Announcing: West Coast Premiere of ‘The Katrina Comedy Fest’ by Rob Florence, Directed by Misty Carlisle

BAYOU PLAYHOUSE AND FLAMBEAUX PRODUCTIONS
PRESENT THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
THE KATRINA COMEDY FEST
BY ROB FLORENCE
DIRECTED BY MISTY CARLISLE

FEATURING
PEGGY BLOW, JUDY JEAN BERNS, DEIDRIE HENRY,
TRAVIS MICHAEL HOLDER, JAN MUNROE, L. TREY WILSON

PREVIEWS BEGIN JUNE 5 AT LOUNGE THEATRE
OPENS THURSDAY, JUNE 13 AT 8PM
AS PART OF THE 2013 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL

Bayou Playhouse and Flambeaux Productions have announced the West Coast premiere of The Katrina Comedy Fest, written by Rob Florence, directed by Misty Carlisle, and featuring video projections by Jeff Teeter, at Hollywood’s Lounge Theatre as part of the 2013 Hollywood Fringe Festival. Previews begin on June 5 with the official opening set for Thursday, June 13 at 8pm. The Katrina Comedy Fest will play Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sundays at 8pm through June 30 only.

The award-winning and critically acclaimed cast includes (in alphabetical order) Peggy Blow, Judy Jean Berns, Deidrie Henry, Travis Michael Holder, Jan Munroe, and L. Trey Wilson. In 2006, the Mayor of New Orleans proposed celebrating Hurricane Katrina’s first anniversary with a fireworks display and comedy hour – which was canceled due to public outrage. Through the words of five New Orleans residents, experience the heartbreak, humanity, and ‘comedy’ of those who rode out the storm.

The Katrina Comedy Fest received Best of the Festival and Overall Excellence in Production of a Play honors at the 2010 New York International Fringe Festival. Said the New York Times, “The evocative true stories assembled are full of fear, courage, and resilience. But they are also rich in the flavorful humor, inextinguishable identity and civic love that characterize the inhabitants of America’s most battered city.”

Preview performances begin Wednesday, June 5 at 8pm, and continue on Thursday, June 6, Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9 at 8pm. Opening is set for Thursday, June 13 at 8pm. General admission seating is $15, and is available online at www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1350. The running schedule is Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 8pm through June 30 only. Performance length is 80 minutes. For more information, visit www.KatrinaComedy.com.

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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05-29-13

Announcing: American Idol’s Michael Orland Joins Up As Musical Director for Lillias White’s ‘A Woman on Love,’ June 3 & 10

MUSICAL DIRECTOR MICHAEL ORLAND
WILL JOIN BROADWAY STAR AND TONY AWARD-WINNER
LILLIAS WHITE

FOR HER NEW SHOW
A WOMAN ON LOVE
AT CATALINA JAZZ CLUB IN HOLLYWOOD

TWO SHOWS ONLY
MONDAYS, JUNE 3 & 10 AT 8:30PM

Chris Isaacson Presents and Upright Cabaret have announced that American Idol’s Michael Orland will be the musical director for the West Coast club return of Broadway diva and Tony Award-winner Lillias White’s new show, A Woman On Love, at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. There will be two performances only, on Mondays, June 3 and 10 at 8:30pm, with cocktail and dinner service beginning at 6:30pm. The June 10 show also marks the second anniversary of The Night After The Tonys, a tradition begun in 2012 by Ms. White and Upright Cabaret.

Michael Orland is currently the pianist, arranger and Associate Musical Director for American Idol. He has appeared on Oprah, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Ellen, Live With Kelly & Michael, the CBS Early Show, and concerts on the plaza for The Today Show. He has collaborated with music industry giants Burt Bacharach, Neil Sedaka, Diane Warren, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Jennifer Lopez, and Tony Bennett, and many more. Orland also served as a pianist and coach for America’s Got Talent (Seasons 1 & 2). He is also the music director for the touring companies of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

Lillias White is currently starring in the critically acclaimed production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come And Gone, under the direction of Phylicia Rashad at the Mark Taper Forum. Ms. White made her Broadway debut in Barnum (1981), and went on to perform in many other Broadway shows, including the 1987 revival of Dreamgirls, Cats, Once On This Island, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Chicago, and The Life, in which Ms. White gave a performance as a no-nonsense, world weary hooker that won her the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards. She received a 2010 Tony Award nomination for her portrayal of Funmilayo in the hit musical Fela! She has performed with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and she has appeared in concert at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. She has toured internationally with her solo show From Brooklyn to Broadway, and she has been seen on television on Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, NYPD Blue, and Sesame Street (for which she won an Emmy Award), to name only a few.

In addition, Ms. White has been invited to appear at Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s LA Pride Garden Party on Sunday, June 2, alongside Jake Simpson, who twice won top honors (2003 & 2004) on CBS’s Star Search with his powerful high tenor voice and three-octave range. Simpson will be White’s special guest at her shows on June 3 & 10.

Lillias White: A Woman On Love will be at the Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 W. Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood for two performances only on Mondays, June 3 & 10 at 8:30pm. Doors open at 6:30pm for cocktail and dinner service (minimums apply). Admission is $30, and VIP seating is available. Tickets may be obtained by calling (866) 468-3399 or by visiting www.UprightCabaret.com/events. Tickets purchased online will receive priority seating.

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05-28-13

Announcing: 2Cents Theatre Company Will Share Percentage of Gross Sales for ‘RENT’ with Four HIV/AIDS Organizations

2CENTS THEATRE GROUP
PRODUCTION OF RENT, the musical
OPENING MAY 24 AT THE HUDSON THEATRE

WILL BENEFIT FOUR HIV/AIDS
RESEARCH AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS:
AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES
AIDS RESEARCH ALLIANCE
BEING ALIVE
ALLIANCE FOR HOUSING AND HEALING

2Cents Theatre Group has announced that its production of Rent, Jonathan Larson’s legendary Broadway smash hit that is now celebrating its 20th anniversary, will benefit four different HIV/AIDS research and support organizations during its run. Beginning on May 30, a percentage of each weekend’s gross sales will be donated to AIDS Project Los Angeles, AIDS Research Alliance, Being Alive, and Alliance for Housing and Healing. Directed by Kristen Boulé, with musical direction by Morgan Fitch, Rent opens on Friday, May 24.

The weekend of May 30-June 2 will benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), which is dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy. For more information, visit apla.org. The weekend of June 13­-16 belongs to AIDS Research Alliance, which exists to develop a cure for HIV/AIDS, medical strategies to prevent new infections, and better treatments for people living with HIV. The weekend of June 20­-23 goes to Being Alive, a peer-driven agency for people living with HIV/AIDS, specializing in supportive services, education, wellness, and self-empowerment. Finally, the weekend of June 27­-30 will benefit Alliance for Housing and Healing, which provides the basic necessities of life for men, women, children, and families living with HIV/AIDS through a safety net of essential housing and direct supportive services.

Based on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent is a rock opera that tells the story of one year in the life of a group of bohemians struggling in East Village New York during the 1990s. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life, all wrapped up in one powerful story.

Rent director Kristen Boulé is the founding artistic director of 2Cents Theatre Group currently in residence at the Hudson Theatres. She directs their 2nd Sundays Cabaret which appears monthly in the Hudson Café. Rent marks Boulé’s third show at the Hudson, following The Last Five Years in 2012, and her own Dreams in Variation in 2011. Boulé, a filmmaker from Baltimore, has worked on films including Eagle Eye, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Body of Lies, Live Free or Die Hard, State of Play, and The Green Hornet, as well as several network television series.

The cast of Rent will feature (in alphabetical order) Dedrick Bonner, Kate Bowman, Amber Bracken, Ariel Brooker, Cole Chapman, Brian Gamble, Lauren Joy Goss, Jonathon Grant, Michael Levine, Juan Lozano, Alli Miller, Tyler Olshansky, Reagan Osborne, Deondray Randolph, and Jessika Rowe. Set design is by Anderson William, lighting design is by Donny Jackson, and costume design is by Abbey Hocker. Stage manager is Nick Acciani, and producers for 2Cents Theatre Group are Kristen Boulé, Cody Lyman, Kate Bowman, Tiffany Roberts, and Mike Abramson (producer of DOMA Theatre Company’s recent productions of Avenue Q and Dreamgirls, both designated as Ovation Recommended and LA Times Critics Choice).

Rent opens on Friday, May 24 at 8pm, with a red carpet gala beginning at 6:30, and will run Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through June 30. General admission tickets for Rent are $34, with student and senior tickets available for $25 with valid ID. To purchase tickets online, go to www.plays411.com/rent, and to purchase by phone, call (323) 960-4410.

The Hudson Theatre is located at 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard, on Theatre Row in Hollywood, 90038. Parking is available across from the theatre on Hudson Avenue ($5).

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05-21-13