Announcing: Impro Theatre Presents ‘Jane Austen UnScripted’ at Carrie Hamilton Theatre in Pasadena, Opens Feb. 14

IMPRO THEATRE
PRESENTS
JANE AUSTEN UNSCRIPTED
DIRECTED BY DAN O’CONNOR AND PAUL ROGAN

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PRODUCTION RETURNS
TO CARRIE HAMILTON THEATRE
ON VALENTINE’S DAY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14

PLEASE NOTE: SIX PERFORMANCES ADDED

Impro Theatre (Dan O’Connor, Artistic Director) has announced a return engagement of Jane Austen Unscripted, directed by O’Connor and Paul Rogan, with preview performances beginning on Friday, February 8 at the Carrie Hamilton Theatre (upstairs at The Pasadena Playhouse) in Pasadena. The opening night of Jane Austen Unscripted is set for Valentine’s Day, Thursday, February 14, at 8:00. Performances will continue through April 14 only.

“Having enjoyed a wonderful run in 2012, we are thrilled to bring Jane Austen Unscripted back to the Carrie Hamilton Theatre, and to share our Valentine’s Night opening with LA and Pasadena’s huge Austen fan base,” said Dan O’Connor, Impro Theatre Artistic Director.

Jane Austin Unscripted is a completely improvised comedic play in the style of beloved author Jane Austen. The cast of Impro Theatre creates and performs a never before seen, all new, Jane Austen story right before the audience’s eyes. The entire performance is based on audience suggestion, so every show is totally unique. The essence of Austen’s beloved, timeless romantic comedies and social satires is brought to life by the expert team of funny and gifted actors that are Impro Theatre.

The cast is a rotating ensemble, including (in alphabetical order) Impro company members Tracy Burns, Kari Coleman, Lisa Fredrickson, Brian Jones, Stephen Kearin, Lauren Lewis, Brian Lohmann, Nick Massouh, Jo McGinley, Dan O’Connor, Edi Patterson, Paul Rogan, Michele Spears, and Floyd Van Buskirk. The Jane Austen Unscripted cast will also feature guest artists, including (in alphabetical order) Josh Dean, Kelly Holden, Rebecca Lowman, Mike Rock, and Patty Wortham. Set and costume design are by Sandra Burns, and lighting design is by Leigh Allen. Dan O’Connor produces for Impro Theatre.

Impro Theatre is an Unscripted Repertory Company that has brought innovative, unscripted theatre to Los Angeles and the world. The company’s goal is to take core narrative and style elements of great playwrights and writers, and create a new play using no more than the essence of an author’s work and an audience suggestion. Most recently, unscripted explorations of great literary figures has included Shakespeare, Dickens, Stephen Sondheim, and Tennessee Williams. For more, visit www.ImproTheatre.com.

Critical reaction for Impro Theatre’s work has included the following praise: “First rate comedians … breathtaking wit” (LA Weekly); “Quite unbelievable, actually … an amazing comedy troupe spins an entire play into comedy gold right before your eyes … a stunning feat of performance” (Los Angeles Times); “Ingenuity, imagination, and hilarity … improv artists at the top of their field … must-see theatre” (StageSceneLA.com); and “Comic gold … a delectably smart, tasty treat” (San Diego News Network).

Jane Austen Unscripted will play three preview performances on Friday, February 8 at 8pm, Saturday, February 9 at 8pm, and Sunday, February 10 at 4pm. Opening night is set for Thursday, February 14 at 8:00, and will include a post-performance champagne reception. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 4pm, through April 14 only. Tickets are $20 for previews, and $25 for regular performances (student and senior discounts are available). Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org, or by calling (626) 356-7529.

ADDED PERFORMANCES: Sat 3/23 at 4pm; Sun 3/24 at 7pm; Sat 3/30 at 4pm;
Sun 3/31 at 7pm; Sat 4/6 at 4pm; Sat 4/13 at 4pm

The Carrie Hamilton Theatre is located upstairs at The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, in Pasadena, 91101.

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01-14-13

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Twitter: twitter.com/improtheatre

Announcing: ‘Byron’s Theme,’ a Short Film by Bennett Barbakow & Michael Grant Terry, Will Screen at Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival

BYRON’S THEME
A SHORT FILM BY BENNETT BARBAKOW AND MICHAEL GRANT TERRY
(FOX-TV’S BONES)
SET TO SCREEN AT SANTA BARBARA
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Byron’s Theme, a short film written by Bennett Barbakow and Michael Grant Terry, and directed by Barbakow, has been set to screen at the 2013 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

This dark comedy tells the story of Nick, who lives his life inside his padded comfort zone. When he accidentally loses a tooth, and confuses his girlfriend for her twin sister, Nick finds himself stranded in the middle of nowhere … with nothing, and no one. He must confront who he is, learning his most important lesson from his golden retriever. Byron’s Theme … a love story, with a tail. To view a trailer for the film, go to www.byronstheme.com.

Michael Grant Terry stars as Nick. Terry is perhaps best known for his recurring role as Wendell Bray on the FOX television series Bones. His other TV credits include The Closer, CSI, Criminal Minds, Castle, and most recently, a recurring role on NBC’s hit drama Grimm. Bennett Barbakow is a director and composer in Los Angeles, who works on a variety of projects from commercials and music videos to film, comedy series, and documentaries. Byron’s Theme also features Allison Paige, Jon Gries, and Byron the Dog (as himself). It is produced by Barbakow and Terry in association with Test Pattern, LLC, and Port Royale, Inc.

Now in its 28th year, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. It presents quality American independent, Spanish and Latin American, European, World and Documentary cinema within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara. With a projected audience of over 70,000, the Festival will screen more than 200 films over an 11-day period.

The 2013 Santa Barbara International Film Festival will run from Thursday, January 24 through Sunday, February 3. For a complete listing of films and screening times for Byron’s Theme, visit www.sbiff.org.

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01-11-13

Photo Credits
Michael Grant Terry (as Nick), and Byron (as himself). PHOTO BY MYLES PETTENGILL.
Director Bennett Barbakow at work on Byron’s Theme. PHOTO BY MYLES PETTENGILL.

Announcing: IAMA Theatre Company Presents ‘Sixty Miles to Silver Lake’ at Lounge Theatre, Opening Sat 2/2

IAMA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
SIXTY MILES TO SILVER LAKE
BY DAN LeFRANC
DIRECTED BY BECCA WOLFF

OPENS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT LOUNGE THEATRE
FOR SIX WEEKS ONLY

IAMA Theatre Company (Becca Wolff, Artistic Director) has announced a limited engagement of Sixty Miles to Silver Lake, written by Dan LeFranc and directed by Wolff, at Hollywood’s Lounge Theatre. There will be one lower-priced preview performance on Friday, February 1 at 8pm, and opening night is set for Saturday, February 2 at 8:00. Sixty Miles to Silver Lake will play a limited engagement through March 10 only.

In the play, a moody teenager and his deadbeat dad cruise down the 5 Freeway, through an Orange County landscape littered with Christian rock, young love, and lecherous soccer coaches. Their attempts at male bonding take a turn for the strange as the action skips through time and the two confront the twists and turns of a lifetime together, and learn what it means to grow up. Of a 2012 ‘Collaboraction at the Flat Iron Arts Building’ production in Chicago, The Tribune said, “It’s a gem of a journey all around.”

Playwright Dan LeFranc was named 2010 Playwright of the Year by The New York Times. His other plays include The Big Meal, Origin Story, Bruise Easy, Night Surf, In The Labyrinth, The Fishbone Fables, Backyard, Kill The Keepers, and Catgut. His work has been developed and produced across the country at Playwrights Horizons, Soho Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Vineyard Theater, Sundance Theatre Institute, The Kennedy Center, ArsNova, Rattlestick, and American Repertory Theatre, among many others. LeFranc’s play Troublemaker is currently running at Berkeley Rep. Director (and IAMA Artistic Director) Becca Wolff is also co-founder of Tilted Field Productions, a geographically diversified collective of artists with members in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Other directing credits include Status Update at Center Rep, Usher, which was named Outstanding Musical at the 2008 NY International Fringe Festival, and the upcoming The Last Days of Mary Stuart, an opera composed by the rock band TONY (Son of Semele Ensemble, Summer 2013).

The cast of Sixty Miles to Silver Lake will feature (in alphabetical order) Daniel David Stewart and Wes Whitehead. Projection design is by Kaitlyn Pietras, lighting design is by Elizabeth Harper, sound design is by Veronika Vorel, and costume design is by Louise Munson. The stage manager is Lara Myrene, and Sixty Miles to Silver Lake is being produced by Cymbre Walk for IAMA Theatre Company.

There will be one lower-priced preview on Friday, February 1 at 8pm, and opening night is set for Saturday, February 2 at 8:00. Admission for the preview is $10, and regular tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. The running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm, through March 10 only. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased online at https://iamatheatre.secure.force.com/ticket, or by calling (859) 893-5376.

The Lounge Theatre is located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (at El Centro, one block east of Vine), in Hollywood. Street parking is available.

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01-09-13