staging the imagined truth with speed & violence

Christian Victor Levatino is a visionary force in contemporary theater, celebrated for his uncompromising approach as a playwright, director, and actor. As the founder and artistic director of Gangbusters Theatre Company, he has built a reputation for creating works that are both intellectually provocative and emotionally intense.
Levatino’s productions, including those directed under his alias Leon Shanglebee, are characterized by their unflinching exploration of human nature, often pushing the boundaries of conventional theater to deliver visceral, immersive experiences.
His critically acclaimed play Sunny Afternoon exemplifies his unique ability to blend historical events with bold, speculative storytelling. The dramatization of the 48 hours Lee Harvey Oswald spent in police custody following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the play masterfully weaves fact and conspiracy, offering a deeply human portrait of Oswald that forces audiences to grapple with the complexities of history, truth, and morality.
Levatino’s directorial work under the Shanglebee persona is equally lauded for its raw intensity and emotional depth. His revival of Tracers, a harrowing exploration of soldiers confronting the trauma of the Vietnam War, was praised for its dynamic staging and visceral emotional weight. The production was named a Backstage Critic’s Pick and garnered a Backstage Garland Award Best Director nomination, with additional nominations for Best Ensemble from both the Backstage Garland Awards and the Ovation Awards. "It's grueling in its unflinching glimpse of wartime hell, yet graced with poetic beauty and flashes of ironic comic relief. Director Leon Shanglebee and an exemplary ensemble capture the work's visceral splendor and profound emotional resonance."
In his stage adaptation of Night of the Living Dead, Levatino once again demonstrated his remarkable ability to transform genre material into powerful social commentary. This adaptation was nominated for an NAACP Award, turning a cult horror classic into an exploration of fear, survival, and trust—a meditation on human behavior under duress.
Levatino’s work is defined by its exploration of chaos, masculinity, war, and the fragility of the human psyche. His productions often place characters in extreme, life-altering circumstances, eliciting performances that push the boundaries of emotional authenticity. Whether dissecting the ravages of war, the emotional wreckage of trauma, or the volatility of youth, Levatino’s works resonate deeply with audiences, leaving them shaken, challenged, and introspective.
Levatino’s career is marked by numerous accolades. His production of Streamers earned him an NAACP Best Director nomination and was named a Backstage West Critic’s Pick. As an actor, Levatino was nominated for an LA Weekly Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Dopey in Balm in Gilead, a production for which he also directed and produced a cast of 28 actors, musicians, and a dog, earning him a nomination for LA Weekly’s Best Producer Award. Additionally, Levatino was nominated for a Backstage Garland Best Actor Award for his portrayal of Hamlet in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
His play King Dick was selected as one of the Top 18 plays in the country in 2016 by The Great Plains Theatre Commons in Omaha, Nebraska, further solidifying his place as one of the most distinctive voices in American theater.
At the heart of his artistic vision is his philosophy of “staging the imagined truth with speed and violence.” Levatino’s productions refuse to offer easy answers, instead embracing the unpredictability of the human condition. As both Christian Victor Levatino and Leon Bertram Shanglebee, he consistently delivers theater that challenges societal norms, provokes deep reflection, and expands the possibilities of storytelling.
Levatino’s fearless commitment to innovation and his ability to balance intellectual rigor with emotional rawness make him a singular talent in the world of theater. His work, both as a playwright and director, transcends the stage, engaging audiences in a profound exploration of what it means to be human in the face of chaos, conflict, and uncertainty.
~ Les Spindle BSW
the gangbusters theatre company
HALL OF BLOOD & THUNDER
2001 - Present

JJ Pyle is co-founder of the gangbusters theatre company and played with them in productions of Sexual Perversity in Chicago, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Balm in Gilead. She went on to produce and act in In the Boom Boom Room and Scab with TILT (Tell It Like This) Productions which she founded. JJ originated the role of Matchgirl in Paul Hoan Zeidler's Time, Scream and Hurry on both coasts, at the Elephant Lab in LA And The Cherry Lane in NYC. She works with Elsinore County theatre company in NY, having done four productions with them. And is a new member of In Violet Theatre Company! She has co-founded a group called Solo Heroes, a vehicle to build community and workshop solo theatre. She is currently writing and workshopping a show called How to Find a Husband in 37 Years or Longer. She has appeared on Criminal Minds and Boardwalk Empire and was the $10,000 winner on the Food Networks 24 Hour Restaurant Battle with her restaurant concept, & Jelly. She is recurring in a new show, Life, Coached. I am ever grateful to Christian Levatino for teaching me how to make theatre. Gangbusters was a life-changing endeavor. She currently resides in NYC and studies Strasberg with David Gideon.

James Coyne is a screenwriter plying his trade is a screenwriter plying his trade in Sunny Los Angeles. His first collaboration with the gangbusters goes back to One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest, which he production designed. James went on to Production Design Streamers (where he also played Ritchie) and Hamlet. James also acted in Pounding Nails in the Floor with my Forehead which is also an apt metaphor for his career as a screenwriter. A friend of Christian Levatino’s since 1995, James was there in the audience for Sexual Perversity in Chicago and just about every other play since. He's honored to be included in the Hall of Blood & Thunder, and looks forward to another two decades of Speed & Violence.

Darrett Sanders has been doing theatre in LA since 1995. Some of these productions include: gangbusters theatre company (Cryo-Man, King Dick, Sunny Afternoon) Echo Theater Company (A Small Fire, General Sherman’s Hollow Body), Theatre of NOTE (The Whiskey Maiden, Rio Hondo, Have You Seen Alice, Burrhead, Wreck Of The Unfathomable). Darrett has been nominated for multiple Ovation Awards and Stage Raw Awards. He is a filmmaker and directed / edited / produced the feature length film noir comedy Kill Me, Deadly in which he won best director at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival. Darrett was also the director of photography, editor and producer for the feature length 1960’s eurospy parody Scream Of The Bikini. Find out more at www.Darretts.com

Andy Hirsch is proud of his work with Christian and the gangbusters, playing Lee Harvey Oswald in the World Premiere of Sunny Afternoon and originating the roles of Bud Krogh in King Dick and Alfred Balwin in ...meantime at HoJo's. Other favorite theatre: world premiere of The Speed of Darkness with Stephen Lang (Goodman Theatre, Chicago); Bobby Kennedy in Apollo (Portland Center Stage); Abbie Hoffman in The Chicago Conspiracy Trial (Odyssey Theatre); Moonchildren (Edinburgh Festival); MilkMilkLemonade (Rogue Machine) and Judgment at Nuremberg with Katharine Ross. Andy stars with Eric Stoltz in the award-winning W.W.II film Fort McCoy and with Gary Cole in The Chicago 8 and favorite TV includes playing Eddie Fisher in the biopic Liz & Dick, series regular on The Fanelli Boys with Christopher Meloni, recurring on 90210 and G-Spot, the Emmy-nominated mini-series In a Child's Name, Thanksgiving Day as Mary Tyler Moore’s son, Big Love and most recently Curb Your Enthusiasm. V.O. includes playing Justin Timberlake in Celebrity Deathmatch, Snap for Rice Krispies and currently narrating Grave Mysteries.

JAMES THOMAS GILBERT is an actor, writer and director who’s proud to have been working with the gangbusters theatre company since their 2005 production of Balm in Gilead. Other productions with Gangbuster’s include Tracers (2008), Hamlet (2008), Julius Caesar (NY Fringe-2010), Julius Caesar (LA Fringe-2011) and A Del Amo World Record in Compton (2011). Other favorite productions include playing Jerry in A Zoo Story and Vladimir in Waiting For Godot both of which with Risk Theatre Initiative in Dallas, Texas, Playing John Merrick in The Elephant Man with Theatre Wesleyan and making his Company of Angeles debut playing Jake in Their Eyes Saw Rain in downtown LA. James has been seen in numerous independent films and such TV Shows as Ray Donovan, Documentary Now!, Perception and in an upcoming episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Aside from acting, James is an avid writer, working on many screenplays as well as novels. James graduated from Texas Wesleyan University with a BFA in theatre with an emphasis on acting. It gives James great pleasure to call Christian one of his close friends upon moving to LA in 2005. He has learned a lot from Christian in his crazy SPEED AND VIOLENCE world of theatre together and looks forward to many more years of fun. More info at www.jamesthomasgilbert.com

Patrick Flanagan has been playing with the gangbusters since the World Premiere of Sunny Afternoon. He also originated the roles of Dwight Chapin in King Dick and Macho in ...meantime at Hojo's. Some recent credits include: Three, Love By Drowning, The Grey, Headshot, ICarly, and The Young and The Restless. He’s also a founding member of Rogue Machine Theater Company.
Spencer Cantrell is a native of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. He studied theatre at the University of North Alabama before moving to Los Angeles in 2015, where he has spent his time on stage with multiple theatre companies. In 2017 Spencer was nominated for a Valley Theatre Award for outstanding performance as George in Of Mice and Men. Spencer first appeared with the gangbusters theatre company in 2018 as Bill Alexander in Sunny Afternoon during The Big Event. In the fall of 2020 Spencer received recognition for his work on stage as he was nominated for “Performer of the Decade” by Broadway World. Does that mean anything? Not really, but it makes his mom happy.

