Archived entries for Photographs

NEWS RELEASE — “HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR” STARRING SAM HARRIS — OPENS JANUARY 23, 2016 AT LA LGBT CENTER’S RENBERG THEATRE

Photographs buttonspacerProgram button

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s
Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center
In Association with Susan Dietz and Elaine Krauss
Presents

HAM: A MUSICAL MEMOIR
Written and Performed by SAM HARRIS
Directed by BILLY PORTER
Musical Direction by TODD SCHROEDER

January 23—February 7, 2016

Sam Harris by Timmy BlupeDirect from a critically acclaimed off-Broadway run, HAM: A Musical Memoir will make its West Coast debut at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre with previews beginning January 21 and opening night set for Saturday, January 23. HAM: A Musical Memoir will play a strictly limited engagement through February 7.

Based on Harris’s book HAM: Slices of a Life (Simon & Schuster), the musical play hilariously, passionately, and poignantly takes us from a conflicted childhood in Bible-Belt Oklahoma to the dizzying roller coaster ride of a life in show business to the fulfillment of the impossible dream of fatherhood, culminating in the lessons of a life well lived. Well . . . lived.

HAM: A Musical Memoir is directed by Tony Award-winner Billy Porter and musical direction is by acclaimed pianist and composer Todd Schroeder.

Sam Harris is a multi-million selling recording artist, Tony-nominated Broadway and television actor, award-winning playwright, composer, director, and most recently, best selling author. Before American Idol, before The Voice, Harris first exploded into the public eye as the premiere winner of TV’s Star Search. On Broadway, Harris starred in The Life (Tony, Outer Critic’s Circle, Drama Desk nominations), The Producers, and Grease (Drama Desk nomination). National Tour, off-Broadway and regional credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Hair, Pippin, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cabaret, The Jazz Singer, and The First Wives Club. On television, Harris was a series regular on the CBS sitcom The Class, had a recurring role on Rules of Engagement, and made other guest star appearances. He has performed on numerous specials and every talk show from Leno to Oprah to Fallon. He has nine studio CDs to his credit, has toured the globe in concert, and he made Rolling Stone’s list of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Harris is the author of the stage musicals Hard Copy, Different Hats, Revival, Hurry! Hurry! Hollywood!, and SAM. He co-wrote Liza’s at the Palace (Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event), co-created/co-wrote the TV sitcom Down To Earth, musically supervised segments of Michael Jackson’s 30th Year Anniversary Special at Madison Square Garden, and co-produced the PBS special Love Letter to New York. Harris is married to businessman Danny Jacobsen and they are the proud parents of seven-year-old Cooper Atticus Harris-Jacobsen.

Todd Schroeder began playing piano at the age of four. His musical family introduced him to everything from Claude Debussy to Neil Diamond to Ray Charles to Elton John to Jerry Lee Lewis. This variety of influences led to a wide range of musical accomplishments as composer, producer, arranger, musical director, and performer. Schroeder has musically directed for Harris for over 20 years including appearances at Carnegie Hall, The White House, with The Boston Pops, and at many other prestigious venues. His original music has been featured in films and on television. He co-wrote Roter Mond: The Braveheart Musical and he co-composed music and lyrics for Unbeatable: A Bold New Musical (which he also directed in 2013). Schroeder has recorded four of his own CDs. In addition to his work with Harris, Schroeder has musically directed/written/arranged for and performed with such artists as Angela Lansbury, Nell Carter, Jason Alexander, Rita Coolidge, and David Burnham. He is the musical director for Universal Studios Japan and is the founder of The Todd Schroeder Young Artist Grant, an annual scholarship presented to graduating high school students wanting to pursue careers in the arts.

Billy Porter is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, composer, actor, playwright, and director. He won the 2013 Tony Award for Lead Actor in a Musical for his performance in Kinky Boots. Other Broadway credits include Miss Saigon, Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, Smokey Joe’s Café, and Dreamgirls. Porter’s off-Broadway and regional credits include Angels in America, Romance in Hard Times, The Merchant of Venice, House of Lear, Radiant Baby, Birdie Blue, Going Native, Jelly’s Last Jam, Topdog/Underdog, Songs for a New World, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line and Chicago. His solo show, Ghetto Superstar: The Man That I Am, debuted at The Public Theater in 2005. Directing credits include The Wiz and Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Music of Stevie Wonder, and Being Alive, a musical celebration mixing the canons of Sondheim and Shakespeare and combining them with musical styles of the African-American experience. He won a NAACP Theatre Award for Best Director of a Musical for Once on This Island at Reprise in Los Angeles, where he also conceived and directed a musical revue entitled The Soul of Rodgers. Last spring he directed George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum at Boston’s Huntington Theatre. Other directing credits include Five Guys Named Moe, Altar Boyz, and Rent.

HAM: A Musical Memoir will play two preview performances on Thursday, January 21 at 8pm and Friday, January 22 at 8pm, and opening is set for Saturday, January 23 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule is Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through February 7. Tickets are $20 for previews and $35 for regular performances and are available online at lalgbtcenter.org/theatre or via phone by calling (323) 860-7300. The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Renberg Theatre is located at 1125 N. McCadden Place (one block east of Highland, just north of Santa Monica Boulevard), in Hollywood, 90038. Free onsite parking is available.

# # #

11-16-15

Sam Harris in “Ham: A Musical Memoir.” Photo by Timmy Blupe.

NEWS RELEASE — “GOD’S MAN IN TEXAS” BY DAVID RAMBO SET FOR LIMITED ENGAGEMENT AT 2ND STAGE THEATRE — OPENS SATURDAY 8/15 at 8pm

Photographs buttonspacerProgram button

GOD’S MAN IN TEXAS
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY DAVID RAMBO

A GUEST PRODUCTION
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE

FOUR WEEKS ONLY
AUGUST 13 — SEPTEMBER 5
OPENS SATURDAY 8/15 AT 8PM

God's Man in Texas posterA new production of the comic drama God’s Man In Texas by David Rambo has been announced as a guest production at The Blank Theatre’s 2nd Stage in Hollywood. Directed by Rambo, the engagement will run four weeks only with previews on Thursday 8/13, Friday 8/14, and opening set for Saturday, 8/15 at 8pm.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Tom Costello, Ted Heyck, and Brian Letscher (currently seen as Secret Service Agent Tom Larsen on ABC-TV’s Scandal). Set design is by Chad Dellinger, lighting design is by Martha Carter, and sound design is by Tony Award-nominee Cricket Myers. The stage manager is Samantha Else.

A comic drama about the struggle for power in a Houston mega-church, God’s Man In Texas was hailed at its Humana Festival debut as “the pick of the litter” in 1999. Over the following two years, it became one of the 10 most produced plays in the country, including productions at The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles and The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Playwright/Director David Rambo is the author of the plays The Lady With All The Answers (Off-Broadway starring Judith Ivey, Lortel Award nomination), The Ice-Breaker, Babbitt, an all new book for Lerner and Loewe’s Paint Your Wagon, The Lifeguard: Ronald Reagan and His Story, and God’s Man In Texas. His work has been widely produced at regional theatres throughout the country, including Actors Theatre of Louisville, Geffen Playhouse, The Old Globe, Denver Center Theatre, Alliance Theatre, and The Pasadena Playhouse. He has adapted several classic screenplays for live performance, including All About Eve, Casablanca, Adam’s Rib, and Sunset Boulevard, which was produced at the Hollywood Bowl with John Mauceri conducting Franz Waxman’s Oscar-winning score. Rambo has written and produced hundreds of hours of prime time television, including Empire, Revolution, V, and seven seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

There will be two preview performances of God’s Man In Texas on Thursday, August 13 at 8pm and Friday, August 14 at 8pm, and opening is set for Saturday, August 15 at 8pm. The regular running schedule will be Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through September 5 only. Preview seats are $20 and seats for regular performances are $30. Tickets may be purchased online at godsmanintexas.bpt.me, or via phone by calling (800) 838-3006.

The Blank’s 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollwyood, 90038.

# # #

08-03-15

NEWS RELEASE — COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS LA PREMIERE OF “FAILURE: A LOVE STORY” BY PHILIP DAWKINS — 7/24 at 8PM

Photographs buttonspacerProgram button

COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY
LA’S ‘PAY WHAT YOU WANT’ THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS
THE LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
FAILURE: A LOVE STORY
BY PHILIP DAWKINS
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS
OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 24
AT GTC BURBANK

Failure Twitter BannerCoeurage Theatre Company, LA’s ‘Pay What You Want’ Company, has announced the third production of its 2015 season, the Los Angeles premiere of Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins. Directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews, there will be three preview performances on July 18, 22, and 23 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, July 24 at 8pm. Failure: A Love Story will play through August 29 at GTC Burbank.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Joseph V. Calarco, June Carryl, Cristina Gerla, Kristina Johnson, Margaret Katch, Denver Milford, Gregory Nabours, Kurt Quinn, Brandon Ruiter, Nicole Shalhoub, Neil Taffe, Gina Torecilla, and Brittney S. Wheeler. Scenic design is by JR Bruce, lighting design is by Matthew Denman, and costume design is by Allison Dillard. The stage manager is Emily Abbott.

Failure: A Love Story chronicles the lives, loves, and deaths of the three Fail sisters and the one man who fell in love with each of them. Set against the backdrop of 1920’s Chicago, this touching, whimsical tale explores the impermanence of life and the permanence of love.

There will be preview performances on Saturday, July 18, Wednesday, July 22, and Thursday, July 23, all at 8pm. Opening is set for Friday, July 24 at 8pm. The running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm with the following exceptions: no performances on Thursday, August 6 or Saturday, August 15; added performances on Sundays August 9 and 23 at 7pm. The engagement will end on Saturday, August 29. All seats are available on a Pay What You Want basis, and may be reserved online at https://coeurage.secure.force.com/ticket, or by calling (323) 944-2165.

GTC Burbank is located at 1100 W. Clark Avenue in Burbank, 91506. Street parking is available.

# # #

06-25-15