Announcing: Amy Tofte’s ‘FleshEatingTiger,’ Directed by Vincent Paterson, at Highways for 2 Perfs Only, June 21 & 22

FLESHEATINGTIGER
BY AMY TOFTE
DIRECTED BY VINCENT PATERSON

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY
AT HIGHWAYS PERFORMANCE SPACE
IN SANTA MONICA
JUNE 21 & 22 AT 8:30PM

Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica has announced two performances only of Amy Tofte’s FleshEatingTiger, directed by acclaimed director/choreographer Vincent Paterson, on Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22 at 8:30pm.

Vicious dark humor chronicles an affair under the influence in Amy Tofte’s FleshEatingTiger. The Man struggles with sobriety; The Woman is dependent on his affection. Scenes unravel between realism and absurdism, and the line between acting in the play and reality is relentlessly blurred, just as addiction blurs a healthy relationship. Of a 2011 production of FleshEatingTiger at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Scotsman said, “Tofte utilizes poignant monologues to contrast comedic double acts, helping create tenderly strong characters who drag the audience into the disorder.”

Director Vincent Paterson has directed and/or choreographed films, concert tours, Broadway shows, operas, music videos, television shows, and commercials. He is perhaps best known for his work with Michael Jackson and Madonna. For Jackson, Paterson directed the Bad Tour and choreographed several other iconic Jackson music videos and live performances; he conceived, choreographed and co-directed the Smooth Criminal number in the film Moonwalker as well as the video for Blood on the Dance Floor. He directed and choreographed Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour, which is featured in her Truth or Dare documentary, as well her Express Yourself and Vogue videos. Paterson also choreographed the films Evita and The Birdcage and he directed and choreographed the musical sequences for the film Dancer in the Dark. His choreography for Kiss of the Spider Woman on Broadway earned him a Tony Award nomination. Paterson wrote and directed the Cirque Du Soleil show Viva! Elvis that ran for over 1000 performances in Las Vegas. Paterson directed and choreographed Berlin’s first original production of the musical Cabaret at Bar Jeder-Vernunft, a mirror-tent from 1914. It is the longest running play in Berlin’s history.

The LA Weekly has called Amy Tofte’s writing “brutally funny” and “distinct while most definitely on key.” Her plays and solo pieces have been performed around the United States in locales such as Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, The Kennedy Center, Alaska, Mississippi, Iowa, Texas and internationally at the 2010 and 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festivals. Tofte’s play The Course We Set was performed at various locations in England as part of Western Washington University’s annual touring company in 2012. Her play WhiteDevil-Loving Mother was recently presented as a staged reading by the Northwest Playwrights Alliance at Seattle Repertory. Tofte’s Relentless Pursuit of a Lady was a semi-finalist for the 2013 Source Festival in Washington, DC, and she was published in the Last Frontier Theatre Conference’s 2009 – 2012 Anthology.

The cast of FleshEatingTiger will feature (in alphabetical order) Sam Breen and Gabriela Trigo. Set design is by Sarah Krainin, lighting design is by Ryan Bona, costume design is by Jenny Foldenauer, sound design is by John Nobori, and video design is by Sean T. Cawelti. Original music is by Rene Lamontagne.

General admission is $20, with member, student, and senior discounts available at $15. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.highwaysperformance.org or via phone at (310) 315-1459. Highways Performance Space @ 18th Street Arts Center is located at 1651 18th Street, in Santa Monica, 90404. Onsite and street parking are available.

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05-14-13

Announcing: Tony Award-Winner Lillias White Brings New Show, ‘A Woman on Love,’ to Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood for Two Shows Only, June 3 & 10, with Special Guest Jake Simpson

BROADWAY STAR AND TONY AWARD-WINNER
LILLIAS WHITE
BRINGS HER NEW SHOW, A WOMAN ON LOVE
TO CATALINA JAZZ CLUB IN HOLLYWOOD

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

Chris Isaacson Presents and Upright Cabaret proudly present the West Coast club return of Broadway diva and Tony Award-winner Lillias White in her 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.

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.

The music director for A Woman On Love is Abdul Hamid, and Ms. White will be joined onstage by OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) star Jake Simpson. Simpson twice won top honors (2003 & 2004) on CBS’s Star Search with his powerful high tenor voice and three-octave range. Jake has recorded, written and performed with a multitude of award-winning artists including Desmond Child, American Idol finalists David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado and Adam Lambert, The Voice finalist Frenchie Davis, pianist Jim Brickman, Shoshana Bean, Matt Cusson, Taylor Dayne, Paula Cole, and most famously on The Oprah Winfrey Show with the legendary Stevie Wonder.

About Chris Isaacson Presents: This ‘young impresario’ has promoted, created and produced over 500 events since forming his company in 2004. From small clubs to major theatres, Isaacson has produced many of the most influential stars of his generation including Adam Lambert, Lea Michele, Megan Hilty, Shoshana Bean, Neil Patrick Harris, Natasha Bedingfield, Orianthi, Taylor Dayne, Paula Cole and legends like Paul Anka, Sergio Mendes, and more. Isaacson is also founder of LA’s renowned Upright Cabaret, which has been redefining the cabaret milieu for a new generation of audiences since 2005. Upright Cabaret celebrates old style cabaret while simultaneously bringing young Broadway and young Hollywood together in a live setting. This past year, Isaacson served as Entertainment Director at Rolling Stone Los Angeles in Hollywood. His concerts have been featured on Access Hollywood, Extra, ABC’s On The Red Carpet, KTLA Morning News, Fox’s Good Day LA and in the LA Times, OK! Magazine, and New York Post. Visit www.ChrisIsaacsonPresents.com.

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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05-13-13

Announcing: LA Stage Alliance Announces LA Stage Day, Saturday 5/18

LA STAGE ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES
LA STAGE DAY
A DAY-LONG COMMUNITY EVENT
FOR PERFORMERS, DESIGNERS, ADMINISTRATORS,
STUDENTS, VENDORS, AND PATRONS OF THE ARTS
ON THE CAMPUS OF
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES
SATURDAY, MAY 18

LA STAGE Alliance has announced LA STAGE DAY, a day-long community event for the greater Los Angeles performing arts community. Generously hosted by California State University Los Angeles, the activities will take place on the campus of CSULA on Saturday, May 18, from 8:30am – 7pm.

LA STAGE DAY is set to include provocative inspirational presentations from engaged community members; interactive sessions centered on what’s working and what’s next; a midday bazaar expo with staffed information tables of LA STAGE Alliance and Dance Resource Center member companies, partners, and affiliates; and artistic workshops led by a diverse group of local artists. As an added bonus, coordinated trips to see shows and performances will be available in the evening. The more than eight hours of performing arts community building will also include coffee and pastries (during morning check-in), several food trucks, and cocktails.

“Our aim with LA STAGE DAY is to come together to inspire and inform one another through provocative conversations and the exchange of ideas and information,” said LA STAGE CEO Terence McFarland. He continued, “Our performing arts community is filled with brilliance; LA STAGE DAY hopes to shine a light on the best of what we have to offer.”

A multitude of discussions, workshops, and sessions designed to inspire and exchange creative ideas will be offered throughout the day. Some of the categories scheduled to be explored are: Engaging with High School and College Audiences, Career Paths in LA Performing Arts, Social Media Stories, and Blue Skying – What’s Your Big Artistic Idea? Artistic workshops will be led by Ryan Heffington (Dance), Debbie McMahon (Melodrama), Che’Rae Adams (Playwrighting), and Johanna Smith (Puppetry), and more.

Among the speakers currently scheduled to share and inspire are DJ Kurs, Chris Anthony, Alice Tuan, Craig Fleming, Erin Quill, Yosi Sargeant, Yuval Sharon, Evelina Fernandez, Michelle Ramos-Burkhart, Thor Steingraber, Tim Carpenter, and Mark Seldis. Additional activities and speakers will be added to the schedule in the coming days.

LA STAGE Alliance, a non-profit organization empowering artists and engaging audiences since 1975, is dedicated to building awareness, appreciation, and support for the performing arts in Greater Los Angeles by strengthening the sector through community building, collaborative marketing, audience engagement, professional development, and advocacy.

LA STAGE Alliance programs are sponsored, in part, by Actors Equity Association, The Angell Foundation, Bakers Man Productions, California Arts Council, California Community Foundation, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, DatabaseWorks, DEW Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Entertainment Lighting Services (ELS), Goldstar, Ken Werther Publicity, the James Irvine Foundation, Los Angeles County Supervisors through the LA County Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

For up-to-the-minute information and schedule of activities for LA STAGE DAY, visit http://www.lastagealliance.com/lastageday/.

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05-10-13