Announcing: Listing Info & Play Descriptions – The Blank Theatre’s 20th Annual Young Playwright’s Festival

THE BLANK THEATRE
20TH ANNUAL YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

Professional actors and directors present 12 winning plays by young playwrights from across the nation during this prestigious four-week festival. Each week is a different evening of three plays. For complete list of plays and performance dates, see schedule below.

DATES:  May 31 – June 24

TIMES:  Thurs/Fri/Sat at 8pm; Sun at 2pm

ADMISSION:  Adults $20 Students $14.  Festival Pass (one seat each week) $64

TICKET INFO:  Available online at www.TheBlank.com, or by calling (323) 661-9827.

LOCATION:  The Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Boulevard (at Highland), in Hollywood.

WEEK ONE May 31 – June 3

COFFEE TALK
By Spencer Emerson Opal-Levine (age 9), Sarasota, FL
What do you want to become? Do you have to follow the rules? The denizens of a local Starbucks ask these same questions, but the answers are not what you expect.
Mentor – Ellen Byron
Director – David Shine

THE GRANT PROPOSAL
By Nick Mecikalski (age 18), Madison, AL
In the too-near future, your productivity is very closely watched and charted. This family struggles with what one must do when Grandpa is no longer “useful.”
Mentor – Mark Saltzman
Director – James Kerwin

PRINCESS
By Kate Herzlin (age 19), Rockville Centre, NY
Princess has been sheltered her whole life, as if raised in a fairy tale.  But what should she do if a dream life isn’t her dream?  Can she ever find her true self or must she live everyone else’s version of happily ever after?”
Mentor – Brighde Mullins
Director – April Webster

WEEK TWO June 7 – 10

THE INDEX
By Zachary Weaver (age 15), Overland Park, KS
What if they kept a list of your life accomplishments? What would be in your Index? Maybe you haven’t done anything noteworthy. Does that make you not worthy?
Mentor – Patrick Burleigh
Director – Trevor Bishop

SCRAPBOOK
By Brendan Blaber (age 17), Indian Head Park, IL
The last day at Camp Itchyknee seems like the end of the world. And when you are 12 years old, it just may be. Especially if you haven’t been able to tell the cute girl how much you like her yet.
Mentor – David Rambo
Director – J. Richey Nash

THE ART OF LOSING
By Nicole Acton (age 18), Interlochen, MI
Family matters. It is important to give of yourself to help those that have always helped you. But how much can one give? And for how long? And at what cost?
Mentor – Christopher Kyle
Director – Loni Peristere

WEEK THREE June 14 – 17

DAMMIT!
By David Agronin (age 17), Owings Mills, MD
Len needs to apologize to his girlfriend but she’s not picking up her phone, so he leaves a message.  And then another. And then another. Can he stop digging this terrible hole for himself and ever get back in her arms?
Mentor – Austin Winsberg
Director – Matt Graber

OTHER PEOPLE’S ORGANS
By Paige Roth (age 18), San Antonio, TX
Getting Mom’s attention is never easy, especially when she is so self-obsessed. But Carlton needs more that just that from her mother: she needs to know what really happened to her father.
Mentor – Robert L. Freedman
Director – Ameenah Kaplan

ARC
By Elana Zeltser (age 16), Sherman Oaks, CA
Kacey doesn’t get why she needs to write a paper on Joan of Arc. What could this girl from a million years ago have to do with her? She just might find out, when Joan in her jail cell appears in Kacey’s bedroom.
Mentor – Kelly Miller
Director – Barbara Bain

WEEK FOUR June 21 – 24

BEAR IN MIND
By Emma Steinkellner (age 17), Santa Barbara, CA
Sometimes having a conscience can be a real bear. In Annie’s case it is literally a large British bear who wants her to become respectable. So naturally, she tries to get rid of him.
Mentor – Gary Tieche
Director – Jeff Maynard

ONE PLUS ONE IS FOUR
By Rachel Kaly (age 16), Forest Hills, NY
When a meteor is hurtling it way to earth, about to destroy all in half an hour, is it too late to look for love?
Mentor – Dave Holstein
Director – Warren Davis

THE CARDIOLUTHIER
By Dylan Zwickel (age 19), Manhattan Beach, CA
When your violin strings break, you see a Luthier to get them fixed. But where do you go when you break your heart strings?
Mentor – John Cariani
Director – Michael Matthews

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05-15-12

Announcing: The Blank Theatre Presents “20 Years of Winners,” A Benefit for The Young Playwrights Festival

THE BLANK THEATRE PRESENTS
20 YEARS OF WINNERS
SCENES, SONGS, AND SPEECHES FROM 20 YEARS
OF THE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
ONE NIGHT ONLY: SUNDAY, JUNE 3 AT 6PM

Benefiting The Blank Theatre, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit arts organization, honorary host Jennifer Garner will welcome (in alphabetical order) Ed Asner, Barbara Bain, Nicholas Brendon, Brianna Brown, Gordon Clapp, Dale Dickey, Daisy Eagan, Thea Gill, Peri Gilpin, Gale Harold, Lenny Jacobson, Michael E. Knight, Tom Lenk, Scott Lowell, Allison Mack, Virginia Madsen, Angel Parker, Rex Smith, Jennifer Stone, DB Sweeney, Kirsten Vangsness, Gedde Watanabe, Virginia Williams, and Noah Wyle as they perform scenes, songs, and speeches from 20 years of The Blank’s Young Playwrights Festival. Artists subject to change. This one night only event will take place on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 6pm, at Avalon Hollywood.

About The Blank Theatre
Started in 1990 by Founding Artistic Director Daniel Henning, The Blank Theatre is Hollywood’s regional theatre, consistently offering some of the most high quality and entertaining productions in the area. In its 21-year history, The Blank has won hundreds of awards including every major award in Los Angeles for Outstanding Production, such as the LA Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, NAACP, and Back Stage Garland awards. The Blank has been at the forefront of providing high quality productions with a risk-taking sensibility and entertaining experiences. The Blank Theatre is committed to developing excellence in artistic talent, and providing the opportunity for artists to take bold risks. For more information, please visit www.TheBlank.com.

BENEFIT PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

DATE/TIME:  Sunday, June 3, at 6pm

ADMISSION:  $50 – $125. VIP packages available for $250-$350 (includes post-performance reception with the cast).

TICKETS:        Online at www.TheBlank.com or by calling (323) 661-9827.

LOCATION:    Avalon Hollywood, 1735 Vine Street, Hollywood, 90028.

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05-08-12

Announcing: “The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend and His Girlfriend” Opens June 2 at the Lounge Theatre

KADM PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES
WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
THE INVENTOR, THE ESCORT, THE PHOTOGRAPHER,
HER BOYFRIEND AND HIS GIRLFRIEND
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MATT MORILLO

NEW SEX COMEDY BY THE AUTHOR OF THE SMASH HIT
ANGRY YOUNG WOMEN IN LOW-RISE JEANS
WITH HIGH-CLASS ISSUES
OPENS JUNE 2, 2012 AT THE LOUNGE THEATRE
FOR SIX WEEKS ONLY

KADM Productions has announced the West Coast premiere of The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend and His Girlfriend, Matt Morillo’s raucous new sex comedy, for a limited engagement at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. There will be one preview performance on June 1, with opening night set for Saturday, June 2, 2012 at 8:00. The Inventor … will play through July 8.

The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend and His Girlfriend is an outrageous sex romp, juxtaposing two lusty comic scenarios involving five people in a New York City apartment building during a fierce blizzard. Downstairs, Julia, a call girl, arrives for an appointment with Jeffrey, a nerdy guy who has made a fortune inventing and selling sexual devices. What begins as a routine ‘trick’ has quite the unexpected ending. In the meanwhile, upstairs neighbors Karen and John, an estranged couple, settle in for an evening of sweet reconciliation and make-up sex. Their plans go awry, however, when Molly, a young dancer with whom John had dallied, arrives seeking refuge from the blizzard. Drunken lunacy ensues.

Matt Morillo’s first play, Angry Young Women In Low-Rise Jeans With High-Class Issues, was a runaway hit on two continents, packing houses and receiving rave reviews through three separate runs in New York City, and two separate runs in Sydney, Australia. Of the 2008 Los Angeles production, Variety wrote, “Angry Young Women is a cheerfully raunchy show that boasts … hilarious writing and a sharp, fearless and funny cast.” Morillo’s other playwriting credits include All Aboard The Marriage Hearse, and American Soldiers. Also a screenwriter, he made his debut at age 23 with the award-winning film The Pretenders (2000), and he has written several highly lauded and award-winning short films, including Maid of Honor (2003).

Directed by Morillo, the cast of The Inventor … will feature (in alphabetical order) Jeffrey Cannata, Isidora Goreshter, Jenni Halina, Jessica Moreno, and Jaret Sacrey. The set design is by Dan Mailley, and the lighting and sound designs are by Matt Richter. The stage manager is Rebecca Schoenberg, and The Inventor, The Escort, The Photographer, Her Boyfriend and His Girlfriend is produced for KADM Productions by Racquel Lehrman and Theatre Planners.
There will be one preview performance of The Inventor … on Friday, June 1 at 8pm. Opening night is set for Saturday, June 2 at 8:00. General seating admission is $10 for the preview, and $20 for regular performances. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 7pm, through July 8 only. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased online at www.plays411.com/escort, or by calling (323) 960-7712.

The Lounge Theatre is located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (just east of Vine, at El Centro), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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05-07-12