Announcing: Ben Rimalower Set to Bring NY Times Critic’s Pick “Patti Issues” to West Coast in March

BEN RIMALOWER SET TO BRING
HIS SMASH HIT SOLO SHOW
PATTI ISSUES
TO THE WEST COAST IN MARCH

DATES IN BERKELEY, SAN FRANCISCO,
SAN DIEGO, AND LOS ANGELES

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR ALL PERFORMANCES

Writer/producer/director/performer/raconteur extraordinaire Ben Rimalower is set to bring his critically acclaimed show, Patti Issues, to the West Coast for five performances in March. Written and performed by Rimalower, and directed by Aaron Mark, Patti Issues, which has been playing to sold-out houses at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre in New York City, is now enjoying its fifth extension there, through April 24. Calling the show, “Smart, poignant, and dishy as hell,” The Advocate placed Patti Issues on its coveted Top 10 Theatre List, and it also recently became a New York Times Critic’s Pick. Rimalower will perform in Berkeley (March 26), San Francisco (March 27), San Diego (March 28), and Los Angeles (March 29 & 30).

Said David Rooney in The New York Times, “The show is a tight hourlong monologue that pairs a well-honed script with an engagingly spontaneous delivery and a nose for sharp, observational comedy. As a gay man’s coming-of-age story wrapped up in more than 20 years of undiminished idol worship, Mr. Rimalower’s funny, tender reminiscence rides an infectious rainbow high.”

When Ben Rimalower was eight years old, his father came out of the closet and embarked on a drug-fueled tear that left his family in tatters. Amid the chaos of his young life, Ben found comfort—like so many gay boys before him and after—in musical theatre, and specifically in the transportive voice of Broadway star Patti LuPone. With a mix of comic irreverence, stark candor, and show-biz bravado, Patti Issues poignantly explores the challenges facing LGBT parents and children while shining unique light on gay men’s time-old obsessions with divas.

Of Patti Issues, which received the Bistro Award for Best Solo Play, Time Out New York said, “Meticulously scripted and executed, with poignant punch lines that deliver laughs, emotion, and insight.” BroadwayWorld.com exclaimed, “Both viciously funny and gently poignant, it is a damn fine way to spend an evening.” And from The Huffington Post, “Bitingly funny and deeply moving, easily one of the best pieces of solo performance I have ever seen. Rimalower fits in easily among artists like Spalding Gray, Holly Hughes, and Tim Miller.” Said Ms. LuPone herself, “I was moved … he’s a very talented man, and I’m so proud of him.”

Ben Rimalower directed and produced the Off-Broadway plays Joy and The Fabulous Life of a Size Zero. He also directed Snoopy! starring Sutton Foster, Justin Sayre Is Alive And Well… Writing, Project Lohan, And/or, Sodom the Musical and Night Of A Thousand Judys. He has earned the title “Midas of Cabaret” (The Advocate) helming a slew of solo shows, notably conceiving and directing Leslie Kritzer is Patti LuPone at Les Mouches and subsequently producing Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records’ Patti LuPone at Les Mouches. He was the Founding Artistic Director of UC Berkeley’s BareStage (now celebrating its 17th anniversary). Follow @benrimalower on Twitter and read his blog on the Huffington Post.

For more information, go to www.PattiIssues.com. Patti Issues will play the following California venues and dates:

Tuesday, March 26 at 8pm
UC Berkeley, Choral Rehearsal Hall, BareStage (Room 20, Cesar Chavez Basement)
FOR TICKETS: Zellerbach Box Office at tinyurl.com/b6orsk7 [510-642-3880]
★RIMALOWER WILL ALSO CONDUCT A MASTER CLASS ON THIS DAY FROM 4:30-6:00PM,
AND THERE WILL BE A Q&A IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE★

Wednesday, March 27 at 7:30pm
The Marsh Mainstage, 1062 Valencia Street, San Francisco
FOR TICKETS: www.themarsh.org/rising [415-282-3055]

Thursday, March 28 at 8pm
Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Avenue, San Diego
FOR TICKETS: www.martinisabovefourth.com/PattiIssues [619-400-4500]

Friday, March 29 & Saturday, March 30 at 9pm
Cavern Club Celebrity Theatre at Casita del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Avenue, LA
FOR TICKETS: www.PattiIssuesLA.brownpapertickets.com [Available online only]

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02-14-13

Announcing: The Blank Theatre Announces “Valentine Triage,” a New Play by Frank Strausser, Beginning 3/5 for 15 Performances Only

THE BLANK THEATRE PRESENTS
VALENTINE TRIAGE
A NEW PLAY BY FRANK STRAUSSER
DIRECTED BY KIRSTEN SANDERSON

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE

15 PERFORMANCES ONLY
MARCH 5 – 31

The Blank Theatre (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director) has announced a special engagement of Valentine Triage, a new play by Frank Strausser, directed by Kirsten Sanderson. There will be 15 performances only, March 5 through March 31, at the 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood.

People get to a certain age or place in their lives where they’ve collected baggage. They don’t trust. Or they’re just afraid. Eddie and Eva are trying to build a future. Barrett and Melanie only have a past. On one fateful Valentine’s Day, their lives intersect in an emergency room and they will never be the same. Love has its casualties.

Playwright Frank Strausser has written plays, novels and screenplays. Valentine Triage is his first LA production since The Powder Room, which starred Academy Award nominee Sally Kirkland. After a successful run at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York City, his play Psycho Therapy will move to Theatre Row on 42nd Street in May of 2013. His Edinburgh Festival offering, The Split, is in negotiations to transfer to the United States in the 2013/14 season. Strausser has had various workshops and developmental productions in London, and his novel Plastic is in development as a motion picture. For more info, visit www.frankstrausser.com.

Director Kirsten Sanderson serves as Director of New Play Development for The Blank Theatre. Also, she most recently directed The Blank’s productions of Sukie and Sue: Their Story and Mike Farrell in Dr. Keeling’s Curve. In previous seasons, she directed Terre Haute and Little Fish, among others. The cast of Valentine Triage will feature (in alphabetical order) Lois Atkins, Kyle Bares, Robyn Cohen, David Preston, and Tarina Pouncy. The set design is by Staci Walters, lighting design is by Rebecca Bonebrake, costume design is by David Schifilliti, and sound design is by Warren Davis. The stage manager is Chris Chapin.

There will be special performances of Valentine Triage on Tuesday, March 5, Wednesday, March 6, and Thursday March 7 at 8pm, and the regular schedule will continue on Friday and Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm, through March 31 only. All seats are $25, and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com, or via phone by calling (323) 661-9827.

The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollwyood.

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02-14-13

Announcing: World Premiere of “Therapy” by Jeff Bernhardt at Secret Rose Theatre, Opens March 2

WORLD PREMIERE OF
THERAPY
A NEW DRAMA BY JEFF BERNHARDT
SET FOR LIMITED RUN AT SECRET ROSE THEATRE
OPENS SATURDAY, MARCH 2
FOR THREE WEEKS ONLY

Eleventh Street Productions in association with the Secret Rose Theatre has announced a limited engagement of Therapy, a new drama written and directed by Jeff Bernhardt, at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood. Opening is set for Saturday, March 2 at 8pm, and Therapy will play a strictly limited engagement through March 17 only.

Therapy tells the story of three therapists and the patient who changes them. Moira, Sandra, and Steven are the therapists, each with his/her own therapeutic style. When a new client, Lance, comes to Steven for all the wrong reasons, the emotional roller coaster ride begins, revealing unexpected connections and relationships. Therapy is a play about what happens when the professional world and the personal world collide, especially for the very people whose job it is to keep them separate.

Jeff Bernhardt is a writer, educator, and licensed clinical social worker. Bernhardt’s play Mixed Blessings had its world premiere in Los Angeles in January 2010, playing to sold-out houses. His book, On Sacred Ground, was published in 2012. Other writings have been published in the short story anthology Mentsh, as well as in the Los Angeles Times and the Journal of Jewish Communal Service. In addition, a number of his articles have appeared in The Jewish Journal, as well as other national publications. His dramatic readings Who Shall Live…?, Standing at Sinai, and Those Who Walked Beside Us have been performed throughout the United States.

The cast of Therapy will feature (in alphabetical order) Lynn Ann Leveridge, Marcie Lynn Ross, Luis Selgas, and Jed Sura. The set design is by Eloise Ayala, lighting design is by Brandon Hawkinson, and sound design is by Jeff Gardner. The stage manager is Jason Paul Evans.

Opening is set for Saturday, March 2 at 8pm. Admission is $25 for all performances. The regular running schedule is Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm and 7pm, through March 17 only. Tickets are on sale now, and may be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/322663, or by calling (800) 838-3006. For information on group sales (15 or more), email jmbedsw@aol.com.

The Secret Rose Theatre is located in the NoHo Arts District at 11246 Magnolia Boulevard, in North Hollywood. Street parking is available, and there are several lots in the area.

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02-13-13