Press Release — Kate Rubin’s ‘Why I Died, a Comedy!’ – Five Perfs Only at 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival

WHY I DIED, A COMEDY!
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY
KATIE RUBIN
AT 2014 THE HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL
FIVE PERFORMANCES ONLY
JUNE 7, 14, 20, 27, 29

Actor, writer, and comedienne Katie Rubin will bring her fourth solo show, Why I Died, a Comedy! to the Hollywood Fringe Festival for five performances only at the Elephant Space beginning June 7 at 8pm. Directed by Victor Bumbalo, Why I Died, a Comedy! recently enjoyed an acclaimed engagements at the Hudson and Atwater Village Theatres and Rubin continues her work with director Bumbalo to hone the writing and sharpen the performance.

Why I Died … is Rubin’s tale of navigating a deep spiritual awakening in the face of a hilariously pushy producer, an intense writing deadline, the uncontrollable nature of her own imagination, a codependent mugger, pop stars, reality TV, infomercials, and a bevy of “false prophets.” Through the voices of 10 comedic characters, Rubin chronicles her attempt to create and evolve simultaneously. Will her spiritual and creative efforts merge? Or will she have to give up one for the other?

Performance dates and times are as follows — Saturday 6/7 at 8pm (press preview); Saturday 6/14 at 4:30pm; Friday 6/20 at 10pm; Friday 6/27 at 7pm; and Sunday 6/29 at 6:30pm.

The Hollywood Fringe Festival is an annual, open-access, community-derived event celebrating freedom of expression and collaboration in the performing arts community. Each June during the Hollywood Fringe, the arts infiltrate the Hollywood neighborhood: fully equipped theaters, parks, clubs, churches, restaurants and other unexpected places host hundreds of productions by local, national, and international arts companies and independent performers.

Writer/Performer Katie Rubin began her career at Amherst College with her first original piece, PartyBoobyTrap. Her second play, Avoiding Less Blue, was produced in the 2000 New York Fringe Festival. Rubin’s first original solo show, Insides OUT!, toured to venues across the country. In 2010, Sacramento’s Capital Stage Theater Company commissioned her to complete her second theatrical solo show, Amazing and Sage, and shortly thereafter she completed her third solo piece, My Spiritual Death, a Comedy Show! with which Rubin has been touring for the past three years to venues in California, New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida. In addition to performing and writing original material, Rubin also works as a regional theatre actress and director.

Director Victor Bumbalo is also a playwright whose work has been produced worldwide and translated into five languages. His plays include Adam and the Experts, Niagara Falls, What Are Tuesdays Like?, Tell, and Questa. Bumbalo is the recipient of an Ingram Merrill Award for Playwriting. He has written for several popular television series including NYPD Blue, American Gothic, Relativity, and HBO’s Spawn. His short film Two Boys has recently appeared in several major film festivals. At the 2011 Beverly Hills Shorts Film Festival his film won the Jury Award for Best Drama. Bumbalo also won Best Director at the 2012 Raleigh Studios ITN Distribution Film Festival.

Tickets for Why I Died, a Comedy! go on sale May 1 and may be obtained online at www.hollywoodfringe.org or by phone at (323) 455-4585.

The Elephant Space is located at 6322 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, 90038. Street and lot parking are available.

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05-01-14