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“Top That!” Set to Premiere at Hollywood Film Festival

TOP THAT!
SET TO PREMIERE AT HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL

The team behind last year’s Fringe hit, Deicide: a Sorta Musical, presents a new ensemble-created dark comedy about rivalry, regret, and cheesy children’s television. Theatre and film elements are used in Top That! to tell the story of nine former child actors attending a cast reunion party of the TV show Pancakes, Ah YES! The reunion takes on a life of its own as it transforms into a weekend of nostalgia, bromance, and enlightenment.

Darkly comedic and subversive, yet also sincere and heartfelt, Top That! strikes close to home for its creators, inspired by the transition from college into adulthood (and the new weights and responsibilities that inevitably ensue) while also mining pathos from the difficult struggles we endure to remain working artists in Hollywood.

Directed by Brandon Baruch and Courtney Dusenberry, Top That! is written by Brandon Baruch along with the cast. In alphabetical order, they are Lizzie Adelman, Sandy Brody, Richie DeMaria, Courtney Dusenberry, Claudia Gomez, Mike Heshel, Emily Ingersoll, Daniele Manzin, and Henry McMillan. The costumes are by Daniel Mahler and Laura Wong, original music is by Bob Lydecker, and original art is by Gabriel Flores.

Top That! is a creation of Be Flat Productions, an ensemble of friends and working artists who strive to produce fun, creative, edgy, and original new works. For more information, visit www.TopThatPlay.com.

There will be seven Fringe Festival performances of Top That! as follows: Thursday, June 9 at 9:30pm (Fringe Central/ArtWorks Theatre), Monday, June 13 at 8pm (Open Fist Theatre), Saturday, June 18 at 3:30pm (ArtWorks Theatre), Sunday, June 19 at 9pm (Open Fist), Tuesday, June 21 at 10pm (Open Fist), Saturday, June 25 at 3pm (Celebration Theatre), and Sunday, June 26 at 5pm (Open Fist). The press preview will be on June 13 at 8pm at the Open Fist Theatre. Admission for all performances is $12, and tickets may be purchased by visiting www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/351.

The Artworks Theatre is located at 6567 Santa Monica Boulevard, the Open Fist Theatre is located at 6209 Santa Monica Boulevard, and Celebration Theatre is located at 7051 Santa Monica Boulevard, all in Hollywood, 90038.

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5-16-11

Announcing: “100 Saints You Should Know” Pushes Opening Back One Week to Friday, May 27

CHERYL HUGGINS JOINS CAST OF ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY’S
WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW BY KATE FODOR
DIRECTED BY LINDSAY ALLBAUGH

NOW OPENING MAY 27 AT THE ELEPHANT SPACE

Actress Cheryl Huggins has joined the cast of 100 Saints You Should Know by Kate Fodor, it was announced today by Elephant co-artistic director David Fofi. Ms. Huggins replaces the previously announced Emma Jacobson-Sive, who has left the production due to a family emergency. Opening night, which had been set for Friday, May 20, will now be Friday, May 27, and 1100 Saints You Should Know will play a limited engagement through June 26.

In 100 Saints You Should Know, a priest who must reconcile his desires with his role in the church, a teenage boy confused about his own sexual identity, and a young woman desperate for spiritual validation, are all brought together on one fateful night in which they will discover the tenuous common ground they share. 100 Saints You Should Know is a compelling and heartbreaking journey in search for self in a discriminatory and alienating world. Co-artistic director Lindsay Allbaugh directs.

The full cast now features (in alphabetical order) Brendan Farrell, Kate Huffman, Cheryl Huggins, Marco Naggar, and Pamela Roylance. The set design is by Jeffery Eisenmann, lighting and projection design is by Joel Daavid, costume design is by Louis Douglas Jacobs, and sound design is by Peter Bayne. The stage manager is Laura Perez.

Opening night has been pushed back one week to Friday, May 27 at 8:00. There will be two $10 preview performances on Wednesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 26 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through June 26 only. All tickets for regular performances are $20, with opening night tickets (including a post-performance reception with the cast) available at $30. To purchase tickets, call (877) 369-9112 or reserve online: www.elephanttheatrecompany.com. Also, visit the Elephant on Facebook and follow us on twitter @ElephantTheatre.

The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard (just west of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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05-13-11

Announcing: Four Hollywood Fringe Festival Performances of “Blink and You Might Miss Me”

COMBINED ARTFORM PRESENTS
FOUR SPECIAL HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES OF
BLINK & YOU MIGHT MISS ME
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY LARRY BLUM

Combined Artform (Matthew Quinn, producer) has announced four special performances of Blink & You Might Miss Me, written and performed by Larry Blum and directed by Stan Zimmerman, as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, on June 10, 18, 19 and 25 at the Asylum Lab in Hollywood. The critically acclaimed solo show will continue performances on Friday evenings at 8:00 through May 27.

Blink & You Might Miss Me is a humorous look back at Larry Blum’s personal journey in show business. Sharing engaging stories along with rare clips and photos from his long and varied career, Larry reflects on the unique opportunity he has had to experience celebrity up close and personal. Whether dancing in A Chorus Line onstage, in the feature film cult classic Xanadu or on TV’s Solid Gold, or acting on every major daytime drama, Larry’s love of the business has never waned. He also enjoys the honor of escorting the glamorous women of Hollywood as they ascend the stairs to the stage to accept various awards. Though his name may not be a household word, Blink & You Might Miss Me is his moment to take center stage once again.

The LA Weekly called Blum, “A clever, funny, accomplished raconteur.” Of the show, LA Splash said, “Written with heart and wit … it will make you chuckle and blush and think.” And from Edge Publications, “An enjoyable night of storytelling and Hollywood gossip.”

The Hollywood Fringe Festival performances of Blink & You Might Miss Me are Friday, June 10 at 7:30pm, Saturday, June 18 at 8:30pm, Sunday, June 19 at 2:30pm, and Saturday, June 25 at 7pm. Admission to the Fringe performances is $12, and tickets may be purchased by visiting www.plays411.com/blink or by calling (323) 960-7612.

The Asylum Lab is located at 6320 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), in Hollywood, 90038.

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05-13-11

PHOTO OF LARRY BLUM BY MICHAEL McCREARY

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