NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ ALEXANDRA BILLINGS, STAR OF AMAZON PRIME’S HIT SERIES “TRANSPARENT,” BRINGS HER THEATRICAL CABARET “S/HE & ME” TO THE LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER’S RENBERG THEATRE ▪︎ MAY 25–JUNE 11

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Presents

Alexandra Billings

S/HE & ME

A Theatrical Cabaret

Written by Alexandra Billings
Conceived and Directed by Joanne Gordon

May 25 – June 11 at The Renberg Theatre

The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center has announced a limited engagement of S/He & Me: A Theatrical Cabaret, written and performed by Alexandra Billings, star of Amazon Prime’s hit show Transparent. Written by Ms. Billings and conceived and directed by Joanne Gordon, the show will open on Thursday, May 25 at 8pm and run through June 11 only.

S/He & Me chronicles the unvarnished, complex, desperate, and often hilariously wacky story of Billings’ life, centering on the transition from the young Scott to the show-stopping Alexandra. She carries the story forward through story and plenty of songs. Said BroadwayWorld.com, “Billings is nothing short of miraculous, a great actress, a great singer … S/He & Me has it all — drama, song and dance, and terrific direction and performances.” The show also stars Joey Ruggiero, Jeff Paul, Valerie Stanford, and Kayla Kearney playing friends and family members who helped shape Billings’ story.

Alexandra Billings has been acting since 1968 and has performed in hundreds of plays and musicals across the U.S. She’s played everyone from Mama Rose in Gypsy to Mrs. Lynde in A Doll’s House, with nearly every role being a first for a transgender actress. She has appeared in numerous television series and will star in the upcoming feature film Valley of Bones. She received her MFA from Cal State Long Beach where she is now an associate professor of theatre.  Billings’ activism stretches across the continent and has been honored with awards by many organizations. Her life story, From Schoolboy to Showgirl: The Alexandra Billings Story, was shown on PBS and nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Documentary.

For a complete biography, visit http://www.alexandrabillings.com/.

S/He & Me is set to open on Thursday, May 25 at 8pm. The regular running schedule will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm through June 11. There will be a special added matinee performance on Sunday, June 11 at 3pm. General admission tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre or by phone at (323) 860-7300. Net proceeds from all ticket sales will support the full range of free and low-cost programs and services offered by the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

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. During construction of the Center’s new facility, free parking is limited. Please allow extra time to find parking, or choose public transportation or a ride service such as Lyft.

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 04-17-17

^{Alexandra Billings}

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE FOR LA STAGE ALLIANCE OVATION AWARDS VOTER POOL

APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLE

FOR LA STAGE ALLIANCE

OVATION AWARDS VOTER POOL

Voter applications for the 2017–2018 Ovation Awards season are now available on OvationAwards.com, it was announced today by LA STAGE Alliance. Applications must be submitted no later than Friday, May 19 at noon.

The Ovation Awards are the only peer–judged theatre awards in Los Angeles, recognizing excellence in theatrical performance, production, and design in the Greater Los Angeles area. Approximately 250 Ovation voters are responsible for attending and scoring Ovation Awards–registered productions each season. Their scores determine Ovation Awards nominees and recipients.

To qualify, one must be an active, professional, LA area–based theatre artist or administrator that has been working in the community for a minimum of three years. LA STAGE Alliance seeks a diverse mix of directors, designers, actors, playwrights, stage managers, artistic directors, managing directors, administrators, and more.

Voters must possess critical thinking skills, be able to evaluate each voting category independently with an objective eye, and commit to attend and score a minimum number of productions (15) from a minimum number of producing organizations (15). Voters must have a passion for promoting awareness, appreciation, and support for the LA theatre community, and respect artists and producers of all artistic sensibilities, disciplines, and budget levels.

Successful applicants will be voters for the upcoming Ovations season, which runs August 28, 2017 through August 26, 2018. Voters receive a complimentary ticket to the annual black tie Ovation Awards ceremony.

For more information, visit OvationAwards.com.

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04-11-17

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ HUMANITAS ‘PLAY LA WORKSHOP’ INAUGURATES NEW PLAY FESTIVAL, APRIL 28–30

HUMANITAS PLAY LA WORKSHOP

INAUGURATES NEW PLAY FESTIVAL

The Humanitas Play LA Workshop is expanding its presence in Los Angeles, it was announced today. After last year’s successful partnership with Centre Theatre Group, Play LA is broadening its focus. Each of the six plays developed from the ground up in this year’s workshop will be given works-in-progress readings in the inaugural Humanitas Play LA Festival of New Works on April 28, 29, and 30. Six celebrated local theatres will be partnering with Humanitas to give these developing works a physical space in which to grow.

Now in its second year, the Humanitas Play LA Workshop develops plays by Los Angeles writers “from the ground up.” This year, four of the plays developed and recognized in the 2016 workshop are receiving their world premieres on local stages — Good Grief by Ngozi Anyanwu (Kirk Douglas Theatre), Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers by Luisa Hill and Driven by Boni B. Alvarez (The Skylight Theatre), and The House in Scarsdale by Dan O’Brien (Theatre @ Boston Court). In addition to a $1500 stipend, each playwright has access to advice from theatre, film, and television professionals throughout the year. The workshop culminates in a festival of new works-in-process plays, produced in conjunction with some of LA’s most celebrated local theatres.

Cathleen Young, Executive Director of Humanitas, said, “We are incredibly excited to nurture these amazing Southern California playwrights.” Workshop Director Shem Bitterman agrees. “This is a wonderfully talented and diverse group of writers, each working from and expressing their own unique voices. I am thrilled and grateful to have this opportunity to support them,” he said.

This year’s plays, writers, and participating theatre companies are The Beast by Tatiana Pico Suarez (The Road), The Kid by Patrick Burleigh (The Skylight), Momma Metallica by Sigrid Gilmer (IAMA), Quiver by Meg Miroshnek (Rogue Machine), Uncovered Cities by Cory Hinkle (Circle X), andThe Wall and The Dinosaur by Chelsea Sutton, (Playwrights Arena).

In addition, the festival will feature new plays-in-progress readings by two Humanitas honorees — John Sacret Young (China Beach) and Tom Schulman (Dead Poet’s Society).  The  festival  will  be  helmed  by  PLAY LA  Director,  award-winning playwright and screenwriter Shem Bitterman. Tim Furlong is co-director and Karen Gaul is associate producer. All events are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. For specific schedule information and to RSVP, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/humanitas-play-la-festival-13169141186.

Since its inception in 1974, The Humanitas Prize has awarded over $3 million to more than 320 deserving television and motion picture writers whose work affirms the dignity of the human person, probes the meaning of life, and enlightens the use of human freedom. Humanitas exists to encourage, stimulate, and sustain the nation’s screenwriters in their humanizing task, and to give them the recognition they deserve. The Humanitas Prize is funded by an endowment established through the generosity of individuals, networks, studios, and foundations.

Past winners of the Humanitas Prize include David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook),  Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), Steve Levitan (Modern Family and Frasier); Ryan Murphy (Glee), Robert & Michelle King (The Good Wife), David E. Kelley (The Practice and Picket Fences), Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List),  David Shore (House), Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing), Tim Robbins (Dead Man Walking), Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights), Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, and Pete Docter (WALL-E), Aseem Batra (Scrubs), Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl), Eric Roth & Michael Mann (The Insider), Paul Haggis (Crash), Steven Bochco (Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue), and Keir Pearson & Terry George (Hotel Rwanda).

Workshop director Shem Bitterman has written over 30 produced plays and screenplays. Awards include PEN USA (Harm’s Way), CBS/FDG New Play Program (Iowa Boys), Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays (Beijing Legends), SCR California Playwrights Competition (The Ramp), and the LA Drama Critics Circle Ted Schmitt Award (The Job). His teleplay Betty & Coretta was nominated for a Humanitas Award and his film Whitney, directed by Angela Bassett, aired on Lifetime in January 2015, and garnered him an NAACP Image Award nomination. His play, The Stone Witch starring Judd Hirsch, premiered at Berkshire Rep during the summer of 2016 and will be produced off Broadway this coming fall. In 2011, Bitterman initiated the PlayLab at LA’s Skylight Theatre, which has been responsible for mentoring more than 25 original plays from idea to completion.

For more information on the Humanitas Prize, the Play LA Workshop, and the New Play Festival, visit www.humanitasprize.org.

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 04-10-17