NEWS RELEASE — WORLD PREMIERE PLAY “GOONIE” WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY TERRY MARATOS ▪︎ DIRECTED BY JIM ANZIDE ▪︎ OPENS FRIDAY 4/7 at 8pm

GOONIE

A WORLD PREMIERE PLAY

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY

TERRY MARATOS

 DIRECTED BY JIM ANZIDE

FIVE WEEKS ONLY

OPENS FRIDAY, APRIL 7 AT 8PM

Goonie, a world premiere play written and performed by Terry Maratos, will run for a limited engagement of five weeks at the Atwater Village Theatre with opening set for Friday, April 7 at 8pm, it was announced today. There will be one Pay-What-You-Can preview performance on Thursday, April 6 at 8pm. Directed by Jim Anzide, the run will continue through May 5 only.

Today is Goonie’s sixth birthday — her favorite number. Her father, Terry, is planning a day to remember: bouncy house, extinct animals, and a skywriting plane. With everything in place, what could possibly go wrong? Oh, that’s right — THE DREAM TEAM — Terry’s insane, needy, and borderline psychotic family could all show up, uninvited, and not only ruin Goonie’s party but put Terry in an asylum before he even gets to the piñata.

The scenic design for Goonie is by Amanda Knehans, lighting design is by Dan Weingarten, and sound design is by Tim Labor. The stage manager is Hiram Sanchez, who also serves as assistant director.

Terry Maratos began his theatre career in New York. He performed in great off-off Broadway venues like Todo Con Nada in Miss Universal Happiness by Richard Foreman, and at The Piano Store inSamurai before making his way uptown to the Ensemble Studio Theatre. In Los Angeles, he has performed at Circle X, the Odyssey Theatre, and in Mike O’Malley’s Diverting Devotion at The Hudson Theatre, among many others. His television credits include Low Life, Homeland, The Bridge, CSI: Miami, House, Dexter, ER, Sex and the City, and more. Recent indie film credit includes Interpreters,directed by Michael Ryan. Maratos is also an accomplished voice actor and has done more than 50 commercials. With his close friend and collaborator Erik Van Wyck, he has co-written two screenplays,Life Untitled and Marco Polo, and one pilot, Drived. He is currently working on a new play entitled I’ll Do Whatever I Want.

Director Jim Anzide is one of the seven founding members of Circle X Theatre Company, and he served as Artistic Director until 2003. He has appeared in many Ovation Award–winning shows and has directed many as well, including The Eight, Great Men of Science Nos. 21 & 22, In Flagrante Gothicto, Mother of Modern Censorship, Louis Slotin Sonata, Grendel, American Book of the Dead –The Game Show, Laura Comstock’s Bag-Punching Dog, and Love Loves a Pornographer. Anzide is now the proud owner of Out & About Tours, Hollywood’s first and only Gay Bus and Walking Tours.

There will be a Pay-What-You-Can preview of Goonie on Thursday, April 6 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, April 7 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm through May 5 only. Admission is $20 with tickets available to seniors and students (with I.D.) for $15. To purchase online go to www.gonnietheplay.com or call (323) 839-5086. The Atwater Village Theatre is located at 3269 Casitas Avenue in Los Angeles, 90039.

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 03-27-17

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ DONNA McKECHNIE: SAME PLACE, ANOTHER TIME — SUNDAY 5/28 in HOLLYWOOD and THURSDAY 6/1 in SAN DIEGO

“A mix of high-sheen professionalism and raw vulnerability make an evening with Donna McKechnie quite a singular sensation.”
— The New York Times

CHRIS ISAACSON PRESENTS

LEGENDARY TONY AWARD-WINNING BROADWAY STAR

 DONNA McKECHNIE

Same Place, Another Time

TWO SHOWS ONLY

SUNDAY, MAY 28 at 7:30pm

CATALINA BAR & GRILL IN HOLLYWOOD

 THURSDAY, JUNE 1 at 8pm

MARTINIS ABOVE FOURTH IN SAN DIEGO

Chris Isaacson Presents has announced that legendary Tony Award-winning Broadway star Donna McKechnie will bring her show Same Place, Another Time to Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood on Sunday, May 28 at 7:30pm and Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego on Thursday, June 1 at 8pm.

Tony Award-winning star of A Chorus Line Donna McKechnie is regarded internationally as one of Broadway’s foremost dancing and singing leading ladies. Her Broadway shows include How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Sondheim—A Musical Tribute (which she also choreographed), On the Town, Promises, Promises, Company, and State Fair (1996 Fred Astaire Award for Best Female Dancer). McKechnie has starred in numerous productions in London’s West End including Promises, Promises, Company, No Way to Treat a Lady, Can-Can, and Follies. She starred in Bob Fosse’s last production, the 1987 National Tour of Sweet Charity (Helen Hayes Award nomination). Regional credits include Irma La Douce, Cabaret, The Threepenny Opera, The Goodbye Girl, Mack andMabel, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy, I Do! I Do!, and her own one-woman musical Inside the Music. Most recently she created the musical staging for Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks starring Leslie Caron at the Laguna Playhouse. McKechnie’s memoir, Time Steps—My Musical Comedy Life, was published by Simon and Schuster.

Special guests will include Greg Safel making his LA cabaret debut in celebration of his new CD Visible (LML Music), and local favorite Jeffrey Scott Parsons, a musical theatre star working on the boards across the United States and internationally. Some of his many credits include West Side Story, White Christmas, Cabaret, Dames at Sea, 42^nd Street, Glory Days, and Forever Plaid. (Safel will not appear in San Diego.)

Chris Isaacson Presents (CIP) has created, produced, and promoted over 700 events since the company’s founding in 2004. From small clubs to major theatres CIP has presented some of the most influential stars of this generation. CIP’s summer event in 2016 — Broadway Under the Stars: Celebrating the 35^th Anniversary of “Dreamgirls” — was a complete sellout at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. The evening starred original Dreamgirls Sheryl Lee Ralph, Loretta Devine, and Jennifer Holliday. Most recently, CIP coordinated and produced an elaborate kick-off event at the Pacific Design Center celebrating the premiere of Ryan Murphy’s FEUD: Bette and Joan (FX Networks). The Drag-Tacular Live Concert Event featured Tony Award-winner Sam Harris as host. Niki Harris and Bianca Del Rio were only two of the many stars in the show, which played to a standing room only crowd. For information about upcoming CIP events, including Heart & Soul: The Music of Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, and Diana Ross! starring Sharon Catherine Brown (Martinis Above Fourth in San Diego on April 9 and Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood on April 15), Shoshana Bean & Friends (Catalina on April 14), and Broadway Under the Stars (Ford Amphitheatre on October 7), visit www.ChrislsaacsonPresents.com.

Donna McKechnie: Same Place, Another Time at Catalina Bar & Grill on Sunday, May 28 is at 7:30pm (doors open at 6pm for cocktail and dinner service). Minimums apply. Admission is $30—$40, and VIP seating ($55) is available. Purchases made before May 22 receive a $5 discount, and online purchases will receive priority seating. The Martinis Above Fourth performance on Thursday, June 1 is at 8pm (doors open at 6pm for cocktail and dinner service). Minimums apply. Admission is $45. Tickets for both shows may be obtained online at www.ChrisIsaacsonPresents.com, or by calling (866) 468-3399. Catalina Bar & Grill is located at 6725 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, 90028. Martinis Above Fourth is located at 3940 Fourth Avenue (2^nd floor), in San Diego, 92103.

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03-24-17

PHOTO OF DONNA McKECHNIE BY CAROL ROSEGG.

NEWS RELEASE ▪︎ TWO SOLO SHOWS – “THE GAY GUIDE TO TINSELTOWN” and “POWER PLAY” ▪︎ THREE PERFS ONLY, MARCH 17–18–19

THE GAY GUIDE TO TINSELTOWN

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY JON MANGANELLO

AND

POWER PLAY

WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY MADELINE SHARTON

DIRECTED BY CASEY HANLEY

THREE PERFORMANCES ONLY

MARCH 17 & 18 AT 8PM & MARCH 19 AT 2PM

AT THE ACTORS COMPANY

Critically acclaimed solo comedy The Gay Guide to Tinseltown, written and performed by Jon Manganello will pair with Power Play, a solo show written and performed by Madeline Sharton, for three performances only on Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18 at 8pm, and Sunday, March 19 at 2pm at The Actors Company in West Hollywood. Both shows are directed by Casey Hanley. 

Jon Manganello is an actor, writer at the Huffington Post, and Hollywood studio tour guide. Other theatre credits include Almost, Maine (Best of Fest, Toronto Fringe Festival), A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Circle Mirror Transformation. He holds a BFA in drama from the University of Michigan. Twitter and Instagram: @jonnymangs.

Hop aboard a tour of Hollywood’s messy queer history. Tour guide Manganello will shift through time and space to give you part history and part autobiography. From Rock Hudson’s hushed battle with AIDS to the real heroes at the Stonewall riots to the sinister Reaganite 80s, The Gay Guide to Tinseltown explores revisionist gay history and how far the LGBTQ movement has actually come. Performance running time is 50 minutes.

Madeline Sharton is an actor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Other theatre credits include Almost, Maine (Best of Fest, Toronto Fringe Festival), The Little Dog Laughed, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She holds a BFA in acting from the University of Michigan. Twitter: @madsharts.

Through poems, songs, and stories, Sharton explores the universal common denominator of power. Why do we give in to perceived power and allow others to take it from us? What role do the “powerless” people play in the structures that we create? What invisible systems must we identify and subsequently fight against? Whether we’re at the mercy of the large-scale power of government and the wealthy or the small-scale power of the individual, the truth remains that power is always at play. Performance running time is 55 minutes.

Tickets for The Gay Guide to Tinseltown and Power Play are $15 and may be obtained online at www.thegayguidetotinseltown.com or by calling(323) 463-4639. Tickets will also be available at the door. The Actors Company is located at 916 N. Formosa Avenue in West Hollywood.

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03–10–17