PRESS RELEASE — QUEER CLASSICS’ “THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” RETURNS FOR 4 WEEKS ONLY — OPENS SAT 10/25

2014 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL
ENCORE PRODUCER’S AWARD-WINNER!

QUEER CLASSICS PRESENTS
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
BY OSCAR WILDE
DIRECTED BY CASEY KRINGLEN

RETURNS FOR FOUR WEEKS ONLY
OCTOBER 25—NOVEMBER 16
THE LOUNGE THEATRES IN HOLLYWOOD

Winner of a 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival Encore Producer’s Award, the Queer Classics production of The Importance of Being Earnest is set to return for four weeks only at The Lounge Theatres in Hollywood. There will be one preview on Friday, October 24 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, October 25 at 8pm. The limited engagement will run through November 16.

Queer Classics re-imagines one of the most popular comedic plays ever written by presenting the four lovers in the story as dashing gay men. Two couples fight for the right to be engaged in this masterful satire written by Oscar Wilde, arrested in 1895 for “gross indecency with men.” This timeless tale galavants through a world obsessed with appearances, money, and social status. The parallels with today’s Hollywood and American culture make for searing fun, and by presenting the four lovers as gay men, Queer Classics creates a play more hysterically fabulous than Oscar could have imagined possible in his lifetime. Running time is 90 minutes.

“Each of these talented actors mined new meaning into the script, creating more laughter throughout the play than I have ever experienced before,” raves Shari Barrett atBroadwayWorld.com. Rob Stevens of HainesHisWay.com calls the production “… delirious fun,” and  Toby  Jacobs at NeonTommy.com says, “… everyone seems to have a real blast onstage, andit shows in their performances. It is hard to recall a version of Earnest that was quite this much fun.”

Directed by Casey Kringlen, the cast features (in alphabetical order) Grant Jordan, Nancy La Scala, Mason McCulley, Philip Orazio, Boone Platt, and Megan Soule. Lighting design is by Dan Weingarten.

Queer Classics is dedicated to sharing classic stories re-imagined through a queer lens — art for the LGBTQ community and its supporters. The Importance of Being Earnestwill play one preview on Friday, October 24 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, October 25 at 8pm. Performances will be on Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm through November 16 only. No performance on Friday, October 31. Tickets are $40 for opening night (includes post-performance reception and meet-and-greet with the artists), and $20 for regular performances. They are available online at www.QueerClassics.com or by phone at (323) 450-7399.

The Lounge Theatres are located at 6201 Santa Monica Boulevard (at El Centro) in Hollywood, 90038.

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09-30-14

PRESS RELEASE — BRIMMER STREET THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS PUBLIC READINGS OF THREE NEW PLAYS

BRIMMER STREET THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES PUBLIC READINGS
OF THREE NEW PLAYS AS PART OF ITS
BLUEPRINT SERIES PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

JUDY PRESLEY ON A BINGE BY CHELSEA SUTTON
AND
MADAME BY MICHELLE MEYERS
AND
GENTLEMEN BY DAVID JETTE

As part of its 2014 Blueprint Series play development program, Brimmer Street Theatre Company has announced public readings of three new plays. Judy Presley on a Binge by Chelsea Sutton will be presented on Tuesday, October 7 at 8pm; Madame by Michelle Meyers will be presented on Sunday, November 9 at 7:30pm; and Gentlemen by David Jette will be presented on Sunday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Judy Presley on a Binge will be at the 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood; Madame and Gentlemen will be at Studio A Dance in Silver Lake. Following each presentation, audiences will be invited to engage in brief discussions with the playwrights and participating artists. Admission is free and no reservations are required.

The BSTC Blueprint Series focuses on developing work from the ground up. Dozens of playwrights submitted to the program with ideas for plays they would like to develop through ten weeks of collaboration with the Brimmer Street ensemble. This is the Sixth Annual Blueprint Series, and plays developed through this program which have been produced in Los Angeles include 1969 by Damon Chua, All Your Hard Work by Miles Brandman, and Flower to Flower by Christina Cigala.

Chelsea Sutton’s Judy Presley on a Binge follows the employees of The Grand Elsinore Hotel and their most treasured and troublesome yearly guest, Judy Presley, only two days before the Elsinore’s infamous Halloween party. Michelle Meyers’s Madame is a tale of scandal, magic, and radioactive love based on the life of Marie Curie. In David Jette’s Gentlemen (based on Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona), two best friends from Ventura get into the business of hardcore porn and let envy and lust destroy their reputations and their friendship.

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. For more, visit www.brimmerstreet.org.

The 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox) in Hollywood, and Studio A Dance is located at 2306 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake.

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09-26-14

PRESS RELEASE — AUDIENCE TALKBACK AT BLANK THEATRE’S “THE WHY” ON SUNDAY 9/28 AT 3:30PM

THE BLANK THEATRE
PRESENTS
AN AUDIENCE TALKBACK SESSION
SUNDAY 9/28 AT 3:30PM

FOLLOWING THE MATINEE PERFORMANCE OF
THE WHY

The Blank Theatre (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director; Noah Wyle, Artistic Producer) has announced an audience talkback session following the matinee performance of The Why on Sunday, September 28. The conversation begins at 3:30pm at the 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood. The event is scheduled to last one hour.

The Why is a fast-paced tragicomedy — one part modern satire, one part honest investigation of school shootings. Of the production, Paul Birchall of StageAndCinema.com said, “Crackles with genuine anger and frustration at the horrors of gun violence … sincere and powerful … there’s a lot of passion here, depicted with commendable skill and ferocity.” And from Shari Barrett at BroadwayWorld.com, ” … sickening, mind-bending, and totally necessary to point a finger right where it belongs — at all of us.”

Blank Theatre board member Paolo Andres will serve as moderator, and members of organizations with opposing viewpoints will be present to participate in the conversation. Shoot Safe Learning is a training school at which quality training is administered to law abiding citizens by using the best teaching techniques in a safe environment that instill proper attitude and discipline. Women Against Gun Violence (WAGV) seeks to educate the public, policymakers, and the media about the human, financial, and public health consequences of gun violence. Taking on gun violence as a women’s issue and focusing on violence prevention on a community level forms the basis of this organization’s work.

Playwright Victor Kaufold was just 19 years old when he wrote The Why in response to the Columbine tragedy. The play was a Blank Theatre Young Playwrights Festival winner and was later produced on The Blank’s mainstage. Kaufold received an LA STAGE Alliance Ovation Award nomination for World Premiere Play, the youngest person ever to do so.

The cast of The Why features (in alphabetical order) Ben Crowley, Nicholas Cutro, Jen Landon, and Jeff Witzke. The regular performance schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through October 19. Admission is $30 (student price is $20; must show valid ID), and tickets may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or via phone at (323) 661-9827.

The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollywood.

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09-24-14