FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Seanna Hore, Ginsberg/Libby
seanna.hore@ginsberglibby.com

Gladys Santos, Ginsberg/Libby
gladys.santos@ginsberglibby.com
 

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 7, 2025) — Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization celebrating 40 years of the Spirit Awards, has partnered with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Focus Features to bring the award-winning film Conclave to life on February 10, with a special one-night-only Live Read directed by Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front) accompanied by writer Peter Straughan (Conclave, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).

Guests will be immersed in the tension and drama of a papal election, with some of this season’s most iconic characters reinvented by an outstanding cast, including Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Lionel Boyce (The Bear), Cooper Koch (Monsters), Josh Gad (Book of Mormon), Jason Mantzoukas (Big Mouth), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) and Eugenio Derbez (CODA), along with the film’s Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Peter Straughan as narrator.

Conclave has captivated critics and audiences alike, winning Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes, earning 8 Oscar nominations – including Best Picture – 12 BAFTA nominations, 11 Critics’ Choice Awards nominations and 6 Golden Globe nominations. The film also took home the 2024 National Board of Review’s Best Ensemble Award, as well as the 2025 AFI Award for Movie of the Year. Don’t miss your chance to witness this unforgettable drama unfold, live on stage, as a new cast brings the script’s power struggles and secrets to life.

Past Live Read guest directors and their chosen scripts include Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall), Marlee Matlin (Sunset Boulevard), Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness), Ben Schwartz (Back to the Future), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), Olivia Wilde (Hannah and Her Sisters) and Marvin Lemus (L.A. Story), Zoe Lister-Jones (Wayne’s World) and Natalie Morales (Napoleon Dynamite), among others.

Previous Live Read cast members include Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Riley Keough (Under the Bridge), Nicholas Braun (Succession), Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso), Troy Kotsur (CODA), Alison Brie (Apples Never Fall), Simona Tabasco (The White Lotus), Tessa Thompson (Creed III), Taika Waititi (Thor: Love and Thunder), Steven Yeun (Nope), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), Maya Erskine (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), Kate Berlant (Dream Scenario) and many more.

The event was sold out in under three hours, a record for Film Independent Presents. To be placed on the wait list, please call the Wallis Ticket Services at 310 746 4000 or email tickets@thewallis.org.

Film Independent Presents is supported year-round by Lead Sponsor The Golden Globe Foundation.

Special thanks to Focus Features for making this event possible.
 

ABOUT FILM INDEPENDENT

For 41 years, Film Independent has helped filmmakers get their projects made and seen. The nonprofit organization’s core mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a global community of artists and audiences who embody diversity, innovation, curiosity and uniqueness of vision.

In addition to producing the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization supports creative professionals with Artist Development programs, grants and labs. Signature mentorship program Project Involve fosters the careers of talented filmmakers from underrepresented communities. Education events and workshops equip filmmakers of all ages and experience levels with tools and resources. Global Media Makers, a cultural exchange program produced in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, provides career-building opportunities for international film professionals. And year-round screening series Film Independent Presents offers a robust program of unique cinematic experiences, including screenings, conversations, Live Reads and Bring the Noise musical events.

For more information or to become a Member, visit filmindependent.org.
 

ABOUT WALLIS ANNENBERG CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) was lauded by Culture Vulture: “If you love expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love The Wallis.” Broadway legend Patti LuPone, who was The Wallis’ 2015/2016 Season Artistic Advisor, described the venue as “one of the best in the country, allowing for an unparalleled intimacy between [the artist] and the audience.”

Since its doors opened in 2013, The Wallis, located in the heart of Beverly Hills, CA, is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where local, national, and international performers share their artistry with ever-expanding audiences. Distinguished by eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and presented nearly 500 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret, comedy, performance arts, and family entertainment programs, boasting nominations for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards, as well as six architectural awards.

The breathtaking 70,000-square-foot facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, was named after philanthropist Wallis Annenberg, who’s original $25-million-dollar donation was instrumental in transforming the beloved former 1934 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) into an arts complex. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF: architects), the restored building features one of two sets of eight towering original WPA frescos, these by Charles Kassler, remaining in the entire California Federal Building system. The Wallis’ lobby, now known as Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand Hall, serves as the theater’s dramatic yet welcoming entryway to the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education, where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound. Together, these elements embrace both the region’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for Los Angeles area visitors and residents alike.

Daphna Nazarian is Chair of The Wallis’ Board of Directors and Robert van Leer is its Executive Director and CEO.