NEWS RELEASE — COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS “THE PITCHFORK DISNEY” — OPENS SATURDAY 1/31 AT 8PM

COEURAGE THEATRE COMPANY
LA’S ‘PAY WHAT YOU WANT’ THEATRE COMPANY
PRESENTS
THE PITCHFORK DISNEY
BY PHILIP RIDLEY
DIRECTED BY REBECCA EISENBERG

OPENS SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
AT LYRIC-HYPERION THEATRE & CAFE

Coeurage Theatre Company, LA’s ‘Pay What You Want’ Company, has announced the first production of its 2015 season, The Pitchfork Disney written by Philip Ridley and directed by Rebecca Eisenberg. There will be two preview performances on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, January 31 at 8pm. The Pitchfork Disney will play through March 6 only at the Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Cafe in Silver Lake.

The cast will feature (in alphabetical order) Joseph V. Calarco, Adam Kern, Jeremy Lelliott, and Nicole Monet. Scenic design is by Amanda Stuart, lighting design is by Michael Kozachenko, costume design is by Marcy Hiratzka, sound design is by Jenna Riley, and fight direction is by TJ Marchbank. The stage manager is Vanessa Babida.

Presley and Haley have lived in squalor and isolation since the disappearance of their parents 10 years ago. The agoraphobic twins use chocolate, drugs, and fantasy to keep the outside world away until Presley allows menacing entertainer Cosmo Disney and his imposing sidekick Pitchfork Cavalier into their home. For mature audiences only.

Philip Ridley is a writer, photographer, and film director. The Pitchfork Disney is his first play (1991). Other plays include The Fastest Clock in the Universe (1992), Vincent River (2000), Mercury Fur (2005), Leaves of Glass (2007), and Tender Napalm (2011), among others. Ridley has authored numerous plays and novels for young people and he has written and directed several films. Ridley’s photography has been exhibited in London, Italy, and France.

The Pitchfork Disney will play two preview performances on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30 at 8pm and opening is set for Saturday, January 31 at 8pm. The regular running schedule is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm through March 6 only (no performance on Saturday, February 7). All seats are available on a Pay What You Want basis, and may be reserved online at www.coeurage.org/tickets or by calling (323) 944-2165.

The Lyric-Hyperion Theatre & Cafe is located at 2106 Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles, 90027. Street parking is available.

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01-06-15

**The Coeurage PAY WHAT YOU WANT Policy**
Pay What You Can is based on a person’s ability to pay.
Pay What You Want is based on a patron’s desire.
It is a value placement as well as an economic decision, designed to eliminate cost as a factor
in attending theatre. Each patron decides what a theatre experience is worth to him or her,
and some decide it is worth more than they initially paid.
For that reason, the box office is kept open during intermission and after performances.

NEWS RELEASE — CAST & DESIGNERS SET FOR “SONS OF THE PROPHET” AT THE BLANK THEATRE — OPENS FEBRUARY 7, 2015

CAST & DESIGNERS SET
FOR THE BLANK THEATRE’S
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE OF
SONS OF THE PROPHET
BY STEPHEN KARAM
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MATTHEWS

PERFORMANCES BEGIN JANUARY 31
★ NOW EXTENDED THROUGH APRIL 26 ★
AT THE BLANK’S 2nd STAGE THEATRE

The cast and designers have been set for The Blank Theatre’s Los Angeles premiere of Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam, directed by Ovation Award-winner Michael Matthews. Performances begin January 31 with opening night set for Saturday, February 7.

In alphabetical order, the cast will feature Ellen Karsten, Jack Laufer, Braxton Molinaro, Erik Odom, Irene Roseen, Adam Silver, Mychal Thompson and Tamara Zook. Set design is by Rachel Watson, lighting design is by Luke Moyer, costume design is by Allison Dillard, and sound design is by Cricket S. Myers. The stage manager is Marcedes L. Clanton, and Sons of the Prophet is produced for The Blank Theatre by Daniel Henning, Noah Wyle, and Sarah A. Bauer.

Winner of the 2012 NY Drama Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle, and Lucille Lortel Awards for Best Play and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Sons of the Prophet by Stephen Karam (Speech & Debate) is a refreshingly honest take on how we cope with wounds that just won’t heal. If to live is to suffer, then Joseph Douaihy is more alive than most. With unexplained chronic pain and the fate of his reeling family on his shoulders, Joseph’s health, sanity, and insurance premium are on the line. In an age when modern medicine has a cure for just about everything, Sons of the Prophet is the funniest play about human suffering you’re likely to see.

Preview performances begin on Saturday, January 31 at 8pm and continue on Sunday, February 1 at 2pm, and Wednesday through Friday, February 4—6 at 8pm. Opening is set for Saturday, February 7 at 8pm. The regular performance schedule will be Friday and Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm through March 15 Extended Through March 29 Now Extended Through April 26. Tickets are $25 for previews and $30 for regular performances and may be purchased online at www.TheBlank.com or via phone at (323) 661-9827.

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

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01-05-15

Wickedly Good! (LAArtsOnline.com)

Cast members of Wicked on Opening Night at the Pantages Theatre

WICKEDLY GOOD!

By KEN WERTHER
Photo By PAIGE PETRONE

Wicked (full title: Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz) is the winner of over 100 international awards, including three Tony’s; six Drama Desk Awards; and a Grammy. This blockbuster musical celebrated its 10th anniversary on Broadway in 2013 and is currently the 11th longest-running show in Broadway history having played over 4,650 performances. With various national and international tours currently running around the world, there seems to be no end in sight.

The story of Wicked is told from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz. Its plot begins before and continues after Dorothy’s arrival in Oz from Kansas and includes several references to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum’s novel on which the movie is based. Since its 2003 debut, Wicked has broken box office records around the world, currently holding weekly-gross-takings records in Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis and London.

The engagement currently running at the Pantages Theatre is its fourth in LA. I first saw Wicked here in June 2005. I practically had to promise my first born to snag a ticket and haven’t been able to get another seat since. For a taste of the relentless excitement this show generates, go to watch here and marvel at the original Broadway cast performing the act one finale. And then, head to the Pantages for tickets. You might want to bring along your first-born.

Wicked plays at the Pantages Theatre, located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, through March 15.