Announcing: Gia Mora Premieres “Einstein’s Girl” at The Gardenia on February 21 at 9PM

ACTOR/VOCALIST GIA MORA
PREMIERES NEW ONE-WOMAN SHOW
EINSTEIN’S GIRL
AT THE GARDENIA IN HOLLYWOOD
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21 AT 9PM

Nationally recognized actor and vocalist Gia Mora (a four-time Helen Hayes Award nominee), in association with Jonathan White, has announced the world premiere of her new solo show, Einstein’s Girl, at The Gardenia Restaurant and Lounge in Hollywood for one performance only, on Thursday, February 21, at 9pm. The Gardenia is located at 7066 Santa Monica Boulevard, just east of La Brea Avenue.

Einstein’s Girl explores the “science of love… theoretically speaking.” Mora turns her signature wit and intellectual prowess on an unlikely paring of human languages … love and mathematics. In her hilarious show, she investigates dating in the digital age through a journey to the edges of the universe and the interior of your heart. From the ridiculous to the sublime, Einstein’s Girl thrills and edifies sweethearts and singletons alike.

Mora will also welcome special guests Charlie Barnett and Devin Kelly, and she is thrilled to bring a 21st century twist to the art of cabaret, combining original music, standards, stand-up comedy, and a crash course in theoretical physics. “I’ve always loved the intersection of art and science,” muses Mora. “This new show aims to tear down fears that mathematics is only for an elite group of academics. Physics is all around us, and learning while laughing makes it all the more memorable.”

Gia Mora is a triple threat performer and writer. Past solo performances include headlining at M Bar and The Coterie in Los Angeles, Black Fox Lounge and Blues Alley in Washington, DC, An Die Musik and Germano’s in Baltimore, and Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret in Denver, among others. In LA, Mora has been featured in Bruce Kimmel’s Kritzerland series alongside multiple Emmy Award-nominee film and TV composer Grant Geissman, as well as at Catalina Jazz Club, performing duets with popular vocal coach and music director Michael Lavine. She is a four-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, and her recent musical theatre credits include world premieres at Ford’s Theatre and the Kennedy Center. She released her first solo CD, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, in 2009. Videos and more available on www.GiaMora.com.

Composer, arranger, producer, and instrumentalist Charlie Barnett has thrilled listeners around the world. His wonderfully eclectic band, Chaise Lounge, just released their fourth album, Insomnia, to critical acclaim. On film, Mr. Barnett’s compositions have garnered many awards, including two Emmy nominations. He has also written music for Saturday Night Live, Third Rock from the Sun, and Weeds. More information is available at www.CharlieBarnett.com.

Songwriter, violinist and vocalist Devin Kelly has performed as part of the rock band Lunar Rogue at House of Blues on Sunset, Hard Rock Hollywood, The Viper Room, and more. She makes her cabaret debut opening for Einstein’s Girl, and she will also provide violin accompaniment to Ms. Mora and Mr. Barnett.

Tickets for Einstein’s Girl on Thursday, February 21 at 9pm are $20, plus a two drink minimum. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased by phone at 323-467-7444. Dinner seating begins at 7pm, and priority seating will be given to patrons with dinner reservations (drink minimum is waived). Tickets will also be available at the door. More information and a complete electronic press kit are available online at http://www.giamora.com/on-stage/einsteins-girl/.

The Gardenia Restaurant and Lounge is located at 7066 Santa Monica Boulevard, in Hollywood (at the corner of Santa Monica and La Brea).

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01-31-13

Announcing: The Blank Theatre 2013 Young Playwrights Festival Now Accepting Submissions – March 15 Deadline

THE BLANK THEATRE’S
NATIONWIDE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL
SUBMISSIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED

The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival is seeking submissions nationwide from playwrights 19 years of age and younger. The submission deadline is March 15, 2013. Winning plays will be presented by professional actors and directors in June, 2013 at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Celebrating its 21st anniversary year, The Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights Festival is a nationwide competition that produces the work of twelve young writers each year. Since 1993, the festival has produced 236 plays by playwrights 19 and younger from 27 states.

Each winning play will have four performances in a weekend run. The productions are made possible in part by grants from National Endowment for the Arts, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Plum Foundation, The Rosenthal Family Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts Commission and City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Hollywood’s Blank Theatre has had its work featured on MSNBC, CNN Showbiz Today, Entertainment Tonight, BBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, PBS, NPR, in Entertainment Weekly magazine, and in the Financial Times of London.

“Every year I am amazed at the depths to which these teenagers go in their writing. They are brave, bold and uninhibited,“ said Noah Wyle (star of television’s ER and Falling Skies), Artistic Producer at The Blank. “The winners are thrilled to see their plays presented by professionals, but these professionals are often given a great gift in return: a renewed sense of artistic purpose. We learn from the playwrights as they learn from us.”

The rules for the festival competition are as follows: playwrights must be 19 years of age or younger on March 15, 2013; original plays and musicals can be any length, on any subject. Scripts must be legible; pages must be numbered and unbound; submissions must be postmarked or emailed by March 15, 2013. There is a limit of three (3) plays per playwright. All plays must include a cover sheet with the play’s title, playwright’s name, date of birth, school (if any), mailing address, contact phone number, e-mail address and the play’s production history (if any). Visit www.YoungPlaywrights.com for further information.

Each playwright whose work is accepted will be assigned a mentor: professional writers who will help the youngsters hone their work for performance. Past mentors have included Tony Award-winning playwright Terrence McNally, Tony Award-nominated composer Michael John LaChiusa, writer Jeff Greenstein (Will & Grace), Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), television and film director Garry Marshall, among many others. The playwrights then experience the thrill of seeing their plays performed by industry professionals in fully staged productions.

Past festivals have featured well known actors such as Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order), Chris Pine (Star Trek), Noah Wyle, Molly Shannon, Tiffani Thiessen (White Collar), Michael Welch (The Twilight Saga), Tom Lenk, Nicholas Brendon, and Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Josh Radnor and Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother), Sherri Shepherd (The View), Kelly Lynch, Debra Messing, Mark Valley, Constance Zimmer (Boston Legal), Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives), Jerry O’Connell, Tony Award-winning actress Daisy Eagan, Emmy Award-winning actor Edward Asner, and many others.

In past years, some winning plays have gone on to have a life on The Blank’s mainstage for full-scale production. Should this happen, the playwright is treated as a full professional, from signing an option agreement to being paid royalties for his/her play. The Why, a play by 19-year-old Victor Kaufold, received a Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award nomination for ‘Best Writing – World Premiere’ as a result of The Blank’s production. Kaufold is the youngest nominee in his category in 22 years of Ovation Award history. Three-time Festival winner Stephen Karam was a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

For more information, visit the festival’s website at www.YoungPlaywrights.com or The Blank Theatre’s website at www.TheBlank.com.

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01-29-13

Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Presents ‘Love Bites’ February 8 – March 7

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS
LOVE BITES
An Evening of Dysfunctional, Not-So-Romantic Short Plays

OPENS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8
FOUR WEEKS ONLY, THROUGH MARCH 2

ANTI-VALENTINE’S DAY EVENT, FEBRUARY 14 AT 8PM

The Elephant Theatre Company, David Fofi and Lindsay Allbaugh, Co-Artistic Directors, has announced it will present the 11th edition of LOVE BITES as a prelude to the Elephant’s much anticipated 2013 season of plays, which will be announced shortly. LOVE BITES will have one preview on Thursday, February 7, and opening is set for Friday, February 8 at 8pm. Over the years, the LOVE BITES short play festival has become a local ‘cult’ favorite.

LOVE BITES is a delicious assortment of short plays that explore love in all its miserable glory with humor and irreverence … the irresistible passion, the humiliating pitfalls, the euphoria, the anguish, and everything in between. The plays, which will be performed at the Elephant Space in Hollywood, are written by both company members and writers from around the country, and will be performed and directed by members of the Elephant Company.

The casts will include (in alphabetical order) Darryl Armbruster, Ben Belack, Eric Bunton, Colin Day, Nelson DelRosario, Etienne Eckert, Amelia French, Corby Griesenbeck, Laura Harman, Cheryl Huggins, Nikki McCauley, John Charles Meyer, Marco Naggar, Tara Norris, Maya Parish, Patricia Rae, and Sal Xuereb. The writers are (in alphabetical order) Deana Barone, John C. Davenport, Brett Hursey, Louis Jacobs, Mark Harvey Levine, Gloria Calderon Kellett, K. Alexa Mavromatis, and Nikki McCauley. The directors are (in alphabetical order) Lindsay Allbaugh, Brendan Farrell, David Fofi, Amelia French, Chris Game, Tony Gatto, Marisa O’Brien, and Max Williams.

Of an earlier production of LOVE BITES, Back Stage said, “… 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.”

LOVE BITES will play one preview on Thursday, February 7 at 8pm, with opening set for Friday, February 8 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday and Friday at 8pm, and Saturday at 7pm. There will be two 10pm performances on Saturdays, February 9 and 16. The run ends March 2. General admission tickets are $20. There will also be a special Anti-Valentine’s Day event on Thursday, February 14 at 8pm, including sweet-and-naughty goodie bags and a champagne after party. Tickets for the Anti-Valentine’s Day event are $30.

To purchase tickets for regular performances and for the Anti-Valentine’s Day event, and for a complete listing of the festival plays, visit www.ElephantTheatre.org or call 855-663-6743. The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard (one block west of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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01-22-13