Announcing: “100 Saints You Should Know” Extended Through July 16

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY’S WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
100 SAINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
EXTENDED THROUGH JULY 16, 2011

Due to popular demand, The Elephant Theatre Company’s West Coast Premiere of 100 Saints You Should Know has been extended through July 16, 2011.

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 cast 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.

The performance schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through July 16.   All tickets for regular performances are $20.  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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06-15-11

Announcing: John Paul Karliak’s “Donna/Madonna” Set For Limited Run at Lounge Theatre in Hollywood

DONNA/MADONNA
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JOHN PAUL KARLIAK
DIRECTED BY TIGER REEL AND MATTHEW CRAIG
SET FOR LIMITED RUN AT HOLLYWOOD’S LOUNGE THEATRE
JULY 6 – AUGUST 10

Rizzo 39 Productions has announced a limited engagement of Donna/Madonna at the Lounge Theatre in Hollywood. This new solo show, written and performed by John Paul Karliak, is directed by Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig. Donna/Madonna is set to open on Wednesday, July 6 and play a limited engagement through August 10 only.

In this autobiographical one-act, writer/performer John Paul Karliak wants desperately to be the perfect son for his adopted mother, a doting Catholic housewife from Scranton, PA. But realizing he will never be the ideal local boy, he seeks answers from a very different source: his fashion-writing, married-to-a-British-pop-star birth mother. Donna/Madonna is a tale of motherly love and finding acceptance, told through stories, songs and characters like Darth Vader, Carol Channing and John Paul’s unforgettable mothers. Hilarious and poignant, this cross-country journey from Scranton to Los Angeles shows that sometimes you have to meet a “Material Girl” to truly appreciate “America’s Sweetheart.” Donna/Madonna was the winner of the Best One Man Show Award at the 2010 United Solo Theatre Festival in New York.

John Paul Karliak’s recent film projects include Dante’s Inferno, Little Black Dress for AFI, L.T.D. (web series), and Delusions of Grandeur (TV pilot). LA theatre credits include The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Girl, the Grouch & the Goat, Into the Woods, Inherit the Wind, Women and Wallace, Whatever, and Sexual Perversity in Chicago. A graduate of the USC School of Theatre, iO West and Second City Training Center, John Paul has written numerous short films and plays produced in locales around the country, including Donna/Madonna, which is his first full-length solo production.

Between them, co-directors Tiger Reel and Matthew Craig boast impressive credits in both theatre and television. Reel is the Founding Artistic Director of the Action! Theatre Company, where his directing credits include Slaughterhouse-Five (West Coast premiere), The Tempest, and Inherit the Wind, among others. He has also directed regionally and internationally. Craig has performed nationwide with The Second City Touring Company, and most recently has appeared on episodes of According to Jim, Mobbed, and The Office. He is currently a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Proceeds from Donna/Madonna will benefit Kinship Center©, a California non-profit agency dedicated to the creation, preservation and support of foster, adoptive and relative families for children who need them. Since 1984, Kinship Center© has helped create and support families for thousands of children of all ages. Kinship Center© is headquartered in Salinas, California, with facilities and services in eleven Southern California, Central Coast and Northern California counties.

The running schedule for Donna/Madonna is as follows: opening is set for Wednesday, July 6 at 8pm, and performances will continue on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8pm through August 10. There will be one added performance on Monday, August 1 at 8pm. General admission seating is $20, and tickets are available now by visiting www.plays411.com/donnamadonna, or by calling (323) 960-4420. The Lounge Theatre is located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (at El Centro), in Hollywood, 90038. For more info, visit www.donnamadonnashow.com.

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06-09-11

Photo of John Paul Karliak by Dennis Kwan.

Announcing: David Crosby & Graham Nash in Concert to Benefit The Blank Theatre

DAVID CROSBY AND GRAHAM NASH
SET TO PERFORM BENEFIT CONCERT SUNDAY, JULY 17
FOR THE BLANK THEATRE
NOAH WYLE HOSTS AT THE MUSIC BOX HOLLYWOOD

Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees David Crosby and Graham Nash will play an intimate acoustic concert at the beautifully restored Music Box Hollywood, benefitting The Blank Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Season, on Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 7:30pm. The event will be hosted by The Blank’s Artistic Producer Noah Wyle, and tickets go on sale Friday June 10 at 10am.

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 20-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. With programs such as its Living Room Series and its annual nationwide Young Playwrights Festival, 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 CONCERT INFORMATION

DATE/TIME: Sunday July 17 at 7:30pm

ADMISSION: $75 Reserved, $50 General. (A limited number of Gold Circle tickets, which include post-show reception with David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Noah Wyle; and Silver Circle preferred seating, are also available.)

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

LOCATION: The Music Box Hollywood, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 90028.

For more information on David Crosby and Graham Nash, visit www.crosbynash.com.

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06-08-11