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Announcing: West Coast Jewish Theatre Presents “The Whipping Man” – LA Premiere February 8 thru April 13

WEST COAST JEWISH THEATRE
PRESENTS A LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
THE WHIPPING MAN
BY MATTHEW LOPEZ
DIRECTED BY HOWARD TEICHMAN

FEBRUARY 6 — APRIL 13
AT THE PICO PLAYHOUSE

OPENING SET FOR SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8

The Whipping ManWest Coast Jewish Theatre has announced the Los Angeles Premiere of The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez. Directed by Howard Teichman, the production will play two previews on February 6 and 7 with opening set for Saturday, February 8 at the Pico Playhouse in West Los Angeles. The engagement will run through April 13.

It is April, 1865. The Civil War is over and throughout the South slaves are being freed, soldiers are returning home, and in Jewish homes the annual holiday of Passover is being celebrated. Into the chaos of war-torn Richmond, VA comes Caleb DeLeon, a young Jewish Confederate officer who has been severely wounded. He finds his family’s home in ruins and abandoned, save for two former slaves who wait in the empty house for the family’s return. As the three men wait for signs of life to return to the city, they wrestle with their shared past and the reality of the new world in which they find themselves.

Of the 2011 Manhattan Theatre Club production, The New York Times’ Charles Isherwood said, “The Whipping Man … is an atmospheric period drama … that surely has few equals in its arresting strangeness.” And of a 2013 production in St. Louis, the Dispatch proclaimed, “You don’t have to be Black or Jewish, let alone both, to appreciate this provocative drama.”

The cast of The Whipping Man will feature (in alphabetical order) Kirk Kelleykhan, Ricco Ross, and Shawn Savage. The set design is by Kurtis Bedford, lighting design is by Ellen Monocroussous, costume design is by Michelle Young, and sound design is by Bill Froggatt. The stage manager is Priscilla Miranda.

Playwright Matthew Lopez was awarded the John Gassner New Play Award from the New York Outer Critics Circle for The Whipping Man, and since premiering at Luna Stage in 2006 the play has been produced by over two dozen theatres across the country. The Whipping Man premiered in New York in 2010 at Manhattan Theatre Club. Other plays by Lopez include Somewhere, Reverberation, Zoey’s Perfect Wedding and The Sentinels. His newest play, The Legend of Georgia McBride, will premiere at the Denver Theatre Center this winter. Lopez currently holds new play commissions from Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Hartford Stage.

Howard Teichman is the Artistic Director of West Coast Jewish Theatre. For WCJT, he has produced and/or directed I’m Not Rappaport, The Immigrant: The Musical, Neil Simon’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Sarah Sarah, The Value of Names, and the Ovation Recommended production of Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass. Other directing credits include From Door to Door, Neil Simon’s Lost in Yonkers and Rumors, Murray Schisgal’s LUV, and Modern Orthodox (LA Weekly nomination, Best Comedy Director). Teichman has worked extensively with Theatre 40, Buffalo Nights Theatre Company, and The Laugh Factory Ensemble, among others. While living in Chicago he was a member of the legendary “Second City” improvisational troupe.

The Whipping Man will play two preview performances on Thursday, February 6 and Friday, February 7 at 8pm, and opening is set for Saturday, February 8 at 8pm. Preview tickets are $20 and regular performances range from $25—$35. The regular running schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm through April 13. Tickets are available online at www.wcjt.org or by phone at (323) 821-2449. The Pico Playhouse is located at 10508 W. Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles, 90064.

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01-13-14

Announcing: Skylight Theatre Company Presents “The Wrong Man” Written & Performed by Ross Golan, Begins 1/25

SKYLIGHT THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS THE FIRST SHOW
OF ITS INAUGURAL SEASON
THE WRONG MAN
WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY
ROSS GOLAN
DIRECTED & CHOREOGRAPHED BY LEE MARTINO
JANUARY 25 — MARCH 2
★★ EXTENDED THROUGH SUNDAY, MARCH 30th ★★
OPENING NIGHT SATURDAY FEBRUARY 8

The Wrong ManSkylight Theatre Company (Gary Grossman, Producing Artistic Director; Tony Abatemarco, Co-Artistic Director) has announced the first show of its inaugural season, the world premiere of The Wrong Man. Written and performed by Ross Golan, this unique underground musical about the justice system gone wrong also features Jennifer Brasuell and will be directed and choreographed by Lee Martino. Preview performances of The Wrong Man begin January 25 with opening set for Saturday, February 8 at 8pm. The limited engagement will run through March 2 only EXTENDED THRU MARCH 30.

The Wrong Man is a powerful acoustical tale of what happens when the wrong man meets the wrong girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. Framed for murder, his ill-fated circumstances spiral out of control, leaving him at the mercy of a flawed judicial system —innocent and alone as he awaits his execution. Of a workshop presentation in 2011, Kevin Bronson of Buzzbands.LA said, “ … if they gave awards for keeping me glued to my seat, hanging on every note and couplet, Golan’s song cycle/indie musical/folk tragedy would have a big, fat, trophy.”

Writer/performer Ross Golan is a multi-platinum selling songwriter from the north suburbs of Chicago. He has garnered a reputation as a razor-edged lyricist and astute cross-pollinator of pop and hip-hop, first with an album called Ross Golan & Molehead, a recording widely considered by many music critics to have been lamentably overlooked, and then in a collaboration with Tommy Walter as Glacier Hiking. Recently Golan has worked non-stop as a songwriter-for-hire, with such artists as Nicki Minaj, Cee Lo Green, Lady Antebellum, Justin Bieber, Keith Urban, Maroon 5, Demi Lovato, Icona Pop, Big Sean, and Travis Barker, among many others, recording and releasing his songs.

Director Lee Martino is a four-time Ovation Award-winner. She has directed and/or choreographed (or both) such productions as When You Wish: The Story of Walt Disney, American Misfits, Oklahoma!, Nuttin’ But Hutton, Hello My Baby, Life Without Makeup, Kiss Me, Kate!, Falling for Eve and a multitude of others. She has also worked in television, animated features, live events, and many benefits. Martino is the winner of three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and the recipient of the Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theatre.

The set design for The Wrong Man is by Jeff McLaughlin, lighting design is by Jared A. Sayeg, costume design is by Kate Bergh, sound design is by Dean Mora, videography is by Mike Hoy, and video design is by Adam Fleming. The production stage manager is Christopher Hoffman. Suzi Dietz, Erin Frankenheimer, and Gary Grossman serve as producers.

The Wrong Man begins preview performances on Saturday, January 25 at 8pm which continue Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through February 7. (No performance Sunday February 2.) Opening is set for Saturday, February 8 at 8pm, and the engagement will run through March 2 only EXTENDED THRU MARCH 30. Tickets are $15 for previews and regular performances are $30 on Friday and Sunday and $34 on Saturday. Tickets are available online at www.SkyLightTix.com or by phone at (213) 761-7061. The Skylight Theatre is located at 1816 ½ N. Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, 90027.

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01-14-14

Announcing: Brimmer Street Theatre Company Now Accepting Submissions for Breaking Ground Development Program

CALLING ALL PLAYWRIGHTS!
BRIMMER STREET THEATRE COMPANY’S
2014 BREAKING GROUND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
★ NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS ★

Brimmer Street Theater Company LogoBreaking Ground, Brimmer Street Theatre Company’s play development program, is now accepting submissions for 2014. Breaking Ground is an opportunity for playwrights to work with BSTC’s ensemble and other artists to finalize a fully-drafted script-in-progress through a collaborative rehearsal process culminating in a workshop performance. The application deadline is Wednesday, February 5 at midnight.

Breaking Ground is a play development program aimed to move nearly-completed scripts to a final draft through the collaboration and discovery provided by a rehearsal process. Writers interested in polishing a script using an ensemble-driven, collaborative process are encouraged to visit www.brimmerstreet.org/breaking-ground to complete an application and submit the current draft of their script. Projects will be selected by the BSTC ensemble based on the play’s potential fit for the company. Selected playwrights will receive a small stipend.

The Breaking Ground program is a follow-up initiative to BSTC’s five-years-strong Blueprint Series, through which playwrights advance an idea for a play from a brainstorm to a first draft script. The goal of Breaking Ground is to advance a rough draft to a final script that is ready for possible production. Both programs are funded in part by a grant from the LA County Arts Commission.

Brimmer Street Theatre Company is a non-profit ensemble theatre that creates and produces new works of theatre in order to cultivate artists and engage audiences in Los Angeles. By working from a select core of talented artists, BSTC aims to produce a unique brand of American theatre that is rooted in a common experience and driven by their commitment to building better theatre that is challenging, extraordinary, and inspiring.

Applications for the 2014 Breaking Ground program are available for download at www.brimmerstreet.org/breaking-ground. Actors, directors, designers, and producers interested in participating as collaborative artists should email info@brimmersteet.org.

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01-13-14