NEWS RELEASE — “NO HOMO” BY BRANDON BARUCH, DIRECTED BY JESSICA HANNA, SET FOR LIMITED ENGAGEMENT 7/30—8/23

NO HOMO
BY BRANDON BARUCH
DIRECTED BY JESSICA HANNA

BE FLAT PRODUCTIONS AND PRAXIS LIMITED
ANNOUNCE LIMITED ENGAGEMENT OF AWARD-WINNING COMEDY

FIVE WEEKS ONLY
JULY 30 — AUGUST 23
OPENS SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 AT 8PM

The smash hit Fringe comedy NO HOMO by Brandon Baruch will receive its first full run with a new production at the Atwater Village Theatre, it was announced by Be Flat Productions and Praxis Limited. There will be two preview performances on Thursday, July 30 and Friday, July 31 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, August 1 at 8pm and the strictly limited engagement will run through August 23.

NO HOMO had its world premiere in the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival, where it swept the Closing Night Awards with nine nominations and five wins including Best World Premiere, Best in Ensemble Theatre, Best Director, and the Encore! Producer’s Award. The production then moved to the New York International Fringe Festival where it was met with similar acclaim and quickly became an audience favorite.

Directed by Jessica Hanna, the cast of this new production will feature (in alphabetical order) Elizabeth Ellson, Lauren Flans, AJ Jones, Michael Lutheran, Henry McMillan, and Jonny Rodgers. Scenic design is by David Offner, lighting design is by playwright Baruch, costume design is by Laura Wong, and the sound design is by Corwin Evans.

NO HOMO tells the tale of Luke and Ash, two 20-something Los Angeles urbanites who identify as heterosexual even though their friendship is totally gay. Their friends and families refuse to acknowledge the platonic nature of their relationship, and eventually the men themselves start to question their own sexual identities, leading to a drunken evening that their friendship might not survive.

Playwright Brandon Baruch is a writer, director, producer, and lighting designer. His plays have been seen on both coasts, and he has designed lighting for productions in Southern California, New York, and Chicago. Director Jessica Hanna is a Los Angeles- based theatre artist. She is Co-Founder, Producing & Managing Director of Bootleg Theater. She has directed at Abundant Sugar at the Brewery and at Occidental College, and since 2006 she has produced over 100 productions and events at Bootleg.

Preview performances of NO HOMO are on Thursday, July 30 at 8pm and Friday, July 31 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, August 1 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through August 23 only. General admission tickets are $15 for previews and $20 for regular performances and may be obtained online at www.nohomo.brownpapertickets.com, www.nohomoplay.com, or by calling (800) 838-3006. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue, in Los Angeles.

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07-14-15

NEWS RELEASE — HWD FRINGE FESTIVAL ‘ENCORE! PRODUCER’S AWARD’ PERFS OF QUEER CLASSICS’ “THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (AN EXPLORATION OF GENDER EXPRESSION)” ADDED SAT 7/18 & SUN 7/19 at 7:30pm

2015 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL
ENCORE! PRODUCER’S AWARD WINNER

QUEER CLASSICS PRESENTS
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
(An Exploration of Gender Expression)
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTED BY CASEY KRINGLEN

TWO PERFORMANCES ONLY
JULY 18 & 19 AT 7:30PM
THE OTHER SPACE AT THE ACTORS COMPANY

The Queer Classics production of William Shakespeare’s controversial and often polarizing commedia dell’arte comedy The Taming of the Shrew is the winner of a 2015 Hollywood Fringe Festival Encore! Producer’s Award. This unique re-imagined exploration of gender expression in the comedic style of I Love Lucy will play two additional performances on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19 at 7:30pm.

Conceived and directed by Casey Kringlen, the cast features Shaan Dasani, Ryan Leslie Fisher, Suzanne Fortin, Julie Rei Goldstein, Gordon Meacham, Dawn Medina, and Angel Payne, and from last year’s critically acclaimed production of The Importance of Being Earnest Bobby Gutierrez, Jeffrey Masters, and Philip Orazio. Lighting design is by Dan Weingarten and the stage manager is Amber Bruegel.

In the Queer Classics version of modern times, Kate and Petruchio might identify as trans*, but the 1950s are a completely different world. In this new and sexy adaptation, the lead lovers explore their expression of gender in a time before there were labels to define it.

Queer Classics is dedicated to sharing classic stories re-imagined through a queer lens — art for the LGBTQ community and its supporters. Visit www.queerclassics.com.

Tickets for the Encore! Producer’s Award performances of Queer Classics’ The Taming of the Shrew (An Exploration of Gender Expression) are $15 online and may be obtained at http://www.theencoreawards.com/projects/2349. Admission price at the door is $20. The performance running time is 90 minutes.

The Other Space at The Actors Company is located at 916 N. Formosa Avenue in Los Angeles, 90036. Street parking is available.

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07-10-15

^{L to R — Shaan Dasani & Julie Rei Goldstein. Photo by Casey Kringlen.}