Announcing: Matt Morillo’s ‘American Soldiers’ Will Play 4 Perfs at American Legion Hollywood Post 43

MATT MORILLO’S
AMERICAN SOLDIERS
WILL PLAY FOUR PERFORMANCES ONLY
AT AMERICAN LEGION HOLLYWOOD POST 43
PERFORMED BY CAST OF MILITARY VETERANS
NOVEMBER 11—14

A cast of military veterans is set to perform American Soldiers, a play by Matt Morillo, at American Legion Hollywood Post 43, opening on Veteran’s Day, Monday, November 11 at 8pm. The play had its world premiere in 2010 at Theater for the New City in New York. Since that time, as the subject of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder has become very prominent, American Soldiers has been finding new and growing audiences.

American Soldiers tells the story of the Colletti Family, an upper middle class suburban family being torn apart when the eldest daughter returns from Iraq with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Carlo Sr., the patriarch and PTSD sufferer from his time in Vietnam, must try and keep the family together while confronting his own responsibility in his daughter’s suffering. The play examines the power of family destiny, the urge of children to break away, and an American culture that subjects generation after generation to the horrors of war.

Sergeant Drea Garcia, an Iraq veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003-2008, is the force behind this brief run of American Soldiers at American Legion Hollywood Post 43, and she will perform in the play. Directed by Vietnam veteran and Purple Heart recipient Luis F. Soto, the cast will also include Iraq veterans Staff Sergeant Robert Kugler and Staff Sergeant Chris Loverro, Vietnam-era veteran Max Thayer, along with civilian Cynthia Aldrich, who has performed in the play before. The set and lighting design are by P. David Miller. The producers are Drea Garcia, Jessica Moreno and Matt Morillo.

All proceeds will benefit Team Rubicon, a non-profit organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. For more information, visit www.TeamRubiconUSA.org.

American Soldiers opens on Monday, November 11 at 8pm. Performances will continue Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, November 12, 13, and 14 at 8pm. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online at www.plays411.com/americansoldiers or via phone at (323) 960-7738. American Legion Hollywood Post 43 is located at 2035 Highland Avenue in Los Angeles, 90068.

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10-31-13

Announcing: ‘One Starry Night’ Benefit for ALS Association at the Pasadena Playhouse – January 13, 2014

ONE STARRY NIGHT
Hollywood and Broadway Stars Come Together to Fight ALS
at The Pasadena Playhouse

One Night Only Benefit Performance
Monday, January 13, 2014 at 8pm

Co-Producers Juliana Hansen and Jonathan White will present a one night only benefit performance, ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Come Together to Fight ALS, on Monday, January 13, 2014 at 8pm, hosted by The Pasadena Playhouse. The evening will also include a silent auction and VIP post-show meet-and-greet. Proceeds will provide critical funding for The ALS Association Golden West Chapter’s mission priorities in care services, public policy, and cutting-edge global research toward treatments and cure.

ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Come Together to Fight ALS will be directed by Grammy Award-nominee Bruce Kimmel, with musical direction and orchestrations by Richard Allen. The evening will feature performances by (in alphabetical order) Obba Babatunde, James Barbour, Kay Cole, Daisy Eagan, Crow Garrett, Jason Graae, Ilene Graff, Juliana Hansen, Melora Hardin, Jean Louisa Kelly, Jason and Nolan Livesay, Gary Morgan and The Flying Morgans, Karen Morrow, James Mulligan, Reagan Pasternak, Jonathan Pendragon, Christy Carlson Romano, Joan Ryan, Rex Smith, Charlene Tilton, and Terri White, with more to be announced.

“The ALS community is grateful to Juliana Hansen and Jonathan White for their creativity and dedication in the fight against ALS,” said Fred Fisher, President and CEO of The ALS Association Golden West Chapter. “While there has been significant progress in recent years, people with ALS and their loved ones still have far more questions than answers. Today, the groundbreaking work of scientists continues to inspire confidence that there will soon be greater advancements in understanding the causes of the disease, developing new treatments and ultimately finding a cure.”

“As often as possible, we open the doors of our beautiful theatre in support of worthy causes,” said Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director of The Pasadena Playhouse. “I am sure that this will be an entertaining and exciting evening that will raise funds for vital research in an important area. All of us at The Playhouse are happy to participate in this noble effort.”

“I am so excited to be working on an event supporting The ALS Association,” said co-producer Jonathan White. “My inspiration to do so came many years ago when a member of my extended family left college to be the primary caregiver for her father when he was diagnosed with ALS. Years later, I became more aware of Lou Gehrig’s disease and the incredible support network of people it takes to manage it. The opportunity to collaborate on a charitable event with brilliant performers, as well as compassionate human beings with a hearts of gold, was irresistible.”

Said co-producer Juliana Hansen, “When the idea was presented to me of creating an event that would bring both Hollywood and Broadway entertainers together to give a stronger voice to such a worthy cause, I was instantly, wholeheartedly on board. My childhood friend lost her father to ALS, another dear friend lost his aunt, and my colleague’s mother is battling it right now. To be even a small part of helping spread the word and to raise money to continue to find a cure is truly important to me.”

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. People with ALS eventually lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population. There is no cure, and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration modestly extends survival.

The mission of The ALS Association is to lead the fight to treat and cure ALS through global research and nationwide advocacy while also empowering people with Lou Gehrig’s disease and their families to live fuller lives by providing them with compassionate care and support. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The ALS Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. The Golden West Chapter serves people with ALS and their families in 31 counties throughout California and in the state of Hawaii. For more information visit www.alsagoldenwest.org.

ONE STARRY NIGHT: Hollywood and Broadway Coming Together to Fight ALS will take place on Monday, January 14, 2014 at 8pm at The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Avenue, in Pasadena, 91101. Tickets are on sale now, and prices range from $25—$100, with premium seating available at $250. The VIP post-show meet and greet is available for an additional $75. To purchase online go to www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org/onestarrynight. Tickets are also available via phone at (626) 356-7529 and in person at The Pasadena Playhouse box office (visit website for hours).

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10-30-13

Announcing: Celebrity Presenters Announced for 24th Annual Ovation Awards Ceremony on Sunday 11/3

CELEBRITY PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED
FOR 24TH ANNUAL LA STAGE ALLIANCE
OVATION AWARDS CEREMONY

MICHAEL McKEAN WILL HOST
AT SAN GABRIEL MISSION PLAYHOUSE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3 AT 7:00PM

LA STAGE Alliance has announced celebrity presenters set to join host Michael McKean for the 24th Annual Ovation Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 3 at the historic San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. A pre-show reception begins at 5:30, and the curtain will rise at 7pm.

Celebrity presenters scheduled to participate include (in alphabetical order) Ed Begley Jr., Erich Bergen, Amy Brenneman, Charlie Carver, Keith David, Barrett Foa, Val Kilmer, Sharon Lawrence, Wendie Malick, Ana Ortiz, Susan Sullivan, Steven Weber, and more. They will be joined by many local performers, city officials, union reps, artistic, managing, and executive directors, along with other artistic personnel representing the wide and varied Los Angeles theatre community.

Producers Douglas Clayton, Crystal Diaz, and Andrew Carlberg will lead this year’s production team, with technical direction and production management by Live Event Pros. The production design is by Terence McFarland, Oliver Hess and Aperiodic Industries, and lighting design is by Dan Weingarten. Musical direction will once again be by the Ovation Award-winning David O, combined with the music and performance of String Theory. The voices of the Ovations are Bernadette Sullivan and Robert Yacko. The Ovation statues will be presented by students from the MFA program at UCLA.

Founded in 1989, the LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Awards are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Voters are Los Angeles theatre professionals who are chosen each year, through an application process, by the Ovation Awards Rules Committee. The list of nominees is determined by a tabulation of scores conducted by Green Hasson Janks. This year’s Ovation Award eligibility period ran from August 27, 2012 through August 25, 2013.

LA STAGE Alliance programs are sponsored in part by Actors Equity, The Biller Family Foundation, California Arts Council, California Community Foundation, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, DatabaseWorks, the DEW Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Goldstar, James Irvine Foundation, Andrew Mellon Foundation, Bakers Man Productions, Ken Werther Publicity, Live Event Pros, Los Angeles County Supervisors through the LA County Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, 4 Wall Lighting, Pacific Coast Entertainment, The Shubert Foundation, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The 24th Annual Ovation Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 3 at 7pm at the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse, located at 320 S. Mission Drive in San Gabriel. A pre-show reception begins at 5:30pm. For more information, visit www.OvationAwards.com.

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10-24-2013