watching.

Actor/writer Jeff Querin as the lovable-neurotic A/V teacher in SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, 2019.

We’ve learned two valuable lessons with the “Arden High” shows:

1) All of our plays are like a TV series. You just want to see the next episode!

2) You don’t need to see the first one to enjoy them all!

Each episode follows the Hero’s Journey, which means the stories are complete and stand alone. The characters are fully fleshed-out personalities with a rich backstory.

Actor/Writers Stephen Wayne and Becca Anderson in another popular series, CAN’T BUY ME LOVE, 2019.

And the secret ingredient to the success of all this is the ingenuity of how we tell the stories.

Big budgets be damned!

We don’t need fancy pyrotechnics or hydraulic lifts to transport you to another world.

A martini glass and a spot light creates a New York night club circa 1987.

A picture frame and Gumby doll can create the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade circa 1965.

Actor/writer Stephen Wayne watches the holiday parade in IT’S CHRISTMAS, BABE!, 2020.

The possibilities are endless as long as ingenuity and imagination helm the ship.

This spring, we invite you to see the show that started it all. ADDICTED TO LOVE plays through May 28 and is an absolute delight.

You and your friends will love the humor and music. The pre-show festivities are a delight too. Grab a snack, maybe a bottle of wine, and settle in for a night of entertainment unlike any other!

This couple even got engaged on stage following the performance!