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!

Handcrafted

Everything we create is handcrafted for you… even the lettering!

The concept was two actors telling the whole story, so Menges Design put the whole story into the look!

Columbus-based artist Dylan Menges is a wunderkind of sorts.

He creates the brand design for each show. He’s refreshed our logo. Polished the website. All of it with care and precision.

And all of it — by hand.

Menges Design goofing for Nick Fancher as he sets lights for our photo shoot.

Before Jeff and Steve write a script, they have a concept. We’ll schedule a photo shoot and fly Dylan down to Charleston for a few days.

Then we’ll play.

Our actors will improvise. Dylan and Nick will throw out ideas. The theater turns into this affirming-collaborative-brainstorming-creative incubator.

Menges Design was given the concept of “Friends meets Seinfeld” for our upcoming show. Result!

Once we have the images, Dylan will invest time with several zooms, chats, and texts— discussing the story of the show and the vibe we want to portray.

A big component of our productions is the genre. Sometimes we throwback to the 1970’s or 1990’s, like the image above.

We’re always afraid that our materials will look “outdated” because the setting is 20-40 years old.

How do you convince people to buy tickets for a show about a washed-up soap opera star without it looking like a washed-up soap opera???

We asked Menges Design to make a 70’s logo that didn’t look cheesy or antiquated. Result!

By hiring someone who takes the time to listen and understand… and who’s capable of hand-drawing what you need.

All of our shows are handcrafted to give a mood without having to be completely literal. Too literal and there’s nothing left to the imagination.

For example, Stephen Wayne’s suit (above) is not from the 70’s. No bellbottoms. It’s actually very modern.

But pair the suit with a disco ball, “electric” lettering, neon pink show quotes, and you instantly get feelings of dance, good times and hopefully some fun humor— all in the blink of an eye.

Notice the varsity stitching Menges Design gave our John Hughes-inspired comedy. Result!

And that’s what it’s all about. At a moment’s glance, we want you to instantly want to be a part of the evening.

We know your time is precious and your free time is even more sacred.

That’s why so much thought goes into creating these stories, the characters, the logos— even the menu!

Handcrafting everything is the only way to ensure you have an inspired night out in downtown Charleston, unlike any other.

Because you deserve it.

For tickets…

To follow Dylan’s latest projects…

We asked Menges Design for “spooky not scary” for our fall show. Result!


Film Festivals

There’s a new arm to our company,… 34 West Films!

Actors Becca Anderson, Stephen Wayne, and Jeff Querin in our short film LOVE POTION.

We wanted to explore the world of characters that were created for the live stage production of LOVE POTION NO. 9 at 34 West Theater.

After a successful run of the production, we sought to explore how these characters translated to film. We amassed the equipment and basic lighting that would celebrate the simple nostalgia and throwback feel of small-town days gone by.

Actor Nakeisha Daniel must have fallen on the floor 10 times for our short film LOVE POTION.

After multiple test shoots, we determined that by employing our small cast of performers from the original stage play, and using the interior location of the theater which housed the production, we could create a unique piece that integrated added layers of the production history.

Writer-director-actors Jeff Querin and Stephen Wayne with Becca Anderson living their best lives.

When viewing the daily footage, we found the black and white film style further supported and enhanced the reminiscent feel of vintage thrillers the production sought to celebrate. Our hope was to set an origin story that could be explored through a serial style rollout of further installments.

Somehow actors Nakeisha Daniel, Becca Anderson, and Jeff Querin made this terrifying moment extremely funny in our short LOVE POTION.

While this film sets the stage for a brief glimpse into the lives of Murphy, Marty, Rose and Sally, the foundation this film sits on is an entire universe of secrets that these hope-filled characters are only beginning to uncover.

We turned our theater (inside and out!) into a 1950’s diner for the short film LOVE POTION.

This coming year we’ll be submitting our short film LOVE POTION to film festivals all over the world. We’ll be sure to let you know when and where you can catch the it on the big screen!

For a chance to see one of our live shows before they hit the screen, get your tickets HERE…

You’ll have to watch to see this scene-stealing moment by actor Nakeisha Daniel in LOVE POTION.