‘Ali, Cosell, My Dad & Me’: A One-act Play in 3 Rounds

This is a press release from EXIT Theatre:

Playwright Michael Bickford, Actor Larry Crist, & Director John Heckel

Three longtime Humboldt theater artists present Ali, Cosell, My Dad & Me, a new original play at EXIT Theatre on the Plaza in Arcata April 17 through April 26, 2026. Performances 7PM Fridays & Saturdays and 2PM on Sundays. Tickets $15 – $25 at https://ali-cosell-my-dad-and-me.eventbrite.com and cash at the door (leave reservation at [email protected] ).

In Ali, Cosell, My Dad & Me a man — in light of today’s MAGA/Trump fiasco — shares his personal transformative journey. Activating his memory through a much younger version of himself, he sets off to discover the true nature of his racist and abusive father and co-dependent mother. His discoveries on that journey shed unexpected insights on today’s polarized America.

Playwright Michael Bickford was born in Los Angeles and escaped north. He has been living in Arcata since 1990 and writing with the Lost Coast Writers Community, since co-founding it in the mists of the late 1990s. He performed the 10-minute version of Ali, Cosell, My Dad & Me for EXIT Theatre’s Short Play Festival in 2023. His poetry chapbook, Mrs. Silva Walks to the Azores was released last summer by Finishing Line Press.

Actor Larry Crist has been acting for 60 years and has appeared in over 100 shows. He enjoys working with John Heckel, whom he first had as teacher at HSU 40 years ago and directed him then in the title role Woyzeck, and more recently Estragon in Waiting for Godot and Jerry in Zoo Story. Larry has appeared in numerous shows at EXIT Theatre and other Humboldt area theaters, and in Seattle during his 25 years living there. Larry writes and performs poems and is presently preparing his third poem collection, due out later this year or next. He lives in Trinidad where he looks after his 93-year-old mother, retired HSU drama professor, Jenny Cranston.

Director John Heckel is a retired professor of theatre and film at Cal Poly Humboldt. He has directed both film and theater, including recently The American Dream and Zoo Story by Edward Albee at EXIT Theatre.

Ali, Cosell, My Dad & Me. is presented by Creekside Arts and EXIT Theatre.

APR 17 – APR 26, 7PM FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS, 2PM SUNDAYS

TICKETS $15-$25 at ali-cosell-my-dad-and-me.eventbrite.com

or cash at the door (leave reservation at [email protected] )

EXIT THEATRE 890 G ST, 2ND FLOOR, ARCATA ON THE PLAZA

EXIT Theatre was founded in 1983 in San Francisco before relocating to Arcata. Its mission is to provide a home for artists to create, experiment, and grow by commissioning and producing new works, providing production support and low-cost theater rentals, and producing performance festivals including the annual Short Play Festival.  EXIT Theatre is a nonprofit tax exempt organization supported by local volunteers, residents, businesses and the Humboldt County Transient Occupancy Tax.   For more information about EXIT Theatre’s current and upcoming events, visit www.theexit.org .