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Announcing: A Tiny Piece of Land Post-Performance Discussions

A TINY PIECE OF LAND BEGINS APRIL 8
AT PICO PLAYHOUSE FOR 13 PERFORMANCES ONLY
POST-PERFORMANCE DISCUSSIONS WILL FEATURE PROMINENT FIGURES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL COMMUNITY

Atpol Productions will present the world premiere of A Tiny Piece of Land, a new drama by Joni Browne-Walders and Mel Weiser, at the Pico Playhouse beginning April 8 for thirteen performances only through April 24.  Opening is set for Friday, April 9 at 8pm.

Immediately following each performance, there will be a discussion about the themes of the play, moderated by various prominent figures from the international political community.  These special guests are scheduled to include Nonie Darwish of Arabs for Israel (www.arabsforisrael.com or www.noniedarwish.com), Roz Rothstein of Stand With Us (www.standwithus.com), Gary Acheatel of Advocates for Israel (www.advocatesforisrael.com), Talia Shulman-Gold of CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America at www.camera.org), and Gil Artzyeli, Deputy Consul General, Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.  Others will be announced later.

A Tiny Piece of Land brings a long-missing Israeli perspective to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.  Through the personal losses and triumphs of an ordinary Jewish family, forced with thousands of other settlers from their Gaza settlement homes in 2005, the play presents a powerful and hopeful view of Israeli hardship and courage in the face of worldwide misunderstanding and condemnation.

Directed by co-writer Weiser, the cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Robert G. Bledsoe, Andrea Dovner, Anat Gerber and Cliff Smith.  Scenic advisor is Paul W. Estes and the lighting design is by Gil Tordjman.

A Tiny Piece of Land will play one preview performance on Thursday, April 8 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, April 9 at 8pm.  The regular performance schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm and 7pm.  The engagement ends on Saturday, April 24. The general admission price is $32.50 with a student and senior discount price of $27.50.  To purchase tickets, visit www.tix.com or call (800) 595-4849.  Group rates are available.  The Pico Playhouse is located at 10508 West Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles.

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03-31-10

Announcing: Canned Ham

TWEED THEATREWORKS AND KEARNS ARTIST SERVICES
IN ASSOCIATION WITH CHI CHI LARUE PRODUCTIONS PRESENTS
CANNED HAM
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY TOM JUDSON
DIRECTED BY KEVIN MALONY
THE CAVERN CLUB THEATER AT CASITO DEL CAMPO
1920 HYPERION AVENUE, SILVERLAKE, CA 90027

PERFORMANCES APRIL 30 – MAY 16, 2010

Triple threat Broadway actor and musician Tom Judson is debuting his auto-biographical show Canned Ham in Los Angeles on April 30th. Canned Ham documents his strange trajectory from Off-Off Broadway composer and performance artist to Broadway actor to, of all things, the porn super-star Gus Mattox!

The show, playing at The Cavern Club April 30th through May 16th, is an insider ‘show-biz musical’ that recounts the true life adventures Judson, an established actor off and on Broadway, who, as Mattox, became the oldest recipient of the GayVN ‘Performer of the Year’ Awards, the porn industry’s Oscar!. Tom’s theater career was thriving, and he was composing music for films and television (including Metropolitan, MTV and even Sesame Street) when he made an unexpected splash in the porn world as Mattox.

In Canned Ham Tom recalls working with show business greats Rob Marshall (director of Chicago), Ann Magnuson, Teri Hatcher, and many others. In this moving and hilarious show, Judson accompanies himself on the accordion while revealing what it’s really like on the set of a porn movie (and explaining that being a male escort can have some surprisingly touching moments).

Canned Ham runs Friday – Sunday April 30 – May 16th. Tickets are $20 in advance/$25 at the door and are available online through Brown Paper Tickets at: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/100513

For more information call 323-969-2530 or visit http://www.CannedHamOnStage.com

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03/21/2010

Announcing: My Sister In This House

DEAF WEST THEATRE PRESENTS
MY SISTER IN THIS HOUSE
BY WENDY ANN KESSELMAN
PERFORMANCES BEGINS APRIL 10

Deaf West Theatre, Ed Waterstreet, Artistic Director, has announced their next production, My Sister In This House by Wendy Ann Kesselman.  Directed by Michael Unger, My Sister … will begin previews on Saturday, April 10 and is set to open on Saturday, April 17 at 8pm.  The engagement will run through Sunday, May 30.  My Sister… follows the critical and audience success of their last production, the special 30th anniversary Children of a Lesser God last Fall.

Based on the true story of the Papin sisters, who suffered an abusive childhood followed by a dark and foreboding workplace in 1930s France, My Sister In This House is a haunting play exploring class struggle, identity, and what happens when the need for connection and companionship is abused and ignored. This bizarre tale inspired many writers of the era, including Jean Genet and Jean Paul Sartre.

The themes of this play are highlighted by the unique theatrical experience for which Deaf West Theatre is known.  In this production, deaf and hearing actors will perform in a multi-lingual setting of American Sign Language, spoken English, and open captioning.  The divide between the deaf and the hearing worlds provides added thematic weight to the world in which the Papin sisters live.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Deanne Bray, Matthew Jaeger, Casey Kramer, Jennifer Losi, Darrin Revitz, Melissa Strom and Amber Zion.  The scenic design is by Tom Buderwitz, lighting design is by Leigh Allen, costume design is by A. Jeffrey Schoenberg, sound design is by John Zalewski, and the projection design is by Adam Flemming, hair and wig design is by Carol Doran and properties is by Jennifer Prince.  The fight coordinator is Megan Nguyen, casting is by Michael Donovan Casting, and the production stage manager is Leia Crawford.  David Kurs is associate producer and ASL Master, and My Sister In This House is produced by Laura Hill.

Preview performances begin on Saturday, April 10 at 8pm and continue on Sunday, April 11 at 2pm, Thursday, April 15 at 8pm and Friday, April 16 at 8pm.  Opening night is set for Saturday, April 17 at 8:00.  THE MEDIA IS INVITED TO ATTEND OPENING NIGHT ON 4/17, BUT IS ALSO WELCOME AT ANY OTHER PERFORMANCE AFTER THAT DATE. The regular performance schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm through Sunday, May 30.

Tickets are on sale now, and prices are $15 for previews, $25 for regular performances, and $50 for opening night.  To purchase tickets, visit www.deafwest.org, or call (818) 762-2773.  For group sales or other production information, call (818) 762-2773 [Voice], (866) 954-2986 [Video Phone], or email boxoffice@deafwest.org.

Three special 10am performances (Tuesdays; April 20, May 18 and May 25) will be offered for local deaf and hard of hearing high school students as part of Deaf West Theatre’s Dramatic Gestures educational outreach programming.

This production of My Sister In This House is sponsored in part by the James Irvine Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Thelma Pearl Howard Foundation, and a U.S. Department of Education congressionally-directed grant.

Deaf West Theatre is located at 5112 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood.

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03-09-10