Announcing: 2011 Directors Lab West Dates Set & Applications Available

2011 DIRECTORS LAB WEST
DATES SET AND APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

The Directors Lab West Steering Committee has announced the dates for its 12th annual event. The 2011 Lab will take place June 11 – 18 in residence at The Pasadena Playhouse. This year’s dates coincide with several other events bringing national attention to the L.A. theatre scene, including the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) annual conference. This will be an exciting time to explore current issues and perspectives in both the local and national theatre communities.

Attendance is by application only. There is no charge to participate; applications and more information can be found at www.directorslabwest.com. The deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, April 15 at 5pm.

Directors Lab West, which launched in 2000, seeks theatre directors to participate in a week-long series of workshops, panels, roundtables, and symposia, with some of the nation’s leading theatre artists. Directors Lab West, like its New York inspiration at Lincoln Center Theater, creates an intensive laboratory environment where theatre directors come together to inspire, educate, and challenge themselves and each other.

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02-26-11

Announcing: Studio C Artists presents Evan McNamara’s “I Get Knocked Down …” beginning March 5

STUDIO C ARTISTS PRESENTS A WORLD PREMIERE
I GET KNOCKED DOWN …
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY EVAN McNAMARA
DIRECTED BY JOHN COPPOLA

MARCH 5 – APRIL 23
AT STUDIO C ARTISTS PERFORMANCE SPACE

Studio C Artists has announced the world premiere of I Get Knocked Down … , written and performed by Evan McNamara, and directed by John Coppola. This new solo show is set to open on Saturday, March 5 at 8pm and will run on alternate Saturdays and Sundays through April 23. Performances will take place at the Studio C Artists Performance Space on Theatre Row in Hollywood.

I Get Knocked Down … is one man’s journey across relationships and heartbreak, as told through fragmented parts of his personality. Each fragment lends insight into how he was blinded by love, and ultimately blind-sided by betrayal and the dissolution of his marriage. Writer/performer Evan McNamara gives a tour-de-force performance as the father of two kids exploring the recent breakup of his home by delving into seven archetypes that are unique to his psyche. Evan’s journey within provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of unconditional love, and ultimately proves the power of self outshines even the darkest times.

Evan McNamara was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where his career as an actor began in the third grade, playing the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Dreams of a professional acting career brought him to Los Angeles, where he has worked on stage, in film, and on television. Local theatre credits include Amadeus, You Can’t Take It With You, and The Shadow, among others. Television work includes The Soup, ER, Taprooting, Silence and The Last Bad Neighborhood. Evan has been a company member of ARTEL, Shakespeare by the Sea, and L.A. Troupe, and is presently a company member of Studio C Artists.

John Coppola was born into a filmmaking family in Brooklyn, New York, and has had a multifaceted career as a director, producer, actor and teacher. He began his acting career over 20 years ago while attending Yale’s prestigious Dramat Purple Crayon. He has appeared on Broadway numerous times (Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, American Buffalo) and in films such as Into the Paradise, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap, and You Gotta Leave Your Mark. As a director, John has helmed over 25 theatrical productions in New York, Los Angeles, and abroad. The movie Possibility, which he directed, took the 2005 Grand Jury Prize for short film at the New York International Film and Video Festival. As part of Studio C, John offers unique private coaching to a thriving group of students, established actors, and movies stars.

Based in Los Angeles, Studio C Artists is a production, casting, and arts education company founded by director John Coppola and producer Michael Sonntag. The production unit focuses on film and television – primarily features, documentaries, scripted series, and web series. In addition, Studio C Artists develops projects for the stage, with the intention of working some of them into material for the screen. The Studio C Artists Acting & Filmmaking Institute is an all-encompassing acting studio, which offers a curriculum of acting classes, career-related seminars, and filmmaking workshops. The curriculum emphasizes The New Approach – a unique formula taught only at Studio C, which has been cultivated and perfected over the last 10 years. Studio C Artists’ clients range from up-and-coming actors to major film and television stars, and are represented by some of Hollywood’s busiest agents and managers. For more information, visit www.studiocartists.com.

The running schedule for Evan McNamara’s I Get Knocked Down … is as follows: Saturdays, March 5, 12 & 19 and April 16 & 23 at 8pm; Sundays, March 27 and April 3 & 10 at 3pm. Approximate running time is one hour. Suggested donation is $20, and reservations can be made by visiting www.igetknockeddown.eventbrite.com. The engagement ends on Saturday, April 23. Studio C Artists is located at 6448 Santa Monica Boulevard, on Theatre Row, in Hollywood.

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02-18-11

Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company presents Love Bites – Volume 10

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

LOVE BITES – VOLUME 10
THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 YEARS TOGETHER … AND STILL NO RING
An Encore Presentation of Some Not-So-Romantic and Dysfunctional
Short Plays From the Past 10 Years, Presented in Two Separate Programs
OPENING NIGHTS FEBRUARY 17 & 19

ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY CELEBRATION
WITH SPECIAL PLAY LINE-UP
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 14 AT 8PM

The Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, has announced it will present this year’s annual short play festival as a “best of” encore anthology. THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 Years Together … and Still No Ring will be split into two separate evenings of short one-acts that will run in repertory from Thursday, February 17 through Sunday, March 20. The two programs (‘Round One’ and ‘Round Two’) represent the best original short plays produced by the Elephant Theatre Company over the last ten years during its annual one-act festival, which has become a local ‘cult’ favorite. All of the plays, which will be performed at the Elephant Space in Hollywood, are written, performed and directed by members of the Company.

Kicking off the Elephant’s 15th Season, THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 Years Together… and Still No Ring is a delicious assortment of short plays featuring dark humor, grand delusions and outright goofball shenanigans, all examining that elusive thing called love. Though it never bows to the conventions of a Hallmark greeting, LOVE BITES has become a hallmark of the Elephant Theatre Company’s distinctive excellence.

Various past festivals have garnered much praise. “Love Bites demonstrates that the Elephant Theatre Company can produce original material with depth and quality. The level of writing, acting and direction is above many of the company’s peers,” said LA Metro. And from Back Stage, “… not for the faint of heart … superbly acted and ably directed. These pieces, whether surreal or true to life, make for a crisp evening of outrageous fun … leaves one exhausted and guiltily anticipating next year’s production.”

THE BEST OF LOVE BITES will run as follows: Round 1 opens Thursday, February 17 at 8pm, and then plays Thursday and Friday at 8pm through March 18. Round 2 opens Saturday, February 19 at 8pm, and then plays Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through March 20. General admission tickets are $20. There will also be a special Anti-Valentine’s Day (or, as Ken Werther likes to call it, Singles Awareness Day) Celebration on Monday, February 14 at 8pm, featuring a one-time lineup of plays, along with other surprises. Admission on Valentine’s Day is $25. [A COMPLETE LIST OF PLAYS FOLLOWS THIS RELEASE.]

To purchase tickets for regular performances and for the Anti-Valentine’s Day event, visit www.ElephantTheatreCompany.com or call (877) 369-9112. The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

THE BEST OF LOVE BITES: 10 Years Together… and Still No Ring

ROUND 1 (Thursday & Friday at 8pm)

THE ASCENT
Written by Jonathan Caren
Directed by David Fofi

MUPPET MAIDEN
Written and Directed by Alexandra Hoover

STRINGS
Written by Tony Foster
Directed by Amy French

EVERYTHING I DO
Written by Noelle Leiblic
Directed by David Fofi

BAGGAGE
Written and Directed by Kerry Carney

BLUFF
Written by Tony Foster
Directed by Amy French

WICKED CITY OR HUSH MY LOVE
Written by Dan McCoy
Directed by Tom Stanczyk

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ROUND 2 (Saturday at 8pm & Sunday at 7pm)

REALITY ROMCOM: DAY 98 WITH MY ATTAINED PIXIE DREAM GIRL
Written by Kerry Carney
Directed by David Fofi

SOME MOLES AND OTHER COWLICKS
Written by Jonathan Caren and Zibby Allen
Directed by Lindsay Allbaugh

WEDDING LAMENT
Written by Louis Douglas Jacobs
Directed by Gina Garrison

NIGHT TRAIN
Written by Gena Acosta
Directed by Tom Stanczyk

CLOSE
Written by Tom Stanczyk
Directed by Edgar Landa

KARININAED
Written by Timothy McNeil
Directed by David Franco

PASTA AND LOVE
Written and Directed by David Franco

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02-02-11