NEWS RELEASE — BRIMMER STREET THEATRE CO. ANNOUNCES PUBLIC STAGED READINGS OF “THE SCRAMBLING CLASS” BY AMY TOFTE

BRIMMER STREET THEATRE COMPANY
ANNOUNCES PUBLIC STAGED READINGS OF
THE SCRAMBLING CLASS
A NEW PLAY BY AMY TOFTE
AS PART OF ITS
BREAKING GROUND PLAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

As part of its 2016 Breaking Ground play development program, Brimmer Street Theatre Company has announced two public staged readings of a new play, The Scrambling Class by Amy Tofte. The readings will be presented on Saturday, April 30 at 8pm and Sunday, May 1 at 8pm at 2123 Hyperion Avenue in Silver Lake (this is a residential address and the performance space is outdoors). Running time is 80 minutes with no intermission. Admission is free and no reservations are required. Following each reading, audiences will be invited to engage in a brief discussion with the playwright and participating artists.

Brimmer Street Theatre Company’s Breaking Ground play development initiative is dedicated to collaborative new play development. Over the course of the seven-week project, BSTC’s ensemble works with local playwrights to move drafts of original plays to finalized scripts through the discovery and collaboration of an abbreviated rehearsal process, design consultation, and finally a staged reading. The Scrambling Class was chosen by the BSTC ensemble from dozens of submissions.

In Amy Tofte’s The Scrambling Class, a group of best friends reunite on a camping trip with the intent of supporting a friend in need. But the unexpected responsibilities of adulthood and their complicit crimes are too much for all of them to take. So they kill the truth … and bury it. Directed by Eric Hunicutt, the reading will feature (in alphabetical order) Ben Fuller, Dan Gordon, Amy K. Harmon, Tyler Jenich, Emilia Richeson, Jessica Sherif, and Alex Whittington. Audience members who would like to read the play in advance may email djette@brimmerstreet.org for a script.

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.

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04-20-16

NEWS RELEASE — “NO, I WON’T TAKE YOU TO THE AIRPORT!” OPENS WEDS 4/20 AT THE HUDSON THEATRE MAINSTAGE

RICH HIPPIE PRODUCTIONS
PRESENTS
NO, I WONT TAKE YOU TO THE AIRPORT!
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY
COURTNEY ABBIATI
DIRECTED BY RYAN WEISS

AT THE HUDSON THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD
APRIL 13 — JUNE 8
WEDNESDAYS AT 8PM

OPENS WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 AT 8PM

Rich Hippie Productions has announced that actor and writer Courtney Abbiati will bring her new comic solo show, No, I Won’t Take You to the Airport!, directed by Ryan Weiss, to the Hudson Theatre Mainstage on Wednesdays at 8pm for eight weeks only beginning April 13. Opening is set for Wednesday, April 20 at 8pm, and the limited engagement will run through June 8 only.

No, I Won’t Take You to the Airport! is the story of a girl who did everything she was supposed to do and ended up exactly where she never wanted to be. A story of completely true stories. For more, visit www.noiwonttakeyoutotheairport.com.

Courtney Abbiati is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. Her first professional job was in a production of Tennessee Williams’ The Rose Tattoo, starring Andrea Martin and directed by Nicholas Martin. Abbiati then moved to Los Angeles and began working in television and film. She has guest starred on How I Met Your Mother, Girlfriends, and Ground Floor. She appeared in the horror movie A Haunting in Salem and has been seen in numerous commercials for Ford with Mike Row, Chili’s, Kohl’s, and most recently a Turkish Airlines ad for Batman vs. Superman. Abbiati is also a recipient of Boston University’s Bette Davis Award.

Over the last 10 years, director Ryan Weiss has been seen in Broadway’s Wicked, worked at WME, and was Director of Development at Storyline Entertainment. He then launched a Life Coaching practice, ‘Waking Up with Ryan,’ specializing in relationship intimacy as well as helping individuals launch the business of their dreams.

The lighting design is by Steve Pope, the stage manager is Val Salas, and Mike Abramson serves as production consultant.

No, I Won’t Take You to the Airport! will play one preview performance on Wednesday, April 13 at 8pm. Opening is set for Wednesday, April 20 at 8pm. The running schedule will be Wednesdays at 8pm through June 8 only. Tickets are $20 and are available online at www.plays411.com/airport or by phone at (323) 960-7724. The Hudson Theatre is located at 6539 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, 90038. Valet and street parking are available.

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04-08-16

Courtney Abbiati. Photo by James Branaman.

NEWS RELEASE — THE BLANK THEATRE LAUNCHES CROWDSOURCING CAMPAIGN AT GENEROSITY.COM ON MONDAY

THE BLANK THEATRE
LAUNCHES CROWDSOURCING CAMPAIGN
AT generosity.com
TO BENEFIT THE THEATRE’S
LIVING ROOM SERIES

The Blank Theatre (Daniel Henning, Founding Artistic Director; Noah Wyle, Artistic Producer; Heather Provost, Producing Director), a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization, has announced a first ever generosity.com crowdsourcing campaign to raise funds for its Living Room Series play development program. With a goal of raising $10,000, the campaign begins on Monday, April 11.

Now in its 24th year, the Living Room Series is a New Play Development program which embodies The Blank’s commitment to developing new work by both established and emerging writers. The Living Room Series takes place on Monday evenings between Labor Day and Memorial Day at The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre. This program offers a week-long rehearsal process for the playwright, director, and actors to explore and refine the play before presenting it to an audience. The performances are minimally staged with actors carrying scripts and are a wonderful opportunity for the playwright to get a sense of the play’s full potential.

The Living Room Series develops and produces approximately 30 new plays each year. Many of these plays have later received productions at venues including Manhattan Theatre Club, Transport Group, Laguna Playhouse, Malibu Playhouse, The Colony Theatre, Primary Stages, Vineyard Theatre, LaMaMa ETC, and Brideswell Theatre in London. In 2014 The Explorer’s Club by Nell Benjamin (twice developed in the LRS) was produced by Manhattan Theatre Club where it won the NY Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off Broadway Play.

Generosity is a fundraising community built for personal and social causes. Generosity is about compassion — not fees. The Generosity community is free of the fees common to most fundraising platforms, which means users keep more money for their causes. Generosity was built to give Indiegogo users a new community for showing and sharing their compassion through personal fundraising. Generosity helps cancer patients with bills and students with tuition. It boosts humanitarian efforts into new countries and helps nonprofits move quickly with their causes. It fills the gap at the end of a tough month and supports the village after the storm. Generosity is human goodness on a grand scale. To learn more, visit https://www.generosity.com.

Started in 1990 by Founding Artistic Director Daniel Henning, The Blank Theatre is Hollywood’s resident theatre, consistently offering some of the most high quality and entertaining productions in the area. In its 26-year history, The Blank has won hundreds of awards including every major award in Los Angeles for Outstanding Production (LA Drama Critics Circle, Ovation, LA Weekly, NAACP, and Back Stage Garlands). The Blank has been at the forefront of providing high quality productions with a risk-taking sensibility and entertaining experiences. With programs such as its Living Room Series and its annual nationwide Young Playwrights Festival, The Blank Theatre is committed to developing excellence in artistic talent and providing the opportunity for artists to take bold risks. For more info, please visit www.TheBlank.com.

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04-06-16