Archived entries for Publicity

NEWS RELEASE — WORLD PREMIERE DRAMA “CAGED” OPENS FRIDAY 10/16 AT THEATRE BANSHEE

MEAN MACHINE PRODUCTIONS
AND GEORGANNE ALDRICH HELLER
IN ASSOCIATION WITH THEATRE BANSHEE PRESENT
A WORLD PREMIERE PLAY
CAGED
BY DERMOT DAVIS
FEATURING ELIZABETH LANDE AND JOHNNY O’CALLAGHAN
DIRECTED BY TIM BYRON OWEN

OCTOBER 15 — NOVEMBER 22
OPENS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 8PM

CagedMean Machine Productions and Georganne Aldrich Heller in association with Theatre Banshee have announced the world premiere production of a new drama, Caged by Dermot Davis. Featuring Elizabeth Lande and Johnny O’Callaghan and directed by Tim Byron Owen, Caged will play one preview on October 15 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, October 16 at 8pm. The engagement will run through November 22 only at Theatre Banshee in Burbank.

In Caged, two strangers find themselves trapped together in the elevator of a deserted high rise building late at night. Their worlds are turned upside down in a desperate struggle against the raw, primal animal that lives just below the surface in all of us.

Elizabeth Lande has been seen in many stage productions in Los Angeles and around the country. Credits include Remembrance, Kin, and American Wee-Pie (Theatre 40), As You Like It (Yale Repertory Theatre), A Knife in the Heart (New Dramatists), Look Back in Anger (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and King Henry IV, Part 2 (New Jersey Shakespeare Festival). She is a graduate of The Yale School of Drama.

Johnny O’Callaghan most recently appeared in Remembrance at Theatre 40. His Ovation Award-nominated solo show Who’s Your Daddy? in LA launched a move to Off-Broadway, Edinburgh, and Toronto. Other Off-Broadway successes include Howie The Rookie, Ladies and Gents in the toilets of Central Park at The Irish Arts Center, and The Hostage at The Irish Repertory Theatre. His critically acclaimed solo performance in Conor McPherson’s Rum and Vodka followed in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto.

Dermot Davis is an award-winning playwright and author. He was formerly a child actor in Dublin, Ireland and he is the co-founder of Laughing Gravy Theatre (which performed the best of Irish and European theatre as well as some original plays by Davis). He has had plays performed in Dublin, Boston, Los Angeles, and at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, NC. He is a recipient of the O.Z. Whitehead Award for Playwriting and his novels so far have won total of seven literary awards to date.

Tim Byron Owen has produced, directed, or appeared in over 60 productions with theatre companies in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and Cardiff. He co-founded The Sarah Fulton Group in Sherman Oaks which has produced numerous theatre projects as well as several short films. Some of Owen’s directing credits include A Night In November, Fighting Words, The Walworth Farce, Love Me Deadly, Falling Upward, Jimmy & Sam, Spoken Words, and Remembrance, among many other award-winning productions.

There will be one preview performance of Caged on Thursday, October 15 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, October 16 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm through November 22 only. General admission tickets are $20 and may be obtained online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2181781 or by calling (800) 838-3006. Theatre Banshee is located at 3435 W. Magnolia Boulevard in Burbank, 91505.

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09-18-15

NEWS RELEASE — WORLD PREMIERE COMEDY “TELL MR. POULOS” OPENS SAT 10/3 AT 8PM — DORIE THEATRE AT THE COMPLEX

WILDTOWN PRODUCTIONS
ANNOUNCES A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT OF
THE WORLD PREMIERE COMEDY

TELL MR. POULOS
BY DONALD WOLLNER
DIRECTED BY PAGE BURKHOLDER

FOUR WEEKS ONLY
OCTOBER 1 — 25
OPENS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 AT 8PM

Tell Mr. PoulosWildTown Productions has announced a limited engagement of the world premiere comedy TELL MR. POULOS by Donald Wollner at the Dorie Theatre at the Complex in Hollywood beginning October 1. Directed by Page Burkholder, the play will begin previews on October 1 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, October 3 at 8pm. The limited engagement will run through October 25 only.

The cast of Tell Mr. Poulos will feature (in alphabetical order) Lindsey Andersen, Beresford Bennett, Kina Bermudez, Yetta Gottesman, and one more actor to be announced. The design team will include Rebecca Raines (lighting) and Bill Campbell (sound).

When Jimmy Meadows loses his job after 10 years of loyal service, his once stable life spirals into ridiculousness. Job interviews lead only to degradation. Aloof from his wife, he takes up with an admiring, beautiful, but deeply disturbed young woman. Jimmy’s lonely wife, a nurse, enters into a bizarre relationship with a 90-year-old patient under her care. Into this turmoil comes the enigmatic Mr. Poulos, who rents a room in the Meadows’ apartment. Is he a seer? A spy? Or is he just an old guy who reads Greek language newspapers all day?

Playwright Donald Wollner is a two-time recipient of an NYFA grant for playwrighting. Some of his other plays include Kid Purple, Badgers, Lone Deer, The Harvard Club, Men in Waiting, and Bavarian Humor. Tell Mr. Poulos was workshopped at Labyrinth Theatre’s 2013 Summer Intensive, and Kid Purple is scheduled for a production by The Never Wonder Players in Sherman Oaks this month.

In New York City, Page Burkholder has directed for The Women’s Project, HERE, Clubbed Thumb, Theater for the New City, The Flea Theater, Dixon Place, and New Dramatists. In Tucson, AZ she has worked with The Invisible Theater and Shakespeare Under the Stars.

Preview performances of Tell Mr. Poulos are on Thursday, October 1 at 8pm and Friday, October 2 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, October 3 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 5pm through October 25 only. General admission tickets are $10 and may be obtained online at http://wildtown.org/ or by calling (866) 811-4111. The Dorie Theatre at the Complex is located at 6476 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, 90038.

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09-08-15

NEWS RELEASE — GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “BREATHE” BY JAVON JOHNSON — OPENS 9/25

GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE
PRESENTS
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
BREATHE
BY JAVON JOHNSON
DIRECTED BY LEVY LEE SIMON

OPENS SEPTEMBER 25 FOR 5 WEEKS ONLY


 BreatheGreenway Arts Alliance has announced the world premiere production of Breathe, a drama by Javon Johnson. Directed by Levy Lee Simon, there will be two preview performances on September 23 and 24 at 8pm and opening night is set for Friday, September 25 at 8pm. The limited engagement of 17 performances will run through Friday, October 23.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Brandon Armstrong, Wade Barrett, Walter Cox, Monifa Days, James Giordano, Dutch Hofstetter, John Marshall Jones, Blake Scott Lewis, Carrie Madsen, Kamahl Naiqui, and Lyn Ross. The set design is by Max Oken, lighting design is by Jeremy Pivnick, costume design is by EB Brooks, and sound design is by Will Mahood.

Breathe is the story of two teenagers (one black, one white) who are involved in separate acts of violence but the consequences they each face are based not only on evidence but also on the color of their skin. Using a combination of urban poetry and dramatic action, Breathe explores the tensions, decisions, and conditions that lead the boys to prison and the effect their imprisonment has on their families.

Playwright Javon Johnson is an actor, writer, poet, and director. He is a founding member of Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago. His work has been recognized with many honors including the Black Theatre Alliance August Wilson Award, the Lorraine Hansberry Award, a Yukon/Pacific New Play Award, and a Kennedy Center Fellowship. Several of Johnson’s plays have been performed in regional theatres across the country. As an actor, he has appeared on The Mob Doctor, Prison Break, Survivor’s Remorse, and Trapped in the Closet, among many others.

Director Levy Lee Simon is also an actor and a playwright. He is the author of more than 20 plays which have received productions in the U.S. and the Caribbean. The list includes For the Love of Freedom Trilogy, The Bow Wow Club, and The Guest at Central Park West, to name only a few. His most recent plays include The Magnificent Dunbar Hotel and The Last Revolutionary, both of which were featured at the 2015 National Black Theatre Festival. As an actor Simon has performed in over 60 productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, in regional theatres, in England, and the Caribbean.

The mission of Greenway Arts Alliance is to unite the community through art, education and enterprise. A nationally recognized innovator, Greenway has created a world class model of how a non-profit arts organization can thrive while operating 99-seat theatre that welcomes emerging artists, students, and seasoned professionals alike.

There will be two preview performances of Breathe on Wednesday, September 23 and Thursday, September 24 at 8pm and opening is set for Friday, September 25 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule is as follows, all at 8pm (except as noted) — Saturday 9/26; Sunday 9/27 at 7pm; Mondays 9/28 & 10/5; Wednesdays 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21; Thursdays 10/8, 10/15, 10/22; Fridays 10/9, 10/16, and 10/23. Tickets are $35 for reserved seats and $25 for general admission and may be purchased online at www.greenwaycourt.org or via phone by calling (323) 673-0544.

Greenway Court Theatre is located at 544 N. Fairfax Boulevard, in Los Angeles, 90036. Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the theatre.

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09-04-15

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