Announcing: Elephant Theatre Company Presents ‘The North Plan’ by Jason Wells, Opening April 27 at 8pm

ELEPHANT THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
THE NORTH PLAN BY JASON WELLS
DIRECTED BY DAVID FOFI

SECOND PLAY OF 2013 SEASON
OPENS APRIL 26 AT THE ELEPHANT SPACE

The critically acclaimed, award-winning Elephant Theatre Company continues its 17th season with the Los Angeles premiere of The North Plan by Jason Wells, directed by Elephant Co-Artistic Director David Fofi. Preview performances begin Wednesday, April 24, and opening night is set for Saturday, April 27. The North Plan will run through June 1.

When a ruthless splinter group seizes power in Washington, a bureaucrat for the State Department runs off with the new regime’s top-secret Enemies List. With Department of Homeland Security agents trailing him, he finds himself trapped in a police station in a small Missouri town. His last hope for survival is in the people around him: an unsympathetic police chief, an ambivalent administrative assistant, and a fellow prisoner ­ a motor-mouthed local who’s turned herself in for drunk driving. The North Plan is a sharp, dark, dystopian comedy set in the here and now.

Playwright Jason Wells is a winner of the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award, and a finalist for the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/New Play Award, both from the American Theatre Critics Association. His other plays include Men of Tortuga and Perfect Mendacity. The North Plan debuted at Steppenwolf’s First Look in Chicago in 2010, and had its official world premiere at Portland Center Stage in Oregon. Of the play, the Chicago Tribune said, “A black and darkly entertaining comedy … fun, smart, involving, and just disturbing enough for a Saturday night on the town.”

The cast of The North Plan will feature (in alphabetical order) Kerry Carney, John Forest, Chris Game, Gregory Hoyt, Dominic Rains, Stan Roth, Bernadette Speakes, and Salvator Xuereb. The design team includes Joel Daavid (set), Matt Richter (lighting and sound), and Michael Mullen (costumes). Rebecca Schoenberg is the production stage manager, and Lindsay Allbaugh serves as producer.

There will be three lower-priced preview performances of The North Plan on Wednesday, April 24, Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26 at 8pm, and opening is Saturday, April 27 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, through June 1 only. Tickets for previews are $20, regular performances are $25, and opening night tickets are $35 (which include a post-performance reception with the cast). The Thursday, May 2 performance will be ‘Pay What You Can.’ Also, there will be an added ‘Play Care’ performance on Saturday, May 25 at 2pm, at which parents can bring their kids, who will be looked after by experienced child caregivers (at no extra charge), while the parents watch the show.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.ElephantTheatre.org, or via phone at (855) NO-FORGET [663-6743]. For more information on the Elephant Theatre Company, visit www.ElephantTheatre.org. 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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04-08-13

Announcing: Broadway Dreams Foundation Offers Week-Long Summer Performing Arts Intensive at UCLA, June 17-23

THE BROADWAY DREAMS FOUNDATION
TO OFFER A WEEK-LONG SUMMER PERFORMING ARTS INTENSIVE
ON THE UCLA CAMPUS JUNE 17 – 23, 2013

ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR STAFFORD ARIMA SET TO DIRECT THE FINAL SHOWCASE
WITH CHOREOGRAPHY BY EMMY AWARD-NOMINATED SPENCER LIFF

The Broadway Dreams Foundation will partner with UCLA to present a week-long Summer Performing Arts Intensive on the UCLA campus June 17 — June 23, 2013. Olivier Award-nominated director Stafford Arima (bare, Altar Boyz, Ragtime), Emmy Award-nominee Spencer Liff (So You Think You Can Dance, Smash), and a roster of Broadway veterans to be announced will work with aspiring performers of all ages in preparation for Circle of Dreams, a unique Broadway concert open to the public at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse.

“The chance to audition for, work with and learn from these exceptional Broadway professionals is an invaluable opportunity that we are proud to be able to offer to LA’s emerging artists,” said BDF Executive Director Annette Tanner. Added BDF Artistic Director Nicholas Rodriguez, “For young performers interested in pursuing a career in musical theatre, I cannot think of a more valuable experience than working with some of the industry’s most respected and admired directors for a week of intensive training,”

Attendees of the week-long BDF Summer Performing Arts Intensive will receive first-rate training in acting, dance and vocal performance by savvy Broadway veterans who will share their invaluable knowledge on the skills needed to make it in show business. Students will also learn how to improve their audition skills and have the opportunity to audition for top NYC casting directors from Telsey + Company, who will offer constructive feedback. At week’s end, all participants will perform alongside their Broadway idols in a “one night only” concert event open to the public.

Tuition for the L.A. Intensive is $895. Auditions will be held on Sunday, April 7, with final placement auditions on Sunday, May 12. Appointments may be scheduled by sending an email to auditions@mybroadwaydreams.com.

The Broadway Dreams Foundation is the country’s premier performing arts education program dedicated to ongoing engagement, inspiration, and access regardless of a student’s ability to pay. With a faculty of Broadway stars, directors and agents committed to giving back to the theatrical community, BDF provides invaluable training to anyone who aspires for a career in the performing arts. The unique program offers students highly personalized and supportive mentorship, an exciting and collaborative learning environment and ongoing networking to build confidence and life skills. The Broadway Dreams Foundation provides a life changing experience. For more information on The Broadway Dreams Foundation, please visit www.mybroadwaydreams.com or call 347-927-4233.

CIRCLE OF DREAMS – THE 2013 SUMMER INTENSIVE TOUR

ATLANTA, GEORGIA
Dream LAB
June 3 – June 7
RISPA (4155 GA Highway 9, Milton, GA)
Directed by Stafford Arima, Dan Knechtges and Matt Lenz
Audition Dates: Sunday, April 28 with final casting on Saturday, June 1
Tuition Cost: $495 for 12 and over; $395 for 11 and under

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA
Dream LAB
June 9 – June 11
Matthews Playhouse (100 McDowell Street, Matthews, NC)
Directed by Dan Knechtges
Audition Dates: Final casting on June 8
Tuition Cost: $295 for 11 and over

OMAHA, NEBRASKA
July 8 – July 14
Omaha Performing Arts (1200 Douglas Street)
Directed by Matt Lenz and Dan Knechtges
Audition Dates: Final casting June 14 – 15
Tuition Cost: $895

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
August 5 – August 11
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts (260 South Broad Street)
Director TBD
Audition Dates: Final casting July 26 – 27
Tuition Cost: $995

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04-04-12

Announcing: Chromolume Theatre Presents ‘Do Lord Remember Me’ April 19-May 19 Extended Thru Sunday 5/26

CHROMOLUME THEATRE
PRESENTS
A NEW PRODUCTION OF
DO LORD REMEMBER ME
BY JAMES de JONGH
DIRECTED BY WILSON BELL

APRIL 19 – MAY 19, 2013
Extended Thru Sunday, May 26, 2013

Chromolume Theatre has announced a new production of Do Lord Remember Me, a play with music by James de Jongh, directed by Wilson Bell, opening April 19 for a limited engagement through May 19 Extended Thru Sunday, May 26. Do Lord Remember Me was previously presented to great acclaim by Chromolume in 2006, and again in 2007.

The memories of ex-slaves, recorded during interviews in the 1930s, constitute the raw material of Do Lord Remember Me. James de Jongh’s source material for the play was a vast archive of interviews conducted by the Works Progress Administration, as part of the Federal Writers’ Project, from 1936 to 1938. Former slaves were sought and interviewed; the project lost its funding in 1939, but more than 2,300 oral histories had already been recorded, and are now preserved in the Library of Congress.

The words of black men and women in their 80s and 90s, as they recalled their experiences as slaves, have been adapted and structured by de Jongh to create this play. Do Lord Remember Me is a look into the past through the words of ex-slaves, now dead for more than half a century; it is an exploration of the collective memory of the slavery experience told by some of its survivors. The composite narratives of Do Lord Remember Me tell the story of a people’s desire to survive under suppression, become literate, form and preserve families of their own, worship in freedom, and ultimately to deliver themselves from bondage.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Alysia Livingston, Charles Mathers, DeBorah Sharpe-Taylor, Samuel Simmons, Gregory Thompson, Annzella Victoria, and Virginia Watson. The scenic and sound design is by James Esposito, lighting design is by Anna Martin, costume design is by Darby Gray, and the stage manager is Chad Parker.

Do Lord Remember Me opens on Friday, April 19 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm, through May 19 Extended Thru Sunday, May 26. Tickets are $25, with discounts for students and seniors ($22) and children ($20), and may be purchased online at www.crtheatre.com, or via telephone at 323-205-1617. Chromolume Theatre at the Attic is located at 5429 W. Washington Boulevard (between the 10 freeway and Hauser Boulevard), in Los Angeles, 90016. Ample street parking is available.
For more information on Do Lord Remember Me or Chromolume Theatre, visit www.crtheatre.com, or call 323-510-2688.

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04-03-13
Updated 05-10-13